Here are 5 beginner costume making tips I wish I’d known before diving into making belly dance costumes. These tips would have saved so much time, fabric, and my sanity!

I started making belly dance costumes about 15 years ago, and back then I was really frustrated about making my own costumes because it took a long time, I kept on making mistakes, and I wasn’t happy with the look or the fit of the finished product.

But today I enjoy the creation process, and I am able to make costumes that fit me well and that I’m proud of wearing!

So let me share with you 5 things I wish I knew back then. Let’s get started!

5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Making Dance Costumes (Beginner Costume Making Tips)

#1. You don’t need to be an advanced seamstress

It took me a looong time before I even started making belly dance costumes. Because belly dance costumes appeared so sparkly, complicated, and elaborate, I just assumed it would require super advanced sewing skills which I had none of.

But I’m happy to report to you today, that you only need to be able to sew a straight stitch and zigzag stitch on your sewing machine to be able to sew an entire belly dance outfit. 

Or if you don’t have a sewing machine, there are projects that only require hand sewing like this belt. Yes, this belt is a beginner-level project, believe it or not.

And I have a bunch of no-sew projects on my blog like this one and this one.

So I wish I didn’t waste so much time worrying that I don’t know how to sew.

#2. Invest in a sewing machine

Okay, I just mentioned you can make some belly dance costume pieces by hand sewing, but if you want to start making skirts, you should invest in a sewing machine.

I was afraid of spending money on a sewing machine at the beginning, so I attempted sewing a skirt by hand, which failed miserably. It took forever to sew and my seams were way too weak, so they started falling apart as soon as I tried on the skirt.

But you really don’t need an expensive sewing machine to start. I always say to beginners that you only need one that’s about 100 USD. 

Most modern machines come with the straight stitch option and the zigzag stitch option, and these are all you need to sew belly dance costumes.

Go for famous brands like Singer or Brother, with decent reviews.

#3. Get the right needles

In the beginning, I knew nothing about sewing machine needles. So I was trying to sew everything including stretch fabric with the needle that came with the machine. The machine was skipping stitches, the thread was getting jammed, and I was getting tired of sewing. I thought my sewing machine had broken already.

So I was searching for a solution, and then I found a sewing tip saying you should use the right needles for your fabric. I was like, “The right needles? Aren’t they all the same?”

But I gave a stretch needle a try. Then it made a world of difference! My zigzag stitch came out perfectly!

Even today when a beginner costumer asks what sewing machine to get, I always say, “You can get any sewing machine from big brands, but make sure you use the right needles for your fabric.”

#4. Make patterns (even for beginner costume making)

Just like how I assumed sewing costumes was hard at the beginning, I also assumed pattern making was hard too. So I always looked for tutorials without pattern making involved.

But then I quickly realized, that if I don’t make a pattern, it’s nearly impossible to make larger items like skirts, and when I skipped pattern making, the lengths of my skirt panels don’t match, resulting in a very homemade-looking skirt.

Plus if you don’t make a pattern, but if you like the skirt and want to make another one in a different color, you have to do it from scratch again.

So now I make patterns for my skirts and dresses. In fact, most of my courses start with creating patterns based on your measurements, so you can make sure everything you make will fit you well. 

The added benefit of making a pattern is, if you make something using a pattern and doesn’t fit right, you can make adjustments and make a really well-fitting pattern, which you can use over and over again. So it may seem like you’re spending extra time to make the pattern at the beginning, you’ll be saving a lot of time in the future.

#5. Find tutorials

Back when I started making my own costumes, there weren’t many tutorials on belly dance costumes. So I had to guess or wing it.

…which as you can imagine, resulted in a lot of frustration and poor-quality outfits. 

Nowadays it’s so much easier to find tutorials, I have over 200 tutorials on my website.

And if you want to level up your costumes, have a look at my Sparkly Belly All-Access Membership where you get access to all my courses, currently, I have 18 of them, and create your very own outfits to fit you. If you’re curious, check out this link!

So don’t wing it, but instead take the time to find tutorials to help you, so your costume-making journey will be fun and exciting!

I hope these beginner costume making tips are useful! Don’t make these mistakes I made, and have fun creating your own sparkly outfits!

And if you liked this video, you might enjoy my tutorial on Beginner’s Guide to Dance Costume Making.

Thanks for reading, and keep sparkling!

P.S. Pin this on your decoration idea board 😉

Like what you read? Want to make more costuming bits yourself?

Learn more and sign up for my free email course, Belly Dance Costume Making 101