♥Princess Closet♥

Notions for SALE !!!!

2011-12-06T03:00:00.001+08:00

Hello everyone, I really don't know where time flies to, it seems I never seem to have enough of it, from the kids, to the home, to duties in school I'm whacked :( Well here it is, I promised I'd put up some sewing notions for sale, so here they are !

Prym Pliers - for use with all prym snaps and notions ( RM70)

Save your arms and time without having to hammer!

Prym Jeans buttons - 8 pieces, includes plastic tool (RM35)

Prym Snaps - 9 pieces - available in 10mm and 12mm size (RM35)

Prym trouser hooks - 4pieces ( RM35)

Prym eyelets 5mm 40 pieces - RM35

Burda dressmaker carbon paper (RM25)

comes in pack of 1 piece of blue and red, another in yellow and white (83cm and 57cm each)

vlieseline iron on stabilizer- used to stabilize seams on jerseys and stretchy materials (RM25)

Framilon- clear elastic tape (RM10/metre)

Used to stabilise seams and makes perfect gathers on stretch fabrics. Also perfect for use on sewing lingerie

So friends, please hurry, email me at princessdiaries71@gmail.com. Postage will be flat at RM7 for any amount, so order in bulk to save! Delivery will be last week of December.

Lush Colors of Fall with Ottobre

2011-11-01T20:47:00.000+08:00

Yup, there's no denying that Autumn is here, you should see the amount of yellow leaves outside my door! Its chilly too, temperatures went down till 10C in midday but last 2 weeks we had beautiful sunshine with temperature in between 12C to 16C. But I have to admit, it is beautiful, sweaters and wool coats are out again and everyone is busy shopping for winter boots. There's a cool fresh breeze blowing and activities seem to be winding now, everyone going into hibernation !

I found some gorgeous winter fabrics, beautiful rich babyrib corduroys , knitted jerseys and my favorite, knitted velour ! Velour has the plush look of velvet but with less fluff and a cotton underside, it is so easy to sew. I used my normal foot and size 11 needle on my machine, perfect. I've tried sewing with velvet and it was a nightmare, never again ! So here's a tunic and legging set made from velour, pattern from Ottobre 1/2010.

Suklaatwist Tunic n Ruusunnuppu Leggings from Ottobre 1/2010

One metre of each in a size 128cm

Simple but comfortable, love the twisted ballon sleeve. I used Framilon, a clear elastic tape to gather the sleeves and skirt, excellent invention.

I fell in love with the picture above, but I couldn't get that rich brown velour :)

Wild Nature top from Ottobre 8/2008, made from fine baby cord. Made matching pink corduroy comfy pants with elasticated hem.

Blouse pattern from above, that skirt has been on my list of 'to-do's' for like forever!

Scenes of autumn from my house :) Gorgeous hues, yes ?

Anyone in Malaysia interested in the Ottobre magazine, please let me know soon , delivery will be 4th week of December. I can also get the velour knit , at RM42/ meter, just let me know the color and I'll go shopping for you :)

Watch this space, I'll be posting sewing stuff and notions that you might be interested in soon :) Till then , keep on sewing.

ps, anyone sewed any fall kids clothes ? would love to see them.

Introducing Elodie

2011-10-11T16:48:00.000+08:00

I've really been dying to get my hands on this Elodie pattern by Farbenmix, the same people that brought us the gorgeous Feliz. The company is in Germany and it struck me that hey, its not too far from me so postage would not be too crazy! So here is my first creation of the beautiful Elodie, made in time for our Raya Gathering. Pattern sizes are from 86cm to 152cm.

The skirt is made up of 8 panels and a fully gathered raglan top with blind zipper at the back. I was really happy at how well it turned out, looks more complicated than it actually is, and unfortunately the pattern is in German. Farbenmix is nice enough to show a detailed step by step here. Check out the other gorgeous creations of Elodie here.

Check out their gorgeous woven ribbons here too. If anyone wants the patterns or ribbons let me know and I'll calculate total for you, delivery will be in December when I go home yeahhhhhh, can't wait!!

Dinner with Dayang Nurfaizah !

2011-09-26T20:42:00.000+08:00

Well, I had a nice malaysian dinner, but I'm sure she was getting ready to perform backstage and probably couldn't get anything down :)

The Malaysian Association of the Netherlands held their Gala Dinner last Saturday at the Bel Air Hotel Den Haag and there were about 300 guests, fully booked ! They flew in 2 Malay chefs so we had an awesome buffet with rendang, roti canai, satay, the works, awesome !!! ' 2 thumbs up ' And the highlight of the night was Dayang Nurfaizah! She was great and really wowed the crowd, and she got quite a few to get up and danced too.

So thankful I brought my little Canon, so the videos are a bit choppy but here they are, and oh, excuse all the giggling behind the camera :(

This first one is of her going around for song requests and the little guy in the blue stripe shirt is Adam who put up his hand and asked her first for Jonas Brothers, then Lady Gaga and finally she agreed on Justin Bieber ! Well, he is 11 :-)

And this is her singing one of my favorites, enjoy

And yes, we got a photo too , she really is the sweetest :)

Salam Eid-Ul-Fitri 2011

2011-09-22T23:23:00.000+08:00

Salam everyone and Selamat Hari Raya / Eid - Ul- Fitri Mubarak !

I know how this is soooo long overdue, sorry but things have been quite hectic once school restarted :) We had a good Raya here in Rotterdam and was actually pretty festive. I guess that once you are away from family and close friends, you begin to appreciate more of what you have around you. So it turned out pretty great, with first Raya being hosted by the Malaysian Embassy in Den Haag, had some yummy food ( that was the best part hehehe). Felt a little homesick especially since it was 1st Syawal but once we started eating it began to feel like home :)

So here we are from Rotterdam !

Yes, we were always a family of mismatched Baju Raya :( not that I did not try !

The Malaysian Rotterdammers posing for a 'family' photo'

I finally decided to smock again. A simple drop waist dress pattern and first time doing ribbon embroidery done on raw silk!

Inspired by Australian Smocking and Embroidery Issue 89 dress above. It was done on green damask silk full bodice smocked and ribbon flowers.

This duo is actually my favorite from that issue, simply gorgeous, one day I will persevere :)

Not forgetting my boys on this occasion ! Made them matching pants from plaid winter cotton and they choose the cotton for their tops. All patterns are from OTTOBRE and turned out like a pro 'cough , cough' But seriously, Adam's shirt had a double back yoke and real cuff and plackets. They loved it and now they want to go shopping for more fabric for mommy to make them more shirts, hahaha hurray for mommy :)

So thats it ladies for now, more interesting stories soon I promise, take care everyone.

