Every performing dancer should have a sewing kit handy for doing minor repairs, replacing hooks and eyes, and putting in fresh lining pieces to their belt.  Although I’m a professional seamstress, I find myself always reaching for a small box with just my hand-sewing essentials.

Bees Wax

Probably my most essential product is beeswax.  It serves as a conditioner, that prevents the thread from twisting on itself, getting bunched up, or even knotting. It literally will cut my sewing times by significantly reducing the hassle time.  I like to support my local community by purchasing cakes of wax from the honey vendor at my local farmer’s market.  But you can buy wax from the fabric and craft stores or at myriad places online.

Hot Tip:  I like to pre-load a number of needles and run them through the cake of wax and then hit them with a hot iron.  This helps the wax penetrate the thread and the needles are ready to just quickly grab as I work.  Batch prepping saves time.

Needle Puller

Hand sewing through buckram, my favorite supportive inner layer, can be tough.  Add a couple of layers of interfacing, fleece, fashion fabric and embellishments, your hands can get a serious workout!  So enter the silicone needle puller.  These small textured round disks add grip to your fingertips, allowing you to more easily grab and pull stuck needles.

Hot Tip:  For those most intense stuck needles, I keep a jewelry-making plier in my kit. I prefer a smooth needle-nose variety that won’t damage the surface of my needle when I pull.  Most of the time, the silicon circle does the trick, but for those moments when I need it, the pliers are there!

Small Scissors

As many of you know, I’m a historian by education. So I love this nod to the past with a pair of tiny vintage-looking embroidery scissors. Small scissors to cut threads are essential, but I recommend if you sew a lot, pick the tools that make you happy.  I find this pair to be a visual delight!

Hot Tip:  When I’m pressed for time and have a lot of sewing to do, I pick a different tool.  Thread snips don’t require putting a finger into rings and the dual action of opening and closing the hand.  Instead, it’s a quick and easy, grab-and-squeeze action.  While this might not save a lot of time on single cuts, if you’re working on a big or fast project, this is the tool to choose.

Thimbles

I always use a thimble when I sew.  The goal is to have a firm surface on your “pushing” finger, which for me is the middle finger of my right hand. A good thimble protects the surface of your finger and gives you a solid surface to really push you thimble through.  It can take some practice, but once you get the hang of it, it can make hand sewing both more comfortable and less tiring. My favorite is the Dritz “Slip Stop” thimble.

Hot Tip: Assemble a thimble wardrobe to suit a variety of situations and needs.  I personally like a silicone thimble for easy sewing.  For heavy-duty sewing through buckram and grosgrain, I use a metal thimble with a ridged tip.  Some seamstresses prefer leather.  Have long nails?  Get a thimble ring instead. There are many to choose from and they are fairly small and affordable.

Needles

If you are first starting out sewing, or a road warrior who takes their projects to events, keeping a good all-purpose needle kit. Pick a kit with a variety of styles and sizes of needles.  When you’ve been hand sewing for a while, you might have determined you have a favorite style.  For instance, I prefer to sew with milliners needles which tend to be longer, have a slightly bigger eye, and are quite flexible.  I also have learned to buy quality and prefer the rather posh brands, John James and Richard Hemming.

Hot Tip: Play with every needle in the pack.  Ignore the “titles” of the needles and figure out what needle is best for you.  When you’ve determined what style, size, and a needle company you like, you can buy individual kits containing just your favorite and most-used style.  Then refill your big kit and go.

Thread

Last, but by no means least, buy the best quality thread you can afford.  Cheaper and older spools of thread are less supple and break easily.  When I’m hand-sewing belly dance costumes I do the bulk of my sewing with either “upholstery” or “button and carpet” thread for speed, strength, and overall durability.  While you might not want to spend more money on specialty thread, it will save you sewing time and make your costume stronger.

