Lately, I’ve been getting more out of my belly dance classes; something finally clicked and I’m getting the hang of some of the basic moves, and in class–instead of twitching and looking like I’m having a seizure–I actually look pretty good, for a beginner.
So, my after-work-week-night project this past week was to decorate some old pants to make a low-cost belly dance outfit.
I wanted the pants to coordinate with a red and gold scarf with a flower motif I’ve had for many years; I drew the flower-shape from the scarf onto some paper, and traced the outline onto old rayon pants I got from Dharma Trading several years ago. Then, the pants were white; I dyed them light purple and wore them to work. When they got too shabby, I dyed them a darker purple to try and give them more life.
So here’s the starting point:
I traced the outline using a white pen with ink that easily washes off fabric; these are available at any fabric store:
Then, I gently squeezed Jones Foil Glue over the traced design:
The glue is sticky and takes 1–8 hours to dry. I glued the front of the pants one night, and the back the next:
Then, once dry, I took a sheet of Jones Tones Gold Foil and rubbed the foil–using the back of a spoon–over the glue. Presto, the glue is no longer sticky and tacky; it’s covered with gold foil. It looks cool!
I pinned my new pants up on my wall, with the scarf; this, plus a black sports-bra, is my new outfit. There’s no belly dance class for a few weeks, but when there is, I’ll get a photo of me in this outfit to prove I’m actually going to wear it!
I like those!
Claire; Good for you Don’t be shy.. I am sure you are doing just fine. It takes a lot of courage to get up and dance in front of people that you do not know . .Keep up the good work and in another month you will have everything down pat, just in time for Port Kirwan Come Home Celebrations Looking forward to seeing you Belly Dance in Newfoundland..You have one month .from tomorrow to practice.
Denis,
I’m not shy, but I’m also not that good at belly dance, yet; so my self-deprecating comments are based on reality, with the unstated belief that with practice, I have good odds of actually improving. I’m just a beginner. I don’t know if I’ll have much to offer belly dance-wise when I’m in Newfoundland next month, but, who knows? I’ll put a hip scarf in my carry-on bag just in case.
Looking forward to seeing you in just under 4 weeks time!
Clare