Author: Davina

Davina ~ Dawn Devine is a belly dance costume designer, dance instructor and author of more than a dozen publications on Middle Eastern dance.

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Shimmy On The High Seas: Progress Report

Can You Write a Novel?
Challenge Accepted!

Many years ago, my mum challenged me to create a work of fiction. Of course, I said “Yes!” My mom wants to read a non-DIY or History book by her one and only daughter. How could I possibly say no?

We brainstormed together and settled on a few key features for this project. These general parameters were going to inform the shape and scope of the book. 

  • Cozy Mystery.  Both mum and I enjoy reading a silly-fun cozy-style mystery.
  • “Write what I know.”  I took this excellent advice and set the event at a belly dance festival.
  • An Exotic Setting. Let’s put it on a cruise ship! Many years ago, I attended a belly dance event on a cruise ship.

Shimmy On The High Seas

I bounced the idea around with my co-author and cruise travel buddy Alisha Westerfeld, shown below looking out onto a ship’s wake with my mum. She gave it two thumbs up and the work began. Between Alisha, my mum, and me, we came up with the title of our mythical event, “Shimmy on the High Seas.”

The story takes place on board a 15-day round-trip cruise to Hawaii.  The belly dance event, Shimmy on the High Seas would take place on days 1 – 5, and 11-15.  Between the 6 – 10, the ship visits several ports throughout the Hawaiian islands.  But this fun event is interrupted by the tragic death of one of the event instructors!  *gasp and clutch pearls here*

NaNoWriMo 2018

In November, I took on the Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month) challenge and managed to get nearly 30,000 words of the novel completed. Raw and unedited, it needed plenty of work, but I set it aside in early 2019 to work on the rewrite of Costuming From the Hip, getting it ready for its 30-anniversary rerelease.  

Booked a Cruise & Personal Writing Retreat

In 2019, after much nudging from my mum, I booked a cruise for her and me to set sail from San Diego to Mexico. The mission was to eat a bunch of food and work on Shimmy on the High Seas.  We picked our ship, and we bought tickets, for March 2020. 

I don’t think I need to explain why THAT trip got canceled!

In 2022, mum and I decided to finally book that replacement cruise, so we booked for March 2023. The main mission is to eat a lot of food, see a lot of great entertainment, and make significant progress on the unfinished manuscript for “Shimmy on the High Seas.” 

Let’s get this book finished in 2023!  CHEERS!
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
February 13, 2023

 

 

 

 

Who Dunnit?

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Assiut Belly Dance Bra: Fusion Style

Assiut Belly Dance Bra: Fusion Style

This month I’m tackling this lovely pleated assiut bra for a local dancer. For this bra, I used some lovely assiut scraps to cover the center front. The sides of the cups are made of striped assiut fabric that I’ve pleated to bring the assiut stitches closer together. The pleats also accommodate the curved shape of the bra. At the bottom, the stripes overlap while at the top they spread to reveal more of the black ground tulle.

When a bra is bristling with pins, I call this the “Porcupine” stage.  As I hand sew, moving from the center front outwards, I’ll take each bra cup to the same level of completion, switching from left to right to ensure a symmetrical appearance.  Hand sewing takes a lot of time, but is essential when making a belly dance bra of any style.  Here are some of my top hand-sewing tips for working on a belly dance bra.

Six sewing tips for hand sewing a belly dance bra:

1 – Use waxed thread and a fresh needle.

2 – Make sure the pin tips are buried in the foam.

3 – Rest the center of the bra on a pressing ham for easy access to this area.

4 – Have a small iron ready to help with pressing.

5 – Use a thimble to push the needle through the bra.

6 – Take frequent breaks to hold a hot cup of beverage in your hands.

 

Want to see the Pleating Process?

If you want to see my hands in action creating this porcupine, hop over to Patreon and catch a demo at the $7 level.  I describe what I’m doing with a top-down viewing angle. You get to see how I handle the fabric, form the pleats, place the pins, and techniques I use to create symmetry with this beautiful hand-crafted assiut. 

I hope you have fun and great success
in all of your 2023 costuming adventures!

