Beading for Belly Dance Costumes

This workshop covers basic beading techniques that are used in making belly dance costumes. Andalee has designed and beaded several costumes and can guide you through the right techniques to get you started. In this class we will not be making  or constructing costumes, instead you will learn how to bead on fabric. Each student will receive a beading board, a soft yet sturdy fabric covered board to practice your technique, and beads, sequins, thread, needles and other notions will be available. You do not need to bring your own supplies unless you want to. Please do not bring a costume to bead on.

$40 (Get the early bird rate of $30 if you register and pay before March 21)

1:00 – 3:00 PM (2 hours)

Five Oaks Recreation Clubhouse, 5109 Pine Cone Dr., Durham, NC 27707

Please sign up using this form.

Andalee’s Student Hafla

Andalee is proud to announce her 2012 Student Hafla!! The night will feature a mix of soloists and group performers. All are welcome! If you would like to perform, please fill out this form. Students get the first priority for performer slots.

Donations of $8 each or $20 per family are appreciated. Performers pay $5. All proceeds will go to the Triangle Belly Dance Scholarship Fund.

7:30 PM, Doors open at 7:00 PM

Five Oaks Recreation Clubhouse, 5109 Pine Cone Dr., Durham, NC 27707

There is a max of 45 people allowed at this event, so please RSVP on the Facebook Event to reserve your spot or send me an e-mail. I hope to see you there!

Also, I am in need of volunteers to help with set-up, refreshments, ticket sales and music. Please contact me if you are interesting in volunteering. Volunteers get in free!

Nadira Jamal for the "I Stand" Campaign from Marilyn Wann. Photo by Michael Baxter.

I’m not really a Valentine’s Day celebrator (much to my fiancés relief), but I did want to share a special Valentine’s Day message about how important it is to cherish yourself and love yourself as you are today. Right now.

As a part of my day job, I write and design health education brochures for women. At a recent focus group I organized, nearly all of the women gravitated toward one particular brochure called, “Show your love.” The brochure concept shows a woman hugging herself and the message is that of loving and nurturing yourself. The idea is that if you focus on your mind, body and spirit, then you will make healthier choices in your life. The group really got me thinking about how many women in our culture are hungry for self-love and nurturing, and how hard it is to really find it, especially when it comes to size/body acceptance.

A few months ago, I started following a blog called, Dances with Fat, written by Ragen Chastain, a full-sized professional dancer and fat activist. She takes a direct no-nonsense approach to dispelling myths about obesity (especially the obesity epidemic), weight and health correlations, and the problem of social stigma.

I was forced to face a lot of my demons and preconceived notions and as someone who has worked in public health for over five years, I also started to question my role in educating women about “Healthy Weight” (Chastain maintains that there is no such thing as a healthy weight). I am now 100% on board with the fat love parade and my new-found passion is to learn how practice size-acceptance with myself and to share that with others…

And here’s where belly dance comes in. Chastain has a large following of belly dancers who read and comment on her blog. Many are students, some are professionals. All of them talk about loving the art form because of how it embraces women (and men, too!) of all shapes and sizes. And it’s true! Belly dance is way more accepting of a range of body types than almost any other form of dancing. It’s something almost anyone can do!

However, there are some of us who are professional dancers, and who put ourselves out there as hired entertainers and this is where things start to get tricky. When it comes to the commercial aspect of professional belly dancing, the size acceptance field narrows (although it’s still not as narrow as other dance forms). Let’s face it, when it comes to hiring a belly dancer for a performance, the general public often has a specific view of how a belly dancer should look…Exotic; thin BUT curvy; long, dark hair; etc. And I certainly don’t fit into most of those categories.

Over the last few years, as my weight has fluctuated, I have noticed a steady decline in the amount of inquiries and bookings that I have received. This can be attributed to many things, such as the economy, the saturation in the market, marketing and even my dance style, but because I suffer from body image issues, I almost always attribute it to my size. I tend to think that I don’t get hired because I am large woman. I know deep down that that is not always true, but the insecure voice in my head can sometimes be the loudest.

