Do you have a bra and belt that need new lining? In this post, Chani, our alteration expert, will complete her 90s costume refurbishment project and show you how she added fringe, then lining to the bra and belt for a very professional finish. Enjoy! Phew! We have covered a lot of ground on this project: from simply figuring out… Read more →
There are many ways to add an interesting feature to a simple skirt, but what’s more romantic than a little drape or a swag? 🙂 Creating perfectly draped fabric can be tricky, but in this tutorial, I’ll show you a super-easy way to add drape to a belly dance skirt. Let’s get started! Resources mentioned in the video: Detachable side swag… Read more →
Do you have a skirt that could use a little makeover? You can easily transform a simple skirt into an exciting ruffle skirt if you know how to add a ruffle to a skirt! The original skirt is from my 3-panel mermaid skirt tutorial, and I decided to add ruffles to upgrade it. In this video, you’ll see how to… Read more →
What accessories do you wear with your dance costume? 🙂 In the last couple of posts, I showed you how I’m decorating this costume, and I wanted to make a matching hair accessory. So here’s a cute and easy hair clip to make, and the best part is, it won’t fall off even if you shake your head, which makes… Read more →
So I opened my DIY Applique Kit shop a little while ago, and people love the kits because they come with everything you need to create beautiful appliques yourself! 😀 But some of them asked, “How do I attach the appliques to a costume?” A very good question 🙂 In this post, I’ll show you exactly… Read more →
You know I love making beaded appliques and using them for decorating my costumes 😉 But finding the right beads and the right stones can be challenging, and often I don’t know where to buy them or how many beads to buy to make appliques. 🙁 It turns out, many costumers face the same challenge! I… Read more →
When I make beaded appliques, I like to mix in a rhinestone chain. 🙂 Rhinestone chains are great for defining the shape of the applique, which is a big plus for dance costumes. (Vague shapes don’t show well on stage.) And of course, rhinestone chains add lots of shine, and they are much quicker to sew on than… Read more →
If you’re in my Applique Making course or if you’ve read my decoration tutorials, you probably heard me saying, “It is important to make a clean outline.” I truly believe an applique will look beautiful with a clean outline, even if you mess up the inside of the outline a little 😉 It’s especially true for dance… Read more →
Beaded appliques are perfect for decorating your dance costumes with… or even your evening dresses or bags! They make everything look so fine and polished! 🙂 And so they come with high price tags. Can you make one yourself? Sure you can! 🙂 In fact, making your own beaded appliques is actually simple and… Read more →
One of the most common costume making problems I hear from Sparkly Belly readers is actually not related to costume making at all. It’s about finding time to sew. When I share my costume tutorials, I often get comments like, “I love this! But first I have to find time to sew….” The other day, I saw a FB discussion… Read more →