Hi Audra! I think step-by-step books are old news - Dina Lydia and Dawn Devine Brown have really covered the possibilities quite well. The only topic I haven't really seen covered by their books is costuming recommendations for plus-sized dancers. But this isn't really about construction so much as it is about stuff like halter bras can hurt your neck, here are ideas for covering the stomach, etc.
It sounds like you're thinking of creating some products. If you do decide you want to do a book, I'd suggest you take a good luck at what's already out there first and give some careful thought to how you could improve on it. Otherwise, you'll have an uphill road to creating your own niche.
I think you'd find a lot more success going the video/DVD route. I'm not aware of any recently-made videos on costuming. The only ones that come to mind are the FatChance one (which is not about costume construction) and several that were made in the 1980's (Delilah's, Aziza's, Joyce's, etc). A video could show the process of actually creating the costume item, and you could use the video medium to show how the very same style of skirt/pants/veil/whatever moves when made from different fabrics. Extra points if you get dancers of noticeably different sizes and shapes to model the same item so the viewer can see how it would look on different body types.
Your patterns idea has merit. Again, I'd suggest checking what's already out there and thinking of how to differentiate your patterns from competing products and free info on the web. For example, I don't think the belly dance world needs yet another pattern for a circle skirt. Your idea of including embellishment instructions with the pattern would be a great way to differentiate yourself - the only pattern company used by belly dancers that I'm aware of that offers embellishment suggestions is Folkwear.
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Originally Posted by auraevans
Or is learning from a step by step book old news, would it be better to learn from video or DVD instruction?
Also, would there be an interest in having some great patterns available to purchase if needed in conjunction with an intructional book such as this?
Such patterns would have a full pattern, not an instruction to measure and mark the fabric and then cut it. What if the patterns included full color photos/instruction to help inspire/give ideas for embellishing/beading fabric/sewn garments for dance and costuming.
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