Welcome to the Fall Issue
Fall in Reno is beautiful, I always
love the changing of the leaves and the Sunsets are even more spectacular.
I Fly with Butterfly Wings ....
Ever since Bill started making veils
or even thinking of making veils, he wanted to design butterfly wings. He
bought a picture book of butterflies and picked out the ones he liked. Well
at the end of summer we started work on the very first set. I cut
the wings to my height and shaped them to a wing that was easy to hem. As
Bill's seamstress and now his assistant (work keeps him away from dyeing
with long hours), I wanted to take it easy on myself. But Bill had
a vision of what he wanted so we recut and I rehemmed. Now they looked
like real Butterfly wings!! He worked on a sketch of how he wanted
to dye them, while I worked on a new costume to go with them.
They fasten at the neck and the wings fly as you dance.
They fasten at the neck and the wings fly as you dance.
I had been asked to dance at the Double
Crown Competition where I was also vending (for both Designs by Janie and
Veils by Bill) and Judging. Friday night I opened the show and wowed
the crowd. The wings were an instant hit!!! I did have a little
problem with my shoes, which I quickly got rid of. No one seemed to
notice the shoes, they were entranced by the wings. And of course all
those rhinestones decorating my purple velvet dress didn't hurt either.
Performing at Double Crown
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Performing at Double Crown
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A New Event in Reno
Saahira and her troupe Saahira's Sirens
came up with a wild event called the Raks Show. Everyone danced to alternative
music, no regular belly dance music allowed. I hadn't planned on dancing,
I was so busy working on my book. The girls would have none of that.
While I was vending at their class, they talked me into dancing. I
had danced earlier in the year to "Istanbul" and many of them had missed
it. So they said I had to perform it for the show. I said okay.
EEE GADS when was I going to find time to practice. Besides my
regular business, I was hard at work making the costume pieces for my "Costuming
on a Budget" book. Well I squeezed some time in, you can always find
time if you want to.
The day started off with Dawn Devine Brown teaching a workshop. I went and had a blast. So here we were that evening at the Manilla Gardens Restaurant. Dawn opened the show with the wildest, coolest dance to "Baby Get Back" I've ever seen. Most of the songs were Rock, some old and some new. Finally toward the end came my turn ... I had a ball! The audience loved it and so did I. Later I thought; I was the oldest dancer, I danced to a 40's song, and wore a dress .... but I did have my Goth nails (dark nail polish). And the best news from co-organizer Stacie, they are going to do it again next year!!!
It was that purple dress again with rhinestones swinging. The veil is Veils by Bill's "Nautilus".
Photo right by Dawn Devine Brown and Photo left by Lisa Fisher
Nautilus veil is for sale on my site and Bill's for $50.00.
Or Bill can make you one using three colors of your choice.
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The day started off with Dawn Devine Brown teaching a workshop. I went and had a blast. So here we were that evening at the Manilla Gardens Restaurant. Dawn opened the show with the wildest, coolest dance to "Baby Get Back" I've ever seen. Most of the songs were Rock, some old and some new. Finally toward the end came my turn ... I had a ball! The audience loved it and so did I. Later I thought; I was the oldest dancer, I danced to a 40's song, and wore a dress .... but I did have my Goth nails (dark nail polish). And the best news from co-organizer Stacie, they are going to do it again next year!!!
It was that purple dress again with rhinestones swinging. The veil is Veils by Bill's "Nautilus".
Photo right by Dawn Devine Brown and Photo left by Lisa Fisher
Nautilus veil is for sale on my site and Bill's for $50.00.
Or Bill can make you one using three colors of your choice.
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Dressing the Dancer Part 3
Need a costume in a hurry, but don't
have a lot of money? Try this. Take two matching rectangle scarves
from a Thrift store, sew them together leaving a hole for the neck and a
larger hole for the body. Leave the ends open. Put it on over
a pretty bra (this one was black satin) and you have a top. Match it
with a skirt or harems and all you need is a hip sash. Your jewelry
changes the look, coin necklace on the left and rhinestones (including a
tiara) on the right. Scarf top will be in the Costuming on a Budget
book and be for sale later. Jewelry is for sale now: rhinestones on
the Jewelry page and coin necklace on the sale page at
Designs by Janie.
This one takes no sewing at all. Take two matching
coin sashes, one for the top and one as a sash belt. Wrap the top one
from back to front, cross over and tie at the back of your neck. Arrange
the coins decoratively over a strapless bra (or not as you choose). A
pin worn at the crossover might give more security. Hip sash worn like
a hip sash. DUH. Add a skirt or harem pants and you are good
to go. I sell coin hip sashes for $30.00 each and have several matching
pairs available. They can be found on the Hip Sash page of
Designs by Janie
.
Bye, bye 2004 .... HELLO 2005!!