I just love the costume worn by actress Lily Elsie in the 1907/8 theatrical production of The Merry Widow in London. This amazing ensemble was created by Lady Lucy Duff-Gordon working under her professional design name Lucile.  She was one of the first British high fashion designers and was quite a character in her own right. Here’s a link to a blog post where you can read more details about Lily Elsie, Lucile, and the Merry Widow costume.

For this project, my goal was to create a Merry Widow inspired costume in the style and flavor of the image below. To catch the essence of Lily Elsie’s look, we started with a ready-made corset-style top. The assiut covered corset was the only part of my ensemble that we stitched for this look. The corset-top was a previously owned costume piece, but you can find similar items on Amazon. If I were going to make another one of these today, I would start with a style that’s currently available.

The Inspiration

Postcard of Lily Elsie as the Merry Widow by Foulsham & Banfield,
published by Rotary Photographic Co Ltd, bromide postcard print, 1907

I worked with my friend, costume maker Misia Rockte and together we strategically place assiut motifs between the bones of the corset.  Most of the motifs were scraps and leftover pieces from a variety of projects I was building for my book, The Cloth of Egypt: All About Assiut.  Available on Amazon and Etsy.

Although I don’t have any images of the corset embellishments during construction, we used standard thread and simple hand sewing applique techniques to apply the assiut motifs. Using a ready-made corset as the foundation made this project quick and affordable.  I was very happy to use up a bunch of scraps, but if you needed to purchase assiut for a similar project, plan on using half of an assiut shawl to get this level of motif coverage.

Completing the Look

Once the corset was completed, three uncut assiut pieces finished the look.  Under everything, I’m wearing a simple black skirt and tank-top. Around my hips, I draped a large ornate modern assiut shawl and pinned it into place. To capture the essence of Lily Elsie’s large double-brooches, we added a bracelet and a necklace that gave the same shape and visual weight.

For sleeves, we used an assiut shawl in the lantern style.  I quickly tacked this shawl in four places to create a tube. It was tucked at the tops of my shoulders to keep the sleeves in place.  Over my chest, I tucked a white assiut triangle and let the beaded embellished edge drape over the top of the corset.  This echoed the white lace top that Lily wore under her corselette.  If I were going to wear this garment for a long period of time, I would hand stitch these pieces into place, using sturdy thread and big stitches that are easy to remove.  Since we were just staging a photo, tucking was perfectly fine.

The final step was to load up with rhinestone jewelry.  Earrings, three necklaces and a pair of bracelets complete the look.  Ultimately, the corset wasn’t REALLY my size, so there are no back shots and it went on to another home.  Someday, I hope to get a corset-top that really fits me well to create a full ensemble to really wear.  I’m keeping my eyes peeled for better jewelry to capture the Edwardian theater look.

I really enjoyed using assiut scraps to create a new look. I currently have a fairly good-sized bin of scraps.  Perhaps I’ll get one whipped up before the end of the year!

Happy Costuming!
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
February 10, 2018

One of the most frequently asked questions over on my sewing circle on Facebook is, “How do I make a solid non-stretch belly dance bra band?”  Because this question has come up so many times, I thought I would take a moment to share my current method, materials, and techniques.

Studio Davina Behind The Seams – Facebook Group 

Back in November of 2017, I wrote a blog post listing all the reasons why I prefer to use a solid, non-stretching bra band in my higher-end costumes.  While it isn’t a necessity to swap out a stretchy lingerie-style bra band, they do have some limitations.  Read “Musing on Embellished Bra Brands & Straps”  

Since that post, I’ve had folks ask me about the construction of my firm bra bands.  So without further ado, let’s go.

Three-Part Bra Band Structure

While there are many materials and supplies you can choose for building your bra band, there are three categories of materials that I believe are essential for creating a garment that will stand the test of time.

Supporting Layer – This is the heaviest duty layer, the one that provides the strength and resiliency to stand up to the pressures and forces of rigorous physical movement.  This layer should be a sturdy, thick fabric with a minimum of stretch.  I’ve used a wide variety of materials from heavy-weight denim, cotton canvas, pant-weight twill to recycled jeans and up-cycled woven upholstery fabric.   Here at Studio Davina, we are currently using mid-weight buckram.  If the costume will have a lot of heavyweight embellishments like chain and coin, I will use two layers.  See it here at Joann Fabrics – Buckram Fabric 

Padding Layer – This is composed of either one or two layers of a fabric that will add a thickness to the band to make the costume more comfortable to wear and add gravitas to the finished garment. I prefer to use non-stretch materials, but since this layer is supported, if the fabric has a little give, that’s okay.  However, very stretchy fabrics might sag away from the inner structure, so use your best judgment.  In the past, I’ve used fleece, denim, corduroy, leftover velvet or velveteen from previous projects, and even up-cycled towels.  Today, we stock Pellon TP971 Fusible Thermolam. See it here at Joann Fabrics – Thermolam 

