04.24.08
Posted in Costuming, Dance, Dance Accessories at 10:00 am by deRomilly
Bellydance costumes are amazing things. Whether you are looking at a hipscarf used for practice, a fully beaded cabaret costume, or some of the confections that the tribal style dancers put together, you are looking at a work of art. Heck, even the basic hipscarves that students like to wear to class are amazing works of beaded artwork.
This is just a quick overview of the field. There are several major designers out there, from Sim Moda Evi in Turkey to Bella and Madame Abla (may she rest in peace) in Egypt. You can see a beautiful selection of designer costumes at www.dahlal.com .
There’s a beautiful article at the LA Times about the designer Ahmed Diaa Eddin. In addition, there are some absolutely drop-dead creative people in the US creating their own costumes, and guaranteeing that they will be unique in the process. The Costume Goddess (Dina) is a guru of hand-made costumes on the cheap.
And that’s just the cabaret costumes. When you get into American Tribal Style and Tribal Fusion you get funky pants, coins, folkloric patterns and so on and so on. Tribal costuming is still more likely to be made by the individual than purchased, so examples can be seen on the sites of the various dancers and dance troupes.
The costuming Blue Moon Dance company wears at the Renaissance Fairs is typical of ATS costuming (they are a fusion group and wander out of “traditional” tribal costuming quite often) and the Indigo for Tribal Fusion (their myspace site) costuming ideas can’t be beat.
Dance costuming is a treasure trove of needlework and embellishment techniques, as well as basic costume design. Exploring them can become a hobby in itself!
Later I’ll go into some of the dance costume styles in more detail, but this shoud get you started on some eye candy!
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12.18.07
Posted in Drawing, "Freestyle" embroidery, Dance Accessories, Knitting at 11:23 am by deRomilly
My determination to write regularly seems to have been stymied at every turn over the course of this year. That has got to change. But I’m not sure how to change it. I’ve got several posts started, and I’ll continue to work on them and try to get better. In the meantime…
I’m on a “finishing” kick right at the moment. And I made the decision, mistake or not, of announcing it to my husband before I started it. He jumped up and down and said “Yes!” very emphatically, so apparently my tendency to start projects and take 8-10 years to complete them is weighing on him again! He’s very supportive, but he’s a “finish before you start another project” type of person. And as you can guess, I’m not.
So in any case, I’m quite “knitted out” right now. So I’m trying to finish up several knitting projects that I want the finished garment, but not so much the knitting. Last month I completed my Shapely Tee from the White Lies website. I have to say… if you haven’t knit this? KNIT IT! I have never had a sweater fit so well. I knit it without any ease at all- the other option was a full 2 inches, and I did actually knit that first and just swam in it. Your mileage may vary. I’m so proud of it that I’m actually going to post a picture: (as soon as I can download it from my camera, sigh).
Let’s see. What else have I finished? I got almost all the way finished with a candlewicking project and ran out of thread. There probably was JUST enough, but the last yard had so many knots in it that it was useless for the end of the stitching! So now I’ve got to find about a yard of a candlewicking thread that matches what I’ve got… and the kit’s at least 30 years old. Found it at a garage sale a while back! Then I’ll have a new cushion for the couch.
So. Two down. All I have left is the very top of the back and the hood on Fiona Ellis’ celtic hoodie (not the real name) to finish and of course blocking and sewing together and I’ll have a really neat knotwork hooded sweater. The celtic knots done in cables are amazing on this piece, and I’m looking forward to wearing it, but I can’t bring myself to knit.
I’ve got the sewing up and the button band to finish on a big fluffy acrylic sweater of my own design. One more seam and then the button band.
I’ve finished my first piece for Sumptuous stitches, over for lots and lots of weeks now, and I’m almost done with the sequinned flowers for the dance troupe. I think the next step is to finish the second piece started for Sumptuous stitches. I really like it, and want it finished, too. It’s deer staring at you, based on an experience I had this summer that was simply magical. So. Sequins and deer. Then I can start some of the new designs. Which are… well, VERY different from what I’ve done in the past. Before I can do that, though, I need to finish the sequinning that actually goes ON my dress for the troupe, separate from the appliques.
