Emerson Skirt for Emma

I made this maxi length skirt for Emma, my dearest Idamurni's niece. It's a size 7, but I cut a longer size 10 length because Ida wanted it to be a long flowy, maxi length skirt. I really hope Emma likes it :)

I have sewn many skirts before but I truly enjoyed the simplicity and sweet modesty of this long skirt. I made it using the Emerson skirt pattern by Marie Madeline Studio, pattern pics as below :

I absolutely love this pattern. Easy peasy and comes in 3 different styles - pleated, gathered and flared. I chose the flared style for Emma since I've always wanted to sew circular skirt before.

I learned from this pattern that circular style uses more of the regular 44/45 inches wide fabric. The flared shape of the pattern would extend beyond the folded edge. For this pattern, up to size 7 is fine but if you're sewing a larger size you might need double the amount of fabric. All the other styles would use less fabric as the patterns are mere rectangles. Either ways, I'm pretty satisfied with the results and already planning to sew another one for my older girl Aisha who loves to wear modest clothing :)

On the home front, I finished my back-to-back mid-term exams and the stress of it all is taking a toll on my body. I caught the flu bug and spent most of my free time lulled into flu-meds induced sleep. I hope this won't go on for long coz next week will be the start of another round of presentations-paper submissions-quizzes.

Hope you have a wonderful, productive day ladies, bye! :)

New Skirt & A Note from My Babies

Hello friends! :)

This is almost random - I have Business Research Method exam tomorrow morning. The fact that I am writing and posting this now is a clear indicator how stressed out I am. Classic in-denial, escapism mode for momma lol!

Oh well...this place makes me happy and the pictures sooth my messy brain, I'll take whatever form of pacifier I could get right now...

This is a skirt I sewed for my neighbor's lil birthday girl last week, a present for her Miss Rania, 2 years old. Am calling it the Hop Scotch Skirt. I love the ruffle and whole lots of possible combos for this skirt. I will be offering this for custom order in the shop by end of December :)

And that note I mentioned in the title? Well, I was rummaging through my half-yards drawer last night when I found a folded paper stashed away long ago. It was a sweet Mother's Day message from my babies...it is Aisha's drawing and writing...I thought I'd snap a photo of it and post it on this blog coz this mama is good at losing things lol!

Off to the library now and face reality - time to hit the books! Till later beautiful ones, have a great week!! *hugs*

KCWC - A Sweet Dress For The Lil Mam

Ok...I confess. I didn't formally signed up for the challenge simply because I know me! I know how I could end up with just another unfinished project for my girls and later feels really bad about it....

But I went through with this one and am so proud of myself haha....The main push factor?? Our neighbor is having their girl's 2nd birthday party - so this lil mam wanted a new dress and she actually picked the fabrics herself!! So I complied & stayed up late to finish it. And since KCWC is still on, I decided to enter it there too :)

I wanted to sew something different & browsed through my pattern stash for something modern yet sweet for a birthday party. I decided on this pretty pattern by Lily Bird Studio. I love all her designs, and it was wonderful to know that the designer, Cecilia, once lived here in Malaysia! She has been very helpful whenever I need help regarding the pattern. 

I made the dress one size bigger for Hanan (5T) so that it would have a longer wear-time. As mentioned in my previous post, I LOVE the pleating detail of this dress. Pleating adds to a sophisticated look to the dress. All in all, great design, very satisfied with the outcome!

The lil mam could not agree more, as you can see...lol!

Have a beautiful week ahead my friends! *hugs*

In The Zone

I'm sewing...in between school work...

I find solace in the movements of my hands and the soothing whirr of the sewing machine at dawn....

Among all the techniques, I find that hand pleating is my favourite...

It's so comforting...the rythm, the pace..left-right-left-right...

aaaahhh.....

It's zen.

What's your favorite sewing technique?

:)

Too School For Cool

You know that one line in Pink's song - Raise Your Glass? I love it...so very anti-mainstream, very appealing to me. That's how I feel rite now. Now that school is back, I am so into it I found other endeavors not as interesting, including - oh no - sewing!

You see, this semester, I'm well towards the end of my MBA. I'm in the 4th Semester, one more to go for my project paper & I'm done. The courses I'm taking this time around are all SO challenging + advanced in its rigor - that I am practically living on my nerves - all the time. Worse still, it all begins way too early! Just the 4th week of the semester I already have 2 major presentations, 2 journal articles review + 1 strategic marketing plan to do.

Party dress - pattern credit to Olabelhe :)

Naturally, sewing is on the back burner. I found the current courses I'm taking SO interesting - I basically feel guilty whenever I'm sewing instead of reading! 

