Pava, director of Pava Productions in Peoria, IL, offers her tips for creating her "Snowflake Scarf Beledi Dress."

Materials

• Two Pakistani/Indian scarves that are the same style, safety pins.
• Style #PIS1, Snowflake is shown.
• PIS2 may also be used.

DIRECTIONS:

Step 1:
Take two scarves of the same color and measure them lengthwise for the front and back of the dress (sequin side facing out). The length should be from the top of the shoulder to the top of the foot.

Step 2:
Fold over the top edges of the scarves inward to determine the correct length, then with small gold safety pins, pin the front and back scarf together to make the neck opening. Pinning the two scarves together rather than sewing them gives you more versatility to use the scarves together or separately. Note: The opening varies with the size of the dancer on average, the opening is 12". The opening should be comfortable enough to slip your head through, yet not too large as to slip off of your shoulders.

Step 3:
Tie a coin or coin/bead hip wrap around to secure the scarves. Be sure to fold over the sides of the scarves at your hips with the front scarf over the back. It gives the dress a more finished appearance. Raise your arms overhead in order to blouse up the scarves so you will be allowed more movement when dancing. The hip wrap color can match the scarf color or use an alternate color for contrast. A tie-dyed or multi-colored beaded hip wrap matches well with the various sequin colors in the scarf.

Step 4:
Lurex striped harem pants are worn underneath in the same or complimentary colors.

Step 5:
As for a top underneath the scarf dress, a solid bra with no lace or a sport bra in the same shade as the scarves works very well. Regular costume bras tend to be too sharp for the delicate scarf material and can snag or tear the fabric.

The result:
An inexpensive and versatile way of making a lovely costume.  It's perfect for festivals and fairs in the summer and looks quite showy for indoor stage performances year round.