Need Ideas - Belly Dance Belt

LillianL@3 wrote

on Jun 9, 2008 3:30 PM

Hi!!  I just received a call from my neice who is in a dance summer camp and wants me to make her a belt ? for her belly dance class!!

She is only six so it's not a big thing but it needs to make some type of jingle sound I would assume.

I don't have much time to go buy supplies because I work and her class is wednesday morning.

I would apppreciate any ideas you can give me on how to make something practically from scratch.  I have chain, beads, some small jingle bells....

Thanks a million

Sheila H wrote

on Jun 9, 2008 3:57 PM

 I have never made one but to me it would be like a longer necklace. You did not say what colors her outfit would be but my thought would be to keep it simple so as to not take away from her outfit but to evenly space the jingle bells, at least one on each hip and one for the front and one at the back. My thought would be to use smaller beads like maybe larger seed beads or even tube beads ( twisted one would give it sparkle and shimmer ). If you have enough of each different color you could string one color, then a jingle bell, then string all of another color, jingle bell, etc.

I just strung a child's necklace out of twisted tube beads and used three different colors, all the same blue, then all the same bright green, then all the same pink. It sounds weird but I think the colors helped to keep it young and appropriate for a young girl.

You could finish it with a normal lobster clasp ( or something similar ) or if you are daring you could simply do it on a stretchy cord so that you can just crimp it and call it done. It would probably go over her head and down to her hips easily or up from her feet. The stretch would allow it to go into place and move with her without being tight or breaking. Just make sure to give it a little extra give.

Just my thoughts, but I have never made one and I have only been doing this a year.

Good Luck and let us know how it turns out!

LillianL@3 wrote

on Jun 9, 2008 4:36 PM

Sheila thanks for the idea.  I am not sure which are the twisted tube beads you mention in your note. Are they metal, glass, plastic?   I like the idea of the bright colors but I think I may only have some glass beads 

What do you think about the idea of using nickel chain instead making it as a necklace?    I think with the "dancing" maybe the crimps on the necklace ends would loosen.

 Once again thanks and I hope to hear from you,  if not I will let you know how things turn out.

Radiance@3 wrote

on Jun 10, 2008 8:23 AM

Or if you can't find out the right length, guess it on the short side and sew on some elastic hair ties linked together in a chain, so it will snug up around her no matter what size she is!

Then you could stitch on some jingle bells, or if you can't find those at this time of year, even a few short lengths of large-ish chain that would at least tinkle a bit when she wiggles. :-)

Sheila H wrote

on Jun 10, 2008 1:52 PM

 The twisted beads that I use are glass but they are about 1/4 inch long maybe. These are Czech glass beads #3Twisted ( they also have a #5 size that is a little longer ). I found mine at Hobby Lobby. I don't see why you could not use the chain, that may be more realistic looking, I think. You would have to use jump rings to add the bells.

The way that I crimp I don't think they would loosen. I don't use a crimper plier. I am a bad beader in that ( if I am using the strechy cord ) I put the line through a crimp going each way ( so that both sides are going through ) and then I simply use my pliers to flatten it. I have also ( when  using the strechy line ) threaded the crimp and tie a small knot then crimp over the top of the knot.

If you are doing it like a necklace, you could thread the crimp on and through the finding then back through the crimp and then flatten it. I have used crimp covers ( I find these at Wal-Mart ) and then it simply looks like a silver bead.

I hope that I am not too late to help you out. Let me know!