Meds pouch & pencil case

What is it about school girls and pencil cases? My daughter never seems to run out of reasons for more pencil cases. After the felt case she received from her teacher (which she used to keep her scissors, rulers, markers etc in) was torn, she asked for one to be made... Not much arm-twisting required for me to do so :)

While I was at it, I tried making a patchwork box pouch as well. I thought it turned out pretty well (although a tad small), and used it as my medicine pouch.... Very useful thing, now I don't have to dig around as much in my cavernous handbag to find my meds :)

Another overdue post!!

Wow.... Has it really been 2 months since my last update??? I haven't been lazy - products have been made, items sewn, other items imagined/planned heheheh... I just have been pretty remiss not to have shared them here... In my defence, life & work has been crazy hectic as well... And it's waaaaayyyy faster and easier to update on Facebook hehehe... But I promise not to neglect this little blog...

Anyway.... I have been sewing, but not that actively... It takes forever to complete an item nowadays, but I'm not going to give it up. Sewing is therapeutic for me... It's not just a side business.

What have I made since the last post?

Let's start with this one :) I made this for my daughter... She wanted another bag for her music books, and she chose the fabric ye.... A really quick job, and I'm happy she loves it. It's now her go-to bag for everything, not just music class!

Ok... More updates in upcoming posts, I promise!

Simple & sweet...

Some time ago I was in a sewing blue funk, and decided to grab a piece of fabric I liked to make a simple bag.

Tadaaaa!!!!

Sometimes, simple is best :)

Up for grabs, if anyone is interested...

Kitchen sink bag

I love buying new books and magazines with interesting patterns, but I don't often get to try them all out.

Managed to do this one though! With a magnetic clasp closure & 1 small inner pocket, this is a great carry-everything-but-the-kitchen-sink bag! I've been using this to cart around my hexies-WIP since Ramadhan on top of work stuff, and it is so useful & spacious.

Someone at work saw me carrying this and wanted one for herself... Great excuse to try it out again hehehe...

Simple patchwork needle book

Before my business trip last March, I wanted to make a portable needle book. I had needles stuck to thread spools, in their plastic packaging, on scraps of fabric... No specific housing for those sharp needles (I've poked myself a couple of times cos I forgot I had a needle in some spot :p).

Not anymore! :) I grabbed some scraps from the shop's table, cut several felt pages for the book, and started piecing the fabrics together. I winged the measurements and in less than an hour had this sweet thing done.

I just worked from memory, trying to recall the various tutorials I'd looked at, and I think it got it all covered. There were some steps that I'd have done differently, but the outcome would be pretty much the same.

I'm loving it! Will transfer all my betweens and embroidery needles to it soon, and stock up on more sharps...

More 'out-to-lunch' bags!

When I used my 'out-to-lunch' bag at work, a colleague took a fancy to the bag and wanted one. Another friend also wanted one, so I decided to go ahead and work on 3 pieces in one go.

I managed to squeeze them in between a crazily hectic work schedule, but just when I thought I'd finished them all, I realized I'd placed the handles wrongly!!! The angle I used when placing the bag handles was different from my original bag's, so I (reluctantly) unpicked all 6 handles.... Arghh.... Not fun at all!

I got them done anyway... Now all I gotta do is to sew on magnetic buttons on the green bag plus the labels, and I'm good! :)

The red one's booked by my sis-in-law, while the brown is up for grabs :) I have another piece in the works for the other friend (she told me she actually wanted polkadots on a white base, hence the red one is going to my SIL instead)... I'm ok with it, cos I love making this bag!

'Out-to-lunch' Bag!

I have been swamped with work these past few weeks, with very little time for much else.

I did manage to get this little piece done though, before all craftwork had to be put aside :)

I was in sort of a blue funk some time back, anticipating the lack of sewing time I'd have due to my day-job projects. I had time to work on something, but for some reason I didn't want to make the usual bags or even try out some new patchwork design (even though I had plans to try an appliquéd bag!), so I started flipping through my mom's collection of Chinese craft books.

Have you got one? There are a bunch of them in most bookstores, and quite a few are actually translated from Japanese craft books. So even if you can't read or understand the writing, the picture directions are pretty easy to follow. This is, of course, more applicable to the translated ones. Those that were originally published in Mandarin can have pretty obscure directions (they assume you already know the basic construction of most items, so they skip ahead to the design parts).

Anyway, I digress... After sifting through some possibilities, I ended up with this one. I did make a few modifications to the handles (I went with cotton webbing, so the original instructions didn't quite work with that), but otherwise stuck to the design.

I love it!! I call this my 'out-to-lunch' bag, cos it fits my extremely bulky wallet/pouch, my phone, & some odds and ends too... Perfect for a quick lunch outing!

I've got 3 others made (only finishing touches required) right after I made this one, and I'll put those up as soon as I can tie up all the loose threads & take a decent pic :) This is a really great, quick project to make, and easy to customize!

More pleated wristlets!

It's been a while since I posted anything recently completed. I haven't been slacking off or anything heheh... Just didn't get a chance to put things up.

