Building a Belly Dance Wardrobe
Written by Janie
and reviewed by Amaryllis S. Carter
Written by Janie
and reviewed by Amaryllis S. Carter
When I think back on all of the years that belly dance has been in my life, there are several memories that are simply priceless to me. One of those memories is my mom, sister and I sitting in the living room, surrounded by boxes full of notions, tins full of beads in every color, fabric cut outs and patterns. Colored thread and sequin adorning the carpet that never really came clean after several passes with the vacuum cleaner. Having been raised with a needle in my hand and a knowledgeable grasp of the sewing machine, I felt confident when creating my belly dance wardrobe - but not everyone is so lucky.
This book would have been a treasure for me when I started out. It has everything you need in order to begin your wardrobe and/or expand on the wardrobe you already have. Though basic sewing skills are beneficial, the instructions and easy to follow pictures can turn anyone into a seamstress, with good results to boot.
The book begins with a simple explanation of what you need in a costume and the importance of knowing about the creation of the costume. Following, is the section on Foundation Pieces - a terrific guide full of useful information and lots of great pictures. It breaks down everything from skirt variations to Cabaret and Tribal differentiations.
The book then gets to the meat of it by breaking down how to create the foundation pieces you just looked at. Lots of pictures to guide you step by step in the making process really help in visualizing what the project should look like at a specific point of the creation. The written instructions are well thought out and written with simple verbiage (which comes in handy to the sewing impaired). The section on bra coverage covers (no pun intended - really) using both a mesh coin application and vintage fringe application that works great for either beading or fabric. The book also covers everything from accent skirts to accessories that compliment any style of belly dance attire. The book is meant to help you put together all of the pieces you need, and it does accomplish that with the easy to follow steps.
All in all, the book is a well written manual to help create a unique and fabulous belly dance wardrobe that you can truly call your own. This is a great book for hobbyists that are looking to create or expand their growing BD closet (yes, eventually everyone in this dance does require one entire closet to house the ever growing collection), students looking to invest very little financially and get big results will also benefit from this book. Professionals looking to trim their costume budget and get a more custom look fitting their personalities, genre and style preferences will find this book very beneficial as well.
Janie Midgley, author of Building a Belly Dance Wardrobe, is a highly skilled seamstress and costume designer that has created costumes within every genre of belly dance for over 35 years. She also sells her creations at http://www.designsbyjanie.com. She also teaches costuming in her home and in workshops around the country.