Categories
Costuming DIY Design General

March News and Notes from Studio Davina

Hello gang! Because there is currently so much happening here in my studio, I thought I would take a moment to let you all know what’s going on during the month of March, 2017.

“Free Shipping February” Etsy sale extended to March 5

I’m extending the February Sale on my Etsy store until Sunday March 5.  It’s “Free Shipping February” on all books and patterns on my store.  I very quickly ran out of my latest book, Zills: Music on Your Fingertips that I put together with photographer Alisha Westerfeld and Illustrator George Goncalves.   We ordered another batch and have restocked.  If you visited my store during my sale in the middle of February and was hoping to pick up a copy, we they are back in stock!  There are still a few patterns left, and the rest of my book collection as well.  Check out the sale on Etsy.

Lavander Costume on Instagram

Since I’m currently taking a break before diving into my next major book project, I’ve re-opened Studio Davina to work on some costuming for my ongoing clients who have been clamoring for new designs. Throughout the month of March and April, I’ll be working on some non-assiut ensembles.  It’s such a pleasure to be working with soft luxurious fabrics like this frosted lavender stretch velvet.

I am making this lavender bedlah set and matching dress during the first two weeks of march.  This is a “Use Your Stash” challenge project, and more than 90% of the garment was pulled from my closet!  If you are interested in following the progress of this costume, join me on Instagram for photos as I work.

When this costume is all done, I’ll share some of the in progress photos and the finished garment in a future blog post. If you are interested in following the progress of this costume as it unfolds, join me on Instagram for photos of the costume as I work. When it’s all done, I’ll share some of the in progress photos and the finished garment in a future blog post.  Here’s a link to my Instagram feed to take a peek.

April Showers bring Assiut Hair Flowers

While this may not come as a huge surprise if you’ve been following my blog post for quite some time, but I have a LOT of scraps of assiut cloth.  Over the next two months, I’ll be slowly working on transforming these abundant scraps into a garden of assiut hair flowers.  As I work on these little confections, I’ll be taking pictures to create a DIY post about how I use these small pieces to create lovely hair accessories.  I’ll be taking them to one of my favorite local events, Bay Area Belly hosted by Sudeep on Sunday, May 7 at Angelica’s Bistro in Redwood City.  I’ll be sharing a booth there with my co-author Sara Shrapnell, and we’ll have our book stall set up to view our books in person, and pick up a signed copy.

Of course, if you are not in the Bay Area, I’ll be adding a collection of these assiut hair flowers to my Etsy store in April once I’ve constructed a pile of them!

I’m grateful to be busy, to have dancers who enjoy wearing my designs,
and for having the opportunity to share my love for costuming and dance with you. 

Dawn Devine ~ Davina
March 2, 2017

 

Categories
General Publications

The Evolution of Finger Cymbals & Book Giveaway

Hello Gang!

This weekend I’ve teamed up with Phoenix area belly dancer Mahin for a fun give away.  throughout the month of February, Mahin has been celebrating “Zill Month”  To help her finish the month off in style, we’ve teamed up to do a book giveaway.

The Evolution of Finger Cymbals – Guest post on Mahin’s She’s Got Hips Website

If you haven’t gotten a copy of my latest book Zills: Music on Your Fingertips, or love it and would like to try winning a copy for a friend or family member, visit my guest blog post on Mahin’s site.  The link to enter the contest is at the end.  Three winners will be selected via random number generator.

The winners will be selected on Monday, Feb. 26 and will be notified by Mahin via email.

The Evolution of Finger Cymbals traces the 3000+ year history of our favorite musical instruments.  I take the reader on a historic journey starting with the game-changing technological advance of metallurgy and the discovery of copper smelting.  Through each moment of human advancement in metal sciences, people have made finger cymbals.  If you are interested in finding out what the numbers next to these six zills mean, check out the article here.

Of course, if you just want to pick up a copy of my Zills book, you can grab a copy over on Amazon or on my Etsy store.

I hope you enjoy this article – and I wish you all best of luck in this virtual drawing!

Dawn Devine ~ Davina
Feb. 24, 2017

Categories
Assiut/Assuit Belly Dance Costuming DIY General Publications

Blast from the Past: Costumer’s Notes Magazine

Memories – Oh how time flies when you’re having fun! After my co-author Alisha Westerfeld and I finished up with my book “The Cloth of Egypt: All About Assiut,” we had a great big party!  We also launched a beautiful “behind the scenes” full-color magazine, entitled “Costumer’s Notes: Behind the Seams – The Making of Cloth of Egypt.”    This magazine is free to view and read on the Issuu website.  In addition, Issuu has recently let us know that you can also print it on demand too!  If you like the way it looks and you want a copy for your own bookshelf and reference library, just follow the link on the Issuu website and you can a copy of your own!

