If you’re wondering, “Can I make my own belly dance bra?”, then the answer is, yes, you can! Here is how to make a belly dance bra for beginners in 10 easy steps!
Belly dance bras don’t come in many sizes, and many of you end up having to make your own bra tops, which is exciting but may be intimidating.
There are many ways to make belly dance bras, so in this video, let me show you how to make a custom-fit belly dance bra step-by-step, so even if you’re a beginner, you can create your own bra top to show off at your next performance. Let’s get started!
How to Make a Belly Dance Bra for Beginners
Step 1. Choose the Right Bra Base
Custom-fit belly dance bras start here! We need a bra base to work off of. And you can choose a perfect bra base by checking 2 things.
First, size. Some people say to get a size bigger when you make a belly dance bra, but I say get your regular size that you know fits you well. The main reason why people recommend a larger bra is because the bra cups can shrink after they are made into a belly dance bra top. But then there’s a risk of your finished bra being too large too.
We want our finished product to be a well-fitting bra top, so let’s start with a bra that you know fits you well. It can be your old bra that still fits you. And later in this video, I’ll show you how to make a belly dance bra without shrinking the cups.
Next, check the material. Your bra should be a sturdy, foam bra that looks like this. Well, how do you know if it’s sturdy? There’s one easy way to figure it out.
I call it the smartphone test. Simply place your bra on a flat surface, and place your smartphone on top.
Smartphones are becoming larger and heavier nowadays so the cup may appear to collapse a little, but as you can see, the phone is sliding off the cup. It’s a good sign that the bra cup is sturdy enough. And the cup bounces back to more or less its normal shape.
Compare this with this bra. When I place my phone on one of the bra cups, it completely flattens, and the phone stays on top comfortably. This bra is way too weak to become a belly dance bra because belly dance bras need to hold up all the fabric and embellishments.
So choose a bra base that fits you well and passes the smartphone test.
Step 2. Prepare Materials
Besides a bra base, you need a few more materials. I’ve made them as simple as possible for this tutorial, and you only need 4 things.
You need:
- 2.5cm (1in) wide elastic – 2m or 2 yards should be plenty. Try to find sturdy elastic that stretches no more than double, and recovers well. Super stretchy elastic won’t be good for a dance bra.
- About 1/2m or 20in stretch fabric – nice, stretchy fabric makes it easier to make a belly dance bra.
TIP: I recommend stretch velvet because its texture hides any imperfections.
But here I’ll be using smooth stretch fabric so you can see what I’m doing well.
- Thread – All-purpose thread that matches the color of your fabric
- 2 sets of closures – I recommend you use a combination of a pant hook and bar and a snap button for strong closure. You need 2 sets of each one.
Also, this is not a requirement, but these clips are very helpful. These are called Wonder Clips by Clover (affiliate), and I’ll be using these in place of pins. You can use regular pins as well.
Alright, let’s start making!
Step 3. Cut Off Straps
We’re going to go ahead and start cutting these straps, but wait a second!
TIP: first, take a picture of your bra as a record in case you need to refer back later to see how and where the original straps are attached.
Also, place the bra on a flat surface, and measure the width of the bottom edge of the bra. The bottom edge is from where the bottom part of the side strap is attached to the cup to the other side. We’ll need this measurement later, so make a note of that.
Then go ahead and cut all the straps off the bra cups. And let’s keep these straps until the end for reference.
These straps are the reason why this bra looks like underwear. So in the next steps, we’ll recreate these straps.
Step 4. Make Center Strap
So for this bra top, we’ll create all the straps using elastic as a base. Let’s try the center strap since it’s the shortest.
Take the center strap piece that you just cut out, and place it on your elastic. Mark 2cm (3/4in) from the ends.
And cut the elastic at the marks.
And cut your fabric like this. The length is the length of your elastic plus 2.5cm (1in). The width is the width of your elastic times 2.5. So if you’re using 2.5cm (1in) wide elastic, the width is 6.3cm (2.5in).
2 Ways of Covering Straps
Now we’re going to cover the elastic with this fabric, and there are 2 ways of doing it. I’ll show you both ways, and you can choose whichever way you like.
The first way is super easy. Place the elastic on the wrong side of the fabric, and wrap it by folding the fabric from all edges. The long edge should end up around the center of the elastic.
Then do a straight stitch at one end, do a zigzag stitch along the center, then do another straight stitch at the other end.
If you don’t have a sewing machine, you can sew by hand as well. I find this way a little tricky to sew neatly with a sewing machine for longer straps, but it is a very straightforward way.
The second way is to first fold the fabric’s right sides together. Sew the long edges with a zigzag stitch with a 5mm (1/4in) seam allowance.
Now you have a tube. Turn this tube inside out, so the right side of the fabric is facing out.
Insert the elastic through the tube. I’m using a safety pin to do this.
Then fold the ends towards the inside nice and neat, and do a straight stitch at each end.
This way involves a few extra steps of turning the fabric and inserting the elastic, but it creates a neater finish, especially on the backside. If you have a sewing machine, this way might be easier.