Making cards

2011-08-25T18:53:00.000+08:00

hello everyone, am sure that most of you must be really busy with the Eid preparations, sigh, for me here don't really feel anything :-( Hopefully on the day itself we may have some fun !

Just wanted to show some cards I made to send back home. Yup, it seems I've been bitten by the 'card making' bug ! I tried scrapbooking with my kids photos a few years back but got quickly bored cos it was so time consuming not to mention costly! And in the end, the only person that kept looking at the album was me ! But recently I discovered this !

This is the Magnolia company and that cute girl is Tilda! There's a cute boy version called Edwin. The mag sold here is of course in Dutch but you can get the English version at WHSmith UK. But still its full of gorgeous inspiring cards featuring the magnolia stamps. And so I decided to venture forth ....

My first attempt! I stamped the bird on white cardstock and colored with color pencils, cut out a window on the main pink card stock and inserted the bird. I just cut out the little green 'ketupat' from a glittered cardstock.

The inside, yup, very messy stamping, need to practice more

2nd card attempt! The girl stamp is from Blossom, the butterflies are stuck using 3D foam squares, see how they fly :)

Decided to use free hand script, still horrid

3rd card attempt! This is Tilda from the magnolia collection, used 'photo vintage' distress ink to ink up the edges around Tilda

The inside, glittered paper stamped with leaves border clear stamp using olive ink

4th card! Yup, was already exhausting my creative juices! So a simple layering of card stock and lace and freehand cut out fabric blooms from scraps

The Tilda stamp is rubber that is mounted on acrylic block. I rounded the corners just by using the ends of a circle template I made. Distress it using the the ink and the foam, still needs loads of practice !

The cardstock were all from 'First Edition Papers', a book of 64 gorgeous papers 6x6 200gsm weight. Its the same as looking at a stack of fat eights fabrics or jelly rolls ! Please don't use anything below 200 gsm, too flimsy. The ready cut wooden hearts are gorgeous and handy too.

So, what do you think? Should I abandon this latest craze of mine ? Its amazingly time consuming but there's such satisfaction when you see the end result. Now my nights are spent browsing the blogs of magnolia cards. My favorite designer is twopeasinabucket, she does such gorgeous work and has youtube videos too. I can get the supplies if anyone is interested, delivery in December.

These cards are going out to my friend and parents and inlaws tomorrow night, hope they're not chucked into the bin !

Selamat Hari Raya , Eid Mubarak all

xoxoxoxooxoxoxo

Bridget Bardot Wannabe :)

2011-08-18T20:05:00.000+08:00

Hahahaha, how I wish ! Well, take off 20 years, blond hair and blue contacts, might just see the resemblance :) The pattern is from Burda 6/2011 pattern 124. Its a simple peasant style blouse with 3/4 sleeves, gathered neckline, sleeve and hems.

Do we look like those mom and daughter shots from the Japanese pattern books ? When I found these 2 checked voile cotton fabrics at a stall I knew I had to make matching outfits and I kept the pink for ME! And yup, we were both wearing white pants walking about town hehehe.

I bound the edges with ready made blue tartan cotton bias and added a 3 inch band at the waist so I could wear the blouse on top like that. Really happy how it turned out, true to size.

Doesn't the model look fab ? * sigh*

Whats that ? Its my little strawberry bush in my backyard :) Only managed to get 5 ripe ones and they were instantly gobbled by the 'girl' , she's a strawberry fanatic that one ! When the plant first started sprouting in march I thought they were weeds! Phew lucky I didn't dig it up. Hopefully more will ripen soon before all this rain destroys them.

So, thats the last of my Summer sewing folks, so baju raya siap dah ? I have little Danny's shirt left and some hemming , feeling lethargic today, must be this depressing weather :(

Simple Summer Separates & Ramadhan Kareem !

2011-08-12T20:58:00.001+08:00

Salam Ramadhan to all my fellow muslims, may we find berkat in all our doings in this holy month.

So, what are you guys having for buka puasa tonite? Ish I am sooo jealous ! Here it is going to be whatever that I decide to dream up hahaha. Buka is currently at 9.15pm and imsak is 3.50am, yup, its a really long day. But it actually feels alright because the weather is nice and cool, in fact summer has flown on by and the cold winds and wet days of autumn are already here. Kids are going to need warmer school clothes again.

Just wanted to share some summer separates I made for Shasha before they become obsolete :-)

The top was from here and I think its going to be her last time wearing it. The pants is from white eyelet cotton, loose fit with leg cuffs. Got the idea from a Burda March issue, just looks so relaxed and carefree.

The top and 3/4 pants are from Ottobre 3/2009, here. I added woven ribbons around the knees and a cute button, totally transformed. The top from jersey and has a very sweet flaired sleeves and hem. The pants are linen, really comfy.

Whats cool about separates is all the mix and match to get double the outfits :) The beautiful embroidered blouse was a steal from a small vintage shop in Amsterdam, some things never go out of style.

This is the pants up close. I topstitched the side seams with a bright pink criss cross stitch, vamp !

And finally, a simple peasant dress from Cucito, altered to flare it up more, added an elastic waist casing, green rickrack and red woven ribbon at the hem

Hmm I just realised all her outfits are blue this summer , not a pink in sight ! *Sigh* I am so missing summer already, just too too short.

Selamat berbuka all, I still have a longgggg day ahead :)

The Bernina Express - Switzerland

2011-07-22T03:27:00.001+08:00

And here I present finally, the last installment of my heavenly Swiss trip :)

The Bernina Express is a gorgeous big red train ( the kids call it the ' Toy Train' ) , luxurious seats and even a high tech toilet , I kid you not! It travels the Bernina Line which is now under The Unesco World Heritage Site. There are 2 places where you can take it from, both on the East of Switzerland, Chur and Davos.

We started from Chur ( there's only 1 train/ day per way from the 2 locations ), at 8.30am. It travels through little mountain villages and slowly makes its way up the Alps. From green pastures, the train slowly chuges along until we are face to face with ice age old glacier high up! The train runs on a single track so it takes its time but that has to be the most beautiful train ride I have ever taken. The route is a quiet deserted one, going through Alpine jungles, crossing high arc bridges over deep ravines, broken only by a few stalwart hikers, it is eerily silent ( picture the train that goes to Hogwarts, thats the scenery :) )

The red train taken from my window in the 1st Carriage as it goes through a circular viaduct !

A pond from a melting glacier some 2000m above sea level

The Bernina Line slowly makes its descent down into the valleys and makes its final stop in Tirano, which is on the border of Italy, a total of 4 hours. We hopped off and had some Italian pasta ( things were in Euro's again ) and hopped on the Bernina Express Bus that would take us back into Lugano, Switzerland. The bus travels through little Italian towns with its killer curves and narrow roads. Tip, those with motion sickness, so not recommended! But I sat right up front and had the most awesome view as the bus passes by the quaint towns and blue lakes, travel time 3 hours.

