Category: General

Costuming Tip: When in doubt – don’t wear black!

Post author By Davina
Post date August 7, 2015

Once upon a time, I was invited to dance in a show at a venue I’ve never been to before. I figured, I’ll wear something simple and easy. I didn’t stop to think about the potential environment, and choose a costume that was completely black to make some tribal jewelry really pop. Well – I arrived to discover venue featured a tiny black-box style theater with minimal golden top light and one big spot. Then I remembered the old axiom of the entertainment world. When in doubt about the venue, don’t wear black! While restaurants are filled with different colors, textures, if you’re dancing in a theatrical environment, the odds of dancing on a black stage with black curtains is very high. Many small theaters use deep flat black for its neutral, non-distracting environment that is affordable to keep up. I did the show, and got some great photos of myself, if I like floating head shots. Perhaps my life lesson remembered will help you choose your costumes with better results!

Happy Costuming!
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
Aug. 7, 2015

Assiut/Assuit Belly Dance Costuming DIY General

Need An Instant Costume? Just Add Assiut!

Post author By Davina
Post date July 13, 2015

I’m please to announce that Andelee, over on the website has just published my article “Need an Instant Costume? Just Add Assiut!” featuring model Nicole Simone shot by photog Alisha Westerfeld. The article is about styling an assiut robe with a few tips that apply to dancers of any size, from size 2 to 22.

Andelee’s mission is to gather together informative articles, tips, hints and advice for us plus size belly dance. When Alisha and I were shooting photos for the book The Cloth of Egypt: All About Assiut there were many photos that we would have loved to use, but simply ran out of space. Why not take some of these wonderful photos and share them with the world and create some great content for a sister website!

Award winning plus-sized model, Nicole Simone who you can follow on Instagram here, or visit on FaceBook here, is one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. Her satiny skin, clear blue eyes, wicked curves, and mega-watt star power on stage, make her a force to be reckoned with!

And guess what? If you go and check out this article, you get to see some of Alisha’s photos in COLOR! Cloth of Egypt was published in black and white because so much of the assiut was black and white to begin with, and b/w printing saves the reader money. I promise that in the fullness of time, we will release another full-color book.

But in the meantime, enjoy!
Yours in Dance And Costuming,
~ Davina

July 14, 2015

Assiut/Assuit Belly Dance Costuming DIY General

Hemming Assiut Garments by Machine

Post author By Davina
Post date July 6, 2015

I enjoy working with modern assiut and I often use my sewing machine for seams and hems. Many dancers like to open the side seams of their assiut garments from hem to hip for maximum freedom of movement. Most ready-made assiut robes, however, arrive stitched closed to the hem. Although assiut doesn’t fray, a clean smooth well stitched hem will hang and move better. Here are my top tips for the achieving the best machine hemming results.

1 – Carefully open unwanted seams – Assiut has lots of holes, and it’s easy to catch them with the tip of your seam ripper, so be extremely careful when picking open seams. I like to use a good strong light source and go very slow while taking the existing seams apart.
My favorite two seam rippers:
Classic style with ergo handle: http://www.amazon.com/Dritz-Ergonomic-Design-Large-Ripper/dp/B003VWL0YO
Super-sharp scalpel style: http://www.amazon.com/Crafters-Companion-Ultra-Seam-Ripper/dp/B0006V1TBM

Assiut-Hem-Chalk-Mark

2 – Use chalk to draw your new hem line – Although your robe might have been previously sewn, you might choose to put your new hem in a slightly different line. To achieve a clean new hemline, use a ruler and either a marking pencil, chalk, or wheel to draw your new fold line.
I keep all three of these marking tools in my kit, and pick the best one for the job.
Chalk Wheel – http://www.amazon.com/Dritz-662-Chalk-Wheel-Kit/dp/B0081GYA8I/
Tailor’s Chalk – http://www.amazon.com/Triangle-Tailors-Assorted-Colors-Quilting/dp/B00XI64MFC
Marking Pencil – http://www.amazon.com/Dritz-667-Tailors-Marking-Set/dp/B0052WSQHK

3 – Use your iron – Using your chalk line as a guide, fold and press your new hem in to place. If there is enough seam allowance, as there was on this blue robe, I like to fold the raw edge under during the pressing process. If the seam allowance is too narrow, don’t worry about it. Assiut won’t unravel, so as long as you have more than 1/8” your new hem will hold up. Tip: Since assiut is made from cotton, it will press very well when using seam – but watch out – the metal stitches can get very hot – so let it cool down before touching it.
Black & Decker Steam Iron – http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-D2030-Auto-Off-Advantage/dp/B0006ZUHR0
Sunbeam – http://www.amazon.com/Sunbeam-1500-Watt-Anti-Drip-Non-Stick-GCSBCS-200-000/dp/B00JPCWDS6

4 – Pin parallel to the hem – After your fabric has cooled off pin your new hem into place. I like to position my pins parallel to the hem with the tips of the pins pointed to the left. This will hold the hem in place during the sewing process and will allow you to easily pull the pins out as you sew. Avoid placing your pins perpendicular to the hem, as that can cause twisting as you remove them, or risk breaking the needle if you attempt to sew over the pins.
Pins – http://www.amazon.com/Dritz-4-Inch-Quilting-Quilters-500-Pack/dp/B001UAM3UY/

5 – Use a sharp fairly thick sewing needle – When working with assiut, I always begin a new garment project with a fresh sewing machine needle. When working with modern assiut, I like to use a universal needle in a size 14, so the needle will have enough strength and a sharp enough tip to penetrate the metal stitches.

