Crafting the kit

POW!

Source: Photos by Ian Woodward at the Hooded Lens

Today's story starts on August Bank Holiday weekend. On the Sunday the Severn Sisters Tribal Belly Dance group, of which I belong, took part in the Big Busk in Shrewsbury as part of the Shrewsbury Folk Festival. It was a mammoth day of dancing every hour from 11am to 5pm. OOOh my arms!

People love our dancing, tenacity and of course the outfits. See more outfits here. I made my own but I am not alone, many others in the group craft their way to an amazing outfit adding trinkets, bits and bobs, swingy things and coins. My skirt is two charity shop finds, one cut in half and inserted into the other one to get a really swishy gypsy skirt.

However, a full day of jiggling about shook some of my kit to pieces.

My headdress band broke, my crochet scarf at the back got snagged too many times on the coins and the crochet halter neck top pulled at my neck by the end of the day. 

  Time to rehash I think....

It started with salvaging bits and pieces from my old kit and collecting stuff from round the house. A headband, yarn, an unbelievably uncomfortable pair of ankle bracelets, a table runner and a beady belt from a skirt.

I got out my weaving sticks - never used them but I know they make belts. I started with some Stylecraft yarn.

too thin, so I ripped some strips of sari fabric I was given about five years ago. Nice long pieces.

While I showed Big Sis how to do this (clever girl) I started on crocheting a new bum shawl hip scarf. I bought the five balls of Patons zig zag wool at the folk festival from a craft stall for £2.00 the lot. 

With my triangle made, I added it to the belt. It fitted my hips so I then thought about how to 'tribal' it up a bit. I used the tie belt off an old skirt, some ribbon and some curtain tassels. Perfect.

Next the head dress. I deconstructed the old one, collected the pieces and saved the nice bits. I wrapped matching yarn around the headband.

Look away now if you are of a nervous disposition because then it got a bit wild and carefree... I started really 'getting into it'

I spritzed these white roses with watered down acrylic paint and dryed them with a hairdryer, messed up the bathroom sink, got spotty hands, got paint all over my desk, up the wall and on my work paperwork.... I am loving this...

Time to get out the glue gun and start building. This is so much fun, I can't tell you....

I bent the anklet out and made a coin fringe which sits nicely on my own heavy fringe. It needed feathers, Big Sis has some some purple ones somewhere...rummage, root, frenzy....ah ah!

I don't really have the face for modelling right now.

So onto the top. I liked it but the strain of tying it tightly to contain the jiggling in that area had stretched it somewhat and it hurt the back of my neck. Two straps were needed. I rooted out my oldest bra and sewed it inside the crochet top with the zig zag stretch stitch on my machine, taking the straps over both shoulders.

The pom pom ribbon had split around the neck and the little velvety beads were coming off so I replaced it with a double crochet edge in the chosen yarn. I kept the belly chain which was a necklace I broke down and added only the morning of the busk.

I want wrist cuffs, I don't have them yet but it is always good to have a 'watch' cover up.

Size 2mm hook a tin of old beads and some crochet cotton later...

I added loops and buttons to the table runner and hung it from the belt. Hooray! new outfit.

I will get a photo of me in it next time we are dancing out.

Thanks for sticking with my long, but ultimately fun 

creative story which I loved doing every spare second of this whole week. 

Happy Weekend Jo xxx