Happy Holidays!

If you happen to have costumer, designer, sewist, or tailor in your life, and are thinking about picking up last-minute gifts, here’s my quick list of studio essentials. I recommend shopping in local stores and specialty sewing and craft stores to support your community.  But if you can’t readily find these things in your area, I have included links to Amazon.  Note: As an author, I have an ongoing relationship with Amazon and these links are affiliated, and these links never add to cost for the buyer.

Gingher 5″ Craft Scissors 

Over the course of my sewing career, I’ve two pairs of these amazing little scissors.  They are the perfect size for wearing around the neck.  Unlike embroidery scissors, these have a longer, stronger blade.  I use them for trimming, grading, and notching seams.  But they will take care of any thread. One of my plans in 2022 is to make myself a new design pouch.  You know there will be a special pocked for these beloved scissors. Find it on Amazon. 

Dritz Quilting Needle Puller

When you feel like you’re losing your grip while hand sewing, these needle pullers will save the day.  Made out of silicone, this 3 count package provides you with enough to put in your hand sewing kit, your emergency mending kit, and even near your sewing machine.  I like this brand for its slightly thicker, textured circular shape that gives you plenty of grip for even the shortest and thinnest of needles.   Excellent for costume makers who are doing a lot of beading! Find it on Amazon

Omnigrid 3″ by 18″ Ruler

As a pattern maker, I find it essential to have a good ruler.  Over the years, I have found that the most sturdy, durable, and practical ruler is this model by Omnigid.  Thicker than other brands, and an inch wider than most gridded rulers, I find this model really suits my workflow and design methods. Find it on Amazon

Bobbin Saver 

My favorite studio organizing tool is the Bobbin Saver.  This little silicone donut is perfect for controlling my stash of filled bobbins.  It stores more than 20 bobbins, covering nearly all of my thread color needs.  The bobbins stay in place, and the threads don’t unwind.  I like to put a pin cushion in the central hole. Because my cats love to swallow a thread and pluck pins from a cushion, I keep the Bobbin Saver and pincushion combo in a covered sewing box safe from curious kittehs.  Find it on Amazon

Tailor’s Chalk

Whether I’m making fitting marks on almost finished garments or I’m transferring cutting lines onto cloth in the early stages of sewing, I reach for a piece of tailors chalk.  For centuries, perhaps millennia, tailors have used chalk to make marks on wool.  In the fullness of time, everyone who made clothes started using chalk to make critical marks on the cloth.  There are many offbeat and generic collections of chalk that seem to include the same four colors.  I like this triangle shape for its size in my hand and its easy grip.  Find it on Amazon.

I hope your holiday gift-giving brings you joy in both giving and receiving.
Dawn Devine ~ Davina,
Dec.14, 2021

All About Assiut:
Digital Slide Talk

I am thrilled to be presenting my slide talk, All About Assiut, as part of the Beyond Bellydance 5.0 lecture series hosted by SAMAI ORIENTAL DANCE COMPANY of India.  Some of my favorite authors, researchers, scholars, and dance instructors are presenting their research and technique in this digital workshop series.  This is one of my favorite subjects, and I’ve been working on updating and expanding the slide deck for this presentation. 

All About Assiut

I’m presenting my talk, “All About Assiut” revised and expanded for 2021. This is a slide-history talk that will trace the evolution of fabric we call by many names, Tulle bi Telli, Al-Tally, and Assiut. Learn where it came from, the technology behind the materials and structure, and how it has been used in Egyptian culture for the past 150 years.

All About Assiut: Revised and Expanded

Over the past fifteen years, I’ve been presenting this talk at belly dance workshops up and down the US West Coast and internationally in digital form via Zoom.  If you’ve attended this talk, there are dozens of new photos in this expanded edition that reflect my current research and what’s happening in the world of assiut production today.

