“What scissors should

I use to cut modern assiut?”

This is one of my most frequently asked questions over in my assiut and sewing groups on Facebook.  So I thought I would take a moment to talk about these dressmakers shears from Kai. I have been using Gingher since I went to fashion school, and I have an entire arsenal of cutting tools from this German company.  My heart was devoted to this brand until I started the build for the Cloth of Egypt photos. 

Cutting Modern Assiut

I realized that it’s quite easy to cut through the metal stitches of modern assiut. I was using a very affordable pair of Fiskars shears I have laying around for cutting trims and through sequin fabric and trim.  When I reached for my trusty Fiskars, I realized they were really dull.  Not just a tiny bit dull, but OMG, nothing will bring back the edge dull.

I had heard some great reviews of the Kai sewing shears. When I compared the price of Fiskars to the cost of a basic pair of Kai scissors I found these Japanese scissors were not that more expensive. So I picked up a pair.

I’m pleased to report that after cutting assiut for over 200 garments and countless accessories, these Kai shears are still sharp and going strong. My last pair of Fiskars didn’t keep their edge nearly as long, so in the long run, I’ve actually saved money.

Cutting Vintage Assiut

But what about cutting vintage assiut?  Let me start by saying this,  I wouldn’t recommend cutting into a high-quality piece of vintage assiut. However, if you are upcycling a damaged piece or have a fragment you want to use for costuming, go for it.  But don’t use your sewing shears. Vintage metal varies widely in composition and is much heavier than the modern aluminum alloy that is easy to cut.

Instead, I like to use a scalpel or surgical style seam ripper to cut the threads between the stitches.  I plan my cuts in advance and carefully cut the fabric stitch by stitch. This gives me the most precision while saving my shears from damage.  In addition to cutting assiut fabrics, I also use this style seam ripper to cut faux fur, crusty embellished lace, and when upcycling vintage beaded garments.

If you are interested in learning more about my favorite sewing tools, I’ve put together a supplies list.  Please feel free to drop me an email or join the conversation over on Facebook if you have more questions about tools and how I use them.

Happy Costuming!
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
July 29, 2019

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Do you ever have that moment when you bite off a little more than you can chew?   Well, due to a variety of things I’ve fallen incredibly behind. I’m a feeling a little like that frog that is jumping from lily pad to lily pad. Or in my case, from project to project?

In March, I launched a series of posts on belly dance history to celebrate women’s history month. I shared this series on my FaceBook wall and it went pretty well.  It ran a little behind, but I finished in early April, only a few days late.  Many people enjoyed this series, but as it neared the end of the series, many people asked me to move it over here so the content is more searchable and shareable.

Sharing the content on this blog sounded like a really great thing!  So without taking something off my plate, I said “SURE!”  Well, the hard truth is that it takes a lot more time to put up a blog post than it does to whip up a social media post.  I did get as far as day 16, but other time-sensitive business projects were more pressing.

Two Blog Series?

So the big issue was that I had made a promise to start a blog series without carefully thinking about the amount of time putting these blog posts would take. It wasn’t until after I jumped right in when I found myself realizing that I had lost my way.  I simply used up all the extra bandwidth in my work schedule.

I also inadvertently interrupted the flow of the posts about the creation of this gold costume. Several people were following this costume design series and were confused by my sudden change in direction!

The Gold Goddess costume was finished in March has been seen at several restaurants in San Francisco and beyond.  I’m looking forward to planning a formal photoshoot to get photographs on Shalimar.

Catch a clip of Sara and her troupe Neshee Dolu at a recent halfa. 

Writing Projects

This history blog was also threatening to derail my work with my co-authors Sara Shrapnell and photographer Alisha Westerfeld on our next release, Pose.  I realized that I had quickly dashed off my Belly Dance History posts on FaceBook. Each post needed either a good edit or even a full rewrite. In addition, the blog images all needed to be formatted and resized. All that “writing/blogging” time was eating away at the time I had already committed to the Pose Book!

The truth is, I can only write and wordsmith for several prime hours a day. The new blog series was threatening to derail our book schedule!  After three posts, I found myself abandoning the new project in order to spend quality time on the book in progress.

Sewing Projects

In the world of self-employment, the key to economic success is to develop multiple streams of income.  For me, that means devoting time every day to progressing my sewing and design projects.  Over the past two months, I’ve worked on three bedlah sets that needed me to put hours in at the sewing table.

Spring is the start of the belly dance season and there are lots of costumes that need adjustments, refurbishments, and redesigns. Before the end of April, I need to finish off two other smaller projects as well.  All-in-all, it’s quite a bit of work on the agenda.  I’m feeling a bit of pressure because I “stole” some time away from sewing at the beginning of the month for the blog.

Meanwhile, over on Social Media

For the month of April, I’m sharing Orientalist images and discussing this cultural phenomenon by sharing paintings, illustrations, and photographs. Each day, I’m picking an artist, subject or theme and sharing it on Facebook. Although these are short little posts, they contain a lot of information about Orientalism and the 19th century.  While the days are quite aligned I’m planning on rolling through with this series into May to get a full 30 posts completed.

Moving Forward – Resting, Regrouping & Refocusing

I really need this time to play catch up on my other outstanding projects and to make a better plan for the upcoming quarter.  It’s time to give the sewing studio a big deep clean, touch base with all of my design customers, and basically, finish up outstanding time-sensitive projects.   When I return in May, I will resume the Golden Goddess Costume Design project first, and then I will press onward with a couple of long history posts until both of these projects are complete!

I hope that you have a great couple of weeks, I’ll be back in May!

Happy Dance & Costuming
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
April 17, 2019