About the Artist

Greetings and thank you for stopping by my website! My name is Gretchen; I’m the proprietor and creative force behind Studio Bedlah. I opened the studio because I wanted to provide the Belly Dance community with beautifully constructed costume pieces.

I learned to sew while still in elementary school, and started belly dancing at sixteen. I began stitching my own costumes basically as soon as I started dancing. These were the days before the Internet, sourcing good costuming was very challenging and prohibitively expensive. A dancer really had to be crafty and experimental in order to be well outfitted. Good bras were especially difficult to find, so I spent a lot of time working on covering and decorating bras in such as way that does not compromise the structural integrity of the bra, nor the size and shape of the cups.

I invite you to take a look at my work, all cataloged in the Portfolio section.

Wishing you joy in dance!