SEW MY NAME

Time flies and I didn’t realize that I have been away from blogging for a month! I have really been busy(which mom is not) and also due to the fact that with one computer spoilt beyond repair we are left with one desktop and one laptop which is mine. Naturally my laptop become everyone’s target.

My niece, Saidah,  got married recently and I help to sew curtains for her new house and did the window dressing for her bedroom on her wedding day. With the red flowers on her bed, it looks like an early Christmas. The main backdrop is using gold brown lace with the scallops using beautiful flowy material. The items on the bed are gifts for the bride. Can you see the Ferrerro Rocher? I get to eat alot after the wedding.

Until next time, take care.

The past few weeks were hectic days with the Eid celebration. It is the tradition here that we visit relatives and friends  to strengthen ties. And we  visit as many as we can in this Muslim month of Syawal. The Eid celebration is a joyful affair especially for the kids who receive money from the elders.  This is the time when we don on new clothes and buy new things for the house. Below is me and my 3 boys on the first day of Eid.

I bought a small bamboo carpet with flower motifs that match the curtain that I sew. It was a steal at about USD25.

I fell in love with the pretty roses print fabric and overall it matches well with the color of my sofa. Since I like as much light as possible to enter my  tiny apartment, this pattern with scallops in the middle using see-through material allow just that.

My next sewing project will be sewing curtains for my niece who is getting married next month. With many relatives to visit, and also expecting more visitors I just hope I can finish sewing in time.

I noticed many times Google searches arrive on my blog looking for instruction how to sew a nappy stacker.  For those who don’t know what on earth this is, it is actually for putting baby diapers and usually it is hanged at baby’s crib or somewhere convenient within the mummy’s reach. It is really neat and makes a cool organizer.

So for the benefit of others I’m putting up this instruction to share. It’s very simple actually but probably many are just unsure of the dimensions and measurement to cut. Basically we need 1 metre of material, some lace if needed or we simply use the same material or contrasting material to decorate a little. If the material is heavily patterned, it is wise to keep the nappy stacker simple, otherwise you may want to add pockets or stitched some motifs to make it more interesting.

Click here for instruction. Happy sewing.

I have just bought 2 pieces of chairs from Ikea to replace my old kitchen stools(1 was broken so I have a good reason to buy). I like the plain chairs and was thinking of painting them white  or blue to match my kitchen.

But earlier today I found a pair of unused bolster cases and a pillowcase whcih I have only used the bedsheet for the my children bottom pull-out bed. Remembering Hadias , one of my favorite bloggers, who likes to recycle or re-purpose things not used, I figured out it will be enough to make a pair of covers for my new kitchen chairs. 

From 1 bolster case, I cut into 2 , enough to  completely cover the back of the chairs. From the other bolster I have enough for the skirts and for 2 pair of ties for the chairs. From the pillow case I cut 2 pieces for the seats and left a little for a small piece of table mat.

It’s really pretty simple to sew, firstly attaching the 2 pair of ties to the sides of the chair backs. Next, sew the main seat to the chair backs and finally attaching the chair skirts to the sides. when you cut the skirts, measure the perimeter of the seat and adding about 3″ to 6 ” and make 1 small pleat at each corner. Tie the 2 pieces at the back of the chair to make a bow.

Now I need to prepare for tea.  Remember to recycle  or repurpose stuffs so as not to create wastage. Have a great day all of you.

On BYOBD, shoppers here are encouraged to bring own shopping bags or purchase reusable bags available at the participating supermarkets or donate 10 cents for each plastic bag taken at the checkout counters . Proceeds from the donation will go to a registered charity to fund environmental activities.

The other day I was at the shopping center when I saw a simple foldable carrier in a mini bag selling at about USD9 similar to the one I sew in the picture. It’s really cute and the material is the sort of the ones used in umbrellas. It gave me idea to make one for myself so that I can put it in my handbag and not get caught not bringing own bag on BYOBD. Sometimes after going out I make unplanned visits to the library. That is when I wish I have a carrier with me to carry the borrowed books home.

It’s really easy to make, cutting 2 pieces of rectangle, 1 for the mini bag and 1 for the actual carrier, a small piece and 2 longer pieces for the handle of the bags. The big carrier can be rolled and fit into the mini bag which is small enough to fit in most handbags. If you can’t get the material that of the umbrella, use a sturdy material for more rugged use such as those used for cushion covers or curtains. I got my material from remnants which I bought very cheaply on clearance sale.

See how small it is next to my favorite small handbag. It measures 5.5″ by 3.5″ excluding the handle. Lets do our bit by bringing our own bags to reduce excessive use of plastic bags and in this little way we can do our part for the environment .

Happy BYOBD.

I’m in need of a new plastic bag caddy to replace my old one so here I have just sewn one with blue gingham material. I appliqued it with some scraps from remnants and did a simple cross-stitch on it saying ‘Mom’s kitchen’. With the loop at the top end, you can hang it anywhere in the kitchen for easy access.

I find this a very useful thing to have in the house as it keep grocery bags neatly stored. It also makes a useful and much appreciated gift. So if you are running out of time or budget this DIY gift is simple and fast to make for coming Mother’s day.

What you need is a 1/4 m of 45″ width of material or fat 1/4. You can have it appliqued, embroidered or cross-stitched if you like. The design is limited by your imagination or just keep it simple and plain as you wish. Then follow the simple instructions here.