This is new to me. But credit has to go to the professors. I am so lucky to have the opportunity to learn from some of the finest academics in our country this semester. Especially in a course called Current Issues in International Business. I learned world history, economics, politics, current happenings & the impact on businesses as well as our future generation. Nothing that comes from a standard textbook. It inspires me to think hard, makes me aware of where our country is going while at the same time I fear for my children's future as the world gets deeper in turmoil. Other than that, I have new found interest in economics as I learn a lot from my International Trade class.

More pictures on my Facebook page :)

BUT, I did manage to finish a few overdue orders, mostly just in time before an event or wedding a customer need them for. I do still find sewing comforting & de-stress-ing (??)...but there is also that eagerness in me to read more about world history & economics & fall of empires & financial/debt crisis in the US & Eurozone & the struggle of the Palestinians - that I'm constantly on flight mode - wanting to get away from the sewing machine.

That's it for today. As Pink would say in that song - why so serious???.....Lol!

Eidulfitri 2011 - Family Edition

Salam Aidilfitri to my readers :)

How are you doing post-Eid? Honestly, I'm beat. Really, after I'm back from all the huha of Raya in my hometown, I basically feel very lethargic & have almost zero motivation. Getting back to previous routine after a long  holiday takes a LOT of work and I am slowly getting back into it.

To fill you up on our little family's Eid this year here are some pics I managed to edit for this blog.

This year, our Eid pics are only taken on the 2nd day of Raya. As you know I was on the road on the 1st day of Eid. We took some photos of my family side but they are all in my dad's camera I've yet to get hold of the pics. So these are us getting ready to visit hubby's side of the family in Sabak, Kelantan...One tragic story for me to relate here - see hubby there sans Raya's baju melayu? Oh well, to cut long story short, the matchy-matchy outfit was accidentally left in Putrajaya! Arrgghh....my bad! Lucky it was the 2nd day so we don't really feel the pain lol...better luck next year with the family photos!

I did not sew any baju kurung this year...I was up to my nose in orders, I bought mine practically the night before Eid while the girls' baju were birthday presents from their grandparents. Hanan later wore a few dresses I've sewn for her but not yet blogged about & somehow I forgot to snap pictures when she wore them.

The girls having fun with fireworks (or is it fire crackers? I dunno lol).....This is the first time for my girls, you could see how anxious lil Hanan was but she eventually got into the fun and it was a blast. This was taken on the 3rd night of Eid & we were at my parents new house in Kota Bharu. The front porch/lawn area is huge so the kids were having the time of their life!

Happy faces of us celebrating Eid (my sister & brother in law in the pics) & look at my little niece Asma Widad, she is so big & cheecky & such a delightful baby! I sewed the dress for her & I miss her already!

Last but not least, this year's Eid was a memorable & meanigful family gathering for us. I love how my girls are appreciating more the meaning of family togetherness during Eid, the blessings that comes with it & how we have Allah to thank for all the abundance showered upon us...

Me...I miss my late sister the most...it feels diferrent without her this year. I don't think I'll ever get used to it...

Here's again wishing you had a great one this year. I am gearing up myself for more sewing till October as well as getting ready to go back to school this Monday, wish me luck! :)

Raya Sewing Portfolio 2011 & Eid Mubarak!

I hope it is not too late to post a wish here on this blog.

My raya sewing this year was eventful & I have to say, an eye opener. Despite all the challenges, Alhamdulillah I managed to finish sewing 58 dresses altogether since the beginning of Ramadhan. Here's a wall of some of my sewing this year, I might have left out a few...

So today is Eid....it is now 5am and I am still in Putrajaya...

In a few hours the whole family will wake up and after Eid prayer we would go to visit my late sister's grave before going back to my hometown in Kota Bharu. This year's raya has a somber mood to it as we mourn the first Aidilfitri without my youngest sister....

Before I go, I would like to thank all my customers for the opportunity to sew for your lil ones this year. May you have a wonderful celebration with your loved ones this year from yours truly...

Love,

Zura

Hanan Turns 4 & Beach Party Getaway

My little princess, Hanan Alia recently turned 4, and we planned a small family getaway to Morib (we stayed at Impian Morib Hotel) before Ramadhan, plus a beach party to celebrate Hanan's and my nephew Imran Iskandar's birthdays. We chose Morib because it is very near to my parent's place, barely 45 minutes away.

