Belly Dance Costume Construction and Sewing

Greetings and salutations from the costumer for Ruric-Amari and for the Samovar Dance Company.

Folkloric garments are traditionally made of simple shapes in order to use every scrap of fabric from a rectangular loom. I love these simple shapes. A palette of simple shapes forces me to create incrementally and with understanding. Solving design or fabric challenges with simple shapes can make for emotionally complex costuming. I like this.

The costumes on this web site are, therefore, organized by basic shapes. Most of designs presented here are intended to be made by people who are outfitting themselves or friends in a hurry. Other pieces are a little more complex. Some incorporate simple but custom adjustments that I have developed to make the garment fit better, stay in place, accommodate a range of sizes or last longer. I have no problem adding details like darts or a different shoulder treatment to make the resulting garment more attractive to Western dancers without destroying the power of the primitive loom-based geometric shapes.

My mantra: Construction, Color, Consistency.

My adventures: Evolution of a dance costumer.

Enjoy the web site. Feel free to link to it. The content is copyrighted. Do not steal it, words or pictures.

Details and Sewing Skills

• Costume Care and Transport.
• Costume Design for Dance Troupes by M. Enright.
• Free Croquis to download from Threads Magazine web site.

• Dyeing Silk
• Flounces
• Gussets
• Hems
• Hip Belt Ties
• Panels
• Pre-Shrinking Fabric
• Yokes
• Zill Elastic

The Library

• Appropriate Clothes for the High School Girl, circa 1920. Good principles of design.
• Ned Wayburn on Stage Costuming
• Stage Makeup
• Stretch fabric tutorial at Pattern School
• Tilke Costume Patterns and Designs
• VintageSewing.Info: online library of sewing books in the public domain

CIRCLES

Burnoose

Skirts:

Circle Skirt Pattern

Half-circle

Pants:

Half-circle pant

3/4 veils

Rectangles and Trapezoids

• American Tribal Tassel Belt with good fit and solid construction.
• Beladi Dress
• Dog Bed from memory foam and old blankets;.
• Panels of yarn or ribbon for American Tribal dancers.
• Rectangular Veils
• Shrugs: Instant, No-Sew, and Quick-Sew.

Drawstring Bags

Pants:

Harem pants

Pantaloons

Bloomers

Indian pants

Loose salwar

Skirts:

The Square Circle Skirt

Draped Square

Overskirts and Panels

Gored

Tops

Choli

Peasant blouse

Princess line tops

Cover ups and Coats

Turkish coat

Turkestan jacket

Irish cape

Triangles

Triangle Bra

Combinations

Skirts:

Square Circle skirts

Circle skirt with ruffle

Using yokes

Using inserts (gussets and ruffles)

Vests

Pants and Bloomers with Flounces

Costume making instructions by dance genre