Hip Scarf: velvet or....? - Page 2

Reen.Blom · 02-10-2008, 02:56 PM

Hmmm I was thinking that velvet will look the best...

But is the decoration on the velvet ones very light? Mine is getting a bit heavy especially with the fringe! I was wondering if the velvet wilol be unsuitable in that case! ......

Aniseteph · 02-10-2008, 06:13 PM

You might be OK with stretch velvet, especially if it's just a few rows of triangles on a rectangular scarf and not all the weight on the lower edge. And it's usually cheap enough to experiment with - pin or loosely sew some on and see if it distorts.

The problem I had with stretch wasn't that the fabric couldn't take it, more that the weight pulling down stretched out the fabric round the hips and the whole lot went south.

. This should be less of a problem if the triangles are in tiers because the top ones will have some support when the scarf is on; I think it's heavy decoration dangling freely from the lower edge that does it. The one I have with heavy glass-beaded fringe along the bottom edge needed sturdy elastic reinforcement to be useable, whereas the lycra based one with more lightweight bead loops (and coins that are one grade up from tinfoil) is fine.

Another option might be to back the stretch velvet with a lightweight non-stretch lining to add support. Velvet does sound nice... very luxurious!

Shanazel · 02-11-2008, 03:43 PM

You could also try just lining the area that tightens around the hips and leave the hangy-down part unlined (hangy-down part is a technical term

). Or you could line the whole thing with light iron on interfacing and add a stronger interfacing to the tie area.

Reen.Blom · 02-11-2008, 07:01 PM

I will be looking for nice stretch velvet.... and if I get it I will try to do that lining thing... Thank you Shanazel...

I am also considering crocheting a narrow base and making it fasten with hooks....

Reen.Blom · 02-15-2008, 07:00 PM

Now I am confused....

Have been to a fabric shop today and geez it is confusing. I know nothing about choosing fabric (unlike my mom).....

They only have velvet that I could use in black, I could use it, but would prefer dark red to match the colour of my crochet work...

Another problem about it is that it is 1,5m wide and I wish I only need about 30-40 cm as my scarf is going to be narrow, unlike most ip-scarves on the market.... So being so wide I would get away with buying 40cm of it, but it stretches in width.... I dunno how to explain, but if I want it to stretch top to bottom and not tie to tie then I need to buy 1,5 m of it and cut the width to 40 cm...LOL

It is difficult.... I think I would buy 1,5m if it was the right colour, and also it is a bit plain, I would prefer that one that lookes "crushed"...

Saw beautiful chiffon in the right colour- such smokey burgundy with sparckles...LOL There is one without sparkles as well... but it lookes so thin.... I really dunno if it would hold the weight of the triangles, because when I put the fringe on they weigh a ton.... Also when you tie it it will crinkle and sparkly thingies will fall off.... ok forget about the sparkly thingies, as maybe they will distract from the beadwork.... dunnno

Now with my very limited sewing skills I wonder if I should better crochet the base for the scarf.... I have an extra roll of cotton thread.... Anyone ever seen pretty crochet hipscarves? I only seen some yellow scary thing in one of the online shops....

Ooooh but that chiffon with sparkles would make one glorious skirt... oh and a veil..... LOL

*sits half an hour dreaming....*

Geez I really dunno what to do...

Shanazel, you should fly over here and go shopping with me! LOL Oh my fiance's sister is getting married so his mom is about to start making her wedding dress, all the fabric is bought.... So unfortunatly no time for my tiny scarf problems.... :-S

gisela · 02-16-2008, 07:47 PM

I've seen scarfs like this "live": They look very nice on. I do think they stretch a lot because of the cotton (?) thread.

BELLY DANCE CROCHET HIP SCARF, BELT, BELLYDANCE, EGYPT - eBay Other Women's Dancewear, Women's Dancewear, Dancewear, Fashion. (end time 08-Mar-08 14:30:17 AEDST)

They might not fit with your already made triangles though.

Reen.Blom · 02-16-2008, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gisela

I've seen scarfs like this "live": They look very nice on. I do think they stretch a lot because of the cotton (?) thread.

BELLY DANCE CROCHET HIP SCARF, BELT, BELLYDANCE, EGYPT - eBay Other Women's Dancewear, Women's Dancewear, Dancewear, Fashion. (end time 08-Mar-08 14:30:17 AEDST)

They might not fit with your already made triangles though.

