Category: General

Happy New Year!
Let’s Finish This Book!

It’s the first week of February 2026 as I write this brief note for my friends, family, and readers worldwide. My prime mission for the year is to finish the rewrite of “Costuming From the Hip.”  

2025 was a productive year on this project, and I’ve got a pile of content to edit.  The text needs both a machete and a fine-tooth comb. The “past” photos need to be printed out and put on the wall.  We will then stand back to see if they visually work together and are of the same quality, even though some of the images are quite old.

Along with the text, photos, and illustrations, we also need to create a new set of diagrams using modern illustration tools to ensure a consistent line weight throughout all the images. When we made the first book, the diagrams were a combo of hand drawings and very early computer graphics software.

Watch the video for more info, and be sure to sign up for our newsletter.  

Belly Dance Mini-Magazine

Magazines offered curated content, without the kerfuffle of hunting down quality information on the internet. In 2026, I’m looking forward to presenting 10 issues of the Mini-Mag for you to enjoy when you want to immerse yourself in the world of belly dance and costume history.

Thank you for your support and for continuing this journey with me!
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
Feb 2026

Ready for more about costuming?  Check out last year’s “Blue Mermaid” project

• Designer Annie Doble’s Instagram
• Annies of Ibiza Website
• Daphne Guinness’s Instagram

This two-piece ensemble inspires me to make another bolero jacket.  I’m adding it to my 2026 project list.

Dawn Devine ~ Davina
Dec. 2025

View this post on Instagram

Fall 2025: Studio Updates

There are times when you put your head down and start working and then suddenly it’s six weeks later before you have a moment to breathe.

The past six weeks have been devastatingly busy, with sewing gigs, a paid performance, Inktober, a purple bra and our annual dance festival!

Here are a few of the things I mention in this course of this video:

• Inktober Website:
• Fabulous Fall Festival 2025: https://babdama.org/
• Belly Dance Coloring Book?  Sign up for my bi-monthly newsletter
• Find my digital classes on Patreon – there are four tiers from Free to $15 – Choose the one that’s right for you!  

We’re one month out from our annual belly dance event, The Fabulous Fall Festival, hosted by the event production team BABDAMA, aka Bay Area Belly Dance and Music Association. 

2025 – Fabulous Fall Festival – For Leyla

This year, our event is honoring our fallen friend and organization co-founder, Leyla Lanty.  While she won’t be with us in person, she will carry on in our memories.  We’re dedicating this event to her and celebrating her life and work.

For more information about our event, visit the official website at babdama.org

Perhaps I’ll see you there?
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
Oct. 2025

October is here, and thoughts turn to my long-running ritual of participating in the Inktober challenge. However, this year, I’m mixing it up and changing directions.

Instead of drawing every day, I’m going to lay down my ink in the form of text. My mission is to write a little every day.  Even if it’s just an outline or paragraph, I’m going to make time to progress my current book project.

Writing and Rewriting, with a side of coffee

For those of you who are new, Hi, I’m Dawn, and I write books about belly dance history and costuming.  You can find my book on Amazon.com and over on my own personal Etsy store.

In 2023, I celebrated the milestone of the 30th anniversary of the first edition of “Costuming From the Hip.”  That humble collection of class handouts put together by an audacious young college student launched a career filled with beautiful costumes, interesting articles, and epic opportunities to meet dancers around the world.

Rewrite or Re-Envision?

There has been a lot of progress made in this head-to-toe rewrite and expansion of “Costuming from the Hip.”  But, I must admit, I’m look forward to really solidifying the shape of the book throughout October’s “Inktober” challenge.

I’ve grabbed an old notebook, and it’s now time to make tiny but potent daily progress on the book.  Throughout the month, I’ll make regular updates over on my old Facebook page.  And of course, I’ll be back here for an end-of-the-project status report.

50,000 Tiny Choices

Writing is simply making 50,000 tiny choices. Each word is a decision that shapes each paragraph and phrase. But in a DIY book, you’ve gotta consider all the images too. My writing will undoubtedly be filled with sketches, diagrams, and illustrations.  I’m including a bunch from past publications like some of the ones above.  But there will be a lot of new line art and photographs too.

But my first “Tiny Choice”
is to get started on Inktober 2025.  
Let’s finish this rewrite!

~ Dawn Devine ~ Davina
Oct 1, 2025