Let's Make a Choli

There's something powerful about taking a flat piece of fabric and turning it into a garment that fits your body perfectly. Carolena Nericcio, creator of FatChanceBellyDance®, calls it a feat of engineering, and once you've done it, you'll understand exactly what she means. You'll feel empowered.

In this hands-on sewing workshop, Carolena welcomes you into her sewing room to guide you through making your very own choli from start to finish. Whether you've never threaded a machine or you've been sewing for years, this course breaks the whole process down into clear, friendly, step-by-step lessons. By the end, you won't just have one beautiful choli. You'll have the skills to make the perfect choli again and again.

This course uses the Folkwear FatChanceBellyDance® Style pattern, a pattern Carolena designed in partnership with Folkwear and a genuine full-circle moment in her sewing journey. As a young woman in sewing school, she used to joke to herself, "When I grow up, I want to work for Folkwear Patterns." Now she has, and that pattern is the foundation of everything you'll create here.

What You'll Learn

Across four organized sections, each broken into chapters so you can easily navigate and review at your own pace, you'll cover the entire choli-making process:

Section 1: Introduction and Supplies

Carolena opens with her own sewing story and the inspiration behind the Folkwear FCBD® Style pattern, then walks you through everything you'll need to get started. You'll learn the all-important difference between your fabric scissors (your prized possessions that nobody else gets to touch) and your paper scissors, plus the marking tools, pins, pattern weights, snips, pinking shears, and other helpful implements that make the work easier. She also breaks down woven versus knit fabrics and explains exactly why a simple, washable quilting cotton is the smartest choice for your first choli. Spoiler: you do not need a fancy iron or a fancy machine. A basic straight stitch is all it takes.

Section 2: Preparing and Tracing Your Pattern

Next, you'll learn how to measure for the right fit and transfer your working pattern from the master pattern. This is where your choli starts to become yours, sized and prepared just for your body, so the finished garment fits the way it should.

Section 3: Fabric Cutting

With your pattern ready, Carolena guides you through fabric layout, cutting, and marking. Marking is so important, and she'll show you exactly how to do it well. You'll also discover why cutting on the bias gives your choli that little bit of helpful stretch.

Section 4: Sewing

Finally, you'll sew your choli together step by step using the Folkwear FCBD® Style pattern. Carolena covers how to handle bulky seams, then walks you through fitting your finished choli and adjusting the pattern so you can recreate your perfect fit over and over.

What You'll Need

You don't need a closet full of expensive equipment to make a beautiful choli. Carolena keeps it simple and approachable. A basic supply list includes your dedicated fabric scissors, marking tools (a pencil, erasable fabric pen, or chalk), pins, a tape measure and ruler, an iron and ironing board, a sewing machine that can run a straight stitch, and about two yards of a simple, pre-washed quilting cotton. The full supply walkthrough lives right inside Section 1, so you'll know exactly what to gather before you begin.

Why You'll Love This Course

This isn't a rushed tutorial. It's a workshop with a master teacher who genuinely loves the craft and wants you to love it too. Carolena's warmth, humor, and decades of sewing and costuming experience make even the technical parts feel doable. You'll come away with a real, wearable choli and, more importantly, the confidence and know-how to keep making them for years to come.

Grab your fabric, guard your good scissors from the household gremlins, and let's make a choli!