Lugano has the flair and taste of Italy but the price tag and efficiency of the Swiss ! Some call it heaven on earth, it is a beautiful touristy little town right on Lake Lugano.

By the Lake Lugano

The view from Lugano Train Station

Reservations for the Bernina Line and The Bernina Bus is Chf8 / person and is compulsory but thats all you need to pay if you have The Swiss Pass, details, here. If you don't want to take the bus back to Lugano, you can make a reservation to return on the Bernina Line to Chur, Davos or St Moritz or stop at the last Swiss stop which is Poschiavo and take the Swiss regional train to your next Swiss destination. From Tirano you would have to take the Italian train on which your swiss pass will not be valid. Note , there is only 1 Bernina Bus per day so make sure you have a reservation !

And there you have it, THE END. hope you enjoyed the pictures, but seriously, they don't do justice to the real thing, it is something that has to be seen and experienced to be believed :)

Till next time, signing off from me in windy rainy Rotterdam :(

Bernese Oberland & Jungfrau- Switzerland

2011-07-19T04:45:00.001+08:00

In the 3rd series of my Swiss trip :)

If you plan to travel by public transport in Switzerland, the best and most economical way is to take the Swiss Pass. This allows unlimited travel on all trains, busses and trams for the specified period. With the mountain trains, cable cars and boats you get a 25% to 50% discount, here's the site. Children up to 16 years go free if traveling with an adult, phew that was a big help :)

The Golden Pass Line travels between Montreux (south) to Zweisimmen (central region) and from Interlaken Ost to Lucern (north) just 45 minutes by train south of Zurich. The Golden Pass trains have huge windows and really beautiful carriages. As you leave Montreux, you will be chugging along right beside Lake Geneva with its clear blue waters and as the train moves up into the mountains, the scenery changes to green rolling hills with typical swiss houses and cows grazing in the fields, huge christmas trees dot the landscape. A reservation of Chf5 per seat for the Golden Pass in advance is mandatory

Going up the mountain, bye bye Montreux

After changing to a regional train at Zweisimmen, we reach Interlaken Ost. This is essentially the main gate to the Bernese Oberland Region. I've managed to scan a local map below

From here, we made a trip to Jungfraujoch or Top Of Europe, it is the highest train station in Europe at 11,333 feet! If you refer to the map, you can go either of 2 ways, via Lauterbrunnen or Grindelwald and from there a beautiful mountain train will take you up to Kleine Scheidegg, a really beautiful mountain resort. The return train ticket to Jungfraujoch costs Chf160 even after the Swiss Pass discount :(

We decided to go up via Lauterbrunnen, beautiful scenery as you chug up the mountain side, this side of the mountain is more wild and rugged and you can see small swiss chalets nestled in the mountains with a pile of wooden logs ready for the fire.

From Kleine Scheidegg 6762 Feet, the train will travel within a tunnel in the Alps for the remainder 5000 Feet in 30 minutes! You suddenly start to feel the cold and everyone in the train starts pulling on their long pants and fleece jackets. We emerge from the train at Jungfraujoch in a cave ! The Swiss have really made it into an amazing tourist spot, there's even an Indian Restaurant! We emerge into the blinding sunlight and onto pure white snow in the middle of June! There's snow on the Jungfrau 365 days a year, but at -3C it somehow felt chilled and hot at the same time, quite an experience. But for those with altitude sickness, not to be recommended, the thin air can really get to you. After 1/2 an hour of toboganning I was ready to sink into the snow, you feel extra tired being up so high. But it really was an amazing experience and a feeling like non other to be so high up in the Alps, felt like I could reach up and touch the sky.

Adam had problems adjusting to the altitude, poor him, luckily it took a few minutes.

Danny having such a blast going down the slopes :)

Living my dream of being Heidi of the Mountains :) @ Kleine Scheidegg

Make sure you try to get back down not too late because the que in the dark cave can get very long and the train is only every 1/2 an hour, there were a few who fainted :( We went back down via Grindelwald, a more touristy swiss town compared to Lauterbrunnen with more hotels and restaurants but still very beautiful. We stayed in Wilderswil, a small town only a 4min train ride from Interlaken Ost and it was perfect, beautiful winding hiking paths and pretty chalets, I wished I could have stayed longer to walk on the mountains.

This area is the main tourist spot of Switzerland so be prepared for the over inflated prices, urghh. But so many awesome things are here, among those that I wished I had time to do :-

- Cruising on the Brienz Lake

- Taking the cable car at Murren

- Going up Schynige Platte

- Mountain climbing in the pretty alpine town of Wengen

InsyALLAH I will be here again :)

next stop : The Bernina Express

Montreux & Chillon Castle

2011-07-13T19:22:00.000+08:00

Starts day two of our Swiss adventure !

I'd heard so much about Chillon Castle that we couldn't pass this by. Bought our train tickets ( 1hr trip return ticket is 56Chf ! , yeap I did say it was not cheap, but kids go free ) and had a beautiful train ride on the regional swiss train to Montreux. The train clatters by the Lake Geneva and you could see little white sail boats bobbing on the waters, I really wished I was one of those people on the boats then, so idyllic a life. Planning a train ride on any swiss train to any swiss destination is easy as pie, just click HERE. Key in your 'To' and 'From' and time and the list comes out. Be sure to click on the '+' icon on each option to see which platform the train leaves from. Beware, if it says 10.12am, 10.12 and 1sec, the train doors will not open, now thats Swiss Precision ! Change times between connections can be anytime between 5 to 15 minutes, so you better run for it :)

Montreux is a small resort like, french speaking part of Switzerland. Shops and hotels are next to the Lake's edge, a beautiful setting. Note : photos have not been tampered with :)

We took a beautiful boat ride that lasted 15 minutes to Chillon ( 16 Chf/pax, kids 1/2 price). You can even take the boat from Geneva, but it would take 3 hrs / way and cost around 58Chf / pax

And this is Chillon Castle or Chateau de Chillon from the boat. It's over 1000 years old and used to belong to the Lords of Savoy. It is actually on a small island a few metres from the mainland. A family ticket will cost 28Chf, but this is truly worth it. One of the things that the kids really enjoyed. Exploring the rooms and dungeons, climbing on the parapet, discovering how people of old went to toilet and had their bath :) I felt that I was in a Judith McNaught novel. They even have special days where the locals will play dress up and do enactments, wished could have seen that.

The Main Courtyard, everything was so well maintained

A damsel in the window :)

This is where they do their 'business' all those long years ago! Phew I'm glad I live in the era of sewage systems and flushing toilets!

I think I would be content to live my life in a setting as beautiful as this, what do you think?

