Making a Bedlah vii

Now I'm well on the way to making the belt.  It's quite a fiddly design with the silver ruching drape, so it's taken quite a bit of pinning and pressing to get it to this point.

The back of the belt is still 'under development'. I'm redesigning it a little, trying to get a deeper dip and raising the sides up a bit higher, so that at the front I can create more of a dip. Initially I'd thought I'd only dip at the back and come around up higher in the front, but I liked the lines across the hips better this way.

This is before I started to pin the pleating down - I'd originally just stitched the pleats every 10 cm or so, but had to unpick several of them so I could drape the back.  I have pressed them, which in retrospect I don't think I should have.  So I'll have to wet them a little and steam them into ruching rather than pleating.

This shows you how I pinned the ruching so that it fits  - stretching it out for the dip, then bringing them in tight over the hip.  I've now stitched underneath and along each fold (so you can't see the stitching) to hold the ruching in place.  It's not usual to do this with ruching, but given that they're really more like soft pleats, it holds them in place better.

Detail of the pinning.  Don't do this unless you're feeling particularly picky!  If I was doing this again I'd probably revert to the old gathering stitching and forget about the pleating - but hey, what's a little time spent doing something you enjoy?!

Making a Bedlah vi

The bra is 90% finished now, so before I completely finish it I'm moving onto the skirt and belt.  The reason I'm not quite finishing the bra is that I may want to change something after I've designed the belt, so it's in my best interests to leave some unfinished ends.  But how I'd change it I do not know!

Anyway, the skirt is a straight skirt with a slightly dipped and flared back hem and slightly raised and definitely split front.  It's white velvet (a teeny bit see-thru much to Manly Jack's disgust!) so I'll need to wear skintone knickers underneath or maybe line it.  I haven't completed the stitching because I'm not entirely sure whether I'll attach the belt to it or have the belt separate. It's a bit more versatile to have a skirt that can be worn alone, but given that I'm putting silver on it, I doubt I'll wear it with much else.  I'm not really a silver girl - gimme gold!!

The belt is shaped, and is constructed fairly lightly because I'm not adding a lot of heavy beading to it.  You'll see the shape below, but what I've done is used a darker grey fabric and layered the sequinned mesh on top.  This is to match the bra, and yes, I'll be adding more silver drape to it!

This shot illustrates the bra front and the skirt and belt - my infamous duct tape dummy! Made with much hilarity by my ever-patient Manly Jack.  He did enjoy the process of layering duct tape and smoothing it across my torso...perhaps a little too much?

Anyway, although it's a bit larger than I am, it works really well when I'm designing 'in the round'.  It means I can adjust fit easily and accommodate my rather sway back and generous hips!

I'm really pleased with the bra, especially now that I've added the front sparkle drape to it.  The belt will have a similar amount of sparklies too, although I'm not yet sure how I'm going to do the drape.  I'd thought the front would be a little wider but when I actually draped it on, if it had been wider I would have looked shorter - and I need no help with that!

You can see the back of the skirt and belt here. 
To construct the belt, I simply draped the fabric around the dummy and pinned it.  Then I drew a line on the fabric to form the shape I wanted, then cut it.  I did pin the fabric to the skirt at side seams, centre back and where the split is slightly to the left in the front. 

Then I unpinned the belt fabric and folded it to make sure it was symmetrical (and by golly it was, I do not know how!), so I cut the first layer out, then a further one to act as the lining, and finally another out of the sequinned fabric to form the top.  Do not cut out sequinned fabric with your GOOD sewing shears - they will be blunted in an instant!  And you'll need to vacuum up all the bits after you've cut that fabric because each time you cut across a sequin the half that's been cut falls off, littering the floor with sparklies.


I then pinned and stitched the belt, leaving one end unstitched and a gap along the bottom big enough to pull the thing through.  In these pictures I haven't yet got around to ironing it, which is my next step - then it will be time to position the silver draping!  Don't hold your breath - it could be a wee while before the silver gets done, but eventually I'll post it on here.

Making a Bedlah v

After a break of a bit longer than I intended, I've started back on this bedlah.
I've now attached the ruched front which will extend into a halter-style strap.  Actually it's not truly ruched, it's more pleated, and this was a bit unintentional - I did originally intend to ruch, but once I started to pleat it I really liked the effect, so it's here to stay. This is one of the joys of sewing - while I might start with an idea, it rarely ends up the way I first envisage! 