Hot Tip: One of the sewing lessons I learned working in professional theater is to keep a spectrum of grey thread in the styles I prefer in stock.  Match the shade of grey tonally to your costume color.  So pale grey with yellow, charcoal grey with deep blue, etc…

Handy Storage Box

I like to keep my hand sewing kit in a small portable box that I can quickly grab and go.  I do hand-sewing not only at my main worktable, but also at my desk, on the kitchen table, and even at events.  In addition to the items listed above, I also have an assortment of safety pins, stick pins, fabric clips, and a few hooks and eyes.  Customize your box to suit the size of your individual tools and project needs.

And see that wooden handle in the box? That’s actually a custom-made seam ripper made by my brother Joe of Wicked Mojo Designs.  I love it and I’m totally biased!

I hope this rundown of supplies will help you get your own effective hand-sewing kit set up and ready to support your adventures in costuming!

Happy Dance and Costuming!
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
March 16, 2020

 

Hello Gang!

Over the last three months, I’ve been slowly winnowing down my makeup kit.  I’m not a makeup artist, nor am I a beauty guru.  Instead, I’m just your average belly dancer over the age of 50 who needs to be realistic about the quality, quantity, and age of the products in my personal collection. As a belly dancer, my “showgirl” face requires products that I don’t use on the daily.  The result is that I’m simply not using them up before they “age out.”  So I’ve had to ditch some lipsticks that were smelling funky, toss some cream products that were separating, and pitch some powder products that were losing their luster.

Cosmetics, like food, go bad with time.

It’s good to do a yearly inventory and inspection of your products to keep them fresh and in good condition.  Using super-old and expired makeup can lead to breakouts and irritation.  There are guidelines available on websites all over about how long particular styles of products last.  I even included a small chart in this previous blog post.

Makeup is one of the 5 Layers of Belly Dance Appearance

However, I couldn’t just toss a bunch of old products. Instead, I had to think strategically about what is essential for transforming daily Dawn into high-glam Davina, and immediately replace the items that needed to go.  For my makeup technique, it’s essential that I have a bright red glossy lip, a face paletted with blush, bronzer, and highlight, and an eyeshadow palette in shades of grey.  These were the three essential products that needed replacing during this year’s makeup purge and inventory.

Have you taken my free class, “5 Layers of Belly Dance Costumes and Appearance”
over on the Belly Dance Business Academy?

Showgirl Red Lipstick

For performance, I will layer on the lip products to build a rich saturated red.  I start with a long-wearing stain, use a lip liner to get the most perfected shape, and then top with a bold red lipstick.  This three-step layering ensures that my lipstick will look it’s best under the stage lights and be seen from the back of the audience.  However, on my way to and from gigs, I like to have a soft balm-like lipstick in a bold red.  This type of lipstick doesn’t hold up well, but it does a great job of bringing moisture to my super dry lips before and after the showgirl beat.

This year, I picked up a L’Oreal Colour Riche Shine in the shade “Enamel Red” to replace my nearly gone – and now discontinued – Almay Butter kiss in the shade “Red-Medium.”  It feels so good and comes in a variety of different shades to get a red that’s right for your look.

Face Palette with Blush, Bronzer and Highlight

Since I’m over 50, one of the things I do to keep my skin looking as dewy and youthful as possible, is layer powder face products over a cream base.  For many years, I’ve relied on my trusted Rimmel London Face Sculpting Kit in shade 1.  I really loved this product, and I would have simply replaced it if I hadn’t decided to find something with a few more color options.  So after doing research on YouTube, I decided to pick up the “California in a Box” by Catrice.  I’m really enjoying this new palette and because it has a more matte finish, I’m actually also using it for daily looks too!

Eyeshadow in shades of grey

I’ve spent many years using this Wet N Wild five-pan eyeshadow palette in “Tunnel Vision” and would have simply picked up a replacement, but it, like many things, has long since been discontinued. The case was broken and two of the shadows I’ve had to repress after breaking.  When Colourpop announced it’s new grey palette last fall, I snapped it up.  As a bigger palette, I can achieve some different looks.  The Blowin’ Smoke palette includes the best silver eyeshadow I’ve ever used called “Starstruck.”