[Case in point: An elderly man came up to me after a performance and asked me, “With all that dancing you do, how do you keep from losing weight?” I’m sure he was just trying to be friendly, but it came off as totally inappropriate. I, being mortified, defended myself by saying, “I just like to eat.”]

I also know that this struggle doesn’t only apply to me. I recently read a friend’s blog where she basically had to defend herself for being slender. She was being criticized for being tiny and was told on a few occasions that belly dancers should have some shape to them.

This is simply not fair! We get it from both sides. You’re either too thin, or too large. Society has deemed one particular body style to be acceptable for women and if you don’t fit into that mold, then you are defective. This infuriates me! It has my whole life really, but time and time again I have bought into the idea rather blindly. I think, “If I just lost 10 more pounds,then I would book gigs again,” or “I need to lose [x amount of weight] to be at a healthy size and then I’ll be pretty again.”

So now, I’m rather publicly making it my goal to learn how to love and appreciate my body as it is TODAY and as it was YESTERDAY and how it will be TOMORROW. I am a relatively healthy woman who loves to dance and share that dance with others. I refuse to try to drop 40 lbs in the 10 months between now and my wedding. I have limited the amount of paid gigs or performances that will I do until I know I can do them with confidence and not associate the outcome with my weight. I will not talk negatively about my body to myself or others. I honestly want to internalize the messages on the Dances with Fat blog and to work to end the social stigma of overweight and obese people. And that starts with me.

And you, too. You can work toward loving yourself today by participating in activities that nurture your mind, body and spirit. Dance if you want to dance. Sing. Write. Strut your stuff. Do what makes you feel like a whole person. There is only one you. You are worthy of love and respect. No matter what.

Love always,
Andalee

I am going to post just a few apps that you can use to enhance your dance with an iPad or other tablet computer. The caveat is, of course, that you can do almost all of these things with a standard desktop or laptop computer, or even an iPhone, but the benefit of the tablet is its speed, portability and size. Keep in mind that I have been using my iPhone for much of these things over the past year, but an iPad is so much better (except for I have to be connected to wifi, unlike my iPhone that uses 3G).

For practicing and choreographing:

• The Notes app (FREE): This app is built into all iPads (iPhones and iPod touches) and it is designed to be like an old-fashioned legal notepad. I first discovered it for choreographing when my fiancé and I were driving down to Florida over the holidays. I was bored in the car and I knew I needed to work on my choreography for my upcoming classes. I had previously choreographed half of two songs but I had yet to write them down. Luckily, I had recorded the choreo with my iPhone, so I had it available, and I also packed my iPod. At the time, I borrowed my fiancé’s iPad because it was before Christmas and I decided to write some stuff down. It was so funny, I felt like I was in a Mac commercial, because I was literally holding 3 Apple devices. I didn’t know what app to use for writing notes and I was limited because I couldn’t get on the Internet. For the past few years I have used Google Docs to transcribe my choreographies. I tried all of the “productivity” and note apps and I hated them all. I felt that they were so hard to use and I started getting frustrated. When my fiancé suggested Notes, I was like, “Duh!” and I spent a happy hour working on my choreography notes. As soon as we were connected to the Internet I was easily able to e-mail the notes to myself and they now happily live on my iPad. I may upload them to Google Docs at some point, but for now, I am very happy. The added benefit is that the Notes app syncs on both my iPad and iPhone, so I can take my choreographies with me anywhere!



