Thread: Lime Stars and Glitter - The Brazilian Redux PART 3: Star friends!

This is my Brazilian sarong costume. Not sure of the designer so if anyone knows more about it please let me know. I think it's really lovely and the fabric is very exciting. I thought it would be fun to blog the process of remaking it for myself and sharing it on bhuz.
The fabric is very lightweight and stretchy with glitter swirls all over. It's not a fabric I would normally choose because it is lightweight and runs easily.
The main feature of the costume are the stars and the large quantity of high quality hotfix stones. It came with boyshorts and a few accessories. The back of the bra ties and does not have hard sides.

My goal is to remake the bra with stiff sides, remove the shorts, make a flowing chiffon underskirt and lots more stars. I'd also like to make a full nude bodystocking with legs and sleeves and cover the whole thing with jewels.

I have asked Jess to make me a custom veil and she suggested raspberry drizzle on the silk. I love this idea because unless you are very close to the costume the greens and glitter accents get completely lost. By adding raspberry I could really make it pop with some raspberry stones and accents in the skirt.
I am hoping to have this done by xmas.
My costume list is pretty long so we'll see!
If anyone has any kick ass ideas to share I'd love to hear them.

Pretty! I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with it. The shorts are cute, maybe you could keep them as fancy performance briefs, even if they aren't seen while the costume is being worn.

Great idea! Perhaps instead of cutting them up for the fabric I can keep them so that when I pass the costume on the next dancer would have the shorts option.

Is it this one from Amartia via SalomeStar? http://www.bhuz.com/bellydance-swap-...plus-ship.html

yes it is! Thanks for redirecting me to that thread.

I'm really looking forward to how this thread progresses, because I'm a noob when it comes to costume-making, and I love to see different costumers' takes on construction and decoration techniques. I've learned so much from other bloggers who have shared their skills.

Go Eshta!
Some of my favorite inspiration threads have been costume miracles and make-overs. I love seeing the visual thought process and the changes.

Hey, Anala...if you're reading...what happened to the great pictures on your make-over project here?

BlueCat Dress Project-from a B to a DD-Now Done!!!

I'm already in love with this costume and it's not even made yet.

Eshta I have to finish two more veils then I'm going to experiment with different techniques on the veil..it won't be just an ombre or swirl I'm gonna see what the dyes do :) A Kata ombre would make that costume pop too (not that a veil needs to help it) but yeah I loooove greens with a pop of raspberry or purple

PART 2:
This is the part where the reality of the situation unfolds before your scissors. Or in my case under my fingers. I have been running my fingers roughly over all the stones on the bra. Because I have noticed that they were attached with spit instead of proper glass glue. Great. About 100 stones have dropped off since this project started. I have a little jar filled with them on my desk. I am happy about this because if they are going to fall off I'd rather have them do it now so I can properly affix them.
I have no problem with glue. It's never my first choice but here are my glue rules. Only glue if there are no holes for sewing. Only glue if you can't find a setting for a stone and only use the right glue. Not Elmer's and not something from the local craft store that promises to work. E6000 is the only way to go. That means gloves, masks, open windows and a lifetime of adhesive power. You can't even eat and drink while using the stuff.
I have also taken apart the stars. And found that instead of sewing on the sew on stones, they were glued on and came off right away. Needle and thread through the holes please.
I now have a few felt stars to cut out. I am adding at least 3 big ones and maybe 10 small ones to the mix. The small ones will be in hot pink. The straps are removed and the ties cut off. The very last part I will do are the stones. Now it's time to gather the hip area on the machine and set the closure area.
On the upside this bra makes my boobs look awesome!

Any updates?

Soon! I just finished cutting out all the additional stars.

lol i still need to make the veil :)

this thread is yet another reason why I am in awe of you ladies! go eshta GO!

Originally Posted by jesennia

lol i still need to make the veil :)

No hurry Jess! I think my timeframe is March. I'm dancing in a show then and I uh...only have 2 costumes to my name! Kind of embarrassing but that's right! I haven't built up my stash after selling them to help pay for my baby needs.

update? I'm so curious!

Going slowly yes I know! But everyone else's costumes come first these days.
I have now gathered the sarong skirt in some strategic places giving it a nice hug your butt look. I have removed the tie and created a hard shape for anchoring the star closure.
One of the real reasons I was taking so long was because I couldn't find a good star shaped stencil. I tried using my daughter's glow in the dark planetary wall stick ons but the stars were too small. I couldn't find anything at the craft store that was the right size. Then one day I decided to make cookies and found the perfect star cookie cutter! So I made lots of hot pink lycra stars and did some jewel work on all of them. In order to maintain the look of the original look I am using glue only That part sucks.
I have had a few fits and starts with fringe so I will begin all over later. Next comes straps, large jewels and fringe.

you are amazing!