Belly dance veils are the staple of Turkish veil dances but veils cost $20 to $150 for professional show quality dancing veils. Turkish veils are pricier because they are typically adorned with beading around the hemline, and because the fabric is rounded out into a half circle by hand. Turkish belly dance veils take time and energy but you can make your own, save money and make entire matching costumes adorned with beads and gemstones. You'll have a professional look that catches everyone's eye.
Instructions
1. Lay the fabric out onto a flat surface, and smooth any wrinkles. The fabric should be on the folded lengthwise, so that the 3 yards is spread out folded in half. You want the fabric to be as smooth as possible so you can cut out a perfect half circle. You want to use a fabric that is light weight such as silk (for advanced dancers), tissue lame, liquid foil, china silk (great for beginning dancers), charmeuse, georgette, lace and chiffon blends. Tape a measuring tape above the fabric, and another one vertically on the right side of the fabric.
2. Take the yarn or heavy duty thread and pin one end into the corner of the fabric. Begin drawing an arc with the fabric pen onto the fabric, or if you prefer, use sewing pins to mark where you need to cut. You do this by swinging the yarn into a quarter circle, marking with a pen as you move along. Once finished, ensure that the half circle looks perfectly rounded, and that there is no unevenness throughout the hemline (where you'll be cutting). If you're using a fabric that frays easily you may want to use fray check or cut the veil using shearing scissors, this will ensure the fabric does not fray when applying the beadwork to the hemline of the veil.
3. Cut the veil out being careful not to wrinkle the fabric as you cut it. This part can be difficult, but if you move the fabric while cutting it you won't have a perfectly rounded veil, and once you start dancing with it you'll notice it. Once it's cut out, unfold the fabric, and a perfectly rounded half circle will appear. Apply Fray check around the hemline as needed.
4. Either serge the hemline on a serger sewing machine, do a quick hemline stitch with a regular sewing machine or hand sew it by rolling the fabric with your hand, and sewing it at the same time. You must sew the hemline because if you do not the fabric could start to run or fray, even after applying fray check. A great way to stop fabric runs is to apply a little bit of clear nail polish onto the fabric; of course this depends on the fabric, you wouldn't do this with silk as it would leave a noticeable mark.
5. Apply a thicker amount of beads or sequins to the top hemline, the portion you will be handling with your hands as you dance. This is the straight part. You want to do this so that you can recognize where the edge of the straight line is, so that while doing spins, and moving the veil you can grasp the veil if you let go of the fabric. You can apply beads, sequins, small mirrors or crystal gemstones to the rounded portion of the hemline, but be careful not to make the veil too heavy. When adding gemstones it's best to add lightweight ones every 5 to 10 inches or so. If sewing sequins to the veil, it works better to use restrung sequins because you can just hand sew or even apply a machine zigzag to them, and it's much faster.
6. You are now ready to dance with your veil. Try it out, see if the weight is suiting for you, and if it's too heavy you can always remove some of the embellishments. Check the hemline for any loose beads or sequins, and reinforce anything that you find hanging or loose. Enjoy your new veil; you've just made a staple costume piece for Turkish belly dance.
Tags: half circle, beads sequins, perfectly rounded, with your, adorned with