The sound of zills is enough to get me excited and wanting to dance! 😀 😀
But they are a bit too loud to practice at night in my small apartment… 🙁
So in this tutorial, you’ll see how I made these zill mufflers and a matching zill pouch! You can make them to the sizes of your zills, and it’s a great project to use up that pretty scrap fabric that you can never throw away!
Let’s get started!
Check out this year’s Bellydance Bundle instructor list here!
Want free zills? Check out 2 ways to win free zills: Way #1 & Way #2!
To make zill mufflers and pouch, you need:
Scrap fabric – I’m using leftover fabric from last week’s mini skirt overskirt project. You’ll need about 50cm x 50cm (20in x 20in). For my 5.5cm (2 1/4in) wide zills, I used about 45cm x 33cm (18in x 13in) for both the zill mufflers and pouch.
Elastic – about 1m (40in) of 1/4in elastic (this is for making mufflers)
String – about 50cm (20in) of 1/4in wide string (this is for making the pouch)
DIY Zill Mufflers
First, let’s make the zill mufflers.
On the wrong side of your fabric, place your zill, and trace the outline.
From the outline, measure 1cm (3/8in) all around.
And cut along the outer line.
Trace this piece 3 times, and cut them out, so you have 4 identical panels.
I’m using stretch fabric which doesn’t fray, but if you’re using a material that frays, treat the edges before moving on to the next step.
Next, hold the elastic in a circle like this that’s about 1cm (3/8in) smaller than the circumference of your zill with a 1cm (3/8in) overlap. Cut it to that length, and sew the ends together.
Then match up the elastic to the right side of the circle panel at quarter points. No need to be super accurate here. Just fold the elastic and panel in half to find approximate half points and match them up.
Do it again the other way to find quarter points and match them up. That’s it.
Take that to your sewing machine, and set your matching to do a small zigzag stitch. (I set mine at 2mm stitch length and 3mm stitch width).
Do a few stitches along the edge, then hold the thread from behind and pull the elastic from the front, and continue stitching along the edge. After several stitches, adjust the layers, and continue to pull the elastic as you stitch.
Once you go around the entire circumference, turn it inside out, and a zill muffler is finished!
Attach elastic to the rest of the circle panels, and your zill mufflers are finished!
DIY Zill Pouch
let’s keep sewing and make an easy matching zill pouch!
Cut the fabric into a rectangle that is 15cm (6in) in width and 34cm (13 1/2in) in length. If your fabric frays, treat the edges before moving on.
Then fold the fabric right sides together lengthwise, and do a straight stitch along one side all the way with a 1cm (3/8in) seam allowance. And along the other side from the fold with a 1cm (3/8in) seam allowance, leaving a 5cm (2in) opening from the top edge.
At the opening, fold 1cm (3/8in) from the edge, and do a straight stitch with a 5mm (1/4in) seam allowance along the folded edge like this.
Then fold 5mm (1/4in) from the top edge, and fold again 1.5cm (5/8in) from the fold. And do a straight stitch along the fold with a 2mm (1/8in) seam allowance. This is the casing for the string.
Finally, turn it inside out, and thread your string through the casing. I’m using a safety pin to guide the string through the casing. Tie the ends at the length you like, and trim the rest.
And your matching zill pouch is complete! This pouch should be large enough to accommodate large zills, and it can be used to keep your accessories and lipstick to take to the backstage as well!
With these zill mufflers and zill pouch, your zills are well protected! These are really easy to make, and great projects to use up pretty scrap fabric! Make your very own, sparkly zill mufflers and zill pouch to accompany you to shows!
Hope you liked this zill mufflers and zill pouch tutorial, and if you did, please share this tutorial with your dancer friends!
Want FREE zills?
As mentioned in the video, I’m so excited to be part of this year’s Bellydance Bundle!
To celebrate this year’s Bellydance Bundle, they’re giving away FREE zills!
And better yet, there are 2 chances!
The first one – they are doing a FREE zill giveaway. (Ending Oct 2)
The second one – they’re running #21daysofbellydance challenge where you participate minimum 5 days and you’ll be eligible to win not only zills but veils and face masks!
Learn more about the challenge and join here!
I’ll be part of the #21daysofbellydance challenge as well, and I think YOU as a Sparkly Belly reader will find this one easy! 😉
Join the fun!
And if you love zills as I do, check out this special guest post by Sahira on the Sparkly Belly blog!
I consider Sahira the queen of zills, and she shares with you tips on how to choose a costume when you perform with zills. I’m super excited about this post because you will find lots of valuable tips and ideas in this post!
By the way, both Sahira and I are part of this year’s Bellydance Bundle! What that means is that you can get both Sahira’s and my courses plus 40+ more belly dance related programs at a fraction of the price!
The sale starts in a few of weeks, so check out this year’s star-studded instructor list at SparklyBelly.com/BellydanceBundle2020
And if you want more belly dance costuming DIY’s, make sure to sign up for my newsletter below, so you won’t miss them!
Click here to join my newsletter list (BONUS: you’ll get access to my free email course, Belly Dance Costume Making 101!)
Thanks for reading, and keep sparkling!
P.S. Pin this image for your “scrap fabric project” board 😉
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