We stopped by the beach at around 11am and had the picnic + party. I made lasagna, mom made nasi lemak and the cake was smashed from the ride haha.... It's a small yet meaningful event for this family where my late youngest sister is greatly missed. The kids were so excited for the event they could barely sleep the night before lol

When we arrived, it was low tide! Oh well....the kids still enjoyed themselves coz they rarely get to see beaches :)

Birthday girl in mommy made dress!

This one happy princess, she was all laughter and smiles in her new dress. She picked the fabric herself and of course wanted pink for her special day. I stayed up late the night before finishing this and she stayed right by my side, that's how excited she was lol....I love the dress the only minus point is that the bodice was a tad too big with gapy armscye so I had to put a t-shirt inside. I made the bodice from a bright pink linen I just love the texture of that fabric!

The most awaited moment for the kids! See how excited they look? Lol...

Happy faces!! Thank you everyone for the presents!!
Special thanks to Untie Idamurni & Mya for the Rapunzel Jigsaw Puzzle & Aisha's creative set, they simply love it! :)

All four kids get presents, so you know now why we had to combine birthdays? :D

The women behind the events - my lovely mama, my sister Masni & yours truly!
Second pic on the right - me & baby Faris, what a peaceful baby, slept through the whole party commotion!!

All in all, it was 2 days one night well spent in Morib! We had the much needed r&r plus family bonding time. It's been a looooong time since we ever go anywhere together so I am very grateful for this....

For my darling princess Hanan Alia....

Right now you...

- are calmer and warms up to people more readily than before...

- are a tad possessive and passionate just about anything! This also means you fight hard baby... :)

- has the brightest smile and eyes that twinkles!

- like to say "Ye lah tu..." (yeah right..) in answer to what mommy and abah tried to explain to you lol

- like to create stories around your imaginary friends, school & teachers!! You are not in school yet but you have steady stories of your experience with "Ckigu Siti" (teacher Siti), your friend named Lola (imaginary) & your school which when mommy & abah asked to visit you would always say it is either closed or not accepting visitors!! Lol.... oh baby girl...you are perfect and we LOVE you! *hugs*

Last but not least, thank you everyone for reading such a long post, a special one for me and my little family...

Today is the first day of Ramadhan, here's wishing all my readers a blessed month may Allah grant all your wishes and happiness be with you...Ameen...

For Fear of Our Safety

Few days ago my peaceful life had a rude interruption when I received 2 comments from a crazy hater, both here and on my personal blog. My maternal instinct kicked in and I deleted my personal blog.

However, this blog was a labor of love. I have written so many things related to my passion for sewing as well as my family and the journey with my late sister. I just could not delete this blog....I will not disclose what the comment is all about but let's just say it's definitely not from someone who sews. I guess Google brought him here....I have no idea what he is trying to achieve by sending those threatening comments directed to my little family. I have to do what it takes to keep my girls safe. From now on, this blog's comments will be moderated. I hate to do that but I have no choice.

That said, I will not be blogging much till I finish all my Raya sewing. Ramadhan is near so does my annual "sewing room retreat" :)

Thank you for still taking the time to drop by my humble blog. I update regularly now on my Facebook page. Be sure to Like us there to keep updated! Before I go, here's a tile of my labor of love on these adorable cuties, pictures sent from valued customers/friends. Lovemelots now is everything I want it to be thanks so much to you! :)

Making Faces

Over a month ago, I was studying for my exam downstairs when I suddenly realized that the girls were suspiciously quiet that night. As always, they must be up to something. A few minutes later, I heard excited whispers and little steps coming down the stairs and then....mummy....SURPRISE!!!

They made clay faces!!! So cute, all of them, I'm still amazed how they came out with the idea?? I laughed and laughed it was a good stress relief lol....

These are the creative faces behind those clay ones lol...love them to bits!

My Chubby Cheeks, Curly Top Is Getting Bigger

Yes, little miss Hanan is almost saying goodbye to toddlerhood and soon, hello my new preschooler!

...sob, sob...who knows where the time goes??

I'm already missing that screaming, chubby baby she used to be...

But then again...seeing her now, growing up so active and healthy, I could never ask for more could I?

Baby girl, you are much loved. Be good will ya?

Hugs,

Mummy

Dress : Variation of Lovemelots Play Dress

Fabric : Good Folks by Anna Maria Horner

Size : I made a longer 4T because I swear she grows, like 5 inches a day! lol

Semester Result Is Out Today

And I cried....
..
...
....

..... tears of gratitude, relief and happiness all jumbled up in an emotional mess. And there are many reasons for that too...

Because I was never an A student back in my undergrad years, achieving 4.0 gpa in an MBA course is a great, big deal for me.