To recap, this is a long piece of fabric, attached at the top by turning under a small hem and blind stitching so the stitches don't show.  Then I pleated the fabric into several pleats by pinning it, then ran running stitches through the folded layers working from the back (underside) of the bra and making sure the stitches didn't show through on the front.  I made about four sets of stitching to anchor the pleats in place, making sure the whole piece draped around the shape of the bra.  If you just pin it on without following the curve it will look strange as you bring the gathered/pleated straps up into a halter style.

 

This photo shows the stitching at the bottom of the ruching.  I haven't completed the straps, so this is just held together with a pin.

 

 

A better shot of the under-cup part - if you look closely to the left of the shot, and then again in the middle, you can just spot the rows of stitching that hold the pleats in place.

Completed ruching - I ran about four rows quite close together in the middle, underneath the bling.  BTW the bling thing started life as a ring from one of those costume jewellery stores.  Manly Jack was kind enough to hacksaw the ring part off (and off two other pieces that will end up in a similar way!) so I then stitched it on.  To make it more secure I could put some fabric glue or gem glue on it, but it seems to be OK with two rounds of very tiny stitches looped around the diamante anchors.

I'm now going to add in some more beading and sequins along both the top and the bottom of the ruched area.  This will just define it a bit more and save me from doing too much to the sequinned fabric of the top half of the bra.  I'm not yet sure about adding any dangly bits to the bottom of the bra.  I originally wanted to, but now I'm not so sure.  It always looks great when you shimmy, but I'm just not sure what I want to do.  I have another couple of bling earrings I can hang in the centre which would look quite cool - so stay tuned and see what I end up doing!

Making a Bedlah iv

Well...being slightly adventurous, I decided to bead the neckline to give it more vavoom (if that's the word!) - definitely more sparkle. I knew it would take a while, but I've been pleasantly surprised at how quickly it has taken to get it done. That's what happens when TV is boring!
Only two shots of it so far, but more will get done today.

The beading is one sequin, one 4mm bead, and five seed beads, on a diagonal across the top of the neckline.  Spacing each one has taken a little trial and error, and I even started to mark in little dots as an aid, until I found I was able to judge it by eye.  It's not so much the distance from each other, more how far to go through on the other side.  You can see some detail in this shot.

And in this shot you get a bit of an idea of how the whole neckline will look.

I'm really pleased with the way the sequins sparkle with the small bead on top.  Tell you what though, picking those tiny seed beads up is a task fraught with fear - I am sure I'll upend my wee tray (a child's paint mixing tray) and lose the lot down between the arms of my chair!  You also need fingernails and handcream.  I find the sequins get a lot of static on them, and it's difficult to separate them so you only pick up one, while the nails are good for selecting just one seed bead!

Making a Bedlah iii

Several shots of how I covered the bottom half of the bra and strap, and a detail of the beading.
Stitching the covering on the front was a real fiddle, and I know I said it wasn't going to be too tidy, but in fact I lied and ended up stitching it almost invisibly. It was tricky to get the sides the same because I'd stretched and pulled on it to get a nice curve - but it's done now after several needle-stabs to the fingers.

I've tidied up the ends as shown above, but not finished them because I'm going to have to try the whole thing on to ensure the straps are adjusted and when I add the shoulder straps on.
Here's the front, to show you how the stitching on the curve went.




It's not critical to have this stitched so neatly, because I'm covering it with ruching anyway, but it's always nice to have it neat so that if I change my mind I don't have to re-do that area. I may yet put a line of beads along here to give the dividing line more szoosh.



Once again I gave into temptation and did some more beading on the front. I finished (well, maybe...) the sequinned area and added some 6mm and 4mm beads scattered over it, plus some beads that look like rice grains, to try and give some direction to the starburst effect. I'm really pleased with the effect of the silver and iridescent sequins, it's bright and shiny and will glitter well under lights.




This is just a quick shot to show how I've done the sequins - two sequins and a seed bead on top. The thread goes up through all three, then leaves the seed bead and goes back in through the sequins, holding the whole lot tight. It's a good way to hide the thread, and it adds lots of sparkle.

Making a Bedlah ii

Yesterday I showed you the start of covering a bra for my new silver bedlah. Today I've progressed just a little further with covering the lower part of the bra and the back, and started the beading on the front.I reinforce, and stabilise the strap with grosgrain ribbon. (NB this is pronounced 'growgrain'!). I'll machine stitch this into place before covering it with the silver fabric (that is underneath the bra in this shot).
Turning the bra over, I pin this to cover the lower half of the bra and the strap. I'll hand-stitch this, but because most of the upper portion of this silver fabric will be covered with ruching, I'm not going to be too fussy with the stitching....and because one of my favourite parts of making a bra and belt is doing the beading, I couldn't wait and started to bead the front. You can't see this very well in this shot below, but I've used two sequins - a silver one on the bottom, and an iridescent one on top, and an iridescent seed bead on top to finish it. I'm aiming for a starburst effect, and don't worry - there will be much more beading than this by the time I'm finished!

