Random thoughts

I have come to realize, that as much as I love to sew and create and share.. blogging takes a lot of effort. Does this mean I'll stop blogging? Nope.. It just means I'll stop kicking myself in the derrière (for now), for not posting up anything yet (or in fact creating more stuff).

I want to make all those lovely clothes for Lil' Miss.. but daddy brought back SO MANY articles of clothings from his recent trips to the States.. That goes the same to Lil' Master too .. oh the dilemma.

OK .. GIFTS..

Hey.. that sounds good. Gifts for family and friends. Must go make my list now.

If you suddenly receive something from me, fret not. It's just me looking for an excuse to sew something ;)

TA

Challenge : Mass Production

Sewing ONE wristlet is nice.

Sewing TWO wristlets is cool

Repeat that multiple times.. and you wonder if it'll ever end.

Then you see them all stacked up.. and you swell with the sense of achievement

Don't you think they look gorgeous? It's the first tme I've sewn SO MANY wristlets at one go. 19 actually, all 'unique' in their little way.. because it's all hand-made (actually it's just that I didn't cut them all precisely *sheepish smile*).

Nope, I'm not setting up shop and building up my inventory. A friend asked me to make them for her.. she has a wristlet fetish.. I kid! I kid! She gave them away as gifts.

Sew all these (and some more) over the weekend. Now, that' what I call a frenzy!

Ah.. but wristlets alone are not enough

Booksleeves were in the request too. Not 1, not 2, but 5!

All with a ribbon sewn in as a bookmark and an elastic tie to hook on to a wooden smiley flower. Adorable, no?

There's just something about your creations all stacked up...makes me smile..

Either that or it's my sub-concious just happy that I've completed the order and can go and sleep *grins*

Isn't the fabric just oh-so-cute too?

Lil' Miss and Hello Kitty

Remember this?

I finally got around to sewing (and to post about) a blouse to match it. It's all made of the same material, local flannel. The pattern was an old McCall dress pattern my mum found in her treasure trove of books and magazines. 

Lil' Miss loves it. It's nice an airy and roomy enough for her to move around in.

Cute, no?

Clockwise from left: Full suit - front view, back view, close up of the material

I finished the back with a zip. On hind site, perhaps buttons would be better. 

The only problem I have with this material is the .. erm.. what do you call it? the little lumps that appear on the sruface after it's been to wash. 

A back shot... also to show off the cool vinyl sticker I have on the wall.. 

Happy.

A fair pair

Ms. Wristlet..

 

Love how simple the fabric is and how this turned out. Didn't have any pattern on hand, so I just winged the size. Since the outer layer was so sweet, I paired it with a pale beige lining. The result is quite charming, I must say.

Months back, I got this keychain from a small harbedasheries and stationary shop. I love the usage of the 'heart' shape instead of the normal 'circle'. It gives the wristlet a bit more 'character' I think.

When it was done, I looked at Ms Wristlet. 

She looked lonely.. she needed a friend. Then came...

Mr. Book sleeve

He came to me .. in a daze. While I was just staring blankly at the book case, thinking of a partner for Ms Wristlet. The same fabrics were used.. after all, they had to be a matching, handsome pair. 

To add a little twist, I searched my scrap pile and found this organza ribbon. Must've been from a present wrapping I received a long time ago. I searched some more and found this cute little ladybug, that used to be on my sewing table (I would post a picture of it soon). A couple of zig-zag stitches later, I made a bookmark, with the ladybug trapped in organza.. doesn't it shout 'CUTE!' ?

Match made in heaven.

Don't they look handsome?

The story of pants.

Once upon a time, there was a lady who had a strong itch to sew. She was ecstatic to find that her dear sister in law is pregnant, and the cute lil' belly is beginning to show. The lady thought.. "I have a bright idea! I'll sew her a pair of pants!"

"Not any boring old pants... yoga pants!"

"The swanky celeb mums are all wearing them just like these"

And so she cut, and cut, and pieced... twice she ripped the seams. 

Shook her head and said "You know, I don't really know her size." 

"Her baby bump will grow." She thought... "It'll fit her soon... I hope"

Finally she came up with...

And she thought it was good.. 


Alas, it was still too big for her sister in law... 


"She'll grow into it" sighed the lady who had an itch to sew

Quickie : Children shorts

Since I made something for Lil' Master, I made something quick for Lil' Miss as well.

Granted, it's not as complicated as a backpack.. but she loved it!

Who can resist the cuteness of Hello Kitty?

Whipped this up in 30 minutes.. used an existing shorts for pattern. No frills.

Now she wants a matching blouse... what should I make?

Wonky Backpack

Lil' Miss has a large collection of backpacks

1 for pre-school

1 for weekend outings

at least 3 soft backpacks for.. well.. for.. I don't even know what they're for.. They're just there.

Most of them are gifts.. in fact.. wait.. ALL of them were gifts.

Lil' Master on the other hand, has NO backpacks. Poor guy. I thought he could get a hand-me-down from the sis.. then I realised, the backpacks Lil' Miss has are either uber-red, uber-pink or uber-girly.

So what's a mum to do?

Sew one, of course!

Going through my stash, I found white flannel. Oooo.. Soft.. perfect for baby boys (he's 13 months).

Zip - check

Interface - check

Found the plastic pieces to adjust the back strap (what do you call em'?) buckles?

To personalise the backpack, I thought trying out machine applique would be fun. So I made out the pattern of a train. Made it with scraps that I had.. and fussy cut one of my other flannel fabric (yes, I admit.. I bought quite a bit of local flannel) with prints of a bear.

Loved the way it turned out.

2 hours and much grunting, sobbing and tugging later, lesson learnt was... sewing through interfacing and rounded corners is SO DIFFICULT. *sob*

The end result was kind of 'wonky'...Lil' Master didn't mind though (I think).

Oh, the other thing...I couldn't figure out how to line the bag! .. the inside is well, kinda messy. Wanna see?

Nah, let's not scare you off :P

I'll have to attempt the backpack again... hopefully this time it'll be less wonky. After all, Lil' Master needs to catch up in his collection of backpacks :)