Thread: Red assiut and Afghani jewelry - what would you do?

I have two pieces of the modern assiut fabric in red, each is about 1 yrd wide and 2.5 yards long. The metal decoration is sparse.

I also have a great old Afghani head piece and coin belt. I am thinking of covering a bra and belt with the assiut, which will probably use up 1 piece. Maybe I could make a little vest with sleeves out of the other piece.

What would you do with these materials as a starting point? My style is not tribal fusion, it is American cabaret but this could be tribaret, I suppose.

I know there are lots of creative minds on Bhuz, what do you think would make the most of these?

I was thinking that perhaps the head piece could become the drape for the bra, I'll have to try it and see if that might work.

Would it work to cover the bra cups with assiut and cover the belt base with a matching red fabric?

Maybe try finding some rhinestones or sequins or beads that match the glass stones of the pendants and use it to bling up the assuit a bit, and maybe mimic the design of the central pendant on the headdress with them?

If they are the same fabric (identical design & color), the two pieces may be enough for a straight, sleeveless beledi dress (one piece for the front and one for the back).

I would make some sort of beledi dress from the assuit - 5 yards @36 wide should be enough. Not sure about the head piece - maybe make a velvet vest and add the head piece as decoration to the vest. And, I'd mount the belt on matching velvet.

A beledi dress might be nice but I need sleeves to disguise the "bat wing" upper arms, so maybe a Turkish vest with sleeves and a panel skirt might work. I have some red harem pants that are on the full side.

With 5 yards of fabric, you should be able to make a dress with sleeves easily, I think.

1. Bra/Belt and if enough for panel skirt layer with another color like black and decorate with mix coins/beads/afgani kuchi to make it mix tribal/fusion piece
2. more folkloric style full dress with some nice coin belt or no coin belt and use jewelery as accessory or headpice or both.
I just purchased black and purple assuit i will make it less tribaly two piece costume. so excited...love assuit.

You can easily make a beledi dress w/ sleeves out of that much assuit! You'd probably even have enough to cover a bra too (or at least the cups... the rest you could cover in matching red or black or something. Then use the coin belt w/ the dress and the headpiece as a bra drape or as a head piece.

The problem with making a dress with sleeves is that it comes down to how the pattern fits the fabric. Depending on how tall you are, you should have enough left over for sleeves or some sort of arm drapes, but this isn't a continuous piece of fabric where you can maximize the leftovers by adjusting the layout, and I don't know if you have to take the silver design into account when you're arranging the pattern pieces.

A sleeve has to be shorter than 2.5 yards minus the length of the dress. I like to cut my dresses long so that when I blouse them up with a belt, they aren't too floody, but some people prefer when their dresses hit higher on the calf of the leg. Still, a lot of beledi dresses have 3/4 length sleeves, and you should be able to get something that length out, even if you don't have enough fabric to go for big bell sleeves or long decorative flaps. You'll just have to experiment with a pattern.

I was also told that it might help to sew along the pattern line before you cut it, so that you don't have fraying assuit. Though I can't confirm that as I've never sewed with assuit before.

Originally Posted by Lesedi

I was also told that it might help to sew along the pattern line before you cut it, so that you don't have fraying assuit. Though I can't confirm that as I've never sewed with assuit before.

That would be my next question - how do you actually work with assiut? Cutting it will be scary.

Assuit cuts and sews up very easily. It doesn't unravel or run. I would cover a bra and and belt and then make bell shape sleeves that could attach to the bra straps so you could use them of wear some glittery red mesh gauntlets to change up the look.

Originally Posted by Souzan

Assuit cuts and sews up very easily. It doesn't unravel or run. I would cover a bra and and belt and then make bell shape sleeves that could attach to the bra straps so you could use them of wear some glittery red mesh gauntlets to change up the look.

I like the idea of sleeves, or a bolero vest and arm bands. A panel skirt if there's enough left over.

Originally Posted by Souzan

Assuit cuts and sews up very easily. It doesn't unravel or run.

That's good to know!