I've had several work-in-progress pleated wristlets finally all wrapped up, and I wanted to share them here :)

The pink wristlet was an order from my colleague, while the other two were meant as ready stock. Happily, however, the day after I finished the maroon & green wristlets, H snapped up the maroon piece :)

I actually had another one finished, but I just HAD to meddle with the pattern didn't I? That ended up being pretty unusable hehehe so that's not gonna be put up here...

I've got a few more items to be shared, so till then!

My first group quilt :)

Sometime back, 6 of us from our FB quilt group got together to make a baby quilt or one of the other members who just delivered a baby boy. Realistically, I knew it was gonna be tough to commit to the project, but I went ahead and signed up for it anyway :) A forced deadline is always a good incentive to start & finish something new :)

The subject was appliqué, any design and color, on a blue block. I wasn't ambitious, especially since it's my first ever appliqué work, so I chose a simple dinosaur motif.

If you look closely, the machine satin stitch is irregular in places (especially around corners), so I'm glad you can't see them! To make up for the simple design, I added some hand embroidery in dark green DMC floss.

The other ladies did a fantastic job on the quilt. I especially love the bright rocket! I don't remember who pieced it together, but Kak Aida did the hand quilting and it's yummy...

The smiling, chubby recipient is Zila's baby... Isn't he just so adorable on that quilt?

It was a fun experience, and I'd definitely do it again in the future! I missed out on 2 more group quilts after this one due to work commitments, but you betcha I'll be signing up again soon!

Stuck..

Things are a little slow on the sewing front right now. Last weekend we had a family wedding, so my sewing time was pretty non-existent except for some last-minute alterations to my daughter's baju kurung. I did manage to attempt some piecing of the next pleated wristlet, but since I didn't get around to cutting out the lining yet things are put on hold for now. I'm trying this version without a quilted, padded lining to see how it would be.

I feel somewhat stuck... I want to sew, but between too many things that I want to try, have to make and wish I could make, I feel a bit overwhelmed by the possibilities. Add to that the limited opportunities I have to sew, the (self-imposed) pressure to make full use of any available sewing time is internally stressing me out.

Ok, am putting a stop to the whining now... Need to focus on the next item to make, from all the things on my wishlist... Maybe a few minutes sketching out a rough pattern & imagining the possible fabric combos would do me some good. Isn't that really a great thing to look forward to? :)

Pleated wristlet, take 1...

I've tried 2 keyka lou patterns before, and I love how simple & easy to follow the instructions are. When she had her anniversary sale this month, I decided to snap up 2 more.

The pleated wristlet & strap clutch are the ones I've had my eye on for some time, and I jumped right into it once I had the patterns. I had some issues following the instructions for the wristlet, cos at one point I couldn't imagine how it would turn out.

I shouldn't have doubted the pattern or myself... It turned out pretty great if I do say so myself hehe... I modified the pattern as I didn't have an O ring, so I cut the strap shorter. It was still a nice, usable length though.

I'd definitely make this again! Next time maybe I'll make the medium or large one... The strap clutch is still waiting for me :)

Quick project - ribbon wristlet

I whipped these up quickly in a couple of hours before my recent trip. I love how fast these came into being! It actually took more time to sew the inner bindings to cover the seams than to sew the wristlet.

No interfacing on either side - I used home dec cotton for both outer & lining fabric (as you can barely make out, one plain beige & one grey with teeny tiny flowers). Nice, soft & with just enough structure, and very spacious!

I'm just calling these ribbon wristlets since I used these large wide ribbons as the wrist straps.

I wanna make more!! :)

New book!!

Well, not so new la, but still my most recent sewing book...

I've only tried the bag on the cover so far... Relatively easy instructions to follow, so I'm looking forward to trying out another pattern soon.

I've got several other books on my 'want' list... Have to find a way to keep my inner shopaholic in check :p

I miss sewing!!!

I had to travel overseas for 11 days recently, and I gotta say, I miss sewing! When the departure was near, I realized that I sadly didn't have a portable needle case, not even a handmade one!! I should get cracking on a cute one soon for future use hehehe...

I stacked up on potential portable projects... I stashed 2 charm packs in my luggage, bought some tiny hexagon templates as well as my larger ones, loads of tiny scraps supposedly for the tiny templates plus the nearly-completed set of potholders for my friend that I wanted to handquilt.

After all that packing, what did I accomplish? In the end I only managed to make some large hexagons and sew some snap buttons on a fabric tray I almost finished heheheh... I had such big plans :p

Of pouches and potholders

Yesterday was another good crafting/sewing day. Since I'll be travelling for almost 2 weeks soon, I wanted to cram as much sewing as I can in the time I have left! Next Saturday will be the last Saturday before my trip... Gasp!

Anyway, I had my goals set down for yesterday. I wanted to complete at least 2 more multipurpose pouches (one of which I plan to use as a gift for my just-married staff, to put the wedding card & angpau we collected in), as well as get cracking on some potholders my colleague requested. I was planning to hand quilt the potholders when I travel heheh...

