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How to make a Belly Dance Cabaret Bra and Belt costume 

Things you will need

1. Strong backing fabric like Cotton Back Drill
2. Medium strength interfacing (iron on)
3. Colourful fabric to go on the outside (I love using sequined fabric so I don’t have to sew as many sequins later!)
4. Matching thread
5. A packet of beading needles
6. Scissors
7. Sequins
8. Beads
9. Sequined applicatès
10. Beaded Fringing (found from Belly Dance Costume websites)
11. Hot glue gun (if you do not want to sew all bits on)
12. Beading jars and a beading board

Part 1; Preparing the belt

1. Make a newspaper template of the belt
   1. Consider the shape and size in your design.
   2. Curve the shape slightly so it fits snugly around your hips.
   3. Leave overlap for the fastenings.
2. Cut the fabric backing, interfacing and top fabric to your newspaper pattern.
3. Iron the interfacing onto the backing.
4. Machine sew the top fabric to the backing- inside out!
   1. Leave one end unsewn.
   2. Turn in the correct way (like a sock that is insideout)
5. Hand sew the open end neatly.

Part 2; Preparing the bra

1. Choose a bra that is padded or contoured. Not a soft cup or soft lace bra.
   1. Cut the straps off if you are going to make it into halter neck.
2. Begin by stretching and pinning the fabric over both cups.
   1. You may have to make little folds or pleats to get it to fit well.
   2. Hand sew the fabric on, folding it over the edges and sewing it on the inside.
3. Sew onto the back.
   1. You will need to sew around 3-6 inches more fabric to create a new overlap as you will lose the stretch in the bra once your top fabric has been sewn on. It’s better to have too much than too little!

 Part 3; Decorating the bra and belt

1. A good way to get started is to buy some sequined applicatès.
   1. I buy mine from Trimmings and Remnants in Pascole Vale Melbourne. It is best to go to the little bead shops rather than the big fabric shops to find these.
   2. Pin on first so you can look at your design before you sew them on.
   3. You can use a hot glue gun instead of sewing but this may not be as durable.
2. Sew on sequins and beads
   1. Fill in the gaps between the applicatès.
   2. Sew them in a design of flowers/shapes or fill in the gaps!
   3. How to sew sequins and beads- put needle through from underside. Place sequin through the needle followed by a bead. Thread needle back through sequin to the underside. This creates a little loop effect around the bead. You do not need to tie off each sequin, just take the thread onto the next one.
3. Sew on fringing
   1. A good way to sew fringing on for economy is to cut it into small sections (3 cm to 10cm wide) and sew sections onto the belt on an 45° angle at regular intervals.
   2. This will allow your belt to look like it has more fringing than it actually does!
4. Sew beads onto the bra.
   1. Sew applicatès and sequins onto the bras as with the belt.
5. Sew hooks and eyes
   1. The more the better!! Also, use 2 threads looped through the needle. You need all the support you can get with the hooks and eyes as they are put under a lot of pressure.
   2. You can back up the fastenings with press studs or Velcro.
6. Enjoy  the finished product!
   1. Try on your creation as you make it so you can determine it is the right fit and design.

Learn how to Belly Dance

Making the most of your shimmy

1. Posture

• Stand with you feet hip width apart (measure from your hip joints)

• Weight should fall through the heels. (wiggle your toes to test this)
• Relax your knees so they are slightly bent. Almost feel as though you are ‘sitting’ in your pelvis like on a high bar stool.
• Bring your pelvis to a ‘neutral’ position. (Hip bones at your front should line up horizontally with the top of your pelvis at your back. Sitting bones are directed down towards the floor. This position should be held with your tummy muscles not your butt muscles.
• Draw your tummy in about 50%
• Draw your ribs ‘down’. Avoid sticking your chest out.
• Relax shoulders down.
• Feel long through the back of your neck.
• Feel elongated and tall through every vertebra in your spine.
• Now relax!!

2. The Shimmy

• Bent your knees alternating from knee to knee.
• Allow your hips to swing from side to side as you bend your knees.
• Start with a slow speed and build up the pace. Your shimmy will become smaller the faster you go.
• Keep your feet, knees, inside thighs and bum relaxed.
• Avoid building up tension.
• Try performing your shimmy with different speeds.

3. Layering