Thank you Gisela for the link! Looks reallly stunning, might be my next project! LOL

Yes it is actually true might stretch cos it is heavy! I wondr if I can fortify it in some way... Rocket science....

Shanazel · 02-16-2008, 10:36 PM

Ah, Reenie, welcome to the wonderful world of fabric. A trip to a good fabric store feeds the soul with color and texture, hmmm? I don't know if it is true in South Africa, but most people who work in fabric stores in the Rocky Mountains also sew and most of those people are more than happy to answer sewing questions and lend their own expertise. Sewing isn't so much a hobby as it is a passion and a vocation. Tell the clerks in the fabric store what you want to do and ask for suggestions- can't hurt, might help. Wish we could go shopping together- I'd show you the iron in interfacing. You can cut the shape and size you want your hip band to be out of interfacing, then fuse it to the fashion fabric, then cut out the fabric- always remembering to leave seam allowances!

Learning to sew is not so hard. I taught myself when I was fifteen, using books I checked out of the library. Go for it!

Reen.Blom · 02-16-2008, 10:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shanazel

Ah, Reenie, welcome to the wonderful world of fabric. A trip to a good fabric store feeds the soul with color and texture, hmmm? I don't know if it is true in South Africa, but most people who work in fabric stores in the Rocky Mountains also sew and most of those people are more than happy to answer sewing questions and lend their own expertise. Sewing isn't so much a hobby as it is a passion and a vocation. Tell the clerks in the fabric store what you want to do and ask for suggestions- can't hurt, might help. Wish we could go shopping together- I'd show you the iron in interfacing. You can cut the shape and size you want your hip band to be out of interfacing, then fuse it to the fashion fabric, then cut out the fabric- always remembering to leave seam allowances!

Learning to sew is not so hard. I taught myself when I was fifteen, using books I checked out of the library. Go for it!

Hey Shanazel, thank you for your suggestions!
y
I think I have some of that iron-on stuff in the cupboard! I think that is is what you are talking about at least.... It is such sticky white fabric that I iron on fabric before cutting out flowers for appliqué on the Ribbon embroidery cushions!

But will it not peel off?

Still I am leaning towards crocheting a base as well.... Oh well A sewing machine is definitly on my list for that "one day" time when we have own home....

*hugs Shanazel*

Shanazel · 02-16-2008, 11:06 PM

AWK!! AWK!! WARNING! Careful! Not all interfacing is created equal. You need to find the right weight of interfacing for the fabric you are using, because the iron-on stuff is permanent. What works for a wool coat will not work for a crushed velvet hip scarf. Do some reading and asking around before you bond something to your fabric.

02-10-2008, 02:56 PM	#11 (permalink)
Reen.Blom V.I.P. Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Between Heaven and Earth Posts: 2,263	Hmmm I was thinking that velvet will look the best... But is the decoration on the velvet ones very light? Mine is getting a bit heavy especially with the fringe! I was wondering if the velvet wilol be unsuitable in that case! ...... __________________ Join WORLD BELLY DANCE DAY! www.worldbellydanceday.com

02-11-2008, 03:43 PM	#13 (permalink)
Shanazel Moderator Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Rocky Mountains USA Posts: 4,578	You could also try just lining the area that tightens around the hips and leave the hangy-down part unlined (hangy-down part is a technical term). Or you could line the whole thing with light iron on interfacing and add a stronger interfacing to the tie area.

02-11-2008, 07:01 PM	#14 (permalink)
Reen.Blom V.I.P. Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Between Heaven and Earth Posts: 2,263	I will be looking for nice stretch velvet.... and if I get it I will try to do that lining thing... Thank you Shanazel... I am also considering crocheting a narrow base and making it fasten with hooks.... __________________ Join WORLD BELLY DANCE DAY! www.worldbellydanceday.com