Because of all the trials and heartbreak of the last few months during the semester, made me believe that if we persevere, and BELIEF, we'll rise above the troubles and be much more humbled by the whole experience.

Because a mother's prayer is always maqbool (granted)..I believe in that, and will always & forever believe in it. Thank you Mama for your endless thoughts and prayers. I will do the same, pray endlessly for the success of my two girls...

Because I wanted to prove to my two daughters that in life, anything is possible and excuses will not bring you anywhere....

Because this is the BEST birthday present for me, ever (it was June 13th, but I was too deeply engrossed in exam preparation to celebrate)...

Because I am one lucky girl....to have found the man with the quiet strength behind all this. He is the rock that I lean on, the supportive voice at the end of every grumpy, tiring day I had. He is the love of my life *hugs*.

and because of friends everywhere who cheered me on, somehow that gave me strength and determination to strive on. Thank you for all the well wishes here and on my Fb page. Love ya!!

Meeting Mayya

Almost a month of no blogging. I miss this space but somehow this last few weeks I just didn't feel like writing anything. It's like the life of the previous me was sucked away somewhere far, somewhere solitary...For awhile, I lost the pleasure of doing things I used to love - sewing, photography and blogging. Days went by, I could barely remember my daily trips to the library, burying myself in books, trying to focus, trying to forget. Now that my final exam is finally over, I find myself yearning to write, to connect, to communicate again - through this space. I hope this is still the real me, not an unknown Zura pretending to be how she used to be (feel).

I met a special friend today. We first know each other through this cyberspace. We met because we shared the same passion that is sewing. And now that we have met in real life, I am amazed at how well we gel. It's like we have known each other for a long time. Meeting Mayya was precious and very memorable.

My Omani friend, Mayya - such a lovely girl, we clicked instantly! We chat and shared like sisters and I could not take my eyes off of both mother and daughter - so, so beautiful...

The girls - little Dania and Hanan - were very shy but polite to each other and both Mayya and me giggled when we noticed how they exchanged timid, little smiles to each other :)

To my dear friend Mayya, thank you for taking the time to meet us. You are an amazing, passionate person with a huge heart...I wish you lots of love and happiness and may you reach the dreams of your life and success be with you...

Lots of hugs and kisses,

Zura

In Memories..Maizatul Adlin, My Little Sister....

My beloved baby sister, the youngest and closest to my parents, Maizatul Adlin Mohamed, 20 years old, passed away peacefully at home at 12.30pm, Thursday 26th May 2011, after a long battle with Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumour (MPNST), a rare type of cancer of the nerve.

It is now exactly six days since her passing and only this morning I found the courage to sit down and sort some photos to make this entry. At first I was doubtful whether a tribute here on this space is a good thing but my mother asked me to write so that the memories of her stay forever especially for the little ones in our family. They might be too young to remember so they can come back and read in the future about their beloved Ciksu Lyn who was so attached to her nieces and nephews…..

Bottom left (with me and Aisha) : In April, could still sit up.
Top (with parents), Bottom Right (with the maids) :
In May, could no longer sit had to prop the bed

Lyn was the baby in the family…at only 20 she was like any young ladies, full of life, outgoing, love making friends and just enjoying life. When the tumour was discovered she was at college doing her 2^nd year of TESL as she dreamt of becoming an English teacher. She had always loved children and I knew she would be a great teacher. 

The tumour, stemming from a condition called NF1, when discovered was already at advanced stage and it was the aggressive type. She was in constant horrible nerve pain and had to be given high doses of morphine and towards the end, ketamin. The doctors said it is unresponsive to chemo and gave her one time radiation. After that Lyn was basically bed bound as she lost the function of both her legs. She quickly lost a lot of weight and towards the end it was heart-breaking to see her so frail. The family was with her round the clock and my parents hired two maids to help. Hospital visits become the norm of my life. After almost 5 months in the hospital Lyn told the doctor she wanted to go home. We lost her 9 days after she arrived home.  Now, without those visits and the little chit chat with her I feel empty….somehow I forgot what normal is…..

Lyn my darling…I don’t know how to write poetic words to describe my feelings here…what I know is the loss is just too profound, the hurting is too real and this bouts of crying are just not helping. You were such a spirited young lady…you were strong and courageous and all things that make up for becoming a great person. But Allah loves you more…and we know you are in a better place now, where there is no pain, only peace and love. Your memories will stay with us forever....You need to rest my love…may your soul be amongst the blessed ones…Ameen…

Exactly 2 days after Lyn’s passing, our family is blessed with the arrival of my 3^rd nephew, Faris Ihsan. My second sister, Masni, gave birth via C-Section at Hospital Serdang, and when my parents came to see their new grandchild, we could see how their eyes light up with joy amidst mourning the loss of my sister. 

