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I need help...

topic posted Thu, March 27, 2008 - 7:27 PM by  offlineAmalia
I posted this on a different tribe as well, but I need as much input as i can get!

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Ok..so I am fairly new to this costume business.
I have been belly dancing for a while. but never in public lol
And in the past few months when i have gone looking for costumes or bits and pieces of ones to use, turns out i am entirely too small to buy any pre-made stuff.

So here is my question-
Where is a good site or some such that i could pick up a few patterns so i can just make my own??
And/Or a good place to go to maybe buy some smaller sized pre-mades?

Its at the point of getting really frustrating now
posted by:
Amalia
online Amalia
Virginia
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  • Yasemin
    Yasemin
    offline 190

    Re: I need help...

    Thu, March 27, 2008 - 8:25 PM
    Have you tried Childrens costumes, or are they too small?
    If you prefer more Tribal, basic pant and tierd skirt directions are usually based on measurements, and you can size them to fit.
    A lot of vintage pieces which tend to be very small, would probably fit you.
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  • Kita
    Kita
    offline 21

    Re: I need help...

    Fri, March 28, 2008 - 6:41 AM
    Check Erika's profile for more DIY instruction links than you can shake your hips at!
    people.tribe.net/erikaschiquis

    Here are some I've used myself:
    - I've got a tutorial up for making your own choli out of an old tee shirt [works for anything long or short sleeved] here:
    www.wearnoclothing.com/diy3.htm

    - There are DIY instructions for a 10-yard skirt and making your own choli from scratch here:
    www.annabella.net/tribal/costume.html

    - And here's info on how to make harem pants here:
    www.zilltech.com/FAQCostumeHP.html

    That covers your very basics. I also recommend searching around websites like Etsy where you can find tons of listings for custom items for sale. [PS - If you want instant gratification I will be listing an XS/petite long sleeved frankencholi on my shop today. If you're interested. pardon my plugging my own stuff.]
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    • Amalia
      Amalia
      online 11

      Re: I need help...

      Wed, April 2, 2008 - 7:21 AM
      thank you so much everyone!

      Ive been to Shaharazade (spelling?) in Richmond a few times, but when I go everything is so incredibly big it swallows me! haha
      I have been told most cabaret costumes will be like that these days.
      but
      ill check out those sites and thank you for the info!
      ^_^
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  • Zena
    Zena
    offline 18

    Re: I need help...

    Wed, April 2, 2008 - 8:24 AM
    Small in what way? Vertical, horizontal or both? What costume pieces are you particularly interested in?

    I'm on the small side too and most stuff ends up being too long on me, so I make my own stuff. Pantaloons and skirts are pretty straightforward - as long as you have instructions you don't need a pattern.
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    • Amalia
      Amalia
      online 11

      Re: I need help...

      Fri, April 4, 2008 - 10:39 AM
      Small in im only 4'11" and about 86lbs... lol
      so im small in most ways lol
      where can i get good instructions? considering i have never made a costume.. lol
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      • Etana
        Etana
        offline 90

        Re: I need help...

        Fri, April 4, 2008 - 4:11 PM
        Amalia,
        I have a couple of suggestions. Forgive me if I missed something in these threads and mention it again.
        1. Get yourself an inexpensive sewing machine and practice straight stitches. Most skirts & pants can be done with straight stitching. Harem pants will take you 1-2 hours start to finish. You can upgrade your sewing machine when you feel your skills have outgrown the basic machine.
        2. Practice hand sewing...attaching beads, sequins, etc. You might surprise yourself. You may know more about "making a costume" than you know.

        Remember, "necessity is the mother of invention"...and tribe is full of creative folks who put things together without sewing.
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        • Yame
          Yame
          offline 7

          Re: I need help...

          Mon, April 7, 2008 - 6:47 PM
          I'm gonna take advantage of this post (since I need to start making my own costumes) and ask for myself: where do you recommend buying a basic sewing machine? I mean, would you say I'm better off buying one on-line or looking for one around here? About how much do they go for?
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          • Tadpole
            Tadpole
            offline 23

            Re: I need help...

            Tue, April 8, 2008 - 8:55 AM
            I recommend seeing and testing different models. I have a student quality Janome one (don't have to model number with me) that has a variety of straight and stretch stitches. I got it at a promo sewing machine sale at a local fabric store. Check out fabric and fabric discount stores for events like these. Expect to spend $200-350 on avg. It's a great little investment. I don't sew all my items, but it does come in handy especially when modifying existing things. I don't sew every day, or even every week, so I didn't feel like I had to get a more expensive, nearly indestructible machine.
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            • Whitney
              Whitney
              offline 3

              Re: I need help...

              Tue, April 8, 2008 - 10:10 AM
              You can get a cheaper sewing machine, but don't spend less than $100 on it, anything less just doesn't cut it. And expect a cheaper machine to wear out sometime. (and definately insist on test sewing before purchase-I don't think Wal-Mart lets you do it and in general they have no-good machines)

              If you're short on cash, go to garage sales or check craigslist.org for your area. I once got a perfectly decent machine for $20. My preferred brands are singer and bernina, but berninas are way expensive (but they can do a lot of cool things, like embroidery).

              Hand sewing has its advantages though! Here's a link that includes info on hand sewing bras.

              www.annabella.net/tribal/coinbra2.html

              Whitney
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      • Zena
        Zena
        offline 18

        Re: I need help...

        Mon, April 7, 2008 - 1:29 PM
        Tiered skirts and pantaloons are pretty easy since they aren't fitted and you only really need to worry about how long they are. You can alter ready-made pieces by adjusting at the top (e.g. for a tiered skirt, shorten the top tier) or the bottom (whack off the bottom of pantaloons and make a new casing. Go for drawstrings or elastic rather than a fitted style.

        Skirts and pantaloons can be really easy though, so if you're inclined to try sewing, this would be a good place to start. One nice thing about making your own stuff is that as you put the piece together, you can try it on to see if you like the proportions and alter if necessary.

        I'm 5'2" and this is what I came up with for full and flowing pantaloons: people.tribe.net/zena/phot...d0d24c28f5 and people.tribe.net/zena/blog...d08e9fd123

        Erika and I both have DIY blogs that you might like to check out. (My "how-to"s are heavy on the detail, which some people find overwhelming.)

        Tops might be a little more tricky as most need to be more fitted. You might like to experiment by cutting a close-fitting stretchy T-shirt to resemble a choli. (I think there's info out there on how to do that, but I don't have a link for you.)
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