02-15-2008, 07:00 PM	#15 (permalink)
Reen.Blom V.I.P. Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Between Heaven and Earth Posts: 2,263	Now I am confused.... Have been to a fabric shop today and geez it is confusing. I know nothing about choosing fabric (unlike my mom)..... They only have velvet that I could use in black, I could use it, but would prefer dark red to match the colour of my crochet work... Another problem about it is that it is 1,5m wide and I wish I only need about 30-40 cm as my scarf is going to be narrow, unlike most ip-scarves on the market.... So being so wide I would get away with buying 40cm of it, but it stretches in width.... I dunno how to explain, but if I want it to stretch top to bottom and not tie to tie then I need to buy 1,5 m of it and cut the width to 40 cm...LOL It is difficult.... I think I would buy 1,5m if it was the right colour, and also it is a bit plain, I would prefer that one that lookes "crushed"... Saw beautiful chiffon in the right colour- such smokey burgundy with sparckles...LOL There is one without sparkles as well... but it lookes so thin.... I really dunno if it would hold the weight of the triangles, because when I put the fringe on they weigh a ton.... Also when you tie it it will crinkle and sparkly thingies will fall off.... ok forget about the sparkly thingies, as maybe they will distract from the beadwork.... dunnno Now with my very limited sewing skills I wonder if I should better crochet the base for the scarf.... I have an extra roll of cotton thread.... Anyone ever seen pretty crochet hipscarves? I only seen some yellow scary thing in one of the online shops.... Ooooh but that chiffon with sparkles would make one glorious skirt... oh and a veil..... LOL sits half an hour dreaming.... Geez I really dunno what to do... Shanazel, you should fly over here and go shopping with me! LOL Oh my fiance's sister is getting married so his mom is about to start making her wedding dress, all the fabric is bought.... So unfortunatly no time for my tiny scarf problems.... :-S __________________ Join WORLD BELLY DANCE DAY! www.worldbellydanceday.com

02-16-2008, 07:47 PM	#16 (permalink)
gisela Moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Denmark Posts: 928	I've seen scarfs like this "live": They look very nice on. I do think they stretch a lot because of the cotton (?) thread. BELLY DANCE CROCHET HIP SCARF, BELT, BELLYDANCE, EGYPT - eBay Other Women's Dancewear, Women's Dancewear, Dancewear, Fashion. (end time 08-Mar-08 14:30:17 AEDST) They might not fit with your already made triangles though. __________________ You need chaos in your soul to create a dancing star-nietzsche

02-10-2008, 06:13 PM	#12 (permalink)
Aniseteph V.I.P. Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Sussex, England Posts: 1,689	You might be OK with stretch velvet, especially if it's just a few rows of triangles on a rectangular scarf and not all the weight on the lower edge. And it's usually cheap enough to experiment with - pin or loosely sew some on and see if it distorts. The problem I had with stretch wasn't that the fabric couldn't take it, more that the weight pulling down stretched out the fabric round the hips and the whole lot went south. . This should be less of a problem if the triangles are in tiers because the top ones will have some support when the scarf is on; I think it's heavy decoration dangling freely from the lower edge that does it. The one I have with heavy glass-beaded fringe along the bottom edge needed sturdy elastic reinforcement to be useable, whereas the lycra based one with more lightweight bead loops (and coins that are one grade up from tinfoil) is fine. Another option might be to back the stretch velvet with a lightweight non-stretch lining to add support. Velvet does sound nice... very luxurious!

02-16-2008, 10:36 PM	#18 (permalink)
Shanazel Moderator Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Rocky Mountains USA Posts: 4,578	Ah, Reenie, welcome to the wonderful world of fabric. A trip to a good fabric store feeds the soul with color and texture, hmmm? I don't know if it is true in South Africa, but most people who work in fabric stores in the Rocky Mountains also sew and most of those people are more than happy to answer sewing questions and lend their own expertise. Sewing isn't so much a hobby as it is a passion and a vocation. Tell the clerks in the fabric store what you want to do and ask for suggestions- can't hurt, might help. Wish we could go shopping together- I'd show you the iron in interfacing. You can cut the shape and size you want your hip band to be out of interfacing, then fuse it to the fashion fabric, then cut out the fabric- always remembering to leave seam allowances! Learning to sew is not so hard. I taught myself when I was fifteen, using books I checked out of the library. Go for it! Last edited by Shanazel; 02-16-2008 at 10:37 PM. Reason: poor typing skills

02-16-2008, 11:06 PM	#20 (permalink)
Shanazel Moderator Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Rocky Mountains USA Posts: 4,578	AWK!! AWK!! WARNING! Careful! Not all interfacing is created equal. You need to find the right weight of interfacing for the fabric you are using, because the iron-on stuff is permanent. What works for a wool coat will not work for a crushed velvet hip scarf. Do some reading and asking around before you bond something to your fabric.