Bellydance costumes in the SCA

What with event season rapidly approaching, I'm looking at my garb closet wondering "what can I let slide for another year?" I've got 14 years of costumes in various states of disrepair, and the LAST thing I want is a wardrobe malfunction in the middle of a Friday night hafla at Outlandish. Especially with all those cellphone cameras now...yeah, that's just what I need. A nice internet scandal.

Times have changes since I started dancing. This old photo of Estrella War (I think from '95 or '96) shows me wearing a somewhat gypsy ensemble (and what I later found out to be a Turkish vest) and showing off my blindingly white belly. Good Lord. I could signal planes with that much reflective area. 'Tis a rare occasion to see that much skin on me now, so enjoy the photo.

Since hooking my camel up to the Darbuka train, I've learned what is and is not acceptable garb on the dance carpets. But I tell you now, to end all rumor, that I have never, nor will ever, wear chainmail or bunny fur garb. Not that it doesn't look lovely on the right lady (and I know the guys like it) but it's just not me.

If only there had been such research as the Origins of Oriental Dance for me to study, then my early attempts at sewing a ghawazee would not have been so laughable. There were scant few resources for dance garb when I started dancing, but the power of the internet has made this much easier today. All I can say is that I wish there had been someone to tell me how to make a dress form of myself. That would have certainly saved me some time and headaches. Thankfully, Atira's Fashions came along with their wonderful catalog of patterns to save me from further costuming catastrophes.

Even though 'tribal style' is not technically SCA period, it has some of the most beautiful dance styles and costumes! I have learned that a dancer can never have enough tassels! Tribe Designs and Zanbaka have some lovely belts to buy (or get ideas from) and Annabella.net has a great Choli page with pre-sized printable pattern pieces! I also suggest a visit to Desert Rain's Costume Page. There's a few PDF's with some very good instruction on creating simple garb like skirts and pants, as well as how to do turban wraps and tribal makeup.

Want to meet other SCA middle eastern dancers? Well, the obvious answer would be to show up at some events and start dancing! Or, take the information superhighway to the very active and informative SCA Middle Eastern Dance group on Tribe. It has over 500 members now, from all over the world!

I've got to go get my shimmy muscles in shape now, and figure out what I need to mend before event season. Time to get shakin'!

What Kind of Belly Dancer are You?

You are a Folkloric Belly Dancer! In fact, we can't even call you a belly dancer -- you prefer the term Raks Sharki or Oriental Danse. Your choreographies are spot on authentic and your costumes are the real deal. You wouldn't dream of doing a Saudi step in a Ghawazee dress. A card-carrying member of the ethnic police, you keep the rest of us in line -- the debke line, that is!
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Scrambled Ramblings

As I was not so gently reminded by one of my readers the other day, it has been WAAAY too long since I've posted anything of worth here, and I'm sorry for that.

Let's just say that working too much overtime, moving and settling into a new place will do that to you. Oh, and getting totally sucked in to HBO's Deadwood Seasons 1 & 2 DVDs. I've never liked westerns. Until now. It's Shakespeare with the most incredibly vulgar swearing. I'm totally hooked. But don't worry, I'm not going to run off and join another reenactment society! But to reenact the old west would be anachronistic indeed! Too bad I just can't get over the guns. I'd much rather fence.

Moving to Caerthe has lessened my commute to Caer Galen fencing practice to only 25 minutes! Not that I've been able to fence much lately, though. Oh, moving is SUCH a bother. Speaking of 'bother', did you know Winnie the Pooh got a star on the hollywood walk of fame? How cool is that?

I mostly feel like Eeyore right now, though.

Hopefully my mood will change with the coming weekend. I'm heading up to Unser Hafen for Luck of Heroes. I'll be bringing a couple of boxes of SCA stuff I want to sell. Not that I'm trying to compete with the auction.... OK, I am. But I'll give over an item or two for that. I'm not completely selfish.

On the horizon - I'm starting a couple of new and finishing up a few old sewing projects. So if you happen to be wandering around my new neighborhood and hear screaming, it's probably just me.

Other projects: An updated version of the Outlands Map by 20th year. Even though I can't make it to that event...but can I pull this one off? I sure hope they get cloning perfected soon. I'm going to need four of me this summer....

Speaking of summer, the camping event season officially opens for the summer at Grand Outlandish, and I really REALLY should go. The new site is apparently much better than the previous sand traps. And I've heard something about a ShadowStag party?

It's only SIX WEEKS AWAY. SIX.

Unless a bag of money falls out of the sky into my lap, I don't foresee this one working out. Maybe I'll get incredibly lucky and find a job in Denver. One that wouldn't mind me taking four days off right away. Sure.

And more time off for Glory. And that wedding that conflicts with 20th Year.

Yeah, and I'd like MORE time off for that free trip to Trimaris...I wonder if there's any good events to crash? Hmmm...Trimaris is the home of TheQuarter.org. Maybe a reconnaissance mission is in order??

The Dress

So if you don't appreciate costumes you should just skip this post.

Last night was Danse Macabre, an SCA event in the Outlands. Along with the great food competition, court dancing and costume contest, there was a silent auction of donated items to benefit the Red Cross disaster relief fund.
I've run a silent auction before and I know that there's usually some pretty cool stuff at SCA ones. So I investigate the 'back room,' looking for some trinket to buy myself for my birthday present.

There it was. The dress I've always wanted to make. The dress of my dreams. THE dress. Red, gold and black Elizabethan with full over and underskirt. Sleeves that reach the floor. Brocaded, beaded, embroidered and slashed, collectively. My GOD.

