Finished!

[galadhir]

That last leg didn't sound like much but boy was it tedious and fiddly!

• made two long beaded swags and sewed them on to the bra. This was the step I was most nervous about (getting them symmetrical) but it went off without a hitch and looked absolutely fine.

• sewed on 10 hooks and eyes (8 hooks on the top of the bodystocking, 8 matching eyes on the bottom of the bra. Two hooks and two eyes on the cuffs of the sleeves.)

• sewed on four sets of press-studs (ie four bits with the bump and another four bits with the hollow.)

• realized that I'd sewn on the press studs for the right sleeve on the wrong side of the strap and fixed that.

• worried that the press-studs were too small and I should have gone for a larger, more powerful size.

• was haunted by the idea that the press-studs might give way, and the sleeves fall down to dangle uselessly from my wrists during a dance, but the fiddly hooks and eyes would make casually removing them impossible. So...

• decided to remove the hooks and eyes from the cuffs and close them with elastic instead. Didn't have any elastic.

• removed the elastic from one of my old homemade Covid face masks and sewed on two strips of elastic to each cuff. That way, if a sleeve falls down, I can simply slip it off and toss it disdainfully aside, and it can be part of the dance.

• congratulated myself on learning something from that time my home-made harem trousers started falling down while doing a sword dance. (Be prepared for your costume to sabotage you.)

• tried on the bodystocking - fine (maybe a little large but can be taken in later.)

• tried to hook the bodystocking to the bra and put the whole thing on. Failed. The bra is still too small. This was not unexpected - it still isn't the end of June, so I am not in my full shrunken form. Sewed silver material to a bra extender for use just in case.

• Didn't manage to get all the hooks and eyes engaged all around. It's like getting into a spacesuit. The whole donning process may need assistance or practice. Lesson learned - make a bodystocking with shoulder straps next time, this is ridiculous! But other people seem to manage it, so maybe with practice it will become possible.

Comments

[watervole]

I think you'll have a lot of fun performing in your new bling!

[galadhir]

Thank you! At this stage I'll just be thankful if I can just get it all on and pose for some photos, even if they're 'hand made bedlah for sale because I made it the wrong size' photos :) But if I can dance in it, I'll be very happy.

[cairistiona]

Oh gosh, I will never look at a belly dancer and her beautiful costume the same way again. How complicated those are!

[galadhir]

Ooh they are! So many bits are being held up by, or held in place by, tiny fiddly fasteners like press-studs. And people are wearing full body power-stretch dancer's mesh smoothing garments underneath, with parts of the outerwear pinned or hooked on. I'm still not 100% sure how one goes to the toilet in it. I think perhaps you don't.

[seleneheart]

That is absolutely gorgeous! I'm impressed with all the work you have done.

[galadhir]

Thank you! I've really enjoyed the project (although not this last bit with all of the tiny hardware.) I expect it's like writing, where the last chapter is always a slog, but I'm chuffed with the fact that things actually work - bits do buckle onto other bits as they're supposed to. That amazes me :)

[mistressofmuses]

It looks fantastic! (Though I'm sorry it was so fiddly!)

That many hook and eye closures is a lot to handle - definitely something I think I'd need assistance with, ha.

[galadhir]

Yes, the advice was to fasten all the hooks and eyes first, and then pull both bra and bodystocking up over the hips as a finished piece, but that put a lot of strain on everything. Having a husband there to help sounds like a better idea!

[pattrose]

It's simply beautiful. I saw it later modeled by you. You looked great. ❤️🌹

[galadhir]

Thank you! :)