Thread: how much fabric needed to make double layer skirt like this?

Realizing it depends on waistband size and length, does anyone know approx how much fabric it would take to make to make a skirt like this?

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4½ metres of each fabric, to make each circle. It certainly doesn't look like more than one circle in each colour.

cool, thank you..pretty easy..how long would the fabric have to be (how wide the silk I should ask)

and what if it was just straight panels how wide and long should each panel be if i dyed the fabric for do it yourselfers?

I already dye silk sarongs for island wear, they are 45 X 72 inches, rolled hem..they could probably be easily sewn into panel skirts for dancers who wanted to sew in their own waistband.

Extra fabric could be used to make sleeves or a top..if there wasn't enough fabric I could dye extra fabric so that a choli top or vest could be made

A matching veil or even one that contrasted and went with the skirt could be dyed easily as well

This would be a very cost effective method of offering silk skirts..if the panel skirts are too bare for some dancers they could be worn over a satin or chiffon skirt.

I'm still interested in doing the full silk circle skirts but they are very difficult to dye and are not cost effective, they cost ME so much to make and honestly it's way too easy to make boo boos when working with so much fabric..if I dyed the fabric and had them sewn after that would be custom work but my seamstress is top notch and she charges accordingly.

I'm stocking a store on the island with silk sarongs and thought it would be nice to cross market the same size silk pieces to dancers as well.

The silk comes in silk chiffon, habotai, charmeuse, crepe de chine..I could even do the rayon velvet..

To be honest, I am not enthused by the idea, since it sacrifices what makes silk skirts special, the movement of the fabric. Now, there are certainly projects where a less voluminous skirt is a great choice. However, just sewing a sarong to a waistband changes the flow quite a bit, I think.

oh definitely there would be no flow or ripple at all ..these would be all about the color..I guess I've lived on a beach too long and we're always excited to have bright skirts that show a lot of leg ..but it's not taboo to walk down the street in a bikini and see thru cover up ..definitely 'beach walk' wear :)

see in the right colors this would be a total go as beach wear here in waikiki ..bikini underneath (keep in mind we walk down kalakaua soaking wet in suits too..dress code is very beach here)


I do sell quite a few flowy skirts because it gets windy here and they ripple beautifully and tourists gawk :) ..but on a really windy day here in waik these would be a nice option

http://www.sharecg.com/images/medium/70699.jpg

Originally Posted by jesennia

Realizing it depends on waistband size and length, does anyone know approx how much fabric it would take to make to make a skirt like this?

New Sexy Belly Dance Skirt Dress Costume Orange&pink | eBay

You would need 4 1/2 metres of each as Beafarhana says, but the cost would be a whole lot more than the price of the one in the pic. You could save only about 1metre of each, if you made the backs from one half circle, and the front from a 1/4 circle, total of maybe 3 1/2 metres each.
Even with the shipping, the import one certainly very reasonable, but if you made it, it would probably be better quality.

I typically used 7 yards of 45" fabric to make a single skirt. Chiffon can vary in price but on average it is about $4 a yard. So $28 dollars to make one skirt, $56 to make a double skirt.

I used to edge all my chiffon skirts with sequin trim which can easily cost more than the chiffon.

And chiffon is slippery to work with.

I wonder how they can sell that skirt for that price?

The curtain skirts I've made are the 45" width of the fabric, hemmed on the sides (so it loses a little width that way), and then basted together partway down the leg so it isn't slit to the waistband. The one I wear the most is a midweight polyester jersey (not a bulky doubleknit, but a little heavier than what would have been marketed as Quiana in the 70s), so I don't know how the skirt would make up in a veil-weight silk. I would think that would be skimpy for street wear, but no worse than a single-layer chiffon would be for dancing, and beach cover ups can be pretty sheer anyway. I also don't know how velvet would be at that width--might want to taper that at the waist or cut in narrower panels to minimize bulk.

As far as movement, yeah, it isn't a circle skirt. It doesn't flare out in a big swoon-worthy circle on long spins, but the movement isn't bad. If you're doing a traveling turn, it does wrap in a bit on the upper leg and flare/swirl at the bottom like other skirts do, and it carries the movement of a shimmy nicely. For what it is--an idiotically simple design--it's really not bad. I don't think people realize from watching it that it isn't an A-line skirt.

Originally Posted by jesennia

oh definitely there would be no flow or ripple at all ..these would be all about the color..I guess I've lived on a beach too long and we're always excited to have bright skirts that show a lot of leg ..but it's not taboo to walk down the street in a bikini and see thru cover up ..definitely 'beach walk' wear :)

Hehe, yeah, I think there is a little bit of a culture gap between living in Hawaii and the rainy Northeast here ;-) And, speaking for myself, no way I'd walk around in a bikini and a see-through cover, and I consider that choice a public service ;-) ;-)

Originally Posted by norma

I typically used 7 yards of 45" fabric to make a single skirt. Chiffon can vary in price but on average it is about $4 a yard. So $28 dollars to make one skirt, $56 to make a double skirt.

I used to edge all my chiffon skirts with sequin trim which can easily cost more than the chiffon.

And chiffon is slippery to work with.

I wonder how they can sell that skirt for that price?

Mass production and badly paid labour I imagine.

I once came upon a website for one of those Chinese companies that produces BD gear among other things. There was an ugly but heavily sequinned bra that you could order, in bulk. They cost something like US$3 EACH.

Three dollars. THREE.

Originally Posted by jesennia

cool, thank you..pretty easy..how long would the fabric have to be (how wide the silk I should ask)

and what if it was just straight panels how wide and long should each panel be if i dyed the fabric for do it yourselfers?

