Welcome to Costumer’s Notes! This e-newsletter is designed to augment the costuming books published by Ibexa Press. Our goal is to support the global belly dance community by providing a repository of costuming information for performers who are looking for informaion on how to make costumes themselves.

Knowledge is Power
Costumer’s Notes is an oasis of information geared for the belly dancer who is looking for inspiration and useful information on how to put together costume pieces. For many dancers, sewing is a mystery, a lost art and yet, making your own costume a financial necessity or a right of passage in becoming an advanced dancer.

Beyond Costuming from the Hip
Once a book is published, its words become set in stone. Here on the web, I can continue to share information beyond the scope of my publications. Though my focus continues to be publishing books and booklets devoted to the subject of Middle Eastern belly dance costumes, the web offers me a place to share the information that gets edited from my print publications.

Shaped by Feedback
The content of Costumer’s Notes is shaped by the feedback that received from readers worldwide.These questions form the catalyst for articles here on the web. If one person asks a question, then there must be others out there interested in the same subject. The only bad question is the unasked and unanswered question. If you have a question, feel free to drop us a line. In the subject line, please specify Costumer’s Notes Question to ensure that in this era of spammers, your message gets read.

A Labor of Love
This website is a labor of love. It takes a great deal of time to put together an issue. Our schedule has been quite fluid to accommodate the needs of our business. As Ibexa Press has grown, shipping more books worldwide, we have frequently had to skip and postpone Costumer’s Notes Issues. We’ve learned that from April to September is "high season" in the West Coast dance community, with events happening practically every weekend. We appreciate reader support and your continued patronage and your understanding at our fluid publication schedule.

About the Author
Dawn Devine has been belly dancing for more than 20 years and making costumes for even longer. She has published a series of costume books devoted to Middle Eastern belly dance. Her titles include Costuming from the Hip, From Turban to Toe Ring and her most recent Embellished Bras. Her books are available direct from on her website, on amazon.com and through specialty dance vendors worldwide. She has written articles for many dance magazines. For a more detailed biography and resume, visit her website at http://www.davina.us. She currently lives in Silicon Vallen and is an sits on the board of directors for her local chapter of MECDA.

Davina Site - http://www.davina.us/
Ibexa Press - http://www.ibexa.com/
SF/BA MECDA - http://www.sfbamecda.org/