Edge Reinforcement – Once I’ve bonded or stitched together the supporting layer and the padding layer, I reinforce the edges of the band to prevent stretch.  This extra step will also help prevent the edge of the costume from rolling, giving extra support for the dancer.  The bra will lay smoother and flatter across the back. There are several ways to reinforce edges.  When I was first learning my craft, we added 16 or 18 gauge wire to all the edges of the costume.  I still use wire if I’m doing a fancy cut edge.  However, I’ve found that grosgrain ribbon will help minimize stretch and is far more comfortable for the dancer.  It also saves a lot of time because I can quickly stitch it into place by machine.  I like to buy wire and grosgrain from Amazon.com here is what I purchased last time I restocked. Wire and Grosgrain Ribbon on Amazon.

Bra Band Order of Construction

To create the supporting sandwich, I always follow the same order of construction.

• Cut out all the parts
• Fuse or Stitch interfacing to the buckram
• Machine stitch grosgrain ribbon

Once the band is complete, your design will dictate how you will proceed forward with your project.  Some designs will call for a single piece of fabric that covers the bra cup and band seamlessly, and for those designs, you will sew the band to the bra before you cover with your fashion fabric.

If you want your bras to have the most adjustability, you can design the bra and band as two separate pieces.  For those designs, you will cover the bra cups and bra bands individually and then sew them together as the next step.  This makes it easier for future owners of the costume to make fitting adjustments.

Once the bands are completed, I always sew the bra bands to the bra cups by hand using upholstery grade thread. I use a big whip-stitch that wraps around the underwire of the cup for the sturdiest results.

And that’s what’s inside of my firm belly dance bra bands!

Best of luck on all of your costume making adventures!
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
February 6, 2018

 

 

 

True confession time. I broke my January “No Spend” challenge.  I hadn’t really told anyone about this “money fast” because I wasn’t sure I would succeed.  January for me is a time of intensive work.  Each year there’s a combination of wrapping up business commitments from the previous year, prepping for the dreaded taxes, and frequently, a monster cold too!  In my mind, January felt like a good time lay low, focus on work, and tackle the no-spend challenge.

Well, fate intervened and shared with me something I couldn’t pass up. I took one look at this tee-shirt and completely fell in love. One of my biggest challenges is finding workout-wear that really speaks to my inner dancer. Last week on Facebook I suddenly spotted it! The belly dance tee-shirt that speaks to my coffee-fueled soul. It encapsulates my philosophy about taking on the world!  It’s available on Amazon for a mere $16.

This shirt was created by graphic designer and humorist Misty Dawn Waggoner.  Last year, we included one of her motivational graphics in our preview edition of Amabella Magazine.  Read the magazine here.

Sure, I could have waited, but opportunities don’t always knock twice!  Sometimes you just have to start the year off with a new motto, a new outlook, and in my case, a new tee-shirt!

Now, time for another cup of coffee!
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
January 19, 2018

PS – She has another design too.  These are not sponsored links – I just love these shirts so much, I had to share!

 

Hello Gang!

Just wanted to touch base on a little side project I’m working on.  Last fall, I released my first printed coloring book, Color Theory with Pencils & Mandalas which is available on Amazon as a printed book and on Etsy as a digital download.  Read more details about my book here.

I have received many requests to do some demonstrations on how to work with this book.  Rather than put up a dry and boring FAQ, I decided to create a series of videos that demonstrate approaches to using color theory and techniques for working with colored pencils.

Analogous Color Scheme

In my first pair of videos, I demonstrate how to use an analogous color scheme in a florally mandala. An analogous color scheme is composed of three colors that are next to each other on the color wheel.  In this case, I selected a palette of colors including yellow, green and blue.

Color Like an Artist:  Misia 

Next, I decided to start inviting some of my friends over to help me demonstrate some approaches to coloring.  For my first guest, I invited graphic artist Misia Rokte came to my studio and allowed me to record her coloring a piece from Color Theory with Pencils and Mandalas.  She chose to work in a primary color scheme on the central medallion in this hand of Fatimah design.

Color Like an Artist YouTube Playlist

Moving forward over the next several months, I will be presenting more coloring demos in the Color Like an Artist series and adding them to a growing playlist.  So far, I’ve got three demo videos, with more in editing.

If you are interested in trying one of the designs that I made with my co-author, illustrator George Goncalves, I’ve included a printable below.  If you color it in, be sure to snap a photo of it and send it to me via email, post and take me on Instagram @davinadevine or join the conversation over in my FaceBook group.

I look forward to seeing how you choose to color this design!

Off to film another segment,
Dawn Devine ~ Davina  
January 19, 2018