Holidays are upon us, and it’s an exciting time with all the fun social events.
But sometimes I really, REALLY appreciate the quiet, alone moments I get in between those events.
Don’t get me wrong. I really enjoy sharing lovely moments with friends and families… but the more social events I enjoy, the more quiet, alone time I crave.
Can you relate? 🙂
And the best way to spend that precious alone time is to work on a DIY costuming project. You can work on it for 30 minutes, go to your party, come home and you can work on your project for another 30 minutes as you recall the nice conversations you had that day 🙂
So in this post, let me share with you DIY costuming projects that you can work on during the quiet time this holiday season. Best part is, you can pick a project by the amount of fabric required! So pull out some scrap fabric or precious beautiful fabric you just couldn’t finish, and clean up your stash for the new year too!
Let’s get started!
11 DIY Belly Dance Costume Projects to Upcycle Fabric Scraps!
If you have <50cm of fabric…
DIY 10-minute Overskirt
I’ve seen SO MANY people try this overskirt on Sparkly Belly’s Facebook group, and this overskirt looks great with all types of stretch fabric! Make one or many to wear to your classes in the new year!
Click here to learn how to make this overskirt!
DIY Belly Drape
Got some precious leftover lace? Let’s showcase the beauty right on your bra top! It will offer some additional coverage for the top of your torso without making your belly appear short. Of course, feel free to add sparkles and decorate the lace 🙂
Make your own belly drape here!
DIY Zill Mufflers
These zill mufflers are the things that you think you can live without but once you have them, you can’t live without them! These mufflers let you practice zills in the middle of the night, and your neighbors won’t hear a thing!
Make your own zill mufflers here!
If you have 50cm – 1m of fabric…
DIY Perky Ruffles
Got some lace or chiffon leftover? You can make these super curly ruffles, which can then be sewn onto the slit of your skirt or drape over your arms or hips!
DIY Sleeveless Choli Top
This easy choli top is great for all types of belly dancers! It offers a full coverage in the front, and a nice open back. The bow with dangling tassels is really cute!
DIY Fringe Hip Scarf
As a belly dancer, you can NEVER have enough hip scarves 😉 Why not make a new one for the new year? Pull out some leftover fabric and trimmings from your stash, and match them up to make a cute hip scarf!
If you have 1-2m of fabric…
DIY Prop Bag
I made this prop bag using faux leather, but you can use other sturdy fabric like canvas! Fully lined with felt on the inside, it’s a great bag to transport your canes, wings and swords! You can even attach this bag to a suitcase too 😉
Click here to make your own prop bag!
DIY 10-minute Ruffle Skirt
This may be the only belly dance skirt that you can actually make with only 1m or so of fabric…! It’s super easy, and perfect to use that precious beautiful fabric you don’t want to cut! Because it’s easy, I’ve seen many dancers turn this into troupe skirts using sparkly fabrics!
Make your own ruffle skirt in 10 minutes!
If you have >2m of fabric…
DIY Baladi Dress
Make this pretty baladi dress to fit you! Since the dress design is simple, you can use fabric with fun prints or keep the dress simple and make the hip scarf colorful! So many fun possibilities with this dress!
Click here to learn how to make this baladi dress!
DIY Caftan Style Cover-Up
We all need good cover-ups before/after performance, but it’s the last thing on our mind to make before a show! So why not use this quiet holiday time to make a quality cover-up?
This cover-up dress opens in the front, so it won’t mess up your hair or make up 🙂 Plus it comes with pockets to keep your lip stick and zills!
Click here to see the cover-up tutorial!
DIY 25-yard Tiered Skirt
Okay, a 25-yard skirt requires a lot of fabric… BUT the beauty of this skirt is, you can combine different fabric scraps! Mix colors and patterns, or change up colors for each tier… You might create an amazing tiered skirt with colorful leftover fabrics in your stash!
Want to join the mermaid skirt challenge?
If you’d rather be guided step by step, you can join the 5-Day Mermaid Skirt Challenge!
Starting every Monday, you’ll receive a lesson with a doable amount of tasks every day. By Day 5, you’ll finish a mermaid skirt made to your own measurements!
Have a look at the beautiful troupe costumes that Christine, Lucenda, Cheryl and Mielle created, featuring the mermaid skirts from the 5 day challenge!!
Gorgeous!!! The best part is, each skirt is made to the dancer’s size, so it’s fitting everyone perfectly!
Click here to learn more and join the 5 day challenge!
Want to Join the Community?
Want to talk about costume making? Got questions??
Join Sparkly Belly’s Facebook group, and share your creations, ideas and questions!
This group is FULL of supportive & creative dancers from all over the world, and you can find amazing ideas here!
Click here and join the community of 3000+ creative dancers!
Hope this post gave you lots of fun DIY ideas! If it did, please share your favorite with your dancer friends, so they can try it too! 😀
I’m planning more costuming DIY’s for 2020, and I’m super excited! If you want to hear about them, join my newsletter below so you won’t miss them!
Thanks for reading, and keep sparkling!
P.S. Pin this image for when you want to use up fabric scraps!
Like what you read? Want to make more costuming bits yourself?
Sign up for my newsletter here and get my free email course, Belly Dance Costume Making 101!
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