For more photos of this area, go here

Part 3, The Berland Obernese

Switzerland, Land of Lakes & Mountains - Summer 2011

2011-07-12T04:46:00.000+08:00

Hello hello, yes I'm here !!

Its summer holidays in Europe and the America's right now and everyone is just off hopping on the plane, ferry or train to cross visit other parts of Europe. We decided to do Switzerland and boy, that country is simply breathtaking. Took loads of pictures, between me and Mr J, 800 to be exact, it was just a picture postcard at every turn! The weather was on our side during the trip and except for 2 days in Lucern, it was glorious sunshine. Be warned, the next few posts will be full of photos and details of this gorgeous place, but I just had to share, so hope you enjoy and maybe as a reference point for future visits :)

We flew in by KLM to Geneva via Schipol Amsterdam, took only one hour and as we flew in I was practically hopping in my seat, the pilot had just announced that we would be seeing the Alps! My first sight and impression was of awe! It was high summer but the tops of the alps were covered in snow, they were majestic and imposing, silent and welcoming all at once, I felt humbled to be so near God's creation.

Geneva Airport is only 6 minutes by train to Geneva Central Station. At the baggage pick up , just before the green lane, there's a box that provides free train tickets to Geneva Central, take it ! From Geneve Aeroport Train Station, there are direct trains to all parts of Switzerland, very very easy. Geneva is the French speaking part of Switzerland. Its a beautiful city with the Lake of Geneva only 20 minutes walk from the train station.

Lake Geneva with the Swiss Alps as the perfect backdrop

The famous fountain in the lake

Jet d'eau

The modern centre of Geneve

The Old Centre

And this is why Switzerland is spotless, pick up your own poop !

For more photos of Geneva, looky here

Food is easy in Geneva, there were more Chinese and Indian restaurants compared to others, just walk around Geneve Central Station. I keep complaining that Netherlands is expensive, Switzerland is twice that! A McDonalds meal for 5 will cost you 45Chf ( no happy meal please !) , a simple restaurant meal with drinks will set you back 90Chf! Don't worry though, all the major Banks are just around the corner :) Hmm , however I did not see Maybank.

Note: 1Chf ( Swiss Franc) = 90c Euro

Next stop - Montreux and Chillon Castle !

Fabric Markets in The Netherlands

2011-06-20T19:40:00.000+08:00

Hello, I know a lot of you must be wondering what on earth I mean when I keep mentioning that I get my fabrics at the markets here. As with everything else in Europe, rental you can imagine is very high, so to cut cost, the local council allows fabrics suppliers to ply their wares at the weekly markets in all the towns and even set up a fabric market that goes touring round the Netherlands. This has been going on the last few 100 years, about 600 I believe! So the result is an amazing choice of fabrics in one place at good prices.

I first stumble upon this fact when I bought the local dressmaking magazine, Knipmode. Inside it listed all the places that these markets were held at the specific dates. So, your's truly have been diligently hopping on trains touring the Netherlands to get to these markets :) I think I've even been to towns that the locals don't even visit ! For those happening to be in the Netherlands, here is the fabric market site, stoffenspektakel and stoffenbeurs, truly an experience !

Here are some pictures of the markets, (made them super large !)sorry, not many as I'm always rushing to catch the train back home not to mention the frantic buying sometimes against the wind and rain :)

There is also a permanent fabric market in Utrecht saturday mornings and Amsterdam Monday mornings

Just wanted to share some of my market fabric finds :)

I always head straight to the notions stall, can't get enough of these pretty ribbons

This is what my craft shelf looks like, ermm just went thru a major reshuffling for this photo shoot :) Its my stress reliever, looking at the riot of colors gives me inspiration and just the contentedness to daydream. Shuush , don't look under the bed and in the cupboards !

If touring the Netherlands, a visit to the Saturday Markets is a must, my favorite towns are Leiden, Utrecht , Amsterdam and Dordrecht. The variety of things you can find is amazing and its just so colorful. There will also be a few fabric and craft stalls too :)

There seems to be no listing after June, I'm hoping they are just going for summer break, I need to start planning the kids winter wardrobe :) Hope that satisfies fabricholics out there .

Sewing with Stenzo Jersey - Ottobre

2011-06-14T21:33:00.000+08:00

I just can't seem to stop myself from reaching out and grabbing these pretty jersey fabrics, arghhhh! Here's one I made last week , pattern from Ottobre Spring 2011, the 'tangerine top' and 'Cocos' tiered skirt. The skirt is from the awesomely beautiful Stenzo Jersey , aren't those colors just gorgeous ?! The top is not tangerine I know but the sriped red seemed to work , what do you think?

Somehow all my ready made applique's did not seem to work on this, so I made my own butterfly applique and made a running stitch using brown dmc floss, and of course the cute buttons, what do you think? I stitched the hem with a stretch zig zag with contrast white on my normal machine, very decorative I think.

From my one meter of red stripe jersey I had enough to make her 3/4 leggings, matched !

After many experiments this is the stretch stitch I use on my seams. Its a zig zag combined with a straight stitch. Its pretty stretchy and you don't need to serge the seams.

Hmmm where was she when she wore the above? Hehe, another story for another time I think. its muffin baking time for tea. Today, banana walnut honey cream muffins with streusel topping :)

Sewing with Jersey - The Secret

2011-06-07T01:54:00.000+08:00

Pretty cotton and viscose jersey fabrics are coming out by the bolts right now, and I'm so totally in love with them. But have to admit, sewing jersey is a nightmare, they keep puckering. Then I keep reading in Ottobre and Burda the tip of using a bias facing. So I asked the sewing notions stall and yippee they had it, a thin strip of bias facing that you iron on the shoulders and armholes to stop the fabric from stretching when sewing, it worked like a dreamm:)

Here's my first project of sewing with jersey, really loved how it turned out

Can you see the white strips on the shoulders and armholes? Thats the bias facing which needs to be ironed on the stitching lines.

The completed dress and I adore that matroshka applique

The dress in action, has a really swingging skirt and is so comfortable, its now her 'go to' dress :) If you notice the neck binding is a bit wide, after intense studying of Ottobre tips, when using stretch binding, the length of binding is only 0.75% x the length on the pattern. So I did it again and turned out really well.

The original model from this book

Tip when sewing with jersey ; prewash is a must! I didn't and after the first wash the length shrank by 2 inches!! Wash at 30C max and line dry. The bias facing gets softer with every wash. I used a straight stitch but stretch the fabric as I sew and slightly loosen the upper thread tension, so in its relaxed mode the fabric will be a bit elastic and the stitches won't break. The pattern has a really dropped shoulder and is a bit larger than usual but the skirt is beautiful.

Hope you'll share some tips with me of sewing with jersey, so love it because now I don't need to iron Shasha's dresses :)

Announcing Giveaway WINNER!!!

