Studio Davina

Wawak Sewing Supplies Co. Catalog

The Wawak Catalog was the brainchild of Frank Wawak early in the 20th century. A professional tailor, Frank, wanted to offer supplies to other tailors.  He opened his first store in 1907, serving his neighborhood in Chicago, and later, via a mail-order catalog, to the world.

Since Joann Fabrics closed its doors more than a year ago, I’ve had many requests to share alternative sources.

Many designers are searching for places to pick up all the materials and supplies costumers need to build beautiful handcrafted dancewear.

Wawak carries many of my favorite brands, from cutting tools and pattern-making equipment to small supplies like thimbles, needles, and pins.

Perhaps I’m a little “Old School” and really love having a printed catalog to thumb through.  So I recently requested an updated catalog.  But you can find all of their tools and supplies on their website.

Follow this link, check out their website.  This is not a sponsored advert, just me sharing the source.

Happy Costuming, 
Dawn Devine ~ Davina

PS: The Mini-Magazine is bigger and better than ever!  If you’re looking for more sources for costuming materials and supplies, be sure to sign up for my newsletter.

Showgirl red lipsticks are a mainstay and staple of the belly dancer’s makeup arsenal. This spring, I’ve chosen to clean up and declutter my lipstick collection. When I pulled out all the bullets and tubes, I found I had way more than I could use up.  But worse, I realized that my favorite liquid lipstick had dried up and turned clumpy.

I had to toss her into the trash!

Lipsticks generally have a 2-year lifespan

In fact, over the past four years, I’ve only been using one signature lipstick, and all the rest have gone off.  Some have a strong Play-Doh odor, others show visible mold, and ucky oil separation.  I’m not putting these spoiled products anywhere near my face.

Throwing out seven fantastic, but funky, lipsticks has led me to a key realization. For my lifestyle and dance calendar, I only need two lipsticks – one for my daily bag, and one for stagewear in my makeup kit.

Red Lipstick Top Three

While I would love to splash out on a Mac “Russian Red,” the OG in my book, I’m making my replenishment purchases at Ulta – but on the drugstore side.

It’s important to note that some dancers consider the shade “Ruby Woo” to be the best showgirl red, making it their OG MAC lipstick.  The beauty of going to a MAC store is you can try on the lipsticks and find the one with the best undertone for your particular skin.  For reference, I live in a fair desaturated blue-olive skin.

For my daily bag, I’m investing in a classic bullet-style lipstick from Revlon.  In the past, I’ve worn “Cherries in the Snow” and “Fire and Ice.”  But for this season, I’m going for the slightly deeper color “Uncut Ruby.”  I find I need red lipstick less for performing, but more for going to see performances.

For stage, I’m investing in a fresh tube of Maybelline Superstay in the color “Pioneer”. This is the lippy that I’ve gotten the most consistent questions about. You know it looks good when people walk up and ask what makeup brand and color you have on.

I would splash out on a tube of  MAC “Russian Red.” However, the economy is trash, and I’m balling on a budget.  So a new MAC lipstick is just not in the cards for this year.

It’s spring, so why not sort through the old makeup bag, box, or steamer trunk?  Now is a great time to remove any expired lipsticks and replenish and refresh your supply.

Next items up for spring edit, my biggest category: Eyeshadow!

Dawn Devine
April, 2026

What is a “Dina-Styled Bra?”

You might find yourself in a situation where you’ve bought a used costume, take out the lining and discover there’s something missing underneath. 

You take out the lining, take out the padding, and you’re left with a a pair of thick round dome-shaped or bowl-like buckram cups. Transforming, redesigning or even refitting a Dina bra is difficult and daunting project. 

One of my long-time costume collaborators Azura, sent me this photo and I thought this would be a straightforward “alter and fit” project.

What I could see from the photo is that the band and straps were too stretchy to offer good support for her bust.  The straps and band were also an odd and clashing color choice that didn’t flatter her skin or match the costume.

However, from this angle, I couldn’t see the full cup shape. This was, in fact, a dreaded Dina Bra style base.  Dina style bras have distinctive circular-shaped cups with a very thin connector, low on the bra. 

Dina Bras are designed for enhanced bustlines that require less structural support.  This style is not designed to carry the weight and provide security for dancers with large natural bustlines. It provides coverage for a large bustline but without the shaping of a traditional bra.

Altering a Dina Style bra

After tackling several bras of this style, I find the easiest approach is to use a good-fitting and supportive strapless style bra as a base support and apply the Dina Bra to the top of it.

This new bra base should roughly follow the contours of the Dina bra. Just keep in mind that a commercial lingerie bra base might require a thicker center gore.  If your center gore needs to be thicker, go with what you need for support and use surface embellishments to mask any differences.

 

Note: Bra prices vary radically. You might already have a strapless in your collection that you can repurpose.  Put out a call to your friends in dance and your local community to see if you can source a pre-loved bra to save some cash.  These three examples are for illustrative purposes, but if you choose to use one of my Amazon links, thank you!

But how do you sew a Dina Bra?

I tend to use a hand-sewing technique with a heavy-duty needle, a metal thimble, and a pair of pliers.  It’s helpful to have a clamp to hold the bra in place while I work with both hands. 

If I have a bra with no embellishments at the outer edges, I will use my sewing machine.  This is my preferred method, but one that is out of reach for this particular project.  

Once the collaborator has acquired a new bra base, I will resume work on this tricky project.  Watch for an update later in the year.

Now off to have another costuming adventure!
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
March 2026