The pouches went over pretty quickly, save for some minor grievances with the machine in the beginning (the more advanced it is, the more delicate *sigh*)

Then I pored over my book again for the potholder effort. Trying to make sense of the pictures and adapting the design & measurements were a bit of a challenge (the book was in Japanese), but I basically winged it when it came to certain parts I wasn't clear on. Just finished whip-stitching them closed today, so I can show them to my frien tomorrow & bring them along for a bit of hand sewing later yeay!

It was a good day!

Now, I have 5 days to think about what else to make next Saturday that I can hopefully bring along for the trip... Too bad I can't sew on the flight!

Productive weekend :)

After a very tiring week (which will be repeated over the next few weeks... *sigh*), I hunkered down to business on Saturday!

Got out tracing paper for a new pattern I wanted to try out & got to work tracing & cutting it out. Then spent some time trying to choose fabric that I like but won't miss if the project turns out bad hahaha...

The new bag went pretty well in the beginning, until when I hit the handles... I tell you, I'm sorely tempted to never make this bag again!!!

It got done anyway, and I guess it wasn't too bad :) It's not as nice as I thought it'd be though, not really my kinda bag... Next attempt would be a pleated pouch perhaps :)

This was a productive way to spend the weekend :)

P/s got my daughter to take these pics hehe... Good thing the bag hid my tummy!

Another baby boy space set

Technically this isn't my handiwork... But this was one of the custom orders we did for the shop. The customer saw the first one we made and wanted a similar quilt, but she also added some pillows, bolsters and a mattress cover.

These pillows & bolsters were stuffed with kekabu, and they're nice & firm :)

The whole set is now in the hands of the owner, just awaiting the arrival of the little one soon :)

Thank goodness for quick projects!

Got this done in a jiffy last night, yeay! So I got to satisfy the sewing urge a little... But then once I got going, I wished I has time to do more!

That's OK though, at least I felt better once I was done :) I admit, it went a lot faster cos everything was cut & interfaced, so all I had to do was put it all together hehehe... I need to have more stuff all cut out & ready whenever I needed a quick sewing fix!

Now all I need to do is sew on the Velcro tabs and add a decorative button... Then it's good to go!

The urge....

... to cut fabric and sew is very strong!!! Especially when I'm as tired out and stressed out as I am right now...

My head's too tired to think of what to make though.... Maybe I'll just finger some fabric first...

Reversible floppy tote in dire need of a name...

I made up my customer's order as soon as I was done with my sample. I made a few changes along the way - added ties, used home-dec cotton as interfacing/batting since the cotton body & lining only would have been too light, quilted more lines on the handle.

I love how soft the bag is, and how much it can carry hehehe... It looks great too once it's actually worn (it was really tough trying to get decent pics for it on its own!)

I think it needs a proper name, but right now I can't really think of a suitable one... Tried asking my daughter for ideas and she gave me a name from a book she's reading hehehe... Can aaa?

It's already with its owner... I hope she gets lots of love & use out of it :)

Envelope pouches for iPhones & Blackberries

I've always wanted to buy a few keyka lou patterns, and I finally bought a couple (the box wallet pouch was the first one I made). This was the first batch of envelope pouches using a keyka lou design, & I love them to bits!!

They're quite easy to make, but I spent more time handsewing the Velcro tabs & decorative buttons than the actual pouch assembly since I opted not to use elastic ties, so I'll need to figure out a better, more efficient way of doing that.

They fit an iPhone or blackberry bold phone, or even business cards if you want :)

Only the blue polkadot one is still available right now... I've got a few more in the works!

Box wallet pouches

I purchased Keyka Lou's patterns for several itty-bitty pouches & tried them out. This is from the first batch :)

I've put them in the shop. They are selling for RM28 per pouch. Perfectly sized for some cards, cash & maybe a small phone... So adorable!

New design & sample...

Yesterday I spent several hours trying to adapt my regular multipurpose tote design for a customer. I wasn't worried about the bag body; I was concerned how the single handle she requested would affect the overall look once the bag was carried.

After poring over several design books and sketching out a prototype (cheh, sounds so grand heheh... I just did a rough sketch aje :p), I pulled out some linen-type mid-weight cotton & started cutting.

I needed to see how it would look like once completed, but it also had to be a quick job so I skipped my usual interfacing for this sample. For added strength & for interest, I quilted 3 straight lines on the handle (more visible on the beige side since I used red thread). This is still reversible so I didn't put in any tabs or button closures, but I'n thinking maybe ties or ribbons? It turned out quite well, I think. What do you think?

Now I can get started on the customer's bag :) Looks like I may just skip the interfacing for hers too & replace it with a canvas lining or batting for the floppy look, and add ties at the top for closure...

p/s. Forgot to take pics of the red side... I'm keeping the sample since there's some stitching that I'm not too happy with... Good enough for me to use but not to sell :) love the bag!!

My first dress :)

I finally sewed my first dress, all by myself!! Well ok, had some help with the string ties cos it was a rush job, but otherwise it was all my handiwork :)

I've always wanted to make girls' outfits cos the patterns out there are so cute, but my baby's a boy :( I waited for an excuse to make one, & it finally came!

I modified the pattern & size from a draft that we used before for the shop to fit a newborn. This was a present for a friend's new baby... I'm so glad it turned out fine!