Category: General

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General

Skirt Transformation – From Straight to Spin-worthy

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then this clip tells a wonderful story.  Shalimar, a San Francisco/Bay Area professional dancer is very pleased with her skirt transformation. In the last post, you could see “The Before” a simple one-slit straight skirt hanging rather limply on a dress form.

However, as you can see in the clip above, Shalimar is a high-energy belly dancer who enjoys large dramatic spin combinations. Her mission was to transform this work-horse straight skirt for those tight hookah bars into one more stage-ready with more fullness and sweep at the hem.

Deconstruction

Before I could proceed, I had to begin by deconstructing the original straight skirt. It was made from a simple rectangle with a fold-over casing at the top for elastic.

The one side seam was stitched about 12″ down leaving a single slit which Shalimar could position on the side, center front, or over one of her thighs.

Once deconstructed, I’m left with a simple rectangle that was Shalimar’s hip measurement across and from hip to floor going down.

Sourcing Materials

The fabric of the original straight skirt is a lycra-poly blend with a foil pattern.  The straight skirt is stunningly reflective and shifts from aqua, blue, and purple as the fabric moves.

I was fortunate to find the coordinating dotted foil fabric in the same colorway at a discount mill-end fabric store.  If you are in the greater San Jose area, be sure to check out Fabrics’R’Us on Berryessa and Lundy in East San Jose.  Unfortunately, like many discount stores, they don’t maintain a website.

When I arrived at the store, my plan was to find something that would coordinate, perhaps some stretchy mesh, or a silver foil, but amazingly, after a full dig through the store, I found the match I needed. You can see in this detailed image on the right how good a match we achieved.

New Design

The after skirt has two slits for dramatic knee lifts, to accentuate level changes and elegant ballet-inspired rond de jambe that allow her legs to sweep through the slits in the skirt.

The new design brief was to keep the materials cost under $50 and to add as much fullness as possible.  I purchased the remaining bolt of blue, which was just under 5 yards long.  With this much fabric, I decided to add 2 full circles as simple godets.

To keep the construction simple,  I installed three half-circle godets at the sides and back.  I cut the fourth half-circle into four smaller pieces and attached them to either side of the front slits.

Find the pattern drafting details in my book “Skirting the Issue and Pants for the Dance” on page 32-33.

I’ve included these two detailed shots of the top of the godet. Because this fabric is very springy due to the high lycra content, I gave each of the godets a rounded top.  To let the fabric fall gracefully, I notched the seam allowance straight up and to the sides.

Full and Fabulous

Once all the godets are installed, I stitched the skirt front panel to the back panel from mid-thigh up to the hip.  The top of the skirt was still a basic tube, so I simply folded over the top to create a self-casing. I used 1″ no-roll elastic to hold the skirt firmly to the hips.

The last sewing I machine-hemmed the skirt going along the hem and up both slit seams.  Because this spandex blend doesn’t fray, I simply turned finger-turned the hem up 1/2″ and machine stitched it in place.

Skip the Pattern – Use these Directions

If you are like the looks of this skirt and want to make one for yourself, you will want to pick up a copy of “Skirting the Issues & Pants for the Dance.”  The instructions for this skirt style are located on pages 32-33.  Visit my Etsy store to pick up a printed copy of the book for $20+ Shipping.  However, if you want to save some cash, and skip the shipping, book is now available as a digital download for $12.50

Over the years, many folks have asked for photos of finished examples of the designs that appear in my books.  The simple truth is that “Skirting the Issues” and “Pants for the Dance” were published long ago. The sample costume pieces made to test the pattern instructions have worn out!

Moving forward, I will tag future costume pieces with the corresponding directions from my publications.  This skirt is fairly easy to measure, mark, cut, and sew.  If you like a swingy full skirt, give this style a try.  Need more convincing?  Here’s another clip of Shalimar dancing in her new two-slit and godet skirt variation. She really makes it fly!

I wish you luck in all of your costuming adventures!

Dawn Devine ~ Davina
June 2, 2020 

Categories
Costuming DIY General

Back to Making Costumes

Hello Gang!

After spending many weeks working on that new most essential part of our wardrobe, the protective face mask, I’m now back to work on a costuming project.  One of my ongoing customers is the San Francisco/Bay Area professional dancer Shalimar.   Over the past decade, I’ve been so pleased and blessed to have opportunities to work with Shalimar on performance costumes, dressy garments to wear to shows, and more.

Aqua Stripes Bedlah

Last winter, I made this three-piece costume ensemble that I’ve dubbed “Aqua Stripes.”  At that time, Shalimar was dancing in some closely-packed restaurants and hookah bars and required a slim skirt that wouldn’t catch on chairs and table edges.  The skirt also needed to be easily washable.  We selected this polyester/spandex blend with a holographic finish in bright aqua.

With the world in flux, Shalimar’s needs have changed.  Instead of dancing in crowded commercial spaces, she’s now performing on-line in a corner of her home. So instead of a utilitarian straight skirt, she craves a skirt with more dramatic shape and fullness at the hem.

Coordinating vs. Matching

Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough of our primary fabric to cut gussets. I feel so lucky to have sourced some coordinating fabric in the same color-way but with a plain foil surface treatment.

I bought “The last on a bolt” so I am working with what I have available to convert this skirt into something that will spin beautifully.

While we can’t always predict what will happen in the future, we can always remain flexible and open to costume remodeling, upcycling, restyling, and renovation.  Take a peek in your own wardrobe and see if there’s a garment waiting for transformation into something new and fresh to wear to your next digital hafla.

I’m about to dive into the construction now, I’ll be back in a few days with a followup and “after” photos.