• The Camera (FREE): Just like the iPhone, the iPad has a built in camera with the ability to record video. This is probably the best tool at my disposal for improving my technique and writing choreographies. When I got my iPhone last Christmas, I started recording every dance that I work on. However, the small screen of the iPhone is quite annoying and it often topples over because it has to be propped up on its side. So, I’m happy I have the iPad for this purpose now. I can set up the iPad using its case and even point the camera so that I can see what’s on the screen at the same time (warning: lower resolution). I will be using this app frequently. The only downside is that the size of your iPad controls how much video you can store. I only have a 16GB iPad, so I might have to start saving videos to my computer or our home server at some point.
• YouTube (FREE): This is another built-in app that I use frequently. Of course you can use it like you would on your computer to watch amazing belly dance videos, create playlists and save your favorites. However YouTube is integrated with the camera app so that you can easily upload videos to your YouTube account. It is the easiest way to upload videos ever. I use this tool to upload choreographies for my students.
• iPod (FREE): Another built-in app that can substitute for my iPod as needed.

For business:

• The Square (FREE-transaction fees apply): This app has been around for the iPhone and other smart phones for quite some time and they now have an app for the iPad. The square is a device that plugs into your headphone jack and allows you to take credit card payments. This is an easy way to collect payments for classes and performances. I, for one, bring my square with me everywhere. There is also the PayPal app, but I’m not a PayPal fan, so I prefer the Square. The app and device are free, but there is a service charge to use their program.



• Evernote (FREE): Evernote is a cross-platform program that lets you save notes, pictures and websites in one convenient spot. You can tag and categorize items in Notebooks. It also syncs automatically to any other device or computer that has the Evernote app or program installed. (Tip: Evernote has an awesome Chrome extension). So if I am on my laptop, iPhone or iPad I will have access to the same exact stuff (if you are connected to the Internet, of course). To be honest, I have only used Evernote to organize my wedding planning, but I can see how it would have a myriad of uses for business. One of these days I may just use Evernote instead of Google Docs.
• Google Apps ($2.99): I just downloaded this app today and I haven’t had a chance to really delve into it. It is a one-stop shop for all of your google products (including Google Voice), plus it features social networking sites likeTtwitter and Facebook. I downloaded it because I absolutely HATE the way Google Docs works on my iPad and I was hoping this would be better (it’s not). As I mentioned earlier, I use Google Docs for my choreography, but I also use it to track all of my belly dance business expenses as well as hosting documents that I post on my website. The problem with Google Docs is that there is no app for it. You simply have to access the page via Safari and then it automatically sets you up in mobile view. Mobile view is a pain to work with and when you switch to the regular view, everything is messed up and slow. I know that Google and Apple are competitors, but it would really behoove Google to make an app just for Google Docs. My two cents.
• WordPress (FREE): I love this app and I am using it to post this entry! You simply add your WordPress website (supports both WordPress.com AND WordPress.org) and you can add/edit pages or posts. I am using it for this website and my wedding website and so far, so good. You can’t manage specific details like appearance or widgets, but when I just want to post a class update or new performance, I am able to do it quickly without having to fire up the laptop. Everyone who uses WordPress to host their website should download this app on their iPad.

So, that is all I can think of right now, but I’ve only had my iPad for a couple of weeks. I’m sure I will find more uses as time goes on. I’m looking forward to a great year in dance with my trusty iPad in tow to keep everything organized!

Comment if you have any additional apps to recommend or if you have any feedback regarding the particular apps that I reviewed.

I’ve got a photobucket album loaded with over 100 photographs of the process. I am slowly adding captions and details.

However, instead of going through that process here, I thought I would make this blog about some of the key things that I have learned from this costume. This is my 5th handmade costume and I am starting to get the hang of things. HOWEVER, there is still room for improvement. A LOT of improvement. There are many things that I would change about this costume if I had to do it all over again. But because of time and construction issues, I will not. Instead I’ll just chalk it up to a learning experience and move on. That’s how I roll.

So I present to you, the DOs and DON’Ts of making a costume.

I’ll do the DOs first because I like to start with the positives.