2011-05-30T16:58:00.000+08:00

Hello hello, its a beautiful monday morning here, hope its good too wherever you are. Again thank you to all the lovely ladies who took the trouble to take part. I really wish I could send you all something but as my Sis said the other day, "Do you think you're a Fairy Godmother?!" Well, I wish I was !

Announcing the winners, we are going to do it the Miss Universe Style :)

2nd runner up is jeng jeng jeng

Miss Umi E-ca of http://girlynicknack-twins.blogspot.com/2011/05/first-time-join.html, Congrats!!

1st Runner up is rrrrrrrroooollllllll

Miss Sertyan of http://sertyan.blogspot.com/2011/05/romantic-ruffles-sailor-dress.html

And now, anouncing the WINNER of this year's Princess Closet Blockbuster European Giveaway issssss

CONGRATULATIONS BIEHA OF http://biehas-bengkel.blogspot.com/

WINNERS, Please email me you full contact details ( plus hp num) to princessdiaries71@gmail.com a.s.a.p.

I really hope you like your gifts and please do link me once you've made something with them, would love to see it.

To the others, 'there will always be a next time' :) Do look out for my posts of items of fabrics and notions for sale, especially the trims and applications are awesome and of course I can get the Ottobre magazine for you too.

Till next time, have a good week. I'm really hoping this good weather stays, I want to feel warm again !!!

Look What I FOUND !!!

2011-05-26T20:42:00.000+08:00

Hahahaha, do I sound excited? Well, today while at the post office to post a letter, I checked out what magazines were displayed on the craft and sewing aisle ( ermmm I actually do that very often :) ), and Lo and Behold, first time ever I see 'Simplicity Sewing Magazine' Summer 2011!! I usually see Burda, Ottobre and Knipmode every month but this is a first for Simplicity. It is of course in Dutch, but I buy these magazines for the patterns and if I'm really stuck I just use google translate :)

There are 20 patterns here with of course many different variations for each, I think its a steal. Sizes ranging from 38 to 44/46. Below are some that I like.

The istructions are like below

It numbers the pieces required for each model / variation and what the parts are and there are some pictorial illustrations to help. Just look for the word Raderblad ( sheet ) and lijnen, example : model 20,21 raderblad C, rode lijnen. This means that the pieces for this model are on pattern sheet C, Red Line. If you are used to sewing garments, you should be able to figure out the construction.

So if anyone is interested, please email me at princessdiaries71@gmail.com, latest confirmation of purchase by next Wednesday June 1st, once they're gone, its gone. Price plus postlaju to M'sia is RM45, East Malaysia RM50 , hopefully in June / July. Lets make some Summer Dresses :)

Winners of Giveaway to be announced Monday May 30th, stay tuned ! I pula yang excited !

Spring 2011 IT SKIRT - Tutorial

2011-05-20T19:23:00.000+08:00

Had this gorgeous pink cotton jersey from my fabric market finds and was figuring out what to sew for Shasha. Suddenly had a brainstorm and came up with the ' Outside Ruffles Skirt' !! Yeah I know, not so creative am I :-)

Then as I was walking in Gallery-La-Fayette Paris, the 'ruffles on the outside' concept was the in thing this season, 'Great minds think alike' :)

The skirt is made from 2 pieces of rectangles and really simple and turns out edgy, so I decided to post the tutorial here. Anything thats not clear please let me know. I include measurements for a 6 year old , 15in finished length.

1. Measure the length of the skirt from waistline - X

2. Measure the 'seat' of your child ( sit her down on a chair and measure height from waist to seat of chair - A ( this will be for the skirt yoke)

3. Measure her Hip circumfrence

5. The Yoke width is " Hip circumfrence + ease + seam allowance " , if using Jersey, omit the ease

( 26 in + 1in + 1in = 28in)

6. The Yoke Length is " A" + Waist band foldover + seams

( 5in + 1in + 1in = 7in) - I'm using a 1in elastic

7. The Ruffle width is 'Yoke Width x 1.5' + seam allowance

( 28in x 1.5 = 42in + 1in = 43in)

8. The Ruffle Length is " Skirt Length - Seat Length + hem allowance ; X - A = B+ allowance

(15in - 5in + 2in = 12in)

9. Serger stitch Yoke long edges

10. I used a rolled overedge stitch on my serger for the Ruffles long edges. If using cotton, overlock and hem top and bottom.

11. On 'wrong side' of Ruffles, sew two line of gathering stitches , first one 1/2 in from top edge

12. Pin the Ruffles to the Yoke and pull the gathering threads till the Ruffles match the width of the Yoke. Stitch just under the 2nd line of gathering thread.

13. Option : I sewed a a piece of grossgrain ribbon to cover the gathering stitches up front and added cute buttons.

14. Line up the sides of Yoke and Ruffle and stitch and finish with serger overlock

15. Fold over Yoke top 1.5in and sew, leaving 2inches gap for inserting elastic

16. Measure girl's waist and minus 2 inches for the elastic

17. Thread elastic through the gap all the way around, overlap 3/4 inch and use backstitch to secure.

18. Stitch the gap closed

19. I topstitch the side seam to make it flat
20. Your little skirt is all DONE , VOILA !!!!!!

I like skirts with yokes, somehow adds a bit of cuteness , especially from the back :) making this from Jersey is easy and comfy too.

Would love to see pictures if you used this tutorial. Check out this skirt that Lea Michele from Glee is wearing on the cover of Cosmo UK June 2011! Told you it was 'IN' . Have a good weekend friends.

My version of 'Happy Little Sewer'

2011-05-18T17:01:00.000+08:00

I've finally made an outfit from the gorgeous Ottobre Design, the hard part was deciding which one to tackle first :) I wanted something chic and pretty at the same time, so I choose the combination of the Four Leaf Clover blouse and High Rise Pants from the Spring 2011 issue, here's my intepretation, what do you think?

The blouse made from 'Strawberry Fields' turned out really pretty I think and matched the green polka dot fabric from Nagoya. Just proves that High Street quality can match Designer's !

The outfit in action ! I think its chic.

A matching hat would have been perfect

The original from Spring 2011 Ottobre Design

The blouse was pretty straight forward but I really could not figure out how to insert the pockets in the pants, so I made a mock pleat and added the red buttons to match the blouse. I also made the pants elasticated at the back for comfort, which turned out great. I used Japanese cotton for the pants which made it a bit flimsy. slightly weightier cotton would be ideal.