Every time I've seen women in the SCA wear this type of dress, I get a raging case of the covets. I have wanted one of these for about 10 years. And it is in my colors.

I put on the doublet. Fits like a glove. I can't look in the mirror. I knew it would be love at first sight. $25 opening bid? Sure. Here's $50, no hesitation. I know that I shouldn't be getting emotionally attached, but it's so hard...and all my friends are saying 'it looks like it was made just for you.' Sigh. I must...not...get...attached...

A young girl of about 17 was also very much interested in said dress. I decide to take a stand. My super-secret-ninja-information-gathering-cohort had determined that she had a much lower top price that she could afford to pay than I. And lucky me, I just got paid. If I'm going to wage war, I must know the defences and power of my opponent. Plus, she has a real bad poker face. I felt pretty confident.

I returned to the room a few times throughout the night to make sure no one else was going to jump into the war. I made it known to a few of my good friends that they should casually discourage people from bidding on the dress, with such comments as 'you know it's her birthday next week, and boy, she really loves that dress...'

Yes, I admit it. I played the birthday angle.

30 seconds before the auction ends, the girl looks at me and says "please." All I can say is, "I'm sorry. I will be mercenary about this." I gave her the look that meant business. I actually saw her heart break.

She did manage to sneak a bid in on another very beautiful blue dress, but had quite the display of disappointment anyway about losing THE dress to me. It's tough when two women are THAT much in love with the same dress. I imagined a catfight breaking out and I nearly got the giggles. Yeah, this post would have been all kinds of different if that had happened. I might have been writing it from jail.

Poor girl. I feel kind of bad for breaking her heart.

Ah, well. I'm sure she will remember this day, and hate me for it for quite some time. I understand because I have wanted things bad enough to taste them and have them ripped away right out from under me. I have even begged for such things myself, and lost. So I know the feeling intimately.

Poignant, actually.

I will be adding some buttons to this regal masterpiece, and lo and behold, not only will I have the most gorgeous Halloween outfit EVER, but an SCA outfit that would have taken me well over 200 hours of sewing time. Had I tried to make this myself, the beading, embroidering, slashing and fitting would have driven me straight into an insane asylum.

Now what did I have to cough up for such a dress? $105. This is approximately one quarter to one fifth of the actual value.

That's worth one broken heart to me.

Go ahead and call me a mercenary bitch. I'm certain I deserve at least that much. Probably more.

But when I die, I will wear this dress to hell.

Ladies: Want to go and sew by the river?

This is one for the ladies. I rarely pass on jokes, but I think this might appeal to some of us costumers...

One day when a seamstress was sewing while sitting next to a river, her thimble fell into the river. When she cried out, the Lord appeared and asked, "My dear child, why are you crying?"?

The seamstress replied that her thimble had fallen into the water and that she needed it to help her husband in making a living for their family.

The Lord dipped His hand into the water and pulled up a golden thimble ringed with pearls.
"Is this your thimble?" the Lord asked.

The seamstress replied, "No."

The Lord again dipped into the river again. He held out a silver thimble ringed with sapphires.
"Is this your thimble?" the Lord asked.

Again, the seamstress replied, "No."

The Lord reached down again and came up with a leather thimble.
"Is this your thimble?" the Lord asked.

The seamstress replied, "Yes."

The Lord was pleased with the woman's honesty and gave her all three thimbles to keep, and the seamstress went home happy.

Some years later, the seamstress was walking with her husband along the riverbank, and her husband fell into the river and disappeared under the water. When she cried out, the Lord again appeared and asked her, "Why are you crying?"

"Oh Lord, my husband has fallen into the river!"

The Lord went down into the water and came up with Antonio Banderas.
"Is this your husband?" the Lord asked.

"Yes," cried the seamstress.

The Lord was furious. "You lied! That is an untruth!"

The seamstress replied, "Oh, forgive me, my Lord. It is a misunderstanding. You see, if I had said 'no' to Antonio Banderas, then you would have come up with Colin Farrell. And if I said 'no' to him, you would have come up with my husband. Had I then said 'yes,' you would have given me all three. Lord, I'm not in the best of health and would not be able to take care of all three husbands, so THAT'S why I said 'yes' to Antonio Banderas!"

The moral of this story is: Whenever a woman lies, it's for a good and honorable reason, and in the best interest of others.

Margos Period Patterns

Here's another old review from last year...

Elizabethan costuming has been the bane of many costumers' existence for years, mostly for a lack of quality research. The major adjustments that most patterns require means you are pretty much re-doing it from scratch anyway. But wait - there's another way!

Margo's Patterns offers some amazing pattern packages for those of us crazy enough to wear late period. The Elizabethan Gentlemens' Wardrobe has doublets, shirts, sleeves, slops, breeches and enough pattern variations to keep you busy for weeks (or months if you sew like me). The Elizabethan Lady's Ensemble has even more to choose from.

Underpinnings, bodices, skirts and accessories, oh, my!

Want to know the BEST part? Of course you do.

This lady has seriously done her research. A quote from her site:

"Each pattern package comes with extensive instructions and documentation -- including detailed discussion of extant specimens, how they were made and worn, materials and techniques of the period, and the modern equivalents you can use to achieve the closest possible results."

Expensive? Yes. Totally worth it? Absolutely. Prices range from $22 - $70, but trust me, you'll never buy another late period pattern ever again.

Bring on the brocades, I'm chaining myself to my sewing machine for a year.

Also, check out this great book from Amazon.com...