I picked up a book last month called the Keys to Imaginative Drawing. Actually following imagination has recently been my downfall. This book actually steps through a process and rules for doodling and noodling those doodles into something better. Though it’s aiming at people who want to draw, it’s been very freeing for needlework designs.I’ve now got a stack of so-called doodles that really need to be rendered in thread and fabric; one is crying for goldwork. But I’ve got to finish a few more things first. That’s really gnawing at me right now. 
(Since I wrote this I actually transferred one of them to fabric and took a break to stitch it. It’s going to become part of a tote bag…)
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10.04.07
Posted in Drawing, Dance Accessories at 3:37 pm by deRomilly
I haven’t had a chance to focus on needlework at all, really. Gotta love “Real Life” But what I’ve been working on these days on rare occasions when I do find the time is sketching and sequins! They’re keeping me sane…
The sequinning project for my dance troupe goes ahead quite well. The first flower applique has been done for a while now.
I need to shorten the fringe on it, but otherwise it’s been approved and adored. Yay! This style will go in our hair. The dress will have flowers with the colors the other way around, turquoise in the middle so they show up on the turquoise dresses; but I had to order more small turquoise sequins and big black ones to do those… And of course, while I was on the site placing the order I got carried away and ordered enough for another project I’m thinking of, too… But it’s gonna be PREEETTTY!!! (Shhh. that project’s a secret! and I still need beads for it.)
And I’ve been sketching when I haven’t been writing help files at the day job. Dancers, mostly. Here are a couple of my favorites. Both ballet and bellydance. I might scan them in properly and design note cards of some of these I’ve done recently. I’m liking them.
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| Ballerina pencil sketch |
Ballerina Ink sketch |
Bellydancer pencil |
In other news, I’ve donated to the Spin Out charity drive. I found the link via Mason-Dixon knitting. They’ve extended the deadline for making a donation and being entered into an amazing raffle until the 15th of October. It’s for a good cause, and buying chickens or cows for a small village is very satisfying.
And my friend CyberBertha found this wonderful video of a seagull shoplifting Doritos in Scotland… Cheeky beastie!
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04.10.07
Posted in "Freestyle" embroidery, Dance Accessories at 6:22 pm by deRomilly
I’m sorry I haven’t posted… I just realized that I haven’t gotten to a computer other than the one at work in two weeks! Bad Romilly!
I’ve got a couple of plans in the works, though. I’ve been plugging away at the embroidered fabric for my new bedlah (see last post) and the first piece is pretty much all beaded now. I’ll probably have to add beads here and there as I sew it together, but it’s a good start. The second piece is about a third embroidered. Beads to come. In this case AFTER I’ve got a pattern for the belt. It suddenly occured to me that I needn’t bead everything, even the parts that aren’t going to show… I want the embroidery to fold around, so it gets done first… but the beading?! Pshaw. That’s silly. And very me-like!
I did, however, finish sewing a turquoise jersey knit dress that I’m planning on wearing to the hafla over harem pants on Thursday and then for every day. Very simple, casual princess line. If photos come out after the show I’ll try to post them. Maybe even a video.
Not much needle art happening my way over the past week. But that will change. And I do have a backlog of posts to make. It’s just a matter of getting things pulled together. And wrestling the computer away from the ten year old nephew…
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03.21.07
Posted in "Freestyle" embroidery, Dance Accessories, Uncategorized at 5:09 pm by deRomilly
When you still like the effect of the stitching when you reach the halfway point!
The sample I posted about last time I was here is becoming a final piece of fabric quite quickly. I’m about halfway done with the first fat quarter. I’m guessing I’m going to need to stitch about three, maybe four fat quarters to make a full belt and bra set. I’m thinking it will be really pretty with a white vest and skirt.
And it’s pulling together in a way that I really like. It’s cotton, but the beads give it a shine that make it appropriate for a casual costume. I think it’s going to be interesting, and definitely different from anything any other dancer has! I did decide to switch to green and pink beads to match the embroidery. The entire thing is much lighter than the photo I posted would lead you to believe.