Announcement : My giveaway will end Sunday 29th May because I'm hoping to catch the next week's post to Malaysia for the lucky winners, so stay tuned :)

Paris in Spring - Day 3

2011-05-11T21:20:00.000+08:00

Hello hello, first just to say a big Thank You to my fellow crafters who signed up for my GA, makes me smile to read all your lovely comments, terubat juga rindu walaupun jauh di negeri mat salleh :) Currently there are 13 contenders, so your chances of winning are 23%, not bad huh ?! fingers crossed ladies :)

Ok now to update on Day 3 of our Paris trip, day 3 was hardcore sightseeing, weather was hot and I think in total, we were in and out of the metro 7 times, phew exhausting. The kids were better that day, because we stopped for ice cream every 2 hours !

NotreDame , metro stop Cite (line 4)

Inside The Louvre , we went on Tuesday which unfortunately is the only day they close :(

Within the Louvre courtyard , metro stop Palais Royal ( line 1 & 7)

The famous Glass Pyramid as seen in DaVinci Code

Had lunch at Hard Rock , metro stop Richelieu Drouot , a really happening street.

The Arc de Triomph on the Champs Elysees , metro stop Charles De Gaulle

The Eiffel by Night, view from the Trocadero

I had the French Bouillabase ( a fish stew) for dinner, a french 'must have', ermmm I won't comment :)

Danny with his real homemade vanilla ice cream, now that was sinful!

Inside the famous Gallery-La Fayette, full of all the top world brands that you could ever wish for, and they were on sale too! Sigh, moi? Still not used to seeing the Euro sign, still converting everything to RM!!

After 2 hours of wandering inside La-Fayette, what did I come out with? 2 Naruto t-shirts from Uniqlo from across the street for Adam and a box of the softest yummiest macaroons I have ever tasted from La-Fayette Gourmet section :) Flavors like black sesame and green tea are my favorites.

So with that ends the chronicles of our 3 day spring trip to Paris. I would definitely make a trip back just to get those macaroons hehehehhe.

Paris Disneyland - Day 2

2011-05-08T20:17:00.000+08:00

Day 2 Paris and we were off to EuroDisney, yeahhhhh. I think me and Mr J were more excited than the kids :) Eurodisney has its own trainstop , Marne-la-Vallee ( Parcs Disneyland) on the RER ( Paris Regional Trains) red line A, destination Marne-la-Vallee. A one way tram and train ticket costs Euro6.30 and brings you right to Disney's front gate in 1/2 an hour. Here's where you can print out the route map.

Below are the park rates. Tip, Paris hotels can issue you tickets for 1 day adult at kids prices, so thats what we did and saved some Euro's for croissants :)

	Child (Euro)	Adult (Euro)
1 day 1 park	52	62
1 day 2 park	62	69
2 day pass	109	122
355 day pass		139
365 day pass		199

EuroDisney is gorgeous with beautiful landscaping and awesome great rides, among the bestsellers and those with the longest que's are 'Pirates of the Carribean' , "Buzz Lightyear' , 'Star Wars', and definitely don't miss the interactive show with Stitch, it was so cool. We missed so many other rides because the que's were just crazy. It was an amazing but tiring day, hopefully the pictures can show that :) There is also a huge branded warehouse mall just one train stop from Disney but we were just so exhausted had to give it a miss, a reason to make another visit, 'wink'.

View from the Main Street

Sleeping Beauty's Castle, aaah every girl's dream

Screaming their lungs out !

The finale show, a dream come true :)

Paris in Spring - Day 1

2011-05-06T21:22:00.000+08:00

Its been a gorgeous spring here in the Netherlands and I can't help feel happy and bright too :) I hope all my fellow crafters are too , wherever you may be, celebrate life !

It was Easter weekend last 2 weeks and we decided to take the kids to Paris. We drove, took us 4.5 hours from Rotterdam but it was beautiful seeing the change of landscapes from flat pastures of the Netherlands to rural farm like lands of Belgium to then the rolling fields of France. There is also a fast train which connects Amsterdam to Paris within 2.5 hours via Thalys.

Our hotel was in the Montparnasse area. Really excellent location for good budget hotels right in the city centre with lots of cafes and bakeries all around and most important, the metro station right across the road. An adult 1 day metro ticket cost euro6.80 and kids was euro3.40. You can also buy a packet of 10 single journey tickets that cost euro12 and euro6 for kids. A single metro ticket would cost euro1.70 with no discount for kids. Be sure to pick up the handy mini map of Paris from your hotel.

We checked-in, washed up then out again and on to the metro. Our first stop, of course Une Eiffel! I've seen her a few times in my life but every time there's that sense of wonder and excitement, I have to say she is amazing. There are a few stops where you can get to her but the best view is metro stop 'Trocadero' on line no 6 and 9. As expected , we went photo crazy :)

We didn't go up though, the que was just phenomenal even though it was already 7pm. So we took a river cruise on the Seine, which passed by the Louvre and Notre Dame and we managed to see it just at sun set, sorry too dark for good shots. I love the bridges crossing the Seine, spectacular.

Day 2 will be coming up, stay tuned :) and have a good weekend. My kids are back and demanding milk and brownies, hmphhh.

European Blockbuster Giveaway!

2011-04-29T23:01:00.001+08:00

Hello Crafters, awww I still have tears watching William and Kate just now, they looked so happy. I'm hoping many happy years for the two of them.

Ok people, listen up! My first ever giveaway and I'm really excited. Do the following to win some awesome gifts, easy as A, B, C :-) Oh Yes, there will be 3, yup 3 winners !!!

1. Become my follower
2. Leave a comment on this post stating which of the fabrics you would love to win and why :) Please list 2 in case the other is already taken
3. Tell me who you like to sew for, name of your child etc ( hint: there will be extra gifts based on your answer :-))
4. blog about this giveaway and link it up in your comment

Giveaway ends ~~31st May~~ Sunday 29th May

And now, for the goodies yeahhhhh

First winner will get a copy of April Burda Style and Ottobre Spring. 2nd and 3rd will get a copy of Burda Style each. See here for gorgeous Spring Ottobre designs

Now choose your 1.25 mtr of gorgeous European cotton

Pink daisy

Blue hearts

Green Forest

Green daisy

Pink Forest

Blue Stripes

White Daisy

Pink Cotton Jersey

Grey Blooms Cotton Jersey

And examples of the 'extras' , surprise surprise

There are a few designer fabrics there , but I wont tell which :-) Have a good weekend !

Keukenhof - Garden of Holland

2011-04-22T22:30:00.001+08:00

Yes its here, beautiful spring has arrived on the shores of the Nederlands ! The days are long and bright and temperatures are reaching 25C, baby duckies are waddling after their mommies and the flowers, oh the flowers are a riot of colors.