TIP: ALWAYS WEAR PROTECTIVE EYE GEAR WHEN SEWING MODERN ASSIUT! Although a sharp needle will penetrate the stitches, needles do get dull, and as soon as it’s dull, it can snap when it hits the metal. I wear always glasses when sewing to protect my eyes from broken needles and shards of metal.

Sewing Machine Needles – http://www.amazon.com/Universal-Machine-Needles-Size-14-Pkg/dp/B000YZ7JAK

Protective Eye Gear – http://www.amazon.com/Radians-Remington-Protective-Eyewear-Outdoor/dp/B00KHOFWTI

6 – Sew slowly – Always go nice and slow so you can control the shape of the seam and pull your pins out as you sew. To remove your pins easily, simply use your thumb to capture the heads of the pin and as the machine pulls the fabric through, your thumb will pull the pin out of the cloth. This technique works best when using big-headed pins with brightly colored heads.

My favorite sewing machine – http://www.bernina.com/en-US/Products-US/BERNINA-products/Sewing-Quilting-and-Embroidery/BERNINA-Classic-Series/BERNINA-1008

You can do it! Good Luck!!! ~ Davina
July 6, 2015

BE CAREFUL – SEW SLOWLY – WEAR EYE PROTECTION

Assiut/Assuit General

30 Shawls – Ojala Sneak Peek

Post author By Davina
Post date June 1, 2015

During the production of my book The Cloth of Egypt: All About Assiut, Alisha, my photographer and co-author, and I had the opportunity to seek out private collections throughout the greater Bay Area to photograph some of the finest assiut in area.

Ojala-Pages-Costumer's-Notes-Print-Edition

The largest private collector we had the pleasure to work with was the esteemed antique textile and jewelry dealer Nancy Hernandez of Ojala. Images of some of her most impressive pieces appear in various places throughout Cloth of Egypt and were also featured in the print edition of Costumer’s Notes. Image at right is a screen grab from the special print edition of Costumer’s Notes Read for free on the web here: http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/628802

Since our last photoshoot, the Ojala assiut collection has continued to grow.Currently the collection includes more than 30 shawls and scarves dating 1890-1930 and several dresses ranging from vintage to modern. Nancy began her collection in 1983 with an exquisite wedding shawl. Over the past few years, she has focussed on strategically adding pieces to her collection with distinctive imagery.

Alisha and I went over for an informal show-and-tell, and had the opportunity to view a few of her latest finds. Some of her latest acquisitions hail from as far away as England, Scotland, and Russia. We are planning a formal photo shoot in October to capture the beauty of her collection with fine lighting. I snapped some quick photos with my phone to share with you this quick sneak peek. Enjoy!

Assiut Shawls from the Ojala Collection

General

6 Tips for Close-Up Assiut Photos

Post author By Davina
Post date May 19, 2015

My co-author and photographer, Alisha Westerfeld, and I took thousands of photos prior to the release of The Cloth of Egypt: All About Assiut. At public appearances and lectures, I’m frequently asked, “How did you get such nice photos?” Well, it took trial and error, a lot of practice, a bit of luck, and help from our photographer mentors. If you own a vintage assiut shawl and want to take some documentary photos, here’s our top six photography tips.

1 – Use a Polarizing Filter – This will cut down on the glare and reflections so your stitches will show as stitches rather than shiny, glowing metal dots. More Info on Polarizing Filters

2 – Use Good Lighting – Nothing beats indirect sunlight, but if you need to take shots indoors on a table, try to use the best quality light! The shot above was taken with a Daylight Florescent Bulb in a standard desk lamp. I try to get bulbs with a color temperature between 5000-6000k to get the least amount of color cast, so your photos don’t turn out too yellow or blue. More info on Light Bulbs

3 – Shoot From Every Angle – You never know what combination of lighting and camera angle will work best, so try from a number of different angles. In the photo above, both the light and the camera were at an approximately 45 angle. Lower light angles can produce more texture and detail in the cloth. Top lighting will make the textile look flat and graphic. More info on Lighting Textiles

4 – Use Your Macro Setting – If you are trying to get a really detailed shot of the quality of the stitch, or the twist of the fibers in the groundcloth, switch your camera to its macro setting and to get the best quality image of the stitch. Tips for using Macro Setting

5 – Choose a Good Background – Because assiut cloth is mesh, the color beneath will show through and impact the final result. For darker brown to black assiut shawls, I like to use black velvet which produces a rich deep effect, and allows the threads to still show. For tan, cream or white vintage assiut, I like to use a creamy colored charmeuse or dupioni silk which shimmers up through the stitches. Silk Fabric Source

6 – Take Lots of Images – There is no need to be stingy when shooting digital. As you experiment with angle, lighting and using macro to zoom in, you will want to take as many photos as your memory will allow. This will give you more images to select from when you are choosing the best. Save the best – delete the rest! Table-Top Photo Tips

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BE CAREFUL – SEW SLOWLY – WEAR EYE PROTECTION

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Love Assiut? Wanna see more photos of this magical cloth? Get your copy of Cloth of Egypt: All About Assiut here!

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