DIY 1 HOUR Belly Dance Costume Challenge! – Part 1: Bra Top

Have you been in a situation where you need a last-minute costume but can’t find anything suitable in your wardrobe?

Or where you need a costume in a specific color for a specific show but you KNOW you won’t use it again, so you can’t justify spending lots of money or time creating that costume?

Well, I think many of us have been there. So I decided to challenge myself to see if I can make an outfit in 1 hour, using minimal materials as possible. And I’ll show you how you can cut corners. 🙂

Let’s get started, and see how I did!

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My 1 hour belly dance costume plan

So first, I planned this costume ahead of time. I wanted to make a simple 2-piece costume consisting of a bra top and a skirt.

I also took these 2 measurements ahead of time:

From underbust to back of my neck – measured from the underbust line, over the chest to the back of my neck

Hips – the fullest part of the hips

Materials used:

1.5m (1.5 yards) of stretch fabric – I found some fuschia color 4-way stretch fabric in my stash, and this was 1.5m wide and 1m (39in) long. I used 50cm of it for the bra, and 1m for the skirt.

For the bra portion, you’ll need about the bra cup width x 2 + 10cm (4in). So if your bra cups are wider than 20cm (8in), you’ll need more than 50cm of fabric. 

For the skirt portion, make sure to have a bit more than your hip measurement for the width and a bit more than your skirt length for the fabric length. 

Foam bra that fits you well

2 pairs of pant hooks and bars

Matching color thread

Appliques and/or other decorative items – For this one, I got a bunch of fabric flower brooches from a dollar store.

DIY 1 HOUR Belly Dance Costume – Part 1: Bra Top

Alright, let’s get started! 

First, I started with the bra, because I knew it was going to take more time to make than the skirt. 

I cut off the shoulder straps, and cut off just the ends of the side straps to get rid of the hooks.

Then I cut 50cm of the fabric, folded right sides together, and traced one of the side straps on the fabric. I traced the underwire line too, and added a 1cm (3/8in) seam allowance all around. I repeated it for the other side strap, and cut them out.

I sewed the 3 sides of these straps right sides together with a zigzag stitch, cut corners to reduce bulk and turned them to the right side. 

I inserted one of the side straps inside the outer fabric, and placed the end of the original side strap to the end of the outer fabric really well. Then aligned the rest and made sure the other end covered the underwire. 

Then I did a straight stitch along the end of the side strap and right next to the underwire to keep everything in place.  

Once I did that for both straps, I sewed on hooks and bars at the ends on the wrong side.

Next, I cut a small piece of fabric and wrapped it around the center strap and stitched it in place.

Then, I quickly measured the width of the bra cup, and cut fabric that’s 5cm (2in) or so wider than the width of the bra cup, and used the entire length of the leftover fabric which was about 70cm (27in) long.

I did a quick basting stitch along one of the shorter ends at about 1cm (3/8in) from the edge and gathered a little by pulling the thread.

Placed the gathered end at the bottom of the bra cup. I folded 1cm (3/8in) from the side edges towards the wrong side and placed the bottom end to cover the bra cup. I adjusted the width by adjusting the gathered section. 

Then spread the fabric to make sure the folded edges went all the way to the sides of the bra cup and wrapped the edges of the cup, and sewed the fabric in place by hand. I stitched the bottom edge and did a few stitches at sides so the base bra is completely covered.

I left the shoulder straps unfinished to save time since stretch fabric doesn’t fray.

And the bra is done!

It’s the quickest bra I’ve ever made, and it’s a bit rough around the edges, but I’d say it’s good enough for a last minute costume! I normally replace the side straps with a much sturdier base then cover it, but covering the original side straps definitely saved time. Also covering the bra cups with the gathered strips of fabric saved an hour of work.

So I finished the bra part in 45 minutes, and I have only 15 minutes left!

In the next post, I’ll try to finish up the skirt and decorate it! If you’re curious to see how I do, sign up for my newsletter below so you won’t miss it! 🙂

Sign up for my newsletter to get the rest of the 1 hour belly dance costume challenge!

Thanks for reading, and keep sparkling!

P.S. Pin this image for next time you need a last minute costume 😉

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