The Keukenhof, dubbed the 'Most beautiful Spring Garden in the World'. It lies in the small town of Lisse, surrounded by fields of flowers as far as the eye can see. There is a Flower Parade that passes once a year from Amsterdam down to Harlem I think. I thought I was being clever by combining the gardens and Parade in one day. Phew, a 25 min bus ride from Leiden to Keukenhof ended up being 1 1/2 hrs and not to mention the mile long que to get on the bus! Yup, everyone it seems had the same idea, sheesh :-(

BY the time we arrived, we were exhausted and swarm of humans rushing pass us to get to the roadside where the Parade would pass amounted to a few hundreds! So, we went the opposite way and entered the Keukenhof Gardens. It was spectacular to say the least and we had a great day.

Those are huge tulips !

Thats charming miss Hailey, Danny's classmate. Just look at those reds

Hyacinths, has become my favorite flower, smells so sweet

Danny is standing at 118cm, yup, those blooms are humongous!

No Flash

The fields of flowers , an aerial view would be amazing

We left at 10 am and arrived home 10pm, but it was a great day and even the kids didn't throw any tantrums, a first . Next year we will definitely try to catch the parade and this time we'll catch it on one of its route's rather than at the Keukenhof.

Ok crafters, I have something special coming up next week, so mark this page! Oh all right, I'll give you a glimpse :-) Till next week, I'm off on Easter break , excited. As usual, hoping to find some lovely crafty finds hehe.

Fresh Blueberry Cream Muffins !

2011-03-31T22:49:00.002+08:00

Before there was designer fabrics there was my trusted hand held Kenwood mixer. Yup, I bake. I bake when I'm stressed out, I bake when I see a beautiful dessert but does not taste as good as it looks and I bake when I don't feel like dishing out exorbitant amounts of dollars for a vanilla cupcake ! But in general I guess I bake because I love the creating process and being able to eat it too :)

I thought its high time I contributed to the www by giving my recipe for this simple indulgent, foolproof, 10min flat, healthy muffin .

ok get these things ready
2 cups / 250 g self raising flour
1 tsp soda bicarb
1/2 cup / 125 g fine caster sugar ( quite low as its going to be distributed among 12)
( mix the above in a big bowl)

In a large measuring jug put in
100ml yogurt ( strawberry wud be yummy / or plain would do)
100ml milk
a dash of cream if u have it, if not doesn't matter
50 g melted butter / 50ml odourless oil
1 tsp vanilla essence
1large egg
(whisk with a hand ballon whisk till all mixed nicely)

a packet of fresh blueberries

Now, make a well in the middle of the flour/sugar mix and dump in the liquid mixture and blueberries and using the ballon whisk just mix till its still slightly lumpy, too smooth a batter will make the muffins tough. Just spoon into 12 large muffin tins / cases ( or 24 mini muffins) and bake in the centre for 23 / 25 minutes at 180C till beautifully golden and the blueberries are just oooozing! Try to let them cool in the tin for 5 min before taking them out. Voila, enjoy them warm.

For presentation purposes dust some icing sugar.

Here are some baking tips:
1. Use 1tsp baking powder for every 1cup / 125g plain flour if you don't have self raising

2. soda bicarb only works if you have an acidic agent ie. yogurt, buttermilk, lemon juice, coco. Omit if you dont have those items. Just add an extra 1/2 tsp baking powder for the rise.

3. Better to have all your ingredients at room temperature so volume can double easily and end result is lighter. These muffins however are very forgiving !

4. Cut up strawberrys to make starwberry muffins, good way to get the kids to eat these great fruits :)

5. Get a set of plastic measuring cups and spoons, so much easier than weighing everything.

6. Invest in a non stick 12 cup large muffin pan, worth the sweat :)

These are quick awesome snacks and saves you those dollars! Your kids will definitely be asking for more. Don't blame me though when they keep expecting it everyday LOL.

Shasha and Danny with Yela enjoying the spring while gobbling their muffins :)

Enjoy the weekend everyone and bake some muffins :) To my long time buddy Sri, here it is finally ! I know I know hahaha ! Better late than never eh.

Look Mummy, I Can Cable !

2011-03-25T00:17:00.000+08:00

I've done it, finished Danny's muffler, but it seems its a bit too late! The kids tell me that its passed over to Spring officially and so they are switching to lighter jackets. I admit its nice and bright now but still a little chilly, oh well, we can keep it for next winter :)

He loves it though and still insisted on wearing it to school today, I'm a happy mommy

I changed the pattern from the one I started below. It became a bit too tedious making 2 baby cables every 2nd row, so to make my life easier, I used knit3, purl6, cable 6/6 ,purl6, knit3. So I ended up only cabling every 12th row which wasn't bad at all. However, even though purl stitches accentuate cables, purl6 stitches made the whole piece much to elastic and pulled the fabric in, so next time need to reduce the purls in between.

The whole cabling process was demystified by Lily Chin's excellent new book, Power Cables. She really explains the science behind designing cables, with illustrations and there is a cable stitchionary and lots of beautiful projects, but all are for winter wear though, thick sweaters and wraps. But I love the book, even feel confident about designing my own cable project.

But who can't be happy that spring is here, the whole country is blooming. Smiling happy faces are seen sitting outside cafes soaking up the sun. I could never understand before why westerners come to Malaysia and sunbathe till they become loabsters, but now I can say I do and I would definitely do the same !

For The LOVE of Fabrics

2011-03-20T23:24:00.000+08:00

Yes, for the love of fabrics, I would go to the ends of the earth, weather any storm and jump over train tracks!! Well, not so dramatic, but yes I did walk, take a tram, then took a metro then sprinted the last few metres, forgetting again that I no longer have a perfect right foot! Total travel time :- 1 hour each way!!

A sort of fabric convention was being held at the AHOY which is the Rotterdam Convention Centre for that one day only! Loads of stalls was expected to be there so of course, how could I miss ?! Set off at 9 am, I needed to arrive back home by 1pm for the kids so time was not on my side. But thanks to the excellent public transport system here, getting there was a breeze. It was already full of shoppers by the time I arrived and yes, it was fabric heaven! Everything from Denim to chiffon to jerseys, name it they had it. 2 hours of intense fabric hunting and here are what I came out with.

Stretch cotton jerseys

Dress cotton from Germany ( between 12euro to 15euro a metre but so very gorgeous )

European dress cotton, discovered this stall in my last 1/2 hr and they had the whole rainbow spectrum of gorgeous cottons at 8euro, should really have bought more but was so blinded by the colors and ahem, money was running out :-(

Love love the appliques and the gorgeous ribbons, loads of prym

I arrived at my door exactly at 1pm with bulging biceps and a throbbing foot, talk about efficiency hehe. Spring seems to be playing hide and seek this year! A few days of bright warm sunshine then the next it'll go back to near 0C. I can't wait to hang up my sweaters for good. Blooms are popping out now and familes are taking walks and cycling, a very pretty sight.