If you’re worried that your stitches are not straight or not clean, don’t worry, you can always cover imperfections with embellishments later!
You’ll be making a bunch of straps, so try both ways for this small strap, and choose one that works best for you!
Alright, let’s make more straps!
Step 5. Make Side Straps
Side straps are really important in making a custom-fit belly dance bra.
First, measure your underbust area. Be sure your measurement tape is wrapped around you nice and snug and read the measurement.
Then take the measurement, and subtract the width of the bottom edge of the bra that we measured earlier. Divide that by 2. This is the length of your elastic.
Cut 2 pieces of elastic to this measurement.
Then take one of your bra cups, and pin or clip the elastic at the bottom of the cup where the original strap was attached. There is a 2.5cm (1in) seam allowance here.
Then measure from 2.5cm (1in) from the top edge of the underwire to about the midpoint of the elastic. Add 5cm (2in) to this measurement, and cut 2 pieces of elastic to that length.
Now cut fabric for each one of these straps. Again, the length is the length of your elastic plus 2.5cm (1in). The width is the width of your elastic times 2.5. And if you’re using 2.5cm (1in) wide elastic, the width is 6.3cm (2.5in).
And cover the elastic with fabric in whichever way you choose in Step 4.
Step 6. Make Shoulder Straps
Finally, let’s make shoulder straps. For this bra, we’ll make halterneck-style shoulder straps.
To do that, first, hold the bra cups against your body, and measure from the top of one cup, around your neck, to the top of the other cup.
Divide the measurement in half and add 2.5cm (1in). Cut 2 pieces of elastic to that length.
Then cut the fabric. (The length is the length of your elastic plus 2.5cm (1in). The width is the width of your elastic times 2.5. And if you’re using 2.5cm (1in) wide elastic, the width is 6.3cm (2.5in).)
Cover the elastic in whichever way you choose in Step 4.
Alright, all the straps are ready. Now let’s tackle the cups!
Step 7. Cover the Bra Cups
This is probably the scariest part of making a belly dance bra, but don’t worry, it’s pretty simple.
First, take one of the cups, and place fabric over it. The fabric is right side up. Smooth it over the cup with your hands and make sure there is more than enough fabric to cover the entire cup.
Leave about 5-10cm (2-4in) around the outline of the cup, and trim the fabric.
Then from the top edge, fold the fabric over the edge of the bra cup. And place a pin or clip.
Smooth out the fabric and keep folding the fabric over the edge.
TIP: There’s no need to pull the fabric here. Pulling the fabric is a big reason why your handmade bra cups shrink in size. So just smooth out the fabric, and focus on creating a neat edge.
Then continue onto the other side of the cup. Then just a few cm or a couple of inches from the corners along the underwire.
It looks like this. There is a lot of excess fabric here, and that’s perfect! Try gathering the fabric with your fingers, and fold it over to encase the excess fabric like this. This is called a dart.
It’s okay if there’s still some excess fabric left. Just try to catch as much fabric as possible without pulling or yanking the fabric.
Now this looks neater, but I like this fold line to go straight down from the peak. So I’m going to adjust it.
Take your time here, and once it looks good, fold the excess fabric over to the other side and place pins or clips. Again, no pulling here.
And I still have some excess fabric here and there. Go back to these areas, remove the clips, and smooth it out again. At this point, a little bit of gentle pull is okay, just enough to create a clean finish. And you can see why using stretch fabric is helpful here.
By the way, if you want to up your game and make a belly dance bra with no darts, or custom shaped cups, or even built-in bra designs, have a look at Sparkly Belly All-Access Membership where you get access to all my courses, currently, I have 18 of them, and create your very own, beautiful belly dance bras and outfits to fit you. If you’re curious, check it out here!
Back to the bra covering, take your other cup and repeat the process. It’s nice to make the darts symmetrical, but if this is your first try, this step may take some time. You may feel like re-doing it, and that’s okay! Just smooth out the fabric, no pulling, and any imperfections, you can cover them with embellishments.
Once both cups are covered, look at the backside and trim the fabric down leaving about 2.5cm (1in) for seam allowance.
Double-thread your needle, and from the back side, do a whip stitch to secure the fabric in place.
A whip stitch is this simple diagonal stitch.
TIP: Keep the stitches about 5mm (1/4in) away from the edge, so the edge of the bra cup stays nice and clean.
TIP: Try sewing through the foam but not all the way through, so the front side of the bra cup has no visible stitch. It’s nice and clean.
At the corners, fold the fabric neatly and continue stitching.
TIP: As you sew, be sure you are not pulling the threads too much. Pulling the threads can also cause the cups to shrink, so use just enough tag to make the threads straight, and the fabric will stay there with no problem.
Once you are near the dart, stop, and let’s sew the dart here. Take a little bit of the fabric at the fold, and take a little from the bottom fabric. Take a little from the fold and take a little from the bottom. Don’t pull the thread too much, because it’ll make the line wavy. Repeat to secure the fold neatly.
Back on the back side, and finish securing the fabric.