For do-it-yourselfers, aim for a 45-inch width (wider is great if you can get it, but not required), and I'd recommend 8-yard lengths so that there'd be enough for not only a circle skirt but also accessories (sleeves, shrugs, hair scarves, etc.

Maybe you could offer more than one fabric length. Ie, 8 yards for those planning to make circle skirts with accessories, 4 yards for those wanting to make either pants or panel skirts with accessories, etc.

Obviously, your "striped" designs such as Merkaba wouldn't work with the approach of selling lengths that people can then make into their own costumes. So you'd need to go with some of your designs that are more of an all-over pattern. Also, the stripes can be problematic with skirts anyway because they can make people look shorter and wider, and most people would rather not look shorter and wider.

Wow I never even thought about that..stripes can add length or width to people..you're right!

And true dyeing the banded style would be problematic to offer as yardage unless it was specified how much someone needed.

Yeah I've seen those cheapie costumes they sell and wonder if the sequins fall off the first time you shake.

I will have to find the video but once saw a performance when a dancer wore a large spinning tiered skirt and the panel skirt over it for a color contrast..the panel didnt do anything during a spin but the gaps on the side allowed the swish of the skirt underneath to do some eye catching effects.

Funny how dress codes are even on a beach, if your skirt blows up and you're wearing panties uh oh but if you purposefully wear nothing but a bathing suit that's ok :)

Originally Posted by jesennia

I will have to find the video but once saw a performance when a dancer wore a large spinning tiered skirt and the panel skirt over it for a color contrast..the panel didnt do anything during a spin but the gaps on the side allowed the swish of the skirt underneath to do some eye catching effects.

Yes, a rectangular panel skirt could indeed be worn over a circle skirt as an accent. I've done it many times in the past, and used to be in a troupe that used panel skirts worn over circle skirts as part of our troupe "uniform".

I like the look, but it's not really fashionable right now. I tend to think of it as a "retro" look, that goes with the "American Classic" style of belly dance from 20+ years ago. Yes, there are still people who embrace that look, but it's not what most people are wearing these days. For that reason, you may find that there's not a large market for it. I guess it wouldn't hurt to make a few prototypes and see whether they sell well. You never can tell, some beautiful Akai panel skirts worn by trend-setting dancers at big dance events might CREATE a market for it.

Here's my buddy Isidora ..her skirt is sewn so that only part of it is split at the bottom but kind of gives an idea..



Shira I am very intrigued by the challenge of bringing back a retro look :) It could definitely be an option for dancers who can't afford an expensive costume. The silk panel skirts would be very affordable. Could be worn over harems too, or Melodias, or an affordable cotton spinner skirt..

Originally Posted by *Shira*

Yes, a rectangular panel skirt could indeed be worn over a circle skirt as an accent. I've done it many times in the past, and used to be in a troupe that used panel skirts worn over circle skirts as part of our troupe "uniform".

I like the look, but it's not really fashionable right now. I tend to think of it as a "retro" look, that goes with the "American Classic" style of belly dance from 20+ years ago. Yes, there are still people who embrace that look, but it's not what most people are wearing these days. For that reason, you may find that there's not a large market for it. I guess it wouldn't hurt to make a few prototypes and see whether they sell well. You never can tell, some beautiful Akai panel skirts worn by trend-setting dancers at big dance events might CREATE a market for it.

For a classic skirt, two half circle's behind, and one half circle in the front 9 meter.
For a circle skirt (2 half circle's) 6 meter.
For a seventh's look a half circle behind, and a quarter in the front 4,5 meter.

how much fabric for just the straight panels?

this is one of the wraps I make, it measures 90 inches long by 20 inches wide, it's rolled hemmed on all sides..if it were cut in half and sewn over a waistband wouldn't that be enough fabric to make a simple panel skirt?

If you can imagine..a panel skirt in those colors layered over a raspberry or turquoise skirt..

I have one of your early 3 panel skirts - Merkaba I believe - which I wear over a red chiffon 3 panel. Not sure if I have a photo or not.

Basically, each panel is the same size and shape as one of your little wings. So for a full circle skirt, one layer needs the the same amount of fabric as a pair of little wings.

{{{HUGS}}}

Originally Posted by jesennia

this is one of the wraps I make, it measures 90 inches long by 20 inches wide, it's rolled hemmed on all sides..if it were cut in half and sewn over a waistband wouldn't that be enough fabric to make a simple panel skirt?

45" is definitely long enough for most people. I would think whether it is wide enough depends on a lot of factors. Do you want a skirt that is closed around the hips? (A lot of dancers have bottom measurements of less than 40".) Or do you want it to hang like a loincloth with the sides of the thighs and hips exposed to the waistband? (20" is wide enough to hang without gathers on a lot of bodies, too.)

If you go with the loincloth style and wear it over another skirt, I would be concerned about the underskirt pushing the loincloth around if there is a big discrepancy in weight. I want to say that this style requires the fabric weight of the panel skirt to be at least equal to or heavier than the fabric weight of the underskirt. If the top skirt is too narrow and light, won't it get lost in the folds of the bottom layer unless it is weighted with decoration? The only panel skirt costume I own is lined velvet over poly charmeuse harem pants, so the weight is in favor of the top layer.

When I make a circle skirt I buy at least 6 yds of fabric for a 3 panel (2 in back, one in front) skirt. So double that. I have never made one fuller than that.

Check out this website http://www.shushanna.com/costumes there are instructions on how to make a circle skirt there.

that's a really good point without enough weight to hold it down the panel would flap and look silly..off to make more beach sarongs