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Dear readers and belly dance sisters…
It’s been roughly 2 years since we started carrying silk veils on our website. I'd fallen in love with silk and had “dumped” my chiffon veils long before I got into the business of selling them, because there is just nothing else like a silk veil; the way it flows and the way it wows everyone around you. Once I started dancing with them, there was just no turning back.
Also, I was so impressed with Limisa’s veils (the artist) that we decided to join the forces and offer the silky touch to the whole world. At the time,
little did I know what I was going to get myself into as I realized that the love for silk alone was not enough for business. Besides me being in Las Vegas and
the artist living in Florida, we had to start to deal with the frustrations over postal service and a bunch of technical web management related issues. Nevertheless, I’ve also learned that we are offering perhaps THE BEST quality, and THE MOST beautiful silk veils available for belly dancers at a very competitive price. The positive feedback and photos of our veils dancing all over the world are just what we live for and are the best reward.
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The reason for writing this today is that just like anything else, the price for silk is about to jump up to a staggering $1.75 per yard which unfortunately forces us to raise the prices by $5 per each veil.
So, here is the thing…
The prices will change as of Oct.1st. If you want to order some before the price change, make sure to place your order NOW and be patient. Our order volume is huge already, so keep in mind the wait time could be around 3 weeks for 1-2 veil orders and minimum 30 days for 5 veil orders. If you can wait, I’d like to offer you this opportunity to order the veils at a current lower price. Don’t miss the chance!!!
Go to our veil page, check out the fantastic color choices, and please note that we offer all of the below…
Free shipping in the continental USA
Petite, standard, semi-circular and ¾ size veils
Buy 4, get the 5th for FREE
About 5 weeks after you order, you'll receive an additional email about how to care for your veil.
PLEASE make sure to read the yellow box before you order, it includes very important notes and may answer many of the questions you may have while ordering our veils!
And now…
I’d like to give kudos to my amazing veil artist Limisa who works literally around the clock, who knows no days off and who can go out of her way to please our customers. Below read her tips regarding caring for your veil, about how silk is created,
what it takes to make a veil and how she got into making the veils in a first place. I think its very interesting…
Yours in dance,
Amira |
Limisa, Veil Artist Extraordinaire - Q&A with Amira |
What goes into making your silk veils?
Your veil starts off as a humble little silk worm (its actually a moth caterpillar not a worm). This worm eats and eats and eats mulberry leaves. Then as it matures it spins a cocoon. The cocoons are processed, which yield about 1,000-2,000 feet of filament. It takes about 3,000 cocoons to make 1 yard of silk fabric… that’s a lot of silk worms!
I buy 100+ yards of silk per bolt and cut them down to 3 yard segments, then sew the veils. From here the dyeing process begins, most of the veils are at least 3 colors.
Each color is dyed light to dark and allowed to dry between each color. Some of the veils spend up to 15 hours in the dyes. After all the dyeing is done a salt water
and softener rinse is applied and then they hang in the Florida sunshine to dry. Then they are ironed, and packaged up to sent out into the world to spin and twirl with their new dancer.
How do I keep my veil fresh and static free?:
Silk is a protein like our hair and nails. It needs oil from
our bodies to help keep it supple. Constant washing is not necessary or desired, only to be used when the veil gets something on it. But sometimes it gets tossed into our
bags and get wrinkled and not as fresh as we may like. In this case take a squirt bottle and put about 2 cups of water in it and 1 tb of your favorite fabric softener
(I love snuggle personally). Spritz the veil and run the iron over it and now your veil is like new! This also is great for freshening up your other clothes when you are in a hurry.
What do I do when my favorite veil needs to be retired:
All veils eventually need to be retired. They have been with you and swirled and twirled around, caught the air and the imagination. Some uses for them now that they will no longer be danced with are:
- Turn it into a beach wrap as a sarong
- If the veil has been pretty beat up, use the best parts and wrap presents up with them and tie with a ribbon and perhaps a silk flower. A very unique wrapping to be sure.
- Use as a drape over your curtains.
- Spritz the veil to get it wet and the tie one end to something (like a door nob). Twist the length of the veil to the end then tie (loosely) the 2 ends together. Let dry for several hours or overnight. It will become broomstick pleated (hiding a lot of defects) and can be worn as a long silk scarf or shawl.
How did you get into making silk veils?
I never meant to begin making veils. It happened by accident, actually. When I was a little girl, I was always happy to go to the fabric store with my Mom. She used to
sew all our dresses for church and there was something about all those beautiful fabrics in the store that really touched something in me. Running my fingers over the satins and velvets was my favorite, time after time my Mom would have to come find me when it was time to leave.