~ Dawn Devine ~ Davina

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Style File: A Visual Vocabulary of Middle Eastern Belly Dance Costume

After more than 20 years, we’re going out of print with our little booklet Style File.  This useful little publication was like a field guide to belly dance costuming. I wrote it with my students in mind.  Imagine going to large belly dance events and wanting a handy reference guide to help understand the costumes and performances. This was that little book.

Fast forward 20 years.  Times have changed, the terminology has shifted, and styles in costumes have come and gone.  This book was starting to feel clunky and dated.  We decided to pull the booklet off the market.  Some of the content will shift over to the next version of Costuming from the Hip.  Parts of this book will also come to live right here on my blog. If you need a digital copy, they will be available for sale on Etsy through Midnight of Feb 1, 2023.  

It’s the end of an era, but it’s time.
Goodnight Style File, it’s been a blast!
~ Dawn Devine ~ Davina

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Blue Assiut in Motion

Swirl Performs in Blue Assiut

This holiday season, I was invited by my dance colleague Petra of the House of Inanna in San Jose to participate in a dance showcase during the 2022 Christmas in the Park. I was honored to be invited and delighted to join in the festivities!

I invited my troupe to join me and we became a trio. For this performance, we decided to wear blue and silver assiut dresses with black accents.  In my last blog post, I shared these costumes in progress.  We added rhinestone chain accents to the assiut robes to make the geometric patterns really pop.

This was my one and only public performance in 2022.  In this goal-setting season, I’m looking forward to performing more in 2023.

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Rhinestone Embellished Assiut: Part 1

Rhinestone Embellished Assiut
Part 1: Essential Materials and Supplies 

My troupe Swirl performed at an end-of-year belly dance show at Christmas in the park in San Jose, California. For this performance, we were a trio and we choose to wear a wintery blue and silver assiut ensemble with black and silver accents.

Over the next few blog posts, I’m going to share my step-by-step process for how we took our assiut robes to the next level by adding rhinestone chain embellishment.  Interested in learning more about this process?  Be sure to read to the end and follow the links to the next installment.

Purchasing an Assiut Robe

These blue assiut robes were purchased from a dealer on Etsy between 2014 and 2019. If you are currently shopping for an assiut robe. I have just a few tips that can make the process go more smoothly. 
  • Research and Set your Budget:  Once you’ve decided to purchase a robe, take some time to do some research. Window-shop to get a sense of what’s currently being made in Egypt, identify dealers who are active in the market, and learn what the going prices are for different kinds of pieces.  Then set a budget for your project and have that cash ready when you spot the assuit robe of your dreams.
  • Know Your Measurements:  Assiut robes are hand-crafted and vary wildly in width and length. Take your measurements and know what your widest circumference and your preferred length. When you are shopping, be sure to check the measurements, and ask the dealer for size details if you can’t spot them in the listing.
  • Be Flexible with Color and Size: The assiut market is very volatile. Sometimes there are lots of options. Sometimes there are few available for sale. Be patient and allow yourself plenty of time prior to an event to allow for the hunt, shipping, and alterations when it arrives.
  • Support your Favorite Belly Dance Dealers: Although assiut is made in Egypt, there are many dealers in the US that have pieces on hand. Buying from a US dealer supports a belly dance business and our community as a whole.  Shipping times within the US are also much quicker.
  • Look Regularly on Etsy and Ebay: Because assiut robes can be difficult to source, it pays to window shop frequently. I encourage shoppers to make friends with dealers so they will be on the hunt for the color and style you’re looking for.

Looking for more assiut shopping tips? Check out this article:

Gathering Supplies

So here is a links list to the items I use when sewing rhinestone chain onto assiut. I highly recommend using nylon upholstery thread in a silver tone. You might have the rest of these items in your sewing kit.

If you choose to follow these links: Thank you!

I make a tiny commission on sales using the affiliate links above. Amazon affiliate money pays for my website and blog. Using these links keeps all that info free and available to belly dancers today and in the year to come. If Amazon isn’t your jam – visit your local sewing and craft stores to get the tools and supplies you need to complete this project.

Thank you for joining me on this assiut robe embellishment journey!
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
Dec. 18, 2022

 

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