Since publishing The Cloth of Egypt: All About Assiut, I’ve continued my research. As I’ve teased information out of the archive I have updated and revised this talk. This slide talk has dozens of images that I’ve uncovered since publishing this seminal textile history book.  The result? This 90-minute talk is not only informative, but lavishly illustrated, and beautiful to watch.

Cloth of Egypt

If you haven’t picked up a copy of my book, The Cloth of Egypt is available on Amazon.com worldwide.  Alisha Westerfeld and I are currently working on the next volume in our Assiut series.  Our current working title is Assiut Belly Dance Costume in Detail.  This upcoming book focuses on the process of designing and making belly dance performance attire from this wonderful Egyptian cloth. 

This book has it all!  It includes directions for classic robes to slinky modern dresses, bedlah sets, skirts, pants, and accessories. This new book is jam-packed with design strategies and professional sewing techniques.  Photographer Alisha Westerfeld is joining me again. We are working together taking before and after, and step-by-step photos of work in progress. Be sure to join my mailing list to get monthly updates on this new book project.

Perhaps you can join me for All About Assiut on Dec. 11?

Happy Holidays to you and yours,
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
Nov. 29, 2021

 

 

 

Mahin of Belly Dance Quickies Presents:

Belly Dance Lecture Replay Sale

Sale runs – November 7th – 29th, 2021
18 Titles to Choose From
Price Varies with Title and Presenter
visit the Belly Dance Quickies Website
For a complete list of workshops included in this sale!

It’s such a pleasure and delight to tell you all about this wonderful opportunity to pick up high-quality lecture replays from Mahin’s ongoing belly dance lecture series.   She’s brought together a group of amazing researchers, scholars, and instructors working in the field of Middle Eastern belly dance!   

This year, she’s selected three of my talks to include in this sale!

• Belly Dance Showgirl: Nejla Ates
• Salomania: Fact & Fiction
• Dancer’s in Orientalist Art 

These are the original complete talks available for purchase for a limited time, but available to watch over the coming months.  After the 29th, Mahin will put these lectures back in the Lecture Vault.  Read more about Nejla, Salomania, and Orientalist Art. 

My Choice Lecture Replay Sale Picks

It’s so hard to pick a favorite out of this selection, but a few that I found outstanding and highly informative include:

• Artemis – “Knowing Your Roots” 2-part lecture series
• Ainsley Hawthorn – “Talking Belly Dance”
• Mahin – “Practical Anatomy & Body Mechanics for Bellydance”
• ANYTHING by Dr. George Sawa

Lecture Replay Sale “Taster”

I’m taking advantage of this sale to rewatch a few of the lectures I attended and enjoyed!  If you are thinking of picking up a lecture, but have never heard of some of these speakers before, Mahin has put a clip reel together to give you a taster of the presentation style of each lecturer included in the sale.

This is like having an opportunity to build your own personalized “belly dance intensive” – so why not use this replay opportunity to fill your “knowledge bucket” up!

Drop me a line via email if you take any of my workshops and have questions about the material. 
~ Dawn Devine ~ Davina
Nov. 7, 2021

 

Fabulous Fall
Belly Dance
Festival 2021
Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021
1 pm – 6:30pm
Visit their Website

Many years ago, I was one of the officers of the SF/Bay Area chapter of MECDA, the Middle Eastern Culture and Dance Association based out of Los Angeles, CA.  In the decade that I was on the board of directors, I held a variety of positions from secretary to president, but never treasurer!   (My co-author & photographer Alisha Westerfeld aka Zemira was always the best treasurer.)  

Fabulous Fall Festival Founder

The Fabulous Fall Belly Dance Festival is one of the legacies of my time with that organization!   When MECDA disbanded, a new group, The Bay Area Belly Dance & Music Association formed to step into the void.  One of the MECDA events the new group decided to keep was the Fabulous Fall Festival!   It’s very cool to be one of the founders of an event that is still happening!