Making a Bedlah

A bedlah is only one of several costumes used in Middle Eastern Dancing, but it's one of the most recognisable. I'm going to show you the steps I've taken to cover a bra and make a belt and skirt.
I've spent some time reviewing some of the designs, but what I start with and what I end up with is a little unknown!

Firstly, I choose a well-fitting bra that has moulded cups (that is, they support themselves and retain their shape when you lie them down). In this case I've used a strapless bra, but if you do use a bra with straps, mostly you'll need to remove the straps and replace them with straps with no stretch.
I've sketched several designs, but as I mentioned, I'm open to what happens as I start to play with the fabric.

There will be two different skirts for this costume. A white velvet slim-fitting trumpet-shaped one (velvet not shown), and a swirl skirt with alternating mauve and silver stretch-dot fabric (the piece on the far left, and the second from right).

I've used dark silver fabric to act as an underlayer for the top half of the bra. This will be overlaid with the silver sequinned mesh fabric (on the right in the picture above).

I've used a rough square of fabric, pinning it to the bra and taking in two darts to help shape the fabric. I've then stitched along the edge, and over the dart, to flatten and secure this layer.


Next I laid the silver sequin mesh over, and stitched it down. Because the mesh is a little stretchy, I've tortured it a little and pulled it into shape, as well as taking tiny tucks along the bottom edge to help it fit the bra shape.

You can see how I've chosen the selvedged edge to reduce the number of sequins I have to remove to make the inside of the bra just a little more comfortable. I'll be lining it, and using silver satin bias binding to ensure there are no irritating scratchy bits.














Here's a final close-up of the stitching on the front of this layer, where you can see the small tucks I've taken.













I'll post more when I've done the next part of this bra. There will be loads of beading, a central detail, and ruching that will be echoed on the belt as well.

Skeletal remains for ewe...

I cannot resist a pun!!!
Spotted on a hillside overlooking Christchurch, this poor old ewe expired some time ago. I processed this shot in a Dragan style - I am such a fan!!

Skies in the evening...

Aaaaahhh! the end of a long, hot day - and the sky is glowing. Got to be a wonderful thing...
Don't forget my blog for health professionals!

A new take on a classic kiwi image

Aaaaahhh! the koru, symbol of growth - draganised. Andriez Dragan developed this particular style of photography for portraits - but wow, it makes a stunning impact on certain other images, especially where a gritty or textured surface needs to be emphasised to evoke a mood.

If you're visiting here - take a minute to visit my HealthSkills blog href="http://healthskills.wordpress.com/ - a place for health professionals to find resources and commentary on therapies to help people with chronic pain (and other chronic illnesses) live life well.

Dandelion

Hey! Dandelions are wonderful - not particularly if you like a weed-free lawn, but there is something about their cheerful proliferation, that yellow starburst, and the wonderful fluffy seedhead. Just gorgeous, and one of the things that remains of childhood wonder years and years after...!

Coming soon: a new blog for health care providers - Healthskills for healthy living! Details soon...

Simple

Some things need no further description...

beauty

Ahhh! She's beautiful...
I had to share this shot of my lovely daughter, she's gorgeous!

Kiwi architecture

Now something kiwi's are not known for is their architecture. Being pragmatists (and probably calvinists) early settlers built basic boxes. Made of timber usually, because it was portable, probably local, and relatively easy to manufacture.
Four walls, a roof. Possibly one or two windows. A door.
Not much more!
And definitely no insulation, central heating, not much in the way of creature comforts, not even built towards the sun!

But there is something quintessential about the kiwi building. It works. And it ages well - even decades after it was first built!

This example apparently was used as committee rooms for the local Roading Board, which is why it survived when others didn't. When going inside, the building consists of two rooms, one with an old coal or wood range, two windows and nothing much else. The other room had one window - and nothing else.

From the outside, someone had cared enough to plant a tree - and now it seems it's a photographer's playground. Wonderful light, textures, colours - and a view that can't be beaten!!

This is located on the road towards Lake Coleridge, Canterbury.

