Welcome!
In the summer of 2010 I took my first belly dance class, and it changed my life. I know this sounds trite, but trust me, it’s exactly how it was. Maybe one day I will be ready to discuss the reasons behind this assertion – I am not comfortable making them public at this time – but doing this has increased my physical and psychological well being. A lot.
Belly dancing also brought a “permission” to be girly and feel pretty. Sadly, it also brought home the problem that a lot of plus sizes experience whenever they want to feel girly and pretty, regarding the options for clothes. Actually from anything, starting with finding the appropriate comfortable class wear, to purchasing my first costumes, limited availability, unflattering styles… Typical as this might be for plus size clothing buying, I was determined to not let it bug me this time. I had sewn for a while, and instead of wringing my hands up in despair, I decided I would try to do things myself. I started tracking down books, blogs, techniques and patterns, and soon enough I found myself working from what I had and creating new items for myself.
I also found myself at the receiving end of lots of questions in terms of what to do, how, why, fabrics, how to alter patterns, etc, and since I started teaching – not regularly at this time, granted – I also thought it would be a good idea to try to compile this information, and write down my experiences.
I will be focusing mostly on costume design and creation, fabrics and practicalities. I will also try to give reviews on items, patterns and vendors I’ve used, gigs, makeup, etc. There will be, hopefully, a lot of “how to…” since I like making things.
So join me, and hope you enjoy your stay!