My team of collaborators, photographer Alisha Westerfeld and Author Sara Shrapnell and I are contemplating releasing another magazine. We’re taking a long look at this publication and brainstorming what we would like to do next. In the next few weeks, we will be having a series of meetings, and with luck, will be formulating a plan of action to bring another beautiful, informative, full-color digital magazine devoted to our favorite subject, belly dance, to the Issuu website.

In the meantime, take a peek at our last digital magazine! If you like assiut, you will love flipping through the pages. I’m off to brainstorm!

I’m eager to see what happens in 2017!
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
Feb. 13, 2017

Categories
Assiut/Assuit Costuming DIY General

High Speed Design – Pinning on Applique

Throughout the month of January, I’ve been working on enhancing my workspace by installing lights and a camera mount over the table to shoot still shots and video from above.  My mission for 2017 is to make video instructionals and digital workshops. My goal is to “show not tell,” and take the content that currently exists in my book, and demonstrate the key concepts in more real-time ways.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve used this bra as my “sample” and have shot probably 20 hours of video of the process of making this bra.  I pinned.  Then I unpinned.  I shot.  Then I reshot.  Making this the most “expensive” bra, in terms of labor, that I’ve ever made!  Figuring out an ideal height for the camera and the amount of light needed were the two biggest technical hurdles.  However, THE most difficult part is learning to keep my hands and the costume in the frame.

So this is my first video of me in the process of designing an assiut bra.  Over the next few weeks, I’ll have more clips of this bra under construction right up to the finished product.  While I am positive these videos will be a little rough around the edges, I hope you enjoy them!  And now, I’m off to sew – which has now become code for – “make a video!”

To 2017 Goals in Dance and Costuming!
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
February 6, 2017

Categories
Belly Dance Costuming DIY General

Etsy Store – Pattern Sale & Free Shipping Feb 2017

Davina aka Dawn Devine with Lynette Harris, Editor of the Gilded Serpent Magazine and Miles Copeland Impresario of Belly Dance Super Stars.For more than 15 years, I lived the vendor life. Traveling to events, setting up my books and selling other items at belly dance shows along the West Coast, from Portland to San Diego and as far east as Las Vegas. The travel was exciting!  I met a lot of wonderful people, had some great travel experiences, and sold a lot of books and patterns. It was fun and hard work, but I had a blast!

Right: Me hanging out with Lynette Harris of Gilded Serpent and Miles Copeland of Belly Dance Superstars at MECDA’s Cairo Caravan on the Queen Mary, 2013.

To round out my product line, I carried a selection of patterns by the likes of Madame X, Tempest, and selected items from the Caravan Collection from Folkwear.  Many costumers enjoy the ease of grabbing a pattern, cutting it out, and making a beautiful garment.  Although my books are great guides for making costumes from taking measurements to stepping on the stage, I’m frequently asked for recommendations on patterns to simplify the process.

Davina's Book Rack c. 2005However, at some point, I misplaced my pattern bucket!  It somehow got dropped into a box and put into a closet, unlabelled, unloved and completely forgotten. I still do local events, but over the past few years, I have only taken books and accessories.  So in January, when I was doing a “New Year, New Me” themed “clean up,” I located my old pattern bin.

Left: The Ibexa Press book rack c. 2005.  I had just added the Tempest Corset Belt to my collection.

But the truth of the matter is I’ve drastically scaled back my vending activities, and only participate in single-day, local events and take a more scaled down booth.  Easy to set up and tear down, and perfect for tucking into small spaces.  I enjoy having a place where people can stop by and say hi, check out my latest books and show me their latest costume creations!   But these days, my book line is so expanded, that I don’t really have space for patterns on my rack.

Right: Dawn Devine ~ Davina and Author/Teacher/Performer Sara Shrapnell at Sudeep’s Bay Area Belly, 2015.

Since I wrote off these patterns years ago, I’ve decided to sell all the patterns and booklets found in my “pattern bucket” at wholesale or less!  So, to facilitate this sale, I’m loading all the items onto my etsy store and offering my usual Free Shipping in February sale.  So if you’re in the market for a belly dance costume pattern, check out this sale!

Now, for the rest of the day, I’ll be uploading patterns to my Etsy store.  A perfect activity for a rainy winter afternoon!  If you’re planning your costume projects for 2017 or just want to window shop some cool belly dance patterns, click on the banner above and it will take you right to my shop!  If you have any questions about the patterns – use the etsy messaging system to drop me a line and I will get back to you in a jiffy!

Happy Costuming in 2017!
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
Feb. 1, 2017