Could you see how they look worn out but at the same time happiness shines through? Alhamdulillah…Allah is Great and we are forever grateful….

My beloved new nephew, Faris Ihsan Khalid, your presence means a lot to this family. We love you.

Lastly, thank you to all of your wishes and condolences we truly appreciate it. Thank you to Idamurni for being there for me during the funeral, it means a lot to me. This whole experience had somehow given me a new perspective of my purpose in life and how in any tragedy, love will always prevail and family is everything.

Love,

Zura

European Blockbuster Giveaway At Princess Closet

Hello! I hope it's not too late to wish Happy Mother's Day to all you lovely mamas! How did you spend yours? I hope it was great! Well I spent the day with my mom and my girls at the hospital while tending to my little sister whom even though very weak now, still found the time to call me the night before to wish me.... :)

Now, for the giveaway! I don't join many giveaways nowadays coz I feel like there is very little chance for me to win anything. But in support of a very dear blog friend not to mention the fabulous prizes I can't miss this one!!

Kak Azidah over at Princess Closet, who's now residing in Rotterdam and busy enjoying Europe (envy  you kak! hehe) is having a blockbuster Europe giveaway on her blog. I mean look at those yummy European goodness! I hope I win!

LLK Corset Top

I had the the opportunity to become one of the pattern testers for Little Lizard King few weeks back and I was thrilled. The pattern is a cute ruffled corset top and I had so much fun sewing it because it was really easy, fits perfect for my 4 year old and as this is my first time sewing anything corset-y, I just love how it all turned out.

The little miss loves the top of course, but I think I don't know how to tie it right so that the criss-cross tie would spread out nicely. I'm getting better at that now though. Oh and did I mention this top is reversible? Yup! I used a purple polka dot print on the reverse side but forgot to take pictures :P

More on the mini model. I honestly don't know where those poses came from lol

And of course the happy photo session lasted for barely 10 minutes before the little diva think she's had enough lol

For more fabulous designs by Little Lizard King, visit her website here and swoon! So many gorgeous creations to be inspired with! Thank you LLK for the pattern testing opportunity! :)

Time To Take A Break

Hello lovelies! Phewww...it's been a while...I miss this space :)

I've been hanging around on Lovemelots Facebook page a lot lately. Lots of promo and getting orders for the upcoming Raya (Eid) together as well as sewing up a storm for the current orders. You know Malaysians are real hardcore Facebook users right? Read about it here http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/10/13/nation/7212273&sec=nation . I'm sure Mark Zuckerberg loves us so much :D

I thank all of you for your wonderful and kind support as well as total understanding of my capabilities and its limitations. Keeping it real here, you ladies are wonderful and I feel such an honor to be given the opportunity and trust to dress the little princesses in your life. Now that I am at a juncture of my life where we are making the hard decision of "might" not having another baby, it's a personal joy for me to be able to sew dresses for your little darlings...I stressed on the word "might" there coz I know myself very, very well...I could change my mind in the next 6 months if I happen to see a wiggly lil baby that strikes the right cord with her cutie coo lol....

So now time to take a few weeks break as another whirlwind round of exams, presentations and term papers coming my way. I am still taking orders for Raya slots and fabrics are selling as usual through the shop.

I will return very soon after my finals, looking forward to a wonderful 3 months long break!! Woot woot to that and lots of sewing!! Before I go, here's a wall of some of the current creations by yours truly. THANK YOU and stay gorgeous!!

Pao The Elephant

Hello friends, meet Pao!

She is my daughter, Aisha's latest creation. Made from felt, with lots of love and entirely hand stitched.

Cute butt eh? And that teeny tiny tail cracks me up ahahaha....

Pao came from this book :

I bought this for Aisha at Kinokuniya. She loves Japanese felt craft books but not too keen with all the Japs characters so when she saw this one in English she was hooked and I just can't object. It's quite pricey at RM61++ but I want to encourage her to sew and nurture her creativity.

Wanna see how Pao actually looks like in the book?

Notice how Aisha changed her up a little? Ditch the red cap, stitch on the eyes, brighter mix of colors? That's what I try to encourage her, don't be too confined to what you see in the book, feel free to use your imagination and available resources. Her hand sewing is still rough around the edges, but I could see that it is slowly improving. The most important thing is she is proud of her creation and now creating more felt friends for her friends at school and also for her beloved aunt who's still in the hospital.

The girls are smitten with Pao and I think lil Hanan loves her more than Aisha! lol...