I started to belly dance about 9 years ago. Starting at Gold’s Gym in Las Vegas I fell in love with the dance that will be with me all my life. When veils were introduced,
that was it...I was in shear heaven. I bought fabric from the store (mostly chiffon) and learned veil work. Then for a gift I got my first silk veil… no more chiffon after
that! I loved the feel of the silk, the loft and the incredible beauty of the veil. My Dad was a scuba dive master who was putting together dive trips to Thailand
and brought me home some silk. I had a lot of fun with that silk and some Rit dye that week and when I showed up at my belly dance class I was completely shocked
(and of course pleased) that they were a big hit. In fact everyone wanted to buy them from me. So I kept one and sold the other 5 and started making veils. Of course
since then I have changed to professional dyes which are much more lasting and vibrant. Las Vegas has the most incredibly supportive belly dance community
(especially Amira) and if it wasn't for the wonderful dancers supporting me there, I would not have had the courage to make veils for a living. Now I get the
wonderful opportunity to get up in the morning, put on my favorite belly dance music to get the creative juices flowing and create veils that go all over the world. Who can ask for a better job? Or is it a job when it’s so fun??
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Mini Massive - November 4th, 5th & 6th in Las Vegas |
Amira highly recommends these workshops:
Coming soon to Las Vegas, 3-day workshop with Amar Gamal and Mardi Love.
Sign up today!
Mardi Love began dancing in San Diego with Heather Stants, and was a founding member of Urban Tribal Dance Company. In 2004, she moved from San Diego to the Bay Area to expand her horizons in tribal style.
Amar Gamal began her bellydance training at the Mideastern Dance Exchange at 13 years old. Her main teachers have been Tamalyn Dallal, Antolino Alvarez, Jihan Jamal, Elena Garcia, Yousry Sharif, Elsa Bello, Maria Jammal, Mahmoud Reda, Ibrahim Farah, Raqia Hassan, Dr. Mo Geddawi. Amar attended the New World School of the Arts High School in Miami, FL. She was the first and only student to audition with bellydance and get accepted into the dance program. Here she pursued her intensive dance training in Ballet, Jazz, Modern/Contemporary, Tap and Afro-Cuban dances. In 1998 Amar and her dance partner Kaeshi co-founded Bellyqueen a New York based bellydance company.
The Workshops include:
* 24 hours of instruction over 3 days in boutique class sizes
* Held in a spacious dance studio with sprung marley floors,
full length mirrors, sound system, and climate control !
* 15 hours with Amar PLUS 9 hours with Mardi
* Full weekend participants go home with a CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION
signed by both teachers – Perfect for framing!
(Certificates only awarded to full weekend participants who attend all classes.)
The LOCATION for all classes is:
Backstage Dance Studio II
3425 Backstage Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89121
For schedules and registration, check out their website HERE
To see a full size flyer, click the image below:
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Amira's New CD , Soon Available!! |
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This album is a compilation of some of Phil Thornton & Hossam Ramzy's best music. If you have Amira's "Bellydance 101" DVD, you'll recognize some of the tracks from the "Immortal Egypt" album. For those of you familliar with this wonderful music, here's a listing of the tracks:
- ALI MAMA (Enchanted Egypt – 2005) (remastered)
- THE TOWER OF BABEL (exclusive track – 2011)
- MOROCCO DANCE 1 (Aud Taqsim) (Immortal Egypt – 1998)
- MOROCCO DANCE 2 (no intro) (Immortal Egypt – 1998)
- DESERT DREAM (short version) (Dreamscapes – 2002)
- ON THE TRANSIT OF VENUS (Enchanted Egypt – 2005)
- SUNRISE OVER GIZA (Queens of the Nile mix) ( short version, remastered) (Immortal Egypt -1998)
- THE LAND OF THE PHAROAHS (short version, remastered) (Eternal Egypt - 1996)
- DERWOOD GREEN (Immortal Egypt – 1998)
- DESERT RHYTHM (Iceni mix) (short version, remastered) (Eternal Egypt – 1996)
- AT THE TEMPLE OF RAMESES THE GREAT (Enchanted Egypt – 2005)
- ISIS UNVEILED (short version, remastered) (Eternal Egypt – 1996)
- EL MOULID (Immortal Egypt -1998)
- IMMORTAL EGYPT
The CD will be up for sale soon on the website. Keep an eye on the Music Page. For a look at the CD sleeve, click the image below.
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