When you need a plastic bag, just pull it out from the open end at the bottom of the caddy.

Pretty neat, isn’t it?

I have just came from visiting Katrina, one of the Blogger Craft Club members and a very active one. I can see she’s making great preparation for the arrival of her new bundle of joy with lovely pink fabrics. Do drop by at this sewing momma blog and take a peek.

In our Eastern tradition, sewing is a taboo when we are pregnant. But stubborn me has never conformed to that tradition as I have always enjoyed sewing. But now with changing times many traditions are lost which might as well as most represented unfounded fears of our elders. Some of the customs which are now losing popularity are- not able to bathe for 40 days, cannot go out for 40 days and many more restrictions for pregnant women or new moms.

I did not finished my sons’ quilts as I have been out of the house most of days. Usually I visit my sick and aged parents twice a week. And when at home it’s back to cooking, cleaning and washing. I couldn’t find a good stretch of uninterrupted time for finishing my quilts. Doing big projects is no fun if you can only afford to squeeze little time in between the chores.

I have sewn 3 simple nappy stackers from my stash of fabrics. I am trying hard not to go to the fabric store and instead try to sew projects from my years of fabric collection. And my sister-in-law has just given birth to a baby boy so the blue nappy stacker is for her baby.

My niece is giving birth to a baby girl soon and I can give either the green or the peach one as I have sewn 2 more and could not make up my mind which one to give.

I love giving nappy stacker as a gift as it is a very handy and useful to store diapers neatly. It is also easy to sew and does not require much of my time so I can easily squeeze making them in between my busy schedule.

I’m hoping to finish the quilt for my eldest son this weekend so until next Monday’s update of Blogger Craft Club, I wish you all happy sewing and crafting.

I have completed making handmade gift for my third PIF commenter, a blogger who I admire very much. She lives a simple healthy lifestyle and take good care of her family health matters too.

As for me I do read about nutrition and health but I do not have a strong determination to keep healthy. I succumb to many sinful fried foods, coffee and chocolate is my weakness. I eat what I like but I do try to take things in moderation as to lessen that guilt feeling. As we aged I believe it is important that we watch our weight else our legs will not be strong enough to support us. Like many people, I swear upon health supplements like fish oil, EPOs, vitamin B and C even though I don’t take them religiously. And my greatest problem is I’m just too lazy to exercise! Thank goodness I am one of those with high metabolism rate, so I still can maintain some figure with present BMI rate of 21. But I strongly believe regular exercises is important for our health.

So do check Vivienne at dietinfocare.com to know more about health and wellness.

I have sewn a set of kitchen accessories - a hanging tea towel, a tissue box cover and a set of potholders with prints of flowers and vegetables and sew them with matching check print. Sweet aren’t they?

At the same time I did a simple beaded watch with freshwater pearls. So I am letting Vivienne to choose between the kitchen accessories ( watermelon table runner not included) and the beaded watch. Ha..ha.. Viv, you are welcome to pick your choice.

Do check out your BMI just as a general gauge of health. Take care and stay healthy.

I have just finished sewing my new set of dining chair covers. Earlier I was debating whether to match the red floral material with green or blue. I decided on blue (again) because I saw cotton blue checks in one of my piles of fabric collection. I don’t know about you but I love check prints as it gives the country and cozy look.

This time round I just sew a simple set of covers without patchwork involves. I use blue check print for the top layer of the skirt and made some pleats at both front corners. The bottom layer of plain blue has got 2 big pleats at each side edge of the chair. It’s simple in a way that you don’t have to be exact in calculation to make the pleats. Unlike making ruffled skirts, you need a minimum of 1 and half times the total length of the 3 sides of the chair and you still need to cleverly estimate when sewing.

It’s pretty easy and fast to sew. I follow my mood when I do sewing. I do patchwork when I have extra time to spare. Otherwise I do simple sewing when time is not on my side.

Now I can think about my next outstanding project, which is a gift I promised to the third blogger who commented in my PIF post earlier. What shall I do for her?

Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that the stuff life is made of - Benjamin Franklin

With 4 kids spilling foods and drinks almost everywhere, I was planning to sew another set of dining chair covers for everyday use. So I went through my years of collection of fabrics and found a lovely red cotton/linen fabric from Japan.This was bought more than 10 years ago and I love the print so much that I bought them in large quantity in red and green. Most were sewn for the windows in my old apartment and I am left with 2.5m of red print only.

Now I have to decide to choose between the blue and green combination. I will have to wait for another day or two until I finalized my choice before starting on this project.

Rummaging through my fabric collection I must confess, borrowing words from blogger Anna, that I am an official member of Fabricoholics Anonymous. I have a total of 1 unused luggage bag and 3 A4 printing papers boxes of cotton fabrics! I must also confess that I am guilty for I have UnFinished Objects(UFOs) and Work In Progress (WIPs) to be completed. He..he… I’m not the only one ok, but it is a problem among us quilters- we have too much fabric and too little time.

Buying fabrics is addictive but luckily I am staying in the Far East(we have only 1 Spotlight store here),which unlike in America and Australia they have lots and lots of quilting and patchwork fabric stores. Here we don’t have any quilt/patchwork shows and festivals and I can’t even find a group to join. It’s a rather lonely world for quilters here.

And I am trying hard to stay away from Spotlight store, I guess I might as well put that in my New Year resolution, along with completing the UFOs and the WIPs.