Ottobre Sewalong - My Little Valentine Dress

The three way dress in my Ottobre sewalong is now My Little Valentine Dress because of the pink hearts fabric I chose ( Love Is In The Air by Deb Strain for Moda). This is also to celebrate little miss Hanan's recognition of the shape. She took one look at the dress and proclaim "Wow mommy....manyak nye LOSH!" (so many LOVES)...lol I love how she says Losh... :)

I finished the dress yesterday. It really is easy. The tracing part is always the one dragging me. I chose view B with the floating frill sleeves. The construction is so simple, I improvised in areas I am not good at such as the narrow hemming.

I applied bias tape to enclose the raw edges of the frills and the armholes. Save me all the narrow hemming horror. As you can see, I still have the too-lazy-to-change-matching-thread syndrom lol

I also applied my favourite French Seam to the sides. It's such an elegant finishing, perfect as I don't have a serger...yet. With this seam, there is no exposed seam on the inside as it is fully encased.

I think I need to shorten the ribbon. I don't have one in matching color so I just settled with this brown one. I stitched the ribbon to the frill and front right edge of the dress body to make sure it doesn't come out in the washer. The dress itself is a little bit short on Hanan. I traced size 92 but I think I made a mistake in locating the bottom band.

The most important thing is, my funny, little Valentine is happy :)

Can't wait to see what others come out for this sewalong, such fun!

Oh, and I survived the IELTS exam too, results in two weeks, yikes!

Till later, happy crafting happy peeps! :D

Scrappy Patched Potholders - First Patchwork Attempt

Hah..another "drive the stress away" project lol

My scraps are building up. I have around 5 bags of it and never attempted to do anything with them until last night. I decided to give patchwork a try. This is my practice before I sew a big project - a baby blanket for my beloved sister in law, as she's giving birth to a long awaited baby in March. Ok not THAT big a project, but I've never done patchwork or quilt before! :P

So I made two potholders using my scraps and some funky, old terrycloth napkins as batting. I totally winged the cutting and measurement as my scraps are all in different sizes.

The first one is a mauve and black theme. It turned out square and nice shape but the stitches are really wonky. I love the square swirl quilt I did though, and the colour scheme too.

Then I proceed to make another one coz it's weird to have just one potholder.

This time instead of basting stitches before quilting, I used safety pins to hold the patched top and the terry napkin together. I love it! So easy and saves a lot of time.

The second potholder has a rectangle shape and really wonky!! Hahaha...I don't really care coz my eyes are only attracted to the happy, retro prints and colors.

The back

I find patchwork really fun!! Definitely will move on to bigger projects.

And to think that these babies will brighten up my kitchen, bliss....

So which one you like better? :D

Jom Jahit - A-Line Dress

When I worry, I look for something to distract myself.


So after "studying" for my IELTS exam, I sewed this A-line dress for Tinihani's Jom Jahit, a sewalong :D

I mean, how do you "study" a language?! I ended up reading a few articles, learned a few new words and pray I'll remember them in the Writing module tomorrow. Oh well, I'll just brave it through then. English is my second language, no point putting my hopes too high. A 6.5 would be good enough for me.

Back to the dress. Love it!

I chose the third one in Tinihani's list of tutorials. I wanted an intermediate project where I can attempt a zipper. It is from this tutorial.

I skipped the ruffle, too lazy for gathering fabric today. But I used invisible zipper and this is my second attempt at one. The result, let's just say I'm grinning from ear to ear :D

Look Ma, it's completely concealed! :D

The fabric is a pretty Japanese cotton from my stash. I only have half yard of it left, had a tough time deciding to use it. But the texture is really soft I knew it would be comfy on Hanan. So glad I used it. Not sure about my print placement though. I always have problem with large print placement.

I learned a lot with this project. The stitch in the ditch trick to anchor the facings is brilliant! The shape is just nice for the little miss. And she's pretty happy with it too :P

Thanks for reading. I'm gonna get back to my worrying about the exam tomorrow now *sigh*...

Kitty Bag and Coin Purse

Those kittens are the cutest!

I love this fluffy cats Michael Miller fabric. Been in my stash for quite sometime. It's thicker than other quilting cotton so I figured a bag is the best project for it.

I used the same coordinating pink dots and string I used before. But this time I handsewn pink buttons to hide the stitching I made to attach the string to the bag. The bag is really small and pass as a pouch I quess. Great for storing little girl treasures!

Finished this coin purse for the lovely Ct :)

She chose Ontranto in Sage by Alexander Henry and a coordinating pink stripes by Sandi Henderson for the lining. A pretty simple pouch. I added ribbon tab and zipper pull for added jazz.

I'm still waiting for my woven label from manufacturer. For now, my handmade cotton tape label will do.

