Thread: What are you working on in March 2012?

Am I really the lucky one to start this month's thread? Let's see your fabulous new things!

I've made progress on my silver bedlah. I'm debating if I should call it "Sparkle Monster" or "Robin Sparkles".

Wow! Seriously sparkly!

Gorgeous. I really like the double belt connected by the butterflies and leaves.

Thank you!
I was inspired to this by Kyria's pink Turkish costume Kyria's journal - Pink Turkish costume part 9: Fringe!. Even though it doesn't look like that at all.
And I wanted a silver costume to match with all the different skirts I have. The double-belt lets the skirt peek through, so the costume always incorporates its color.

Oh goody, a "working on" thread right when I started a project!

I finally cut out the pieces for a skirt that I bought the fabric for, uh, a couple of years ago at least. Nothing much to see yet -- just pink satin that will become a skirt, plus cover a bra.

I'll try to get some pictures up after the construction is done and I start beading. Long ago I bought some beads from someone here that are metallic-black like hematite. I plan to use these and silver beads, plus maybe a few rhinestones and/or swarovskys, to embellish it with an Art Deco design.

I have always wondered, with belts like this, how do you keep the skirt from bunching up in the gap?

I'm working on a new costume, Hyacinth Lace, using fabric that's been in my stash for YEARS! It's a beautiful bluey-purple (or purply-blue ) lycra, and I'm pairing it with magenta lace.


I've nearly finished the skirt. It's a mermaid skirt with a split in the front, over the left leg. I need to sew on the lace appliqué that's just pinned for now. Then add some rhinestones.


Then comes the bra & belt. The bra is mostly constructed, needs some neck straps and then I can start applying the lace to cover it, while still leaving some negative space for the pretty hyacinth colour to show through.


I've got some long train journeys ahead at the weekend, so I'm hoping I can do a whole lot of work then.

Anyone wishing to follow the progress of this one, can read all about it here:
http://beafarhana.livejournal.com/tag/hyacinth

Originally Posted by SandraDances

I have always wondered, with belts like this, how do you keep the skirt from bunching up in the gap?

I got some different colored trumpet skirts which I doubt will bunch up. And for the circle skirts: safety pins if necessary.

@Bea: I really wanna see the finished bra! It's gonna be awesome.

Today I took a sharp pair of scissors and cut the bra out of a Pharaonics folkloric dress I recently purchased. The bra was sewn into the dress along the sweat heart neckline. Instead of picking the stitching and beading out along the top edge I just cut through the bra leaving about an inch to create stiff facing along the top edge of the dress.

The bra cups were too shallow for me but the back strap fit nicely. So now I can use the straps on street bra cups that do fit. But instead of sewing it back in I think I will use snaps so that I can snap out to wash the bra.

So the bra I removed was interesting. The cups were cheap underwire foam cup lingerie bra, complete with lace covering the cups. The cups had stiff interfacing sewn on the inside and stiff interfacing chest bands. Then the entire thing was covered in heavy cotton both inside and outside before attaching to the top edge of the dress bodice.

Pictures to come.

Wow, who would have thought periwinkle and magenta would look that amazing together! I can't wait to see the finale product.

Just put the finishing touches on this project. This was made from an old pageant gown from high school (1999/2000). I couldn't part with any of my expensive gowns and now that I have started belly dancing they are getting a new life! :) It makes me happy and justifies the amount I spent on them!!

I love to repurpose/rehab items to bring them to a new life as well!

I'm working on a dress I bought here on bhuz (called it shake and bake), repurposing it to a bedlah. The fringe is 20 some inches long. yummy.

im going to learn how to alter my first belt! :) pics and progress HERE

I'm working with Ochun Goddess costume.
Very interesting work!

I'm loving how many new posters there are this month! Welcome to the most addicting thread on Bhuz!

Well... I have been working on restoring of this costume extensively in nevember and december, but I have been waiting for crystals that I have ordered so I finished it in march.
I have offered it for sale in the summer but potential buyer refused costume for low quality of fringe and crystals. Since that time it was completely restored and only flower appliques remained on its place. I completely rebeaded all the costume and I removed everything else - crystals, fringe... everything...It has new lining (even though it has never been sweat), new high quality fringe made by hand, I changed crystals for strass and big acrylic stones for preciosa crystals. Now it is up for sale in the SWAP meet section.

I just finished this. It's a swirl skirt from the 60s and I added mesh ruffles. It's got cutouts on the sides, lots of bows and a shoulder drape.

I'm going to do another one this summer in bronze and pink with hearts.

Thats awesome Eshta, I love the color combination. It is perfect for spring.

Some close-ups of the blue costume:

Originally Posted by LindaBintFarah

Am I really the lucky one to start this month's thread? Let's see your fabulous new things!

I've made progress on my silver bedlah. I'm debating if I should call it "Sparkle Monster" or "Robin Sparkles".

Oh MyYyYy ... I need sunglasses!!!

Originally Posted by LindaBintFarah

I'm debating if I should call it "Sparkle Monster" or "Robin Sparkles".

Robin Sparkles!!!!!!

The Hyacinth Lace is finished!





I'm hoping to have on-body pictures after the weekend!

Originally Posted by eshtabellydance

I just finished this. It's a swirl skirt from the 60s and I added mesh ruffles. It's got cutouts on the sides, lots of bows and a shoulder drape.

I'm going to do another one this summer in bronze and pink with hearts.

Looking forward to see this one on someone's body, the mesh sleevlets looks so cute. Whole costume is super adorable :)

Thanks! I get to see it in action tonight along with this one I finished last week.

Originally Posted by beafarhana

The Hyacinth Lace is finished!




I'm hoping to have on-body pictures after the weekend!

This is lovely! May I ask what, if anything, you used to stabilize under the lace on the chunk that hangs down from the bra? (particularly to support the weight of the rhinestone chain...)

Originally Posted by Teophania

This is lovely! May I ask what, if anything, you used to stabilize under the lace on the chunk that hangs down from the bra? (particularly to support the weight of the rhinestone chain...)

Thank you! It isn't a chain of rhinestones, it's just the rhinestones glued on in a line. They aren't very heavy and the lace is quite substantial in itself, so I haven't added anything else to it. I did decide that if I find it starts to fray, I'll be painting the back of it with a fabric glue. But for now I've left it plain.

Im busy with this costume. I love fabrics that change colour. :)

Alison Wright's Photos | Facebook

And at last, it's finished, and I have an On-Body shot (courtesy of the lovely Khalida!)

So in addition to crocheting a throw for my sister and her husband's new house (color coordinated to match the new paint colors, of course), I am working on the Bella bra for my green costume.

As some of you know getting the bra was a nightmare. The first one was wrong and so I sent it back for her to make me a new one and it's a tad ginormous on me, especially since I've lost a little bit of weight since I got it. Sigh. I really need a new one between the two sizes I have now, but that's not going to happen. So I am working on fitting the big one and if I lose enough weight, maybe I'll be able to wear the smaller one at some point.

Anywho, the big bra came with some horribly unflattering fringe that cut my torso and widened me. So I took off the fringe and am redoing it with a different pattern. My biggest problem is that the old fringe has damaged the fabric and now there are little pick marks all across the costume. Sigh...I think this is one of those costumes that is not meant to be!

Before:

It also drove me crazy that the fringe wasn't symmetrical on both sides, even though it was supposed to be. Also, there are giant fleece socks stuff into those cups!

After:


You can see the gold dress I've been working on underneath the bra; I was too lazy to take it off.

The pick marks:

Anyone know if there is a solution to these?

Bea, you look stunning, the costume is beautiful, great colours

Thank you Luccia!