1. DO use a nice firm base for your bra and belt. I used EZ-Felt and a thick Aida cloth for my base and I love the way it turned out. It was easy to sew through, yet firm and stable. I think this will be my go-to base from now on. This picture shows the front and back side of the bra straps. The front side is the side that will be covered in fabric, pictured on top. The inside (the strap below) is the Aida cloth. I just sewed the two pieces together using a machine. It was super easy. The plus side of having the Aida cloth on the underside is that it holds knots really well.
   

   Side straps for bra

2. DO use high quality Swarovski sew-on crystals and rhinestone chain. This was the first costume where I really splurged on the crystals. I bought a bunch in all different sizes and I was not afraid to use them. It makes a huge difference. Just compare the sparkle of my pearl costume that used fake crystals with the sparkle of this costume and you will really see a difference. I bought my crystals from Rainbows of Light and the rhinestone chain from Rhinestones Are Us. I got a nice little discount and then I split my order with a friend and it really helped to keep the cost down.
   

   Swarovski rhinestones

3. DO sketch your design before construction begins. This is something I’ve been doing for most of my costumes, and I came pretty close to my original design with this costume. Since I am no artist, I use Photoshop to sketch out my designs. I downloaded a plus-size croquis and I just draw on that using the paint tool. I’m sure you could use an easy program like Microsoft Paint or just print out the croquis and draw on it by hand if you’d like.
   

   Design on croquis

4. DO check the costume for fit frequently. It only takes a few extra minutes, but it’s a step that can be easily overlooked. Try on your costume pieces as you go and use a dress form if you have one. The most important thing about getting a really good fit is starting with a really good bra base. The bra I chose for my costume was a sturdy strapless bra from Wal-mart of all places. The only thing I would change about the bra would be to have the cups slightly more angled, instead of cutting straight across. However, the shape of the bra I chose does give the costume a nice vintage look.
   

   Strapless bra for cup base

I will be vending at two craft fairs over the next two months. Please come out and support me!

• Saturday, November 5, 2011: The Roxboro Community School 6th annual Holiday Extravaganza, 115 Lake Drive, Roxboro, NC 27573. 9:00am – 3:00pm
• Sunday, December 4, 2011: Five Oaks Holiday Craft Fair, 5109 Pine Cone Dr., Durham, NC 27707, 3:00pm – 5:00pm

In order to make room for new merchandise to sell at the event, I am having a pre-event sale in my Etsy store. I’d like to offer 10% off to anyone who purchases items from my etsy store between now and December 4. Use the coupon code PREEVENT. And as an extra incentive, I am offering free shipping (standard U.S. First-class mail) to non-local customers. Please use the coupon code FREESHIP.

Visit my Etsy shop here.

And as a special promotion, I am now offering the Andalee Two-For-One Party. From now until December 21st, I will be able to combine my at-home Jewelry Parties with a Shimmy Party! These extravagant events are a great way to get people shopping for the holidays and to experience a little belly dance fun. People who are interested in booking both a Shimmy Party and a Jewelry Party will receive a $25-50 discount off of the price of a Shimmy Party (depending on the package chosen) and a free jewelry gift! The event will last 1.5-2 hours and will start with a jewelry show where people can shop and try on items. Then, we’ll have a little belly dance demo performance (optional), followed by a 45-minute belly dance workshop. After that, guests will have the opportunity to make final decisions on their jewelry items and then check out. These events are sure to be spectacular and a great way to gear up for the holidays. All a hostess needs to provide is food and refreshments, space for a couple of display tables and open floor space for dancing. It couldn’t be any easier. Contact me today to set something up!

One of the features that helps you earn points is a Q & A section where you are given a set of questions and are asked to answer them. This “interview” really allows potential clients to get to know their entertainer/vendor/service provider. I thought I would share some of the questions that I answered on Thumbtack, because I think it provides valuable insight about who I am as a dancer and a professional.

