Sedonia Sipes

My name is Sedonia Sipes, I create veils for belly dance. My specialities includes intensely pigmented, smoothly blended ombre gradients and one-of-a-kind hand painted designs. I'm a belly dancer myself and have been dyeing silk since I first began to study this dance form, over 18 years ago. I am picky when it comes to costuming, and the items I sell represent my high standards and aesthetic for both form and function of belly dance costumes. I have a good eye for color, and one of my favorite jobs is to create a custom veil to go with a gorgeous costume. My inspirations are the dance itself and nature (because I'm also a biologist). I buy all my dyes and some of my silk fabric from Dharma. With respect to supplies and methods, I use Jacquard and Dharma brand acid dyes almost exclusively. My ombre gradients are made using vat dipping techniques. For my hand painted designs, I use concentrated solutions of acid dyes applied with a water color brush followed by steam setting. Two unusual things about my painting technique are that I don't stretch the silk, and I don't use resists. I just hang it on a wire with clothes pins and start painting. I do most of my work on silk habotai, but occasionally use charmeuse and crepe de chine for items other than dance veils.