Thread: Making beaded belt for folkloric dress

I've decided I want to have a more dressed up folkloric look for wearing my Hanan gallabeya/saidi jewels/beledi dresses by adding beaded fringe hip belts instead of a hip scarf. Kind of like what Mona or Hayatem wore with fancy beledi dresses:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJQdIirBXHI&feature=related]YouTube - Mona Said Kariat Al Fingan PT2[/ame]


Do you think making a very simple belt of something like two inch wide grosgrain (reinforced of course), sewing the fringe on and covering the stitching with a row of sequins would work for a look like Mona's fringe in the clip above? Or should I just make a narrow cupped butt hip belt to attach it to?

Souzan

As I recall, having seen a few of this style of dress, most of them have the same kind of belt you get when you buy a bedlah. So cupped butt belt would be better.

{{{HUGS}}}

I have a fringe belt that came from a folkloric dress, it's a cupped belt and the fringe is very heavy, don't think reinforced grosgrain will work!

Back in the "old days", my 2 dance instructors liked to just attach long fringe [8-12"] to black [reinforced] grosgrain ribbon. Very simple, very pretty when worn over a beledi dress

Someone on Tribe had a gold bedlah belt for sale for CHEAP. Don't remember the measurements or exact price though. Worth a look, eh?

I'm such a dork! I just ran across the belt on the swap meet thread. Shermie has it for sale and it's $25.

Thanks for the tip on the gold belt, but I already have one that works well with one of my beledi dresses. It is actually a really heavily fringed (3 layers with paillettes) Madame Abla that I bought on Ebay cheap because it was belt only.

Bought some gorgeous 12" fringe from my instructor. Small bugle beads (the kind with rounded edges) in purple and black iris, cobalt blue, copper, silver, gold, green, irridescent red. Very sparkly and could go with just about anything. Picks up all kinds of light. It is so heavy I probably really should do it right with a cupped butt belt.

Souzan

I've made a "down and dirty" hip belt for folkloric dresses that looks great. I used 1" canvas belt material that I bought at Joann's Fabrics. I sewed sequins on top and small appliques. I attached 8" Egyptian fringe, but I think any length would work. It looks exactly like Mona's. I made one in silver and one in black. The belt material comes in lots of different colors.

Originally Posted by ZohraMostafa

I've made a "down and dirty" hip belt for folkloric dresses that looks great. I used 1" canvas belt material that I bought at Joann's Fabrics. I sewed sequins on top and small appliques. I attached 8" Egyptian fringe, but I think any length would work. It looks exactly like Mona's. I made one in silver and one in black. The belt material comes in lots of different colors.

That sounds like it might be easier than reinforcing a bunch of grosgrain. And its easy enough to take the fringe off to add to a regular belt if I wanted to do that. Thanks for the tip.

Souzan

Originally Posted by ZohraMostafa

I've made a "down and dirty" hip belt for folkloric dresses that looks great. I used 1" canvas belt material that I bought at Joann's Fabrics. I sewed sequins on top and small appliques. I attached 8" Egyptian fringe, but I think any length would work. It looks exactly like Mona's. I made one in silver and one in black. The belt material comes in lots of different colors.

This is a great tip!!! I think I might just need to explore doing this myself!

Another thought is to take a hip scarf and attach it to the belt material . . . makes it faster/easier to get into costume too. I have one (lol, many) of those crocheted scarves which look great but sometimes need to be anchored . . . this might just be the way to do it ..g.:

Originally Posted by cbarros

This is a great tip!!! I think I might just need to explore doing this myself!

Another thought is to take a hip scarf and attach it to the belt material . . . makes it faster/easier to get into costume too. I have one (lol, many) of those crocheted scarves which look great but sometimes need to be anchored . . . this might just be the way to do it ..g.:

Catherine, I have some wonderful pins that I use to anchor scarves. They are made from large safety pins. You leave the working side of the pin (the pointed piece) alone and wrap embroidery thread around the other side. Then add beaded fringe by running your needle under the wrapped embroiderly thread and knotting before beading the next strand. I have made them and bought them and have them in several colors to match costumes. If you make them using kilt or blanket pins you can also pin them right through a beaded belt as well.

I have also sewn elastic inside hip scarves and also sewn grosgrain ribbon inside and put hooks and eyes in to help keep it tight.

Souzan

Originally Posted by Souzan

Catherine, I have some wonderful pins that I use to anchor scarves. They are made from large safety pins. You leave the working side of the pin (the pointed piece) alone and wrap embroidery thread around the other side. Then add beaded fringe by running your needle under the wrapped embroiderly thread and knotting before beading the next strand. I have made them and bought them and have them in several colors to match costumes. If you make them using kilt or blanket pins you can also pin them right through a beaded belt as well.

I have also sewn elastic inside hip scarves and also sewn grosgrain ribbon inside and put hooks and eyes in to help keep it tight.

Souzan

Thanks, I'll have to work on that one too!!! The pins idea that is. I actually have done the elastic and grosgrain ribbon thing with a scarf . . . just not lately . . . sometimes I think I have forgotten how to do these things as I have been working too much.

I decided to go ahead with making a folkloric style fringed belt the quick and dirty way since the performance I want to use it for is less than two weeks away.

Went to Joanns and bought 2" wide heavy cotton strapping. Also bought 2.25" wide holographic silver sequin elastic band and am now sewing that onto the cotton strap. I laid out a bunch of 8" silver fringe remnants tht I have and discovered that I have just enough to do the belt. So will sew those pieces to the belt, cover the edge bead/sequins and line the belt with felt so it won't slip on my dress.

The dress I want to wear it with is a Hanan gallabeya/saidi jewels style in dark plum with fuscia glitter and silver and fuscia sequin/beaded embellishment with silver paillette edging on sleeves and leg slits. So I will use a silver and fuscia applique on a medallion to cover the belt closure on one hip.

Taking pictures as I go and will post at the What Are You Working On? thread when I get the whole thing finished. Wish me luck!

Souzan