Once you finish sewing, trim down the seam allowance if you need to. Now the cup is nicely covered with fabric! Repeat for the other cup, and let’s move on!
Step 8. Assemble your belly dance bra!
Now you have all the pieces ready. Let’s assemble them together.
First, place the center strap and bra cups according to the original center strap. Hold them together with pins or clips.
Then take a double-threaded needle, and whip stitch around the edges. Around the areas that are visible from the front side, try to make the stitches small and hidden.
My center strap ended up being a bit too long, so I trimmed it down leaving about 2cm (3/4in) for a seam allowance.
Next, let’s attach the side straps. Take the measurement of the width of the bottom edge from earlier, and mark where the straps should be attached with pins.
Then place your side straps there, and you have a 2.5cm (1in) seam allowance here. Place pins or clips.
Take your short side straps, then place them from the top end of the underwire, diagonally to meet the long straps. Again, you have a 2.5cm (1in) seam allowance at both ends.
Looks like this. Hold the straps and see if they are attached straight horizontally.
Then whip stitch around the edges to secure the ends.
TIP: If your fingers get tired, use pliers to help pull out the needle. Pliers can really save sore fingers!
At where the 2 straps meet, you can use your sewing machine and do a zigzag stitch like I did here. You can sew by hand too, of course.
Alright, your bra is coming together! Finally, we will add the shoulder straps.
Using a 2.5cm (1in) seam allowance, place the end of the shoulder strap at the top of the cup. Do this for the other cup.
And at this point, stand in front of a mirror, and try on the bra top. Overlap the straps and hold them with pins or clips. It’s nice if you have someone to help, but you can do this by yourself, especially using these clips.
See how it feels and adjust the angle of the shoulder straps if you need to. Make sure both the side straps and shoulder straps are nice and snug, then where the straps overlap, mark where the end of the top strap is on the bottom strap with a pin or clip. Do this for both the shoulder straps and side straps.
Take off the bra, and sew the ends of the shoulder straps to the bra cups.
And now your bra is 95% finished! Let’s add closures.
Step 9. Sew on Closures
First, sew a hook on the wrong side of the right strap. Keep the end of the hook a few mm away from the edge.
Then we’ll sew the bar on the other strap, and here’s how to decide where to place it.
TIP: Place the right strap at the mark on the left strap, then look from the side and the top to see where the top end of the hook is. Mark it with pins.
Now you know exactly where the top end of the bar should go. Place the bar there, and sew it there.
Next, take the socket side of the snap button, and place it on the right side of the left strap.
Then just like before, overlap the straps, and this time you can do the hook too. Then see where the snap is, and mark it with pins on the other strap.
On the wrong side of the right strap, sew the stud side of the snap button.
Now the side straps can be securely closed. Repeat this step with the shoulder straps.
And look at your beautiful work! Now you can decorate it any way you like!
Step 10. Decorate your belly dance bra to custom-fit your vision
There are so many ways to decorate belly dance bras. You can use rhinestones, rhinestone chains, appliques, mirror tiles, fringe etc, etc. This is the fun, creative part, so you do what you like!
Let me show you a very easy example here. I got this lace trimming. It’s about 5cm (2in) wide. I placed it along the edge of the bra cups and along the shoulder straps.
TIP: It’s best to first pin everything before you start sewing. This way you can see how everything looks and plan out your embellishment before committing to the design.
It’s really cute to cover the entire cups with this trimming. But I decided not to, because I’m actually planning to wear this bra top under a dress, and this part won’t even be visible.
So then I simply sewed on the trimming. For this part, you can use fabric glue too if you like.
For the straps, this type of trimming doesn’t stretch well, so I used it for the shoulder straps which usually don’t have to stretch so much, but I wouldn’t use it for the side straps.
TIP: Avoid adding trimming around the bar area because it’ll just get in the way of your hook. But you can embellish the other side.
TIP: For belly dance costumes, it always makes it look more professional if you layer embellishments.
So for this example, you can layer rhinestones or beads on top of the lace trimming. Do you see how the rhinestones add more dimensions?
For this one, again, I’ll be wearing this under a dress, so I decided to skip the large stones. Instead, I glued on small rhinestones in black so the bra would shine under the stage lights.
So cute! Alright, so this is what it looks like. It’s quite minimal for a belly dance bra, so if you’re going to wear the bra as it is, you can definitely add more embellishments around the bottom half of the cups and the side straps.
I’m wearing this bra under this dress. I love how the cups and shoulder straps are peeking from the neckline of the dress! And if you want to make this dress, a brand new course on how to make it is coming out soon. Check the details here!
You see, belly dance bra making isn’t that hard! Try following these 10 steps on how to make a belly dance bra for beginners, and let me know how it goes!
And if you liked this video, you might enjoy my tutorial on how to make rhinestone appliques to decorate your bra with. This one is pretty easy too!
And if you want to start making more costuming pieces, check out my FREE email course “Belly Dance Costume Making 101” here!
Thanks for reading, and keep sparkling!
P.S. Pin this on your belly dance bra making idea board 😉
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