What do Belly Dancing and Quilting Have in Common?

by Althea Aschmann

I am both a quilter and a dancer. I am passionate about Middle Eastern dance forms, textiles and quilting. The photo to the right is me in my newest costume: a Khaliji dress loaded with beads. I danced through Egypt in this dress and I love it. The photo on the left is my latest quilt. We love fabric. Quilters can't get enough little pieces of it. Belly dancers need enough for endless costumes — and there are never enough! We both love movement, flow and rhythm. Some of us really like glitz, bling and beads. That's called embellishments in quilting. Design is our thing, whether it's a quilt block or pattern; designing and making dance costumes, or choreography. Some of us love history and the back stories behind the dances or the quilts.

About the Author

Althea is a quilter and a dancer, based in Virginia.

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