I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for using the affiliate codes in this blog post.  They help me cover the costs of this website so I can continue to bring interesting information and inspiration.  Your readership and support mean the world to me, thank you so very much!

Happy Costuming!
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
March 9, 2020

Hand Turned Wooden Cymbals – On Sale Now

I’m pleased to share that I was successful in persuading my brother into adding wooden practice cymbals to his Etsy store! These practice cymbals are hand-turned from pine in Joe’s studio.  He’s offering them in two styles, dome and cone shape.  They are unfinished, to keep the costs down and to allow the dancer to use their own creativity to dye, paint, stain, or draw on them.

Why do I love wooden practice cymbals?

They allow you to extend your practice session times.  Wooden finger cymbals are great for situations like these:

• You live in an apartment, condo or dorm and need to keep the volume down
• Good for playing around people with hearing aids
• Won’t disturb pets with sensitive ears
• Great for zill walks, when practicing in your neighborhood.
• Practice in tiny places like cars, RV’s, and tiny houses.
• Lightweight to keep in my backpack or purse
• Natural materials worked by a craftsman here in the United States

Hand Made by Joe Devine of Wicked Mojo Designs

My brother has been working with wood since he was a wee-one.  He discovered lathe-work and turning in high-school and has been making all sorts of turned wooden things over the past 20 years.  He’s been making things such as pens, candle holders, bud vases, and my favorite, the “Jax the Seamripper” which I use nearly daily.

The wooden practice cymbals are all uniform in shape, but because of the nature of wood, each cymbal will have a different grain pattern.  They will arrive drilled the way you prefer, with either one hole or two, and with 1/2 yard of black elastic. If you are in the market to add a new sound to your cymbal collection, to extend your practice time, and support a small business run by a craftsperson, I encourage you to follow this link to my brother’s Etsy store, Wicked Mojo Designs.  If you think you might want to pick up a set in the future, visit his store and like it to get notifications when he adds new items to his stock.

Zills: Music on Your Finger Cymbals – Digital Edition

I’m also pleased to announce that my book, Zills: Music on Your Fingertips, is now available in digital form on my Etsy store.  If you’ve been wanting to pick up a copy, but no longer purchase physical books, life outside of the US, or simply want to have this informative book on your favorite device to refer to during class or practice, this is for you!  The digital version is available in .pdf form ready for digital download for only $12.50.

His finger cymbals paired with my book make an excellent set to help you on your finger cymbal journey. Thank you for supporting our creative works!

Happy Cymbal Playing!
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
March 3, 2020

 

 

Hello gang!

Today I want to share with you a little story about how I now am the proud owner of two pairs of wooden practice cymbals. My brother, Joe Devine, owner of Wicked Mojo Designs on Etsy, is a precision machinist by day, and an avid woodturner by night.  He’s made me many beautiful wooden objects like candle holders and bud vases, to really plain and functional items like wooden storage boxes.

Seam Rippers

A few years ago my mum and I challenged him to make hand-turned seam rippers. We are both dressmakers and our older hands are always searching for tools that are more ergonomic and easy to hold.  Jax the Seam Ripper was born!

My mum got the first one, I got the second, and we persuaded him to make more for other sewists who are interested in having a hand-crafted, ergonomic tool.  Lately, he’s been offering a two-ended Jax with an awl option which adds another level of functionality.  I finally got ahold of the awl attachment and I use it to guide finicky fabrics through the feed dogs.

Wooden Finger Cymbals

So, fast forward in time to December of 2019 when I was invited to be the monthly featured instructor over on the Belly Dance Business Academy.  One of the co-owners of the BDBA is also one of my co-authors, Sara Shrapnell author of Teaching Belly Dance.  So Sara and I had an absolute blast in our live talk “On Finger cymbals.”   The talk is still available and is totally free, just “enroll” (that’s code for sign up for the mailing list.)

