by Anuka
The first time I saw a bellydancer use the Wings of Isis, whirling and fluttering in the midst of metallic fabric, I knew I had to have a pair. It seemed straightforward enough. One can order anything online these days. However, the hefty price tag plus the cost of shipping made me consider making a pair. It seemed easy enough - each wing is a pleated semicircle of fabric.
That was where the trouble began. They don’t make metallic taffeta fabric wider than 115cm. At that point, Alya suggested we give in and buy the wings. I insisted that it was just marginally shorter than what we needed, and no one would notice. After hours and hours with an iron and several pins, barely having made a dent in the vast amount of material we needed to pleat, Alya suggested we give in and buy the wings. Glad as I was that she was still speaking to me, I was nonetheless determined to think of something. Meanwhile, we decided to use the (unpleated) wings we had for practice. Strangely, they seemed much shorter than they should be. I measured the width and found it to be 105 cm. Incensed, I went back to the fabric store with a tape measure and found that the metallic taffeta they claim is 115 cm wide varies from 103 to 110 cm!
I managed to talk Alya out of the gold taffeta and into iridescent organza, which can be up to 150 cm wide. Not up to another round with the iron, we decided that paying someone else to pleat the fabric would still probably cost us less than ordering the wings.
There is no entry for Seamstresses in the phone book. They have Seaweed Cleaners, but not Seamstresses. Undaunted, I looked up Dry Cleaners, figuring that they would have steam presses. Hopeful, I picked up the phone.
"Hi. Do you do pleats?"
"No." (click)
Well. If I ever have clothes expensive enough to be dry cleaned, I certainly won’t take them there.
"Hi. Do you do pleats?"
(heavy accent) "What?"
"Pleats."
"What?"
"Pleats. Like a kilt."
"What?"
Deciding the direct approach might be better, I went looking for dry cleaners in my area. I was referred to a nearby tailor, where I found out they charge per pleat. Alya suggested we give in and buy the wings. Defeated at last, I had to agree.