Filler
Photo of Shira

 

 

PHOTO CREDIT: Above photo by John Rickman Photography, San Jose, California.

Ask the Costume Goddess

Dina Lydia, the Costume Goddess

Ask the Costume Goddess:

Making a Handkerchief Skirt

by Dina Lydia

 

---------------

The Question

Dear Costume Goddess:

I am looking for a pattern to make a handkerchief skirt. Hope your can help.

---Donna

 

---------------

The Costume Goddess Responds

Dear Donna,

Since a handerchief skirt is a simple square, you don't really need a pattern.

For a woman of average size, a yard and a half squares, or the full width of the 45" fabric should be about right — but cut a pattern of cheap muslin first. Trim the points if necessary, to an inch or two from the floor.

The size of the circular opening should be just big enough to pull over your hips, and can then be tightened with elastic. If I remember my basic geometry, the circumference of a circle is about 3.14 times the diameter. Thus a 12-inch diameter circle would measure about 37 3/4 inches around, a 13-inch diameter circle would measure 40 3/4 inches around, a 14-inch diameter circle would measure about 44 inches around, and so forth.

Click on the diagram at the right to see it in more detail.

Diagram Illustrating How to Make a Handkerchief Skirt

The trickiest part is cutting the circular opening the correct size to fit hips through without too much extra space. The circumference of the circle will be about 3.1 times its diameter. This should add up to slightly larger than the largest part of your hip. Generally it's cut on the straight grain (parallel to the edge) but if your fabric is wide, you could try putting on the bias (diagonal) and you will get a more ripply effect on the edge, since it will stretch as you sew it. If your fabric is narrow or your size large, the pattern can be pieced, with a seam down the sides.

--The Costume Goddess

 

---------------

Related Articles

Other articles on this web site related to making a handkerchief skirt include:

---------------

About the Costume Goddess

Dina has been sewing for more than twenty-five years (yes, she started as a toddler!)

She's also an artist (Maryland Institute of Art) and perfected her sewing techniques apprenticed to various designers, freelancing for small theaters, restyling vintage garments, and altering wedding gowns.

Dina fell in love with belly dancing costumes upon her very first lesson. Now the pleasure of wearing her own designs, and seeing others wear them, offers as much pleasure as dancing. She's become expert as well in altering those troublesome ready-made Egyptian costumes, and modifying designs to flatter individual figures.

She holds workshops in Seattle to teach design and construction of cabaret costumes, and analysis of figure characteristics. She will also give private lessons, or resize or repair a secondhand costume. She's thus earned her Costume Goddess title.

Photo of Dina Lydia, The Costume Goddess

The Costume Goddess Tells All Costuming Books

Dina has published six books of her own on belly dance costuming as well as writing nearly all the costuming section for The Belly Dance Book. For information on her series of books, The Costume Goddess Tells All, see her web site at www.costumegoddess.com. For reviews here on Shira.net of some of her books, see:

Photo of Dina Lydia, the Costume Goddess

Costume Goddess Photos

To view a photo gallery featuring pictures of Dina, costumes she has designed, and her friends, either click on the choices below or visit her web site:

 

All about belly dancing! Explore belly dance!

The contents of this page are copyrighted 2009 by Dina Lydia. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication is forbidden.

 

---------------

Copyright Notice

This entire web site is copyrighted. All rights reserved.

All articles, images, forms, scripts, directories, and product reviews on this web site are the property of Shira unless a different author/artist is identified. Material from this web site may not be posted on any other web site unless permission is first obtained from Shira.

Academic papers for school purposes may use information from this site only if the paper properly identifies the original article on Shira.net using appropriate citations (footnotes, end notes, etc.) and bibliography. Consult your instructor for instructions on how to do this.

If you wish to translate articles from Shira.net into a language other than English, Shira will be happy to post your translation here on Shira.net along with a note identifying you as the translator. This could include your photo and biography if you want it to. Contact Shira for more information. You may not post translations of Shira's articles on anybody else's web site, not even your own.

If you are a teacher, performer, or student of Middle Eastern dance, you may link directly to any page on this web site from either your blog or your own web site without first obtaining Shira's permission. Click here for link buttons and other information on how to link.

 

 

Explore more belly dance info:

Top >
Belly Dancing >
Advice >
Index to Costuming Section

 

Share this page!

On Facebook
 

 

  Top > Belly Dancing > Advice > Index to Costuming Section

| Contact Shira | Links | Search this Site |