During this talk, a lightbulb went off in my head.  If you watch this talk, you can spot the moment. When I thought, “Hey, I bet JOE could make wooden finger cymbals!”  At that moment, I jokingly challenged him to make me a set. Honestly, I didn’t think he would ever SEE that talk, so I didn’t expect him to know that I threw down the gauntlet.

But someone on Facebook mentioned it in a post.  Joe went and watched the talk with Sara, and next thing I know, he’s in his shop just whipping up a set of finger cymbals!  So I got the first-ever Wicked Mojo Designs hand-crafted wooden finger cymbals!  He wasn’t sure what “style” would be best, so I got the second pair too!   After doing some research on the Saroyan Mastercrafts, makers of my favorite zills, Joe crafted a set with a curved bell, and a pair with more of a cone shape.

Hear the Sound

Joe was up for a visit over the weekend and we did a “quick” Facebook live video. At 45 minutes, this is NOT a short video, but we were having so much fun we lost track of time. So unless you have a beverage, a lot of time and like watching goofy people, Enjoy!

Aside: Could FB have chosen a worse image for me for the video cover?  *laughs*  The mind BOGGLES.

However, if you just want to hear the sound of these cymbals, check out my Instagram feed for some shorter sound clips.

Coming Soon!

After our Facebook Live video, my brother knows that others are interested in these wooden practice finger cymbals. so he’s now running some production studies, sourcing materials, and making his first batch.

Interested in picking up a set of these wooden practice cymbals? Visit the Wicked Mojo Designs Etsy store and like the store.  Then when the zills are available, you will receive a notification directly via the Etsy store.  You can also subscribe to my newsletter or follow me on Instagram or Facebook. I’m having so much fun playing with these.  I now think of these two sets as prototypes for more to come!

What a way to start the year!
Talk to you again soon,
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
Feb 4, 2020

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

In the past I used #button #zills to teach new students, but my brother @wickedmojodesigns is gearing up to make these #wooden #practice cymbals fingercymbals #woodenfingercymbals #zill #ziller #sagat #practice #buttonzills

A post shared by Dawn Devine (@davinadevine) on Feb 4, 2020 at 3:36pm PST

Hello Gang!

I recently made a lovely vintage assiut bedlah set and I shared images of the process over in my Studio Davina Facebook group.  During the construction process, I got a bunch of nuts-and-bolts questions that I thought I would share here on the blog. The most frequently asked question is, “What needles are you using?”

Needle Style of Choice – Milliners

For my current technique, which uses buckram, grosgrain ribbon, and fleece, I like to use milliners needles. Hat making utilizes many of the same materials, so needles made for this purpose work very well for constructing bras.

Milliners needles are long, strong, and flexible. This style of needle is thicker in the middle and tapers to a sharp point. They flex, rather than break when working around wires. Over time, the shape of my grip appears in the needle.

John James Milliners Needles

Because I spend a lot of time sewing, I choose to invest in high-quality hand sewing needles.  Many years ago during a time of experimentation, I found John James MIlliners needles and it was love at first sewing project.  Unfortunately, John James needles can be difficult to find in my local stores so I now get them via Amazon.

Because there are times when I require smaller, finer needles, I also keep one of the John James needle collections in my kit.  Aside from the biggest and bulky craft needles, I might pull for very specialized purposes. This one kit holds them all.  I do a lot of hand sewing, so the extra cost pays off in longer-lasting tools.

Slip Stop Thimble

I keep a wardrobe of thimbles available for different hand sewing needs.  When working on belly dance bras, I like to wear a Dritz Slip Stop Thimble.  What I love about this thimble is that it has ridged sides that help catch and hold the eye-end of the needle.  It also has a lip at the top that I find very useful for helping me guide and control the direction and angle of the needle.

Thimbles are one of those items that are best bought at a store.  Although I have ladies XL hands, I have very slender tapered fingers. My fingertips are quite tiny, so I wear a size small thimble.  Visit your local fabric store and use the circle punched into the packaging to calculate the proper fit for your hands.

Happy Costuming!
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
January 24, 2020