The problem is, since the herringbone stitch is so durn easy to do, and I’m a bit achey, it’s pretty much ALL I want to do right now. This kind of cuts into the enjoyment of the day job. And the husband would prefer that I help him maintain the house where we live as well… and there’s that garden that now needs to be planted…
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03.18.07
Posted in Dance Accessories, General at 6:43 pm by deRomilly
Yesterday I REALLY wanted to stitch. I mean REALLY wanted to do some stitching. I had an idea, and I needed to express it. There’s got to be a catch, you say. Of course there is. When it comes to my obsession, there is always a catch!
I was at work. I had brought knitting to do on my breaks, not stitching. (Oh, the downsides of multiple obsessions!) No problem, I thought. I’ll just run up to the fabric store on my break and pick up a little piece of fabric and a couple of colors of DMC. Well, I picked up a fat quarter of quilting fabric that was exactly what I had in mind for my little experiment. But instead of getting the DMC, I decided I wanted more choice in colors and didn’t have time to stand around picking them all out, besides, I’ve got ALL the colors at home, right? And this is just an experiment anyway… So I picked up a little package of cheap embroidery floss with several different colors – a brand I’ve never heard of before.
So I’ve been stitching away on breaks yesterday and today, and I’ve come up with some ideas I really like. In fact, I like them so much that I think I want to finish them and use the fabric to cover a dance bra and maybe a belt. The catch? That cheap embroidery floss… It stitches really nicely. It’s soft and shiny. It SEEMS to be a pretty good quality. But is it? What will happen if the fabric gets folded so that some of it stays in the sunlight? Will one part of my embroidery fade? I can’t be sure.
So what am I doing today? I’m going back to the fabric store to buy ½ a yard of that fabric, and several skeins of DMC floss and I’m going to start over in the stitching department. Thank goodness it’s only herringbone and buttonhole stitch… and that I came to my senses before I did too much of it as “practiceâ€! Besides… I needed enough fabric to make a belt, too!
Oh, you want pictures? Here’s one. I’m now already well into a “final draft” with more fabric and DMC floss - the other catch? The only way I could GET this fabric was in fat quarters. Now I am NOT a fat quarter wide, though that’s an interesting metaphor… I’m going to be piecing my belt… Wonder how THAT will work out?
And yes, I am doing some more experimenting on THIS fabric. And I’ll probably keep playing with the cheap thread so that I can see how it holds up. I don’t have high hopes for it, though.
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02.20.07
Posted in Dance Accessories at 9:12 pm by deRomilly
My ten year old nephew is currently in the bellydance class I’m teaching. He seems very keen on the entire thing, which is particularly pleasing to me, as I’m one of the weird ones who sees the dance as coming from the folk tradition, rather than some unknown woman-centric prehistory. I’m not alone in this, as Morocco (who writes eloquently about the use of some of the movements as a birthing aid in Morocco) has as her protégé a wonderful dancer by the name of Tarik Sultan. (He’s also a fabulous teacher, if you get the opportunity).
In any case, The Nephew is very interested in a belt. I think he likes the noise aspect of the whole thing, as well as the moving part. I know men wear the traditional coin belts: I’ve seen them. But I wanted to do something a bit more individual for kiddo. He likes the tassels, but unlike his mother, he doesn’t want ONLY tassels. He’s a magpie. He wants shiny jingly things as well to feather his nest.
So I decided to make him a combination tassel/coin belt. It’s going to take some investment, as coins are not particularly inexpensive, but in the end I think it will be worth it. I’m currently playing with a couple of ideas, including chainette fringe instead of tassels, and all three: fringe, tassels AND coins! More is always better, right? (Have I mentioned that my favorite embroidery techniques come from the baroque era? {grin}). However, I think I’ll sideline the baroque for now, and start with working on a base — I’m thinking red and blue with shisha and chain-stitch embroidery patterns…
Step one: Measure kid’s hips.
Something tells me this isn’t going to be as easy as I first thought…
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