What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

Hiring a belly dancer can make or break your event. You want someone experienced and professional. Shop around for what kind of dancer, performer and personality meshes best with what you have in mind. Don’t shop around for the best prices when it comes to hiring a belly dancer though. In this case the old adage is true; you really do get what you pay for!

If you were a customer, what do you wish you knew about your trade? Any inside secrets to share?

Belly dancing is hard! It takes years of training and study to become a professional performer. It’s also very diverse. There are so many different kinds of belly dancers–Egyptian, American Cabaret, Turkish, Tribal, Fusion, Folkloric and more! We’re not one-size fits all. But no matter what style she dances, a high-quality belly dancer will always be classy and professional.

What questions should a consumer ask to hire the right service professional?

Asking the right questions is essential when you are looking for a belly dancer. Each entertainer offers her own unique style and point of view. Picking one can be hard! Ask the following questions to pick the perfect performer for your event: How much do you charge for a ______? (fill in the blank with what kind of event it will be). How long will you perform for? What kind of music will you dance to? What kind of costumes do you wear? Do you dance with props? Do you include audience participation? How long have you been belly dancing? How long have you been performing? Have you ever performed for an event like mine? If the person you’re talking to can’t answer these basic questions, then consider that a huge red flag!

What are your most common types of jobs?

My most common performances are those at community venues and stage shows. I usually have at least one of those engagements per month. Most of my performances are for the belly dance community, but others are for the public at large. When it comes to paying jobs, I offer clients a variety of packages. The most common packages are the two-set belly dance show and the Shimmy Party. The two-set show features two sets, each lasting 10 minutes, so you’ll get 20 full minutes of dancing. The sets are usually spaced 10-30 minutes apart. This is best for large themed-parties, corporate events, and restaurant shows. This is by far my most popular package. The Shimmy Party is my personal favorite because I love to teach. This package gets the guests up and dancing by teaching them basic beginner belly dance moves. It’s perfect for bridal showers, bachelorette parties and club meetings.

What do you wish customers knew about you or your profession?

I wish that customers knew the hard work that most professional belly dancers put into their craft. Before a belly dancer is able to hit the stage, she has put in countless hours of training, rehearsals, drills and study. She also spends hundreds and often thousands of dollars on training (either at workshops or through weekly classes), costumes and accessories (those aren’t cheap!), music, instructional DVDs, and let’s not forget about all the gas it takes to drive to and from classes and gigs! Belly dance is a labor of love. You can’t just don a sparkly costume and slap on makeup and show up for a gig. A real belly dancer is classy, professional, prepared and she has most likely dedicated a large portion of her life to the art form.

What do you like most about your job?

I love sharing the beauty and art of belly dance with both clients and students. A lot people are misinformed about belly dance or they simply don’t know much about it. When I am out in the community performing or teaching others, I am given the unique opportunity to affect how people perceive belly dance. Belly dance is fun, exotic, joyful and really hard. I love opening people’s eyes to that. Through my dancing, I teach people it’s OK to embrace belly dance and have a darn good time in the process.

Belly Dancer

Gently used costume for sale. Please contact me for more information. I take PayPal, Amazon Payments and most major credit cards.  Shipping not included in price, unless otherwise noted. All sales are final. Costume comes from a smoke-free house.

I’m selling my signature costume (featured on the homepage and all marketing materials). It is a custom-made design from Eshta Amar based out of Los Angeles. Costume sold as is.

Price: SOLD

Size:

Bra:
Would fit sizes: 38D, 38DD and 40D, possibly 40C.
38″ bra band, end to end
Each halter strap is 14″ long

Cups:
9.5″ horizontal
7″ tall
9″ diagonal

Skirt:
Waist 29″ unstretched
Length 39″
My current measurements are 43″ upper hip (where the waistband falls) and 48″ at my widest. It is a bit too snug on me and would fit someone with smaller hips better. I would say 42″ upper hip and 45″ lower hip would be good, but it does fit me at my measurements. It can’t go any larger in the hips.