This Saturday and next Monday - I'm sitting for my IELTS exam. Other than that all spare time will be spent on completing two sewalongs, the Ottobre sewalong and Tinihani's Jom Jahit. Can't wait to get back to sewing clothes! :)

Till then, have a great day!

Been Busy - Sewing Sample Bag and Pouches

I've been busy.....creating, designing, inspired by what I see online.

Pleated Tote - yet to name it. The sample went to my darling sister Masni. Perhaps I'd call it that. The Masni Pleated Tote haha...I need to lenghthen the straps to turn this into a tote though :D

Two Makeup Pouches - can also be anything pouch depends on what you put inside :)

I made two designs. One with pleated bottom and one without. The one without pleats lies flat and looks bigger. But the pleating on the other one actually make the pouch roomier.

Some wonky shapes as the design is not the stiff and padded type. I used medium strength interfacing on both exterior and lining fabric.

The most challenging part of this one is poking the top zipper end points to make it look remotely decent....arrghh....and the zipper cover, I tell you...costs me a few broken needles...lucky my baby was not in the room or else she'll learn many new words lol!

The inside. Love the print though. Already making notes to better improve the designs.

So, how do I fare? ;)

Evelyn Slouchy Hobo in Retro Mod Damask

I finished this bag for Aida, a very lovely customer :)

The bag is fully interfaced, fully lined with gingham, comes with magnetic snaps and has one pocket. Next time I make this bag I think I'll replace the magnetic snap with button and loop on the outside.

I'm happy with the result and particularly LOVE the stunning print!

Aida, hope you like the bag and hope it gets lots of love during your trip. Sending this over to you with love, thank you and enjoy!! :)

From Japan With Love...And Toughest Decision Ever

I had the craziest week...so busy...so many things happened...

But the parcel I received yesterday was like a ray of sunshine...full of happiness, made me forget about all things depressing :)

I ordered a few cuts of these gorgeous Japanese fabric from a fellow blog friend Sue, a Malaysian residing in Japan. The fabrics are the ever fabulous Heather Ross Kokka fabrics and Nani Iro's Fuccra. I never thought I'd own them as purchasing these from the US is so, so expensive. Thanks to Sue, this coming from Japan is much more affordable and fast too! Barely a week and they're safely here.

Honestly Sue, I feel like we've known each other for years! Such a lovely lady and wonderful crafter too! I really admire your work and wish I can be in Japan and absorb all those creative vibes. Check out Sue's blog for more inspirations.

Now I know how double gauze feels like...so soft..oh so dreamy!

Now, about the toughest decision I've ever made in my life, ever. For reasons too long to write and ramble on about here, I've decided to convert my scholarship and pursue my masters here in Malaysia. Looks like going to Australia to study and dragging my two kids and husband leaving his job will not be happening.

Oh well...I guess I'll just have to plan a holiday to Perth then, already booking Air Asia X, none other :P

Ottobre Sew Along - Come Join Us!

For the first time ever, I'm hosting a Sew Along. Grab the above button and come join us! :)

I was elated when I read that my dearest blog friend Dura is also an Ottobre fan. Since I have this magazine but hardly sew anything from it, we wanted to have a sew along so that we can help each other along the way, in case we're stuck. The designs in Ottobre are to die for, but the instructions can be challenging for a visual person like me.

So, I've decided to host this sew along.

For the first project, I've chosen a simple design but it comes with many possibilities. It is the Three Way Dress (no. 18) in the Summer 3/2009 Issue. Even though it's a summer pattern, the dress is designed for layering in cooler weather.

The best thing about this pattern is it comes in 3 variations. You can pick and choose which design you'd want to sew and go crazy on the fabric combinations! :)

This sew along is open to all Malaysian and International sewists who have this issue. Everyone is welcome, no matter where you are. We are hoping many more wonderful ladies would join and inspire us. Just email me or leave a comment here if you'd like to join us in the fun!

If you have a blog, please grab the button on top of this post and paste it with a link to this page so that others are aware about the sew along and perhaps would like to join us too.

I will feature the final pictures of your finished dresses in this blog (with your permission, of course). If you don't have a blog, no worries. Just email me the picture and I will include it in the feature.

Finally, as in any sew along, we need a dateline. As Dura and I are both working mothers, we figured a longer time frame would be better. This sew along ends on Sunday, 31st of January. I might extend the dateline if needs arise, always have to have some flexibility ;)

Till then, happy sewing!

Inspirations - Burda Magazine

My first love.

