I often look at different dance costume designs other than belly dancing to get new ideas that I can bring to the belly dance world.
And I’m in love with ballroom jewelry 😀
They’re really sparkly and gorgeous, but the problem is, I can’t find any tutorials on how to make them!
So I made my own sparkly swirly armband inspired by ballroom jewelry. 🙂
This sparkly swirly armband is so pretty and looks amazing with your arm movements. It’s very easy to make and requires minimum sewing, so it’s a beginner-friendly project as well! In this tutorial, I’ll show you how I made it. Let’s get started!
To make this ballroom jewelry inspired armband, you need:
Felt applique – This one is from my DIY applique shop (find the special coupon towards the end of this post! 🙂 ). If you want to make your own, you can draw a shape your like on a piece of felt, and cut it out with a sharp pair of scissors. Decorate it with stones, and you’re ready to go.
Clear bra strap
Beige color thread
Gem-tac glue
How to Make DIY Sparkly Swirly Armband – inspired by ballroom jewelry
First, measure your upper arm. Make sure to measure it nice and snug, because we want the strap to be nice and snug.
Take your clear bra strap, and adjust the loop here so that there’s a couple cm or 1in or so of strap in the loop section. This way, you can adjust the fit of the armband as you like.
Then measure your upper arm measurement plus 1.5cm (5/8in) from the end with the adjustable loop. And trim the strap to that length.
Fold 1.5cm (5/8in) from the trimmed end to the wrong side of the strap, and sew the loop here with a 5mm (1/4in) seam allowance.
And yes, you can sew through this strap. You can either hand stitch or use a sewing machine. If you use a sewing machine, the strap will stick to the presser foot, so take a piece of tissue paper, sandwich the strap with it, and you can sew it perfectly. Rip the paper to remove it.
And the rest is easy. On the wrong side of the applique, place the strap right side down and right in the middle of the applique. Make sure the adjustable loop is not covered with your applique so you can actually adjust it, and for this particular applique, make sure the strap goes through the sections with large rhinestones. It will give support for the heavier stones.
(If your applique is large or heavy, I recommend using 2 straps instead of one.)
Then apply gem-tac glue to the sections where the appliques and the strap overlap. Apply enough glue to cover the entire contacting surfaces, and if the glue oozes out, make sure to wipe off the excess. The glue dries clear.
Once you’ve applied glue, press all glued sections so they’re sticking well. Flip the applique carefully, press it down again and leave it for 24 hours so the glue will completely dry. If yours is not sticking well, you can stitch the applique onto the strap, and you can be sure it won’t fall off while dancing.
And your DIY sparkly swirly armband is complete! To wear it, hook the strap first, tighten the strap if you need to, and guide it up your arm.
It’s really sparkly and beautiful, and because of the swirly shape, it blurs the width of your arm and makes it look slimmer! Since my applique is made from nude color felt, it goes well with any costumes I have! It’s such a versatile armband and perfect for dance pieces with lots of arm movements or even to wear with an evening gown, prom dress,or to a lovely dinner party.
I hope you liked this DIY sparkly swirly armband, and if you did, please share this tutorial with your dancer friends! It’ll be fun to make matching ones with them too 🙂
And if you make your own, be sure to share a photo in Sparkly Belly’s Facebook group!
And if you want to make more belly dance costuming bits, sign up for my free email course, Belly Dance Costume Making 101 below!
Click here to sign up for my FREE email course Belly Dance Costume Making 101!
Holiday Coupon Code for DIY Applique Kit Shop!
Finally, if you want to get the applique that I used in this tutorial, you can get them at SparklyBelly.com/shop! Use the coupon code HOLIDAY2019 and buy 2 get 1 FREE! (Coupon code expires on Nov 10, so check it out now!)
Thanks for reading, and keep sparkling! 🙂
P.S. Pin this image for your next accessory project!
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