Comes with:
Arms bands, barrette and matching teal silk veil (8mm habotai silk)

Condition:

It’s in really good condition, but it does have cat hair on it (cat hair sticks to velvet something awful) and a little spot on the inside of the bra that I have taken a picture of. It doesn’t come with the belly cover, but I’ve recently added a modesty panel to the top of the bra which can be taken out easily. The skirt is very sheer and I always wore it with boy shorts.

Photos:

Anyway, I’ve been working on this project for about 2 months now and I am surprised at how quickly it is moving. It seems to go faster with each costume. This will be my fifth homemade costume and my experience is really becoming evident. My bead work is sharper, my seams are cleaner and my efficiency has improved.

I’m modeling this costume after turkish-style costumes, but it does have an Egyptian flair to it. I haven’t added up the amount of money I’ve spent on this, but I would guess around $250-300. I bought loads and loads of crystals for it–to give it an undeniable sense of luxury.

At this point, I have finished the belt except for the hooks and the lining. Now the bra is in the works. I’m taking pictures as I go and here are some examples of my work. I plan to make a slide show once the process is complete.

Some pics of the process:

By riscaldamento07, via flickr

I personally prefer to wear shoes when I dance. It hasn’t always been that way though. For the first three years of my dance training, I danced barefoot almost exclusively. However, when I started dancing regularly several times a week, I noticed that it was just too hard on my feet to continue without shoes. I suffered from chronic arch pain (and still do sometimes), plus I acquired nasty callouses that would split open and tear. Now that is painful.

I did a little bit of research online, but mostly I just observed what other dancers around me wore. I found that my options were pretty much limitless. However, I wanted something that felt very “belly dancer” and didn’t invoke another style of dance. I was drawn to the Hermes sandals. Those were my first type of dance shoe. They are leather soled shoes that lace up the foot and ankle.  They’re comfortable to dance in, but you do have to get used to the leather straps digging into your skin. I also found that they’re time consuming to put on and well, I guess I just don’t feel like lacing them up all the time. I was in search of another option.

By Lambtron, via Wikipedia

Next, I tried the half-soled shoes, although they can hardly be called shoes. The brand names are Dance Paws and FootUndeez. These are great for those who just need protection on the balls of their feet while spinning and doing a great deal of footwork. They don’t provide any kind of support for the foot though, and they definitely don’t protect against things like glass and grit. I used my half-soles for a while (and I bought three different kinds just to test them all out) and I found that they weren’t working for me. The Dance Paws dug into my toes and caused blisters and the FootUndeez slipped off my feet because my feet are so narrow.

From there, I went to old faithful: Ballet shoes. Yep. I was inspired after watching the Bellydance Superstars perform and I noticed almost all of their dancers were wearing ballet shoes. I couldn’t quite tell what kind they wore, but they most certainly were slippers of some sort. I bought some ballet shoes shortly after the show and they have been my favorite ever since.

 

By Oliver1983, via Wikimedia

After all of my trial and error, I have settled on two kinds of shoes that work for me; ballet shoes and hermes sandals. I’ve even found myself sticking to the same brand, Leo’s, because of the fit and quality. I wear my ballet shoes during class and practice, and then my sandals for performances. Of course there are still more styles of dance shoes that I would like to try, especially character shoes and jazz shoes, but I am ok with my system as is. And in all honesty, I still really wish I could still dance barefoot…but I guess I have just put too much stress on these poor dogs over the years.

And here’s a good tip for you…save yourself some time and hassle: Go to a proper dance shop to get fitted for your first pair of shoes. Write down the size, model number and brand or save the box. You’ll be able to order new shoes online later for cheaper. Some dance stores won’t always carry the shoes you want in stock, so if they want you to special order something, be sure to ask about their return policy. Also, dance shoes have funky sizing. You can’t always buy your street shoe size, and I’ve found that sizing guides listed online aren’t always accurate.

