Thread: Belt question for the apple bottom girls

which belts do you find fit you best?

I prefer the way the V looks across the front- but I"m not sure how to make the butt... I'm rocking about 40mumblemumble plus inches at the hip and a wasite thats in the 20's.

I'm afraid a typical swoop (which I don't mind) will not sit well- I"m afraid it will ride up.

I usually use a Tempest's corset belts or a variation there of which gives a lot of flexibiity for adjusting (still ride up but not as bad)

this will be the first cab-oriented costume I"m mkaing and I want to make sure I get the right belt for my butt!!!

- so thoughts on pattern options would be greatly appreciated!

Less about shape of the belt and more about the shape of your backside and how low you wear your belts. It sounds as though you have what many of our beautiful sisters of colour call a Girl Friend Booty. I have one, too. I tend to either wear my belts low and wear a cupped bum belt such as Pharaonics makes or a belt which is very narrow - as in 2 - 3". I don't have problems with either of these riding up. If you are making a belt, darts are your friend. If you have a two piece belt like the Turkish V's - which I love - make sure you angle the two pieces properly.

oh, and make sure that he belt is tight enough. In this case, a little bit of muffin top is a good thing.

{{{HUGS}}}

There’s a fair amount of difference between my hips and waist, and Tahira is right about belt placement! It also helps me to have a slight curve on the top edge of my belts. Even with my corset style belts, I build them on a curve.

yes darts are awesome... I am WELL familiar with them!

so the cupped bottoms will work and the V's as long as you get your stuff right. MK

I am leaning heavily toward the scooped egyptian style to keep the skirt in place and I figure if its heavier it will stay put more betta but just wasn't sure.

MK well this is good information to arm myself with for the battle to begin. I have fabric- and I know what beads to order- just been wanting to sit down and actual cut up some templates and mock ups to make sure I do this right- I don't want to go buy more fabric!

I've made belts from scratch for myself and it's really helpful to make them narrow, whatever the shape so they don't need to be curved at the backside so much. I wear mine pretty snug, as low as possible, and make them as heavy as possible so the sucker stays down. Even then they sometimes gap so elastic sewn into the back helps snug that in.

Post your project when you're done, we'd love to see what you come up with.

mk... I'm going to play around and see what I can mock up for fit.

Cab is not my thing really- so I'm starting from scratch... I wtanted something reasonably simple- and elegant so I found this... BUT- I'm going to do it with a bra/belt combo instead of the full on trumpet skirt with swag attached- cheap broke individual needs to mix and match
I'm doing this basic idea-

minus the silly feather bead things

with this blue fabric- maybe a silver fabric accent sash dealio to it (I have pictures drawn up- still working on it)


swags will have a small detail pattern like this
---------------oOo---------------ooOoo------------------oOo--------------

with it going white 6mm for the bulk of the swag- and 1-2 black beads to flank the blue which will be the large center O bead.


(red is out- I still hadn't decieded on the blue fabric for sure yet- it has since been decieded- no more red- just white black and blue)

I was going to use howlite but I found some glass beads that are less expensive- I was going to use the swarosky(sp) pears- but I need something like 5-6000 beads for this using 6,8 and 12 respectively (or 8, 10 and 12) and it was like 350 bucks off fire mountain.

I managed to get it to 150- then down to 100 with the glass beads- the problem is the glass beads/pearls just I think have a slightly cheaper look to them. The howlite are cheaper but they LOOK like an organic bead rather than a cheap bead- so I'm still hemming and hawing- but need to wait till payday to determine offically!

I got some chandalier drops off a friend and I'm messing around with making them removable with inconspicous lobster claw clasps so I can transfer swag from one costume to another. I realize I run the risk of swag popping lose at the wrong time- but considering the cost of beads- I'm willing to make an effort and to secure permenantly when and if the idea fails.

more to come though!

Make sure when you cut the pattern, you keep the curve. If you are in love with that shape, I would go with a two piece for adjustibility and ease of shaping. And be careful about where it sits on your tush because from the looks of it, if it is worn improperly, you could have the opposite of tuna can effect at the bottom. not horrid, a good skirt will fill in, but still not totally comfortable of secure.

{{{HUGS}}}

lol tuna can effect?

I have never heard this expression!!! you mean make it flat and round looking rather than shapely?

tuna can effect - gaps at the top. So think of the top of the belt standing away from your hips, up and down, like the ridge of a tuna can.

And no, I didn't invent that. The owner of King of the Nile gave me the phrase. A couple of dancers had complained about this very thing several years ago. He was working with his designers at the time to correct this.

{{{HUGS}}}

lmao

okay- that makes sense- yes- I have that issue with things that are more rigid and not darted/curved properly- one reason I love the lycra costumes LOL

I love that term too, *tee hee.*

If budget is an issue you might have some luck on the 'ISO' area. I've had success finding things from other dancers there and the best part is that sometimes it's a barter transaction.

You might find that making your belt slightly narrower over the hips will help make it fit better even if you go with a straight belt style. It still looks like a straight belt but doesn't 'bite' into your hips so much.

Narrow belts are nice too because that means less surface area to decorate!

As someone with a total hourglass figure (40mumblemumble hips and 20something waist) I know where you're coming from. IMO the height of the back belt (top edge to bottom edge) and the cupping also depends on how 3-dimensional your butt is. I have what I lovingly refer to "waspy-seat cushion butt". By that I mean my hips are curvy but my actual tush is flat so I don't benefit from a belt that is super cupped or darted in the back but i do need something that is darted front and back (almost like princess seams). Whenever I see dancers with juicy bums in costumes where the back of the belt is narrow I think it looks like their a55 is squeezing out the bottom, like a regular belt that is cinched too tight, if that makes sense. What I'm saying is that I think it looks best when the belt enhances the curves without overly exaggerating them.
Tuna can syndrome is real, very real and sad. even angling the hooks on a belt so it fastens on the diagonal is a decent quick-fix for a poorly fitting belt. I have tuna can butt.
If you're worried about belt slippage try lining with light-weight felt instead of cotton because the felt is more grippy.

Apple-bottom girls? completely different shape came to mind....!
I have ass-and-a-half syndrome; very round in the back, and have found that store-bought cupped belts (read: pharonix) just never fit right - if you do cupped, it has to be fitted to you exactly, and that means either numerous pieces or numerous darts! not hard if you know what you're doing, but still a little tricky...
I've actually gotten into the stretch belts now - lycra, mesh etc. You can still have structure at the top, but with stretch and shape over the booty that fits like a dream! and of course, it changes shape with you... ;)