Take care and be well,

Dawn Devine ~ Davina
May 22, 2020

Categories
General

Oak Tulip-Shaped Wooden Finger Cymbals

I’m so pleased to announce that my brother Joe’s wooden finger cymbal line is expanding to include a variety of different hand-turned woods.  To help him in growing his side-business, I’m helping him make demo videos for each of the styles.  If you like the way these wooden cymbals sound, please visit his Etsy Shop for more details on size, price, wood options, and current availability.   I’m so proud and happy to be working on this project!

Wooden finger cymbals are the perfect practice instrument.  It’s good for keeping the sound down if you live in a small space like an apartment, condo, or dorm.  Because they don’t have a long ringing sustain, they are great to play around pets and people wearing hearing aids.  These oak cymbals have a beautiful finish that adds a different flavor to dance performances.  The sounds these oak cymbals make are evocative of Turkish spoons, wooden bones, and castanets.

If you would like more information about finger cymbals, their history, selection, technique, and maintenance, check out my book “Zills, Music on Your Fingertips” now available as a digital download on my Etsy Shop.

I hope you are surviving and possibly even
thriving in our current social distancing world.

~ Dawn Devine ~ Davina
April 30, 2020

Categories
General

Spring Flowers Coloring Meditation

Hello there!

I don’t know about you, but I found this week pretty darned stressful.  And like many of my friends, I’ve had to add more opportunities to focus and meditate to stay sharp in this disruptive time.

Coloring Meditation

One of the strategies I use for meditation is to draw, doodle, color, or scribble.  For this meditation, I focus on the space where the tip of my drawing tool hits the paper.  I focus on the stroke, on the beauty of the color, and the nature of the line.  Pre-made mandalas are great for this style of meditation because it provides a beautiful structure.  I trust that when I’m done, no matter how many times I might wander outside of the lines, I’m sure the final product will look wonderful on my refrigerator.

Use a Printable Mandala

While you can only use a coloring book design once, with a printable you can use your favorite pattern over and over again. This allows for experimentation with different types of paper and different drawing and painting mediums. I can also experiment with color combinations.  I was inspired by the color of spring, so this mandala draws from the pink and green color story of the garden.  For this coloring meditation, I choose to work on one of the motifs from page 2.  When I was laying out the book, this square motif reminded me of tiles.  So I turned them and positioned them tile-like on the page.

$5 coloring book printable of “Colored Theory with Pencils & Mandalas” 

Dual-Tipped Student-Grade Markers

Another strategy I employ is using a maker.  This is much less about the art and much more about the experience of coloring.  Although I can’t add a ton of fitness with markers, it does allow me to create a full motif in under an hour.  While I could spend hours on one pencil drawing, with colored markers I can finish an entire motif in a fraction of the time.  And I always keep in mind the notion that IF the finished design looks good, I can print another one and do it over in another medium like colored pencils – or even watercolor pencils.

Here’s a link to the affordable dual-tipped art markers by Aenartmarkers I used in the video above.

If you are feeling a little stressed out, grab a drawing implement and some paper, and focus on letting go of the feelings to focus the mind.

Best of luck to you in staying safe and healthy!
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
March 26, 2020

 

Categories
General Makeup and Appearance

Does your mascara miss you? Spring Makeup Challenge 2020

If you are like me, you probably aren’t putting on as much makeup as you ordinarily would if our lives were more routine and typical.  But in this era of closed restaurants and canceled shows, dancers have been hastily moving their classes and performances onto the digital world.  I simply spend most days without makeup.

Makeup Is A Lot Like Food

My calendar recently reminded me it’s time to switch mascara tubes.  Conventional wisdom suggests that to keep your eyes healthy, you should swap out your mascara every 3-6 months.  I’ve set up a reminder in Google Calendar to “Ping” me quarterly.  This 4-month reminder lets me know that the end of the line is approaching for my current open mascara.

Liquid and cream products that come close to the eye’s membranes should be swapped out every few months.  These “wet” products can harbor bacteria and mold that can cause problems to the eye. Some of these issues, like styes or conjunctivitis, can be quite painful, so it’s best just to play it safe and swap that beauty product. For me, that product is mascara.

This blog post includes information on makeup product use-by dates. 

I Keep Only One Mascara on the Go

To minimize costs, I only keep one mascara open at a time in my performance makeup kit.  I am “Team Drugstore” when it comes to mascara, so I tend to pick them up in pairs when I see the style I prefer available with a “Bogo” sale and preferably with a coupon.  This way, I always have a backup when that quarterly alarm goes off.  It’s sort of like always having a jar of pasta sauce in the cabinet. Having a backup means I’ll never run out in a pinch.

Spring Makeup Challenge

So that pesky “toss your mascara” alarm has gone off and it’s time for it to hit the trash.  I opened it in January, and I’ve used it maybe ten times in the ensuing months. It feels wasteful to just toss this in the trash and I certainly don’t want to crack open a new mascara either.  So it occurred to me that what I should do is give it one more month, and really get some use out of my makeup collection with another makeup challenge.

Challenge Theme: Peacocks and Mermaids

So starting next week, I’m going to embark on a new challenge, to pull out the purple and aqua colors in my eyeshadow collection and film some looks. Then, over the following weeks, I’ll pull out palettes from my eyeshadow collection and craft some new looks. I’ll talk about the products I own and why I bought them.  But more importantly, I’ll demonstrate how I use these palettes, so you can decide if they might work for you.

Because I’m convinced we will dance again!
But before that time comes, let’s use up some of this mascara!

Dawn Devine ~ Davina
April 23, 2020