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I converted an old blue velvet top to a choli. It originally had a Peter Pan collar with buttons.
Changing the neckline was a lot more work than I had expected. From now on, I'm leaving this work to the pros.
An old smock top was cut off and downsized by my friend Eloise to make this dance top. A piece
of leftover fabric was used to make a matching headband.
Beads from an old tarnished necklace are used to top these tassels.
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Yes! My daughter is wearing my first project made from 100% recycled materials. The black bra is an old
bikini top with ties made from the same stretched- out fabric used on the black kuchi bra near the top. Do you recognize
the rhinestones? These are the same ones used to decorate her shorts a couple of years ago. The shorts have been
outgrown and I managed to be able to pull them off and recycle them for a second time.
| A Fantastic Belt By a |
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| Multi-Talented Lady, Pauline |
Oh, I wish I could take credit for this great tassel belt but it was made by Pauline, one of the women
on the bellydance sites at Tribe.net. She's also a fantastic henna Mehndi artist. Her designs are amazing!
I'll add a link to her site below.
The base of this wonderful tribal tassel belt is a poncho. What a great idea!
Thank you, Pauline, for allowing me to add your photo to my site.
| Two tops and an Earring |
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| Were Recycled for this Costume |
Here I am getting ready to dance with some of my fellow dancers. I'm the one in the green and
black costume.
My bellydance costume tops are made from some old clothing of mine. The green bra cover used to
be a spaghetti strap tank top and the embellishment on it contains an old earring.
The black top was an old stretched-out blouse. I cut it down and was forced into doing some hand
sewing on this one. I don't own a sewing machine.
| Thrift Shop Deals |
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| Made Most of this Costume |
The two tops and skirt were purchased at a thrift shop and altered. My friend Eloise did the sewing
on the skirt's hemline to add interest. The leopard bra cover and headband came from another spaghetti-strap tank top.
The black top required no alteration.
| Some of My Friends |
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| Aren't They Gorgeous! |
I had to throw this one in here. We're getting ready to do a performance for a local charity.
Here is another picture from my Tribe friend Pauline. She's the one who made the fabulous poncho
belt. The bra and "skirt" are made from a dress. All the buckles were on the dress. What a great look!
This next project was made from an old large woman's size vest that I had bought over a decade ago.
Since then, I've lost a lot of weight and have gotten back into bellydancing. Anybody who is in it, knows how expensive
costumes are so most make their own.
I asked a friend, who is more able with a sewing machine than I, to cut it up and turn it
into a bolero type vest and belt. She did a great job but I had to resew on quite a few beads and noticed that there
wasn't enough to cover the front and back of the belt with as much detail as I wanted. So I had to find a way to add
more beads.
Luckily, I had a wooden necklace that I wasn't wearing anymore with large and small beads that were
just the right size and close in shape. It had a dark brown stain though. I put it in a bleach solution overnight
and that removed the stain. Watered down acrylic paints in brown and reddish brown were used to "stain" the beads.
Also, I needed some extra dark pink beads to match the plastic ones on the vest. I took some old
gold beads and painted them a dark pink using nail polish. It's not exact but the belt is far enough away from the jacket
for it to be indistinguishable from the originals.
Finally, I wanted to add some different details and took some old earrings that haven't been worn in
years, painted them, and glued them onto the front. To the back, I added an old epaulet from a jacket which was last
in style in the 80s.
This has turned out to be a great tribal vest and belt for me.
Close up of epaulet. Originally, it was a bright gold. Now, I ask myself why did I
buy that jacket?
Close up of painted earring and wooden beads that I stained myself mixed in with the originals.
Can you tell the difference?
View of the back of the belt.
This piece of jewelry is made from an old hoop earring that had lost it's mate. Backing is layers
of cereal box cardboard painted with brown acrylic paint. The scarab is broken and unstringable. Finally, the
loops that are holding the beads are the base of an old pin that was briefly in style in the early 90s.
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