Every belly dancer would love to have a beautiful collection of classic belly dance skirts in her costume wardrobe 🙂
But costume skirts can be quite pricey, and most likely, you have to fix off-the-rack skirts to suit your size as they come in a limited range of sizes.
So why not make your own? 😉
If you are new to costume making, you may be wondering, “But isn’t making a skirt really difficult? I don’t even have a sewing machine!”
No problem! In fact, skirts are quite DIY-able, and some are really straightforward!
So today, I’ll share with you 6 classic belly dance skirts (& DIY tutorials) in the order of difficulty 🙂
Build confidence by first making easy ones, then borrow a sewing machine or buy a cheap one, and gradually move up to make advanced designs! Trust me, skirt making is SO fun!
6 Classic Belly Dance Skirts You Can Make!
#1. DIY 10-minute Ruffle Skirt (Sew or no-sew!)
Can you believe the above skirt can be made without sewing!? In 10 minutes!? 🙂
Since I shared this tutorial, I’ve seen many people try this method, and since it’s super beginner-friendly, it’s perfect as a troupe costume option!
I love how the above group used shiny stretch fabric! The skirts and ruffles look amazing under the stage lights!!!
Click here to learn how to make this 10-minute Ruffle Skirt!
#2. DIY Classic Circle Skirt
Once you get your feet wet with the no-sew ruffle skirt, next try a basic circle skirt!
As a belly dancer, you can never have enough circle skirts 😉
This circle skirt has only 2 panels, and yes, it’s best if you have access to a sewing machine, but it’s a great project to practice your sewing techniques on. 🙂
If you’re a beginner, make the first one using inexpensive fabric as a practice. Then move on to using a nicer fabric.
The best part is, you make the pattern once, and you can re-use it over and over to make a circle skirt to fit you each time! 😀
Click here to check out the DIY Circle Skirt tutorial!
#3. DIY Double-Layer 3-Panel Circle Skirt
If you want a bigger, fuller circle skirt that professional dancers wear, try this 3-panel circle skirt. This skirt consists of 3 panels, AND 2 layers.
Because you get to choose 2 colors for the 2 layers, and because I designed this skirt to be REVERSIBLE (who doesn’t want to get more out of 1 skirt? 😉 ), there are so many ways you can enjoy this skirt!
Have a look at this video:
Super fun, right? Which style is your favorite? 🙂
Click here to see how to make this double-layer 3 panel circle skirt!
#4. Mermaid Skirt
Once you’re getting familiar with sewing, it’s time to try making a mermaid skirt!
I design all my mermaid skirts with the hourglass silhouette in mind, and this 5-panel mermaid skirt is no exception! It looks really great on every dancer because it’s made to their measurements!
This mermaid skirt has been so popular, and I’ve created a 5-day Challenge where you can make this skirt in 5 days! Here are just a few examples of the lovely dancers / costumers who participated:
It starts every Monday, so if you’re curious, go have a look & join us below!
Click here to check out the 5-Day Mermaid Skirt Challenge!
#5. Aurora Convertible Skirt
Wouldn’t it be nice if you can get more than 1 look out of 1 skirt!?
This Aurora Convertible Skirt makes your wish come true! 🙂
You get 3+ looks in this Aurora Convertible Skirt with the DETACHABLE side swags and tail!!! The base skirt is a gorgeous mermaid-ish skirt with a huge godet that flares amazingly as you twirl… and with the detachable parts, you can switch up the looks as you please!
It’s my paid course, so the how-to is not free. But what you get in this course is not even comparable to free tutorials!
Just to give you one example, you get 32 skirt design options – you’ll never run out of skirt ideas! 🙂 The below skirt is also from this course (Check out the perfect cut-out!):
Click here to learn how to make the Aurora Convertible Skirt!
#6. DIY 25-yard Skirt
If you’ve been studying belly dancing for a while, sooner or later you’ll want one of these, amazingly fluffy, dreamy 25-yard tiered skirts!
Even though I’ve placed this one at the end of the list, it’s actually NOT difficult to make. If I ONLY consider the level of difficulty, I should place this right after the no-sew skirt.
But this one takes patience!
Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE this 25-yard skirt. In fact, I revised my design so many times so that my version requires MUCH less time to make! But it IS a genuine 25-yard skirt. There IS a lot of fabric.
But if you’re up for the challenge, and if you’d LOVE to have this skirt, go for it!!! I’ve seen many dancers in Sparkly Belly’s Facebook group try this skirt with AMAZING results! 😀 😀
Isn’t it dreamy looking!? This is a really great skirt to dance in 🙂
Click here to check out the 25-yard skirt tutorial!
So which ones are you going to make? 🙂
I think these are really classic skirt styles that can be customized in any way you like!
The best part of all these skirts is that you can make them to YOUR SIZE, which is super important to me! There’s nothing more uncomfortable than performing in a skirt that’s way too long, which makes you worry you may trip and fall every second…. or in a skirt that’s way too short, which makes you worry that you look like you’re in a “borrowed” costume or your audience may be able to see a bit too much through the slit!
Hope you liked this list of 6 DIY classic belly dance skirts, and if you did, please share it with your belly dancer friends! Maybe try the no-sew ruffle skirt for your next troupe performance? 😉
And if you want to start making more costuming bits, let me introduce you to the world of belly dance costume making in my free course, Belly Dance Costume Making 101! Thousands of dancers have taken this free course, and I often hear from those who’re excited to start creating!
Click here to check out the free course!
Thanks for reading, and keep sparkling! 😉
P.S. Pin this image for your next project!
Like what you read? Want to make more costuming bits yourself?
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