Thread: Beladi dress and Thobe

Has anyone on here tried to make their own Beladi dress and Thobe?

I was thinking about trying to make a Thobe from a sari
I have only seen photos of them ... but it looks like it would be a simple T shape

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is the indented bit from the knees down or higher?
and they are full length arent they

Any suggestions for a beledi dress too?
this will have to be stretchy material wont it
i havent worked with stretch material yet (scarey, ha ha)

i spent ages trying to draw the pattern using the keyboard but when it posted it changed it, doh

Originally Posted by aaliyahbellydance

Has anyone on here tried to make their own Beladi dress and Thobe?

I was thinking about trying to make a Thobe from a sari
I have only seen photos of them ... but it looks like it would be a simple T shape

Did you see the instructions on Kashmir's web site? Making a Khaleegy Thobe

is the indented bit from the knees down or higher?

I believe the "armpit seam" usually hits around the hip or top of the thigh, but this might be a stylistic choice that has changed over time.

and they are full length arent they

I've heard conflicting advice on this. At least one person has said they should be longer than normal length and picked up to walk.

Any suggestions for a beledi dress too?
this will have to be stretchy material wont it

This depends on the style you want. There are three different kinds of garments called "beledi dress"--a form-fitting, embellished evening dress (often with cutouts), a stylized folkloric dress, and actual traditional garments, which may be the women's style or the men's style a la Fifi Abdo. The first one can be made from virtually any dressy fabric as long as it is constructed properly, although knits and stretches are the standard. The second is almost always made from dance/gymnastics/swimwear stretch fabrics, and of late, modern prints or loud stripes. The third is usually made from cotton broadcloth and is not form fitting; hence, no need for stretch.

i havent worked with stretch material yet (scarey, ha ha)

If you have a good pattern, it should be okay. If you are trying to adapt a non-stretch-fabric pattern for stretch fabrics, then that may be more challenging, and it might be worth your effort to make a mock up with as comparable a knit as you can find on the clearance table, before cutting into your "real" fabric.

Kashmir has an excellent How To on her website, for making a Khaligi thob:
Making a Khaleegy Thobe

What sort of Baladi dress did you have in mind?