Studio Davina – Return to Vending

This Saturday, the Fabulous Fall Belly Dance Festival returns after the hiatus of 2020.  This is one of the biggest belly dance events held in the Silicon Valley area of California.  It was the last event I did in 2019, and my return to vending in 2021!   My mission is to go and have a really good time watching some of the top dancers in the Bay Area take the stage.  To see the lineup click on the flyer to visit the site and see the final line-up.

Saroyan Vintage Coin Earrings

This week, I’m making another small batch of handcrafted earrings.  I still can’t believe that I put up the first batch of Saroyan Vintage Assiut Earrings onto my Etsy store on a Friday, and by Sunday evening they were sold out!   I’ve never had such support for a jewelry collection before!  This week’s batch will first go to the event, and, if any are leftover, will get uploaded to Etsy.

Assiut Masks

Here in the Bay Area, mask-wearing is considered a vital part of a healthy daily life.  I’ve had many requests for more assiut masks, and so this week, I’ll be finishing up a small batch of assiut masks as well.  The style has changed a bit since my big push to use up my scraps in 2021.  The scraps have gotten, well, smaller, so the masks are a bit more narrow from side to side, making them lighter weight and cooler to wear.  In addition, they also have more seams, as I piece them together to maximize the metal embroidery.   If there are some left after the show, they will join the earrings on Etsy.

I’ve got a lot of things to make to take to the show – I better get working! 

See ya Saturday at the Fall Festival!
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
Nov. 1, 2021

 

Final Hours – Bellydance Bundle 2021

Whew – the last month has been so exciting!   If you follow me on social media, you’ve probably heard me spend a lot of time talking about my contribution to the Bellydance Bundle 2021.  My talk, “Danse du Ventre: 1889,” will be available exclusively to Bellydance Bundle attendees from its debut on Nov. 15 of 2021 through October of 2022.  That’s an entire year to watch or even rewatch this 4-part video series.  

55 Instructors in this year’s Bellydance Bundle

I must admit, I’m a bit starstruck by this year’s lineup.  It’s always fun to be invited to give a talk at a workshop, but it’s a major thrill to be invited back for the 5th year of the Bellydance Bundle.  My talk is snugged into the Bundle right beside legends I’ve studied with such as Jillina, Aziza, Sadie, Oreet, and Rosa Noreen. 

66+ Workshops in this year’s Bellydance Bundle

I’m also thrilled to join many of my colleagues in dance, who I’ve collaborated on in other projects.  Such as my co-author Sara Shrapnell, the phenomenal Mahin of Phoenix who’s hosted me for many workshops, and Lisa Alred who was one of the co-owners of the Bellydance Business Academy. 

Yallah Raqs Bellydance Practice Podcast

My favorite and most useful freebie is the Yallah Raqs Bellydance Practice Podcast.  Hostess Tiffany Noro interviews all the Bundle 2021 instructors.  There is also a backlog of over 80 episodes (including a few with me) if you’re a podcast listener.  Visit the Main Podcast Page – or start with one of my recent favorites:

• Ebony Qualls – Combo Creation
• Nawarra of Morocco – Dances of Morocco
• Jillina – Learning through Combos
• Sadie – Stage Presence

For a few more of my favorite Yallah Raqs Episodes,
click through and read this blog post.

Interview with Sara Shrapnell

The Bellydance Bundle 2021 is THIS BIG!  Wanna know more about the bundle?  Check out this video I did with Sara Shrapnell over on YouTube.  Always be sure to like and leave a comment to help our videos score higher in the algorithm.  For this video, the secret phrase is “Eiffel Tower,” so if you want to click through to watch on YouTube, be sure to mention the tower in your comments!   It lets me know that you followed this link to our fun and informative talk!

Maybe I’ll see you come through my workshop?
It debuts on Nov. 15, so pick up your Bundle today and join me on the 15th!  

Dawn Devine ~ Davina
October 27, 2021