Seeing when you look

It's been said so often that it's probably a truism that once a person has a camera, all of a sudden everything they see is a photograph. With the lack of limits of a digital camera it's oh so easy to snap away without having to spend time on an image.
It was so different when 24 little exposures was all that was available - I can get 250 something on my 2GB card!! And some of them are even worth keeping! I don't know, but I think my 'hit rate' is much better with digital, or is it that I've learned to take risks and be creative?

I'm not sure of the process that happens when I've got my camera out, but something switches on and suddenly what I am looking at becomes something else. All colours and angles and textures...
I love this process - the little motifs, the scenes, that moment, that story, NOW that happens...now that's zen...

And for me it doesn't stop then either - going back home, downloading (like Christmas goodies!), then spending time pondering and considering and playing with that image to bring out what it can say. Often the end image says something completely different from what it communicated the moment I released the shutter.
The time spent doing this is totally meditative for me - no words, no rules, just appreciating tone, colour, texture and form.
That's seeing when you look.

old things

I love the old kiwi farming buildings... here is a shot of an old brick woolshed, still partially in use, but long past its heyday. Gorgeous old building, and for NZ, quite rare, as it's not wooden but brick, and the bricks were made in the nearby township of Glentunnel or Windwhistle (sorry can't remember which one!!).

Really sexist cartoons

Barbed wire

There is something about barbed wire. I'm not sure what it is, but it makes an incredible photographic subject! I love the fluid lines, and the rust and the way it's wrapped around all sorts of places in the New Zealand countryside. I'm not so keen on it in the city, it seems cruel and out of place. Even in the country it seems to be one of those things that is ubiquitous but not quite 'right'. An attempt by humans to capture or tame or entrap the natural environment - but for photographs? Stunning!

Serenity and poise

I am not known for serenity and detachment - I think I'm one of the world's more reactive people! I like to BE in the moment and feel and express my emotions.
To touch another person with my passion -
To be fully present - involved

While I love the concept of zen and simplicity and maintaining eternal poise and serenity, I think I am more like a willow whip or bamboo or even silk, something that moves and bends and gets energised by things.

To remain detached must I think mean a loss of involvement somehow.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but even while I'm taking photographs, something of the moment must touch me - my emotions are engaged, my sense of who I am is heightened by recognising the element in that particular scene that touched something of me.

Resilience, wellness, balance and flexibility

I'm embarking on a study of people who experience persistent pain, but live 'well'. This is somewhat ironic given that I'm still working through a rehabilitation process relating to my post-concussion syndrome dating from the end of February this year!

As I ponder what defines a person who is 'well', a number of concepts keep coming up - relevant to me as well as to the people I work with each day.

What is 'resilience'? Is it the ability to withstand problems as they occur each day? Weathering the normal daily troubles without being bothered by them? Is resilience about being 'rock-like', stable, enduring despite the odds, 'keeping the faith'?
The people around me who seem 'well' don't seem all that rock-like! Instead they seem to flow along with troubles - choosing when to bend and sway, and when to hold steady, developing and growing flexibly as events happen and then pass. Is resilience then about being flexible?
Is being 'well' about the ability to choose when to balance resistance with acceptance? Is resilience about knowing that 'I' still am despite changing my goals, my choices, my actions, but holding on to my values?

I work daily with people seeking help to live despite having persistent pain. Their pain invades everything in their lives - they tell me 'I just want to have 'me' back!'

Traditional medical management has focused on reducing pain - so that 'normal' is available again. For many this works but equally many can't achieve pain relief despite the best efforts of the health care team.
Traditional pain management has focused on helping people develop coping skills - withstanding the onslaught of pain by 'resisting', 'coping', 'doing despite'. Cognitive therapy teaches people to 'challenge' their 'maladaptive' thinking.
What if their thinking reflects reality? What if their pain is unexpected? If their pain means they can't think straight? If they can no longer work in the manual work they love?

Recently 'acceptance' has become a popularised concept - meaning instead of fighting against pain, people choose to live to their important values.
This requires looking at how we go about activities differently. How can we live according to important values despite having limitations as to how much we can do at any one time?

Now this doesn't seem any different from what all of us do - none of us can do 'everything', we all have 'limitations', and we all make choices about what values and goals are important.

In a round-about way I guess I’m thinking that learning to be flexible about what we do, provided that we live in line with the ‘compass’ of our values may lead us to become resilient. Hopefully less judgmental of ourselves and others, more tolerant of ambiguity, more able to be appreciated for who we are rather than what we do.

Resilience requires flexibility and balance, a delicate dance of wellness.