The initial spark to sew for me started way back in 2003 when I stumbled upon this magazine in a bookstore. Back then it was known as Burda World of Fashion (BWOF). When I browsed the first copy I found, I was awestruck. The magazine is jampacked with beautiful European designs (easily 2-3 years ahead in trends) and comes with full size patterns. It opened up a whole new world to me. A world of sewing gorgeous designs, using beautiful fabrics with endless possibilities and to be able to do it on my own! So I started hoarding the magazine. I even asked the MPH boy to save a copy for me every month and call me to pick it up at the bookstore when it arrives from the magazine dealer.

Back then, I have a sewing machine. A cheap, generic brand, purchased at the hypermarket which once broken, no one can fix. And that exactly what happened. The machine died on me barely a year of its sorry life with me. I managed to sew some pillowcases, bedsheets, curtains and errrmm....about ONE pattern from my precious BWOF lol

I remember sewing a cute lavender romper for Aisha who was just a tiny 3yo toddler that time and mind you, it had 6 buttons! Now that my sewing mojo is on full swing I wonder why I've not sewn as many buttons...

I faithfully collected BWOF until 2007 when suddenly I no longer received that monthly call from my trusted MPH boy. So I asked around and sadly...for some reason, the magazine is no longer distributed in Malaysia. So, so sad....I wanted to subscribe directly from the website, but somehow I find they are not making it easy for International customer to make a purchase (I suggest they look at how Ottobre is doing it, so easy to purchase with them especially the single issue options).

So, from then on, since I don't have a sewing machine, I auctioned off a few copies on eBay. This magazine's back issues are highly sought after on the International sewing community.

I remember a bit surprised when a fellow Malaysian bid on the magazine when I listed one of it on eBay US. And now that I'm on blogland, I realised the buyer was the very talented Alviana! Yes Alvi, I was keepsakes_n_such on eBay J

I now have a new, better machine and am seriously back in business with sewing, therefore, I will definitely try and sew a few designs from this amazing magazines I have in my hands. This magazine is now known as Burdastyle and perhaps one day our love affair will be rekindled!

Introducing Cherie and The Blogshop

Meet Cherie - the cute party wristlet. I had so much fun making this!

I made two samples and all designs offered for custom order are now available in the newly set up blogshop - http://lovemelotscreations.blogspot.com. I've also put up the link on the left bar. Spread the words!! :)

The Etsy store needs more work as I need to fill it with ready to ship items. Meanwhile, custom order is the best arrangement I could offer. I'm already working on a few bags. Finished orders will be featured here on this blog.

The most exciting thing for me is I am now designing a few bags to call my own! Now that I understand the kinks, designing is so much fun! Too many ideas, too little time.

Thank you again for all your support. Feel free to drop by often and have a great day!

Sew It - Drawstring Bag

This week we are sewing drawstring bag for Sew It. Great timing as I've wanted to sew a bag for Hanan since she's so jealous of her big sis's bag.

You know she's at this stage where she wants to imitate everything her big sis does and she also wants everything her big sis has. She emphasises all this in constant "Anan Punya!!!" ("This is MINE!!!") grabbing and pushing sessions whenever her big sis touches something. Sighh...recipe for headache for the mom...

So I figured a simple drawstring bag is perfect for her. Something small and cute that Hanan can call her own and show off to her big sis. I chose the first one recommended by Mayya for Sew It, but when I went to the tutorial page I found a few variations useful to customize the bag. So I turned it into a drawstring backpack with lining. This is to make it easier for little miss Hanan to carry it.

Love how neat the lining is. I patched the outer bag to turn it into a pink and blue colorway (I LOVE pink and blue together). I used the same pink dots fabric for the lining.

Little miss Hanan was estatic! She keeps saying "Beg Anan! Beg Anan!!".

Here, at 9pm, in her pjs, she stuffed the bag with some toys. Then, she made Aisha put on her school backpack, waved mommy goodbye, said "Anan skool mommy!!" and walk hand in hand to wherever "skool" is LOL. I love my little sassypants.

Come and join us sometime at Sew It, it really is fun!

I'm Selling My Work - Lovemelots Creations

I get many inquiries and requests from lovely people to purchase my work. I've made the decision to share my passion for this craft with others. I wanted my work to have its own label. So, Lovemelots Creations was born.

I'll be selling mostly bags and clutches which I love making so much (and I have so many already, need to sell those I keep creating). I will also be taking custom orders for girls' clothing on select style. Other than that, I will occasionally sell sewing supplies and notions including fabrics (I sometimes need to destash)!

I prefer to work closely with my customers. I offer an exciting array of fabric combos to choose from and we'll have fun creating. Communication is key. Email me or even come to my house to discuss fabric options is you're nearby :)

Meanwhile, I'm working on a dedicated shopblog for Lovemelots and also setting up my Etsy store for International customers. You'll see the link once it's up.

Thank you so much for supporting me thus far, it means a lot to me and keeps my craft going.

Fingers' crossed!