I heard that to sew on a button securely, you can use dental floss! I haven't tried it, but if it works for buttons, it could work for beads and coins! I plan to try this if I ever need to. If anyone tries it, let me know if it works.
I have one hip scarf from Egypt, and two cheap ones I got in some Asian fashion stores. They don't look as nice as the expensive Egyptian one, but they were a LOT cheaper, good for practising in, and haven't fallen apart yet. I have bought two more Egyptian ones off ebay that I haven't received yet.
I have a question: what exactly are hipscarves designed for? Just for practice or can you wear them as part of a performance costume, ie instead of a belt? Please forgive my ignorance; I just haven't found any information on this yet.