So take care of your feet and protect them at all times. Your body will thank you for it later.

Types of shoes to consider:

• Ballet slippers
• Hermes/Greek sandals
• Jazz shoes/booties
• Half-soled modern shoes
• Ballroom dance shoes
• Teaching shoes
• Character shoes

Shoe sources:

Local:

• Dance Design – 1728 Fordham Blvd # 153, Chapel Hill, NC; (919) 942-2131
• Southeast Dance Shop – 5910 Duraleigh Road # 136, Raleigh, NC; (919) 787-0011
• Linden’s Dancewear – 3642 Shannon Road, Durham, NC; (919) 401-2910

Online:

• Aruba’s Oasis Sandals – Worth every penny from what I have heard
• Belly Dance Shoppe – Sells my favorite sandal, the now discontinued Adagio by Leo’s
• Discount Dance Supply – Sells almost every shoe under the sun
• Dance Shoes Online – Great for Ballroom dance shoes

I had to figure this out for myself when a bhuz friend was kind enough to send me a pattern of a belt that she loves. It is based on a Sim costume that she traced. However, this bhuzzer is on the petite side and I am, well, Goddess-sized.  I needed to figure out how to increase the size of the belt to fit me while still keeping the proportions. I did a little research online on how to enlarge patterns and they were so complicated! There was much talk of using grids and rulers and all this other complicated stuff! I thought of an easier way and it worked!

What you’ll need: Either a belt to trace or the already cut-out pattern pieces, large paper or several sheets letter-sized paper, tape, scissors, tailors measuring tape, access to a large format printer (your local copy shop should have one. I went to Kinko’s FedEx), pencil, thick marker, calculator.

1. If you don’t already have a pattern, trace the outline of the belt you want to copy onto a piece of large paper, or tape several pieces of regular paper together and trace the belt using a pencil. Remove the belt and use a magic marker to trace over the pencil. Make the line thick and as precise as possible. Do not cut this out.
2. If you already have the pattern cut out, you will have to tape it to a piece of large paper or use several pieces of regular paper taped together.
3. Now, you’ll need to figure out how much you have to reduce or enlarge the pattern. I am notoriously bad at math (especially algebra), so you might find an easier way. If so, please leave a comment!

   Measure the pattern. I used the upper hip number, by measuring it across the top. My pattern was 35.5 inches long. Then, measure your upper hip. Mine is 43 inches. Then I calculated the percentage difference between the two sizes using this formula: 35.5/43 = x/100.  x = 82.6%.  That means the pattern I have is 82.6% of my desired size. But, I don’t want to increase my pattern by 82.6%! Instead your subtract that number from 100. 100 – 82.6 = 17.4. Now I know that I need to increase my pattern by 17.4%.

4. Head on over to your local copy shop with a large-format printer (sometimes called over-sized printing). Kinko’s FedEx usually has these. Don’t forget to bring the calculations and your pattern pieces (plus any extra pieces, like medallions or straps, because they need to be enlarged by the same percentage, too.)
5. Use the printer to resize your pattern. The large printer is kind of tricky to use. I had to get a team member to help me, but here’s what I did: On this particular printer, I only had the option to “scale” by a certain percentage, and because of the way it worked, I actually had to set the scale size to 117.4%. If I had used 17.4% it would have reduced it by that much. Then, I placed the pattern on the printer to scan face down. I had to scan it vertically, not horizontally, because the max horizontal length was 36″ inches, and I knew I needed 43″.  Press print, let it scan, copy and viola!  Repeat the process for each piece. I had a small medallion that needed to be resized, so I just used the regular copy machine for that.
6. Cut out the final pattern pieces and write the size and date on them if desired.

And there you have it! For less than $3.00 I had a brand new pattern just my size! I can’t wait to start working on this new bedlah set…

Here are some pictures for the visual learners among us: