Thread: Bella leaves/ruffles on sides of full skirts

Hello beautiful bellydancers! I'm making a bella-inspired costume, which I'm absolutely in love with but I need the chiffon skirt not to be so blah. I'd like to add either the Bella "leaves" or the Bella "vertical ruffles" down the sides both for modesty and for artistry. I looked up a prior thread on the topic here on BHUZ but didn't find any detailed instructions, patterns, info... all I found was "cut on the bias" which I guess means that the whole thing is on the diagonal (fabric wise). Can anyone help me out further? I'm sort of new to sewing...

With the vertical curly part of the skirt, I think you can basically cut out a long spiral and sew it on.

Yes, exactly, vertical ruffles are spiral, and leaves are cut diagonally, it is simple, even if you are new to sewing.

What exactly am I doing wrong with the "spirals" then? I cut out on the bias (at least for me I believed that to mean the grain of the fabric was at a diagonal) a long piece that was about 4" wide and 35" long. Only it won't twist. It just hangs there... very blah. How do I get it to twist?

And how big are the leaves? about the size of a woman's hand?

I have cut the spirals but they are actually circles that spiral when held by one end. I worked on an appropriate pattern layout with paper prior to working with fabric. Once I was totally pleased with the template I would cut one from clear contact paper.

Would some one be so kind as to post a picture of a leaf placed flat on a table or ground? On Bella's website she has leaves on costumes for sale, but they are all on mannequins. Maybe a picture from another angle might help answer some questions ^_^

Showtime - thanks, great idea. dunno why I didnt think of that before!

Ayla - agree with your suggestion! Come on all you Bella-lovers out there...

I don´t have picture of ruffles, but I made a sketch of pattern for you, and I also add photos of leaves. Hope it helps...
[IMG][/IMG]

Oh Luccia, thank you! How sweet. Unfortunately I can't open it :( Can you private message it to me?

Originally Posted by jaded928

Oh Luccia, thank you! How sweet. Unfortunately I can't open it :( Can you private message it to me?

I have just sent you a private mail with pictures :)

If possible could you please send the photo to me too?

You know all of this would be solved if Bella would let me have a password, then I would just buy skirts from her Do you think if I emailed her asking to buy just a few skirts, she would give me one? haha! (I've already requested a password to buy a costume on the front page, no response)

Actually do you girls know how much it is to buy a skirt from her? I was told it was only 30usd for another skirt. This can't be true.

Originally Posted by Ayla Almee

If possible could you please send the photo to me too?

You know all of this would be solved if Bella would let me have a password, then I would just buy skirts from her Do you think if I emailed her asking to buy just a few skirts, she would give me one? haha! (I've already requested a password to buy a costume on the front page, no response)

Actually do you girls know how much it is to buy a skirt from her? I was told it was only 30usd for another skirt. This can't be true.

You can find photos in the album in my profile. Actually it is not Bella skirt, because the costumes was done by me.
I have been asking for password more then one year, then I was lucky and she sent me one, but after 3 month, when I did not buy anything it has expired.
As for the prices of skirt I believe it is 60 - 80 USD.

you can order from her without a password, you just need a good description (and if i remember people who have ordered successfully, pictures are helpful) of what you want.

it really is just a spiral, i used a rotary cutter to make some, mine look more like pink kelp than leaves, but i like them. use cheap fabric to experiment with the width and length until you're happy with it.
also, becareful not to cross that line from "inspired by" to "knocked off of" ^_~

Luccia -- yay, pix are up. and boy am I glad they are! That spiral diagram was totally different from what I had been experimenting with!

RaqFariha -- I sincerely doubt anyone will even come close to thinking my work is a Bella but my design is unique enough that the only Bella-esque thing on there will be the "extra" whatever I end up making to cover the slit in the skirt. And with so many BHUZ-ers who make them for their own homemade cossies, I really don't think its strictly Bella's -- she just happens to have a recognizeable name/brand that uses them.

but thanks for the rotary cutter idea... my friend just bought one so I'll see if I can borrow hers for a day :) I will post pix so everyone can see my "hopefully beautiful" end product!

Hum, the photos didn't pop up in Internet Explorer or Firefox >_< that's ok I can wait for Jaded to post her photos ^_^

Yeah, I started to notice there is a fine line between "Inspired by" and "Knock off" >_< I feel that my costumes are not "up to par" with either of those! haha! But good advice; I only dream of being able to drape fringe like her...

I do like Bella's style of elegance with delicate fringe but sometime I think Sim Moda does the same elegance, with longer fringe ;) And sometimes I feel all my choices are Tacky (which makes me LOVE them even more!) I guess everyone has their own aesthetic taste.

lol totally agree ayla! i personally am wrestling with the whole "fringetastic" look (which i love) versus the more modern "less fringe" look... which i cant decide if its more modern minimalist look/trend or just a way to cut material costs while increasing profit for less labor and such... and dont want to invest time/$ in "dated" costumes but can't resist fringe!!!

either way, I usually feel that what i make comes out "off" in some way so when i get that "raised eyebrow" from my boyfriend, i call fellow dance friends to stop by and give me suggestions on how to improve... it usually takes several sources of input to make anything decent, at least in my opinion!

Originally Posted by Ayla Almee

I do like Bella's style of elegance with delicate fringe but sometime I think Sim Moda does the same elegance, with longer fringe ;) And sometimes I feel all my choices are Tacky (which makes me LOVE them even more!) I guess everyone has their own aesthetic taste.

lol
Having license to be fabulously tacky is the best thing about being a belly dancer :o)

Ladies,

For anyone else interested in making these I just found a pattern at Joann's (Symplicity book) that had the vertical ruffles (small and big). Ordinarily about $17 per pattern but this week on sale for $1.