The pink blossom tree outside my bedroom :)

Enjoy spring everyone, wherever you are. My prayers go out to those in Japan, I cannot imagine how tough life must be right now for them some loosing their possessions but others also loosing loved ones.

A broken Ankle and some Knitting !

2011-03-11T20:43:00.000+08:00

Its been quite a while I know. My stuff finally made it to my front door and finally the last of the paintings have been hung and the last book put on the shelf, so now it does resemble a bit more like HOME. Kids are also much happier with their toys and books around them, not to mention not having to wear the same clothes every week :-)

I broke my ankle! Yup, ran down these miniscule dutch steps completely forgetting I was not in KL anymore, missed the last 2 steps and crashed to the bottom. I opened the door to the postman with tears streaming and nearly dying of pain. And of course hubby happened to be away the whole week. I only managed to get it treated and put in a cast the following week. So, I was housebound for 6 weeks dragging my foot with nothing to do, what a bad start!

So thats how my adventure with knitting started! and now I am totally hooked. It does keep one's mind and hands busy and to be able to create gorgeous things from a ball of yarn is amazing. Here's my first knitting creation :

A simple muffler for Shasha, its in alternating k2 p2 stitch, then single crochet the sides and added simple crochet flowers. I like the idea of making a sort of sleeve for the muffler to go thru, the kids were always complaining tying a knot at their neck felt like being stranggled! I got the pattern from this book, yes its in Japanese, but as usual they make it so easy because of the full stitch illustrations at the back and stitch schematics that a beginner like me can even do it :-) Below is a sample sweater schematic

I'm hoping to make one of these sweaters for the kids too, a bit daunting but i will persevere!

Danny complained 'why is everything for kakak ', so yes, have to be fair, I let him choose his yarn and I'm making him a manly little muffler too! Decided to up the ante a bit and try cables, and voila, I have cabled! As of today, its nearly done yeahhhh, then have to start on another for Adam!

I find crochet goes much faster though and its really great for making lacy motifs , knitting however makes a lighter flatter piece of material , better for garments. I found a great resource here that helped me understand the Japanese terms better, made sense of what number needles to use and gauge size. To start with knitting, I used Vogue Knitting, really excellent illustrations, a stitch dictionary and even explains how to design and knit your own sweater. The best thing was I managed to get it at KL's bookxcess for just RM34 just before I left!

My ankle is better now but too much walking and it starts to throb, I can't even run yet. But the weather has turned and its sunnier and the crocuses are poking thru, time to go exploring soon :)

Have I stopped sewing, not on your life! Thats in my next post, and shasha does need some new spring / summer tops haha. Auvoir for now

Ottobre Patterns Anyone?!!!

2011-01-25T17:56:00.001+08:00

Hello hello, the new Spring Ottobre 1/2011 has just hit the stores here in Netherlands, so esctatic was I you could not imagine, well, if you are a pattern magazine addict like me then I guess you can, lol! Among the rows of magazines at my local newsagent, there it was, just sitting pretty waiting for me. Here are some pictures from the spring issue, feast your eyes :)

I so love the blue paneled dress and check out those brown bell bottom pants, cool ! The peacock applique is also included in this issue.

This issue has 39 patterns in total and sizes ranging from 56cm (baby) to 170cm ( i just realized that I can use the patterns for moi :) ) They're really modern, fresh european styles, from pants to leggings to blouses and skirts, jackets and even a cool flanel sweatshirt. The detailed slim fit jeans are sexy huh, I bet Shasha is going to want that !

Here's an example of the patterns. They are all color coded and pattern pieces are marked and construction instructions are in the magazines as below.

You can view the full issue here. Just click on the last issue (1/2011) and start browsing .

Good news to my Malaysian sewing enthusiasts who have been trying to get this mag, I can get them for you in English of course! They will be posted out mid march by poslaju from KL, so please browse through the Ottobre site and let me know which issue you would like, back issues included. The Female Ottobre is also awesome!

1 issue will be for Rm55, subsequent ones will be at RM52 (inc poslaju). Email me at princess.diaries71@gmail.com for banking details. Please specify the issue number that you would like and how many copies. Please hurry as I need time to order from the publisher, thanks.

Cherios from me, I so long for my sewing machine and fabrics right now ! Do drop me an email or a comment for further info, and maybe soon we can have an Ottobre sew along in Malaysia :)

ps I miss Nasi Lemak daun pisang and Kerang Char Kuey Tiaw!!

A White Christmas and Happy New Year!

2011-01-07T23:26:00.000+08:00

I am here!!! Been here awhile but only now willed myself to move from my heated living room to the cold study and start downloading pictures :-) Nederlands? All I can say at the moment is that its freezing, its wet, its peaceful, well, Rotterdam to be exact. We arrived to a white wonderland, which was pretty exciting especially for the kids. The moment we arrived at our new front door, they were out like a flash and started scouping snow and laughing, and I was right in there with them!

Here are some white , white photos

On my street

My pretty backyard, NARNIA anyone?

Around the Neighbourhood

The snow has long since melted but we got our fill. So now its just drab and dreary with grey skies and pitter patter rain that never lets up. I am told this is typical Dutch weather , groan.....

My shipment is expected in another 2 weeks, nope do not get me started and yes another 1month of sleeping on the floor over here ! So what have I been up to? Oh the usual mommy stuff, cooking, cleaning the laundry and oh yes, making sure there's always milk and cookies on hand for 3 forever hungry kids :-)

My legs feel numb, Cheerios!

Pochee Crazy !

2010-12-09T19:49:00.001+08:00

Hello everyone. Its been a very wet and cloudy December in KL. Yesterday went balik kampung in Bukit Merah to visit in-laws for the last time. It was a gorgeous sun shiny day with clear blue skys , but by the time we made the return trip home at 6.30pm it was raining torrents and the heavens were split by thunder and lightning. We finally made it home at 10.45 and headed straight for the Mamak stall :-)

I made these dresses a few weeks ago. It started as a birthday dress for my dear niece Fitrah, but after seeing how cute it was I ended up making one for Shasha and Fina, so here they are !

Made in Yellow Buds by Hunky Dory. 1 Yard was a bit short for her so added a lower frill.

Here she is at I-City with her mom and baby brother on her birthday.

Fina's in Chocolate Lollipop and Shasha's in Remix by Ann Kelly. I sort of fell in love with the added ruffles. The original used a bias tie around the neck or buttoned all the way down, a bit too tedious for me, so I improvised by making a placket on the back skirt and made button bands only on the back yoke.

Here they are, best of friends at 8 years old. I sometimes wish my girls will stay like this just a little bit longer! Pretty soon they'll not want dresses any longer :-( Well, the circle of life must go on.

I first saw this pattern made by the talented Zura here and knew I just had to get the book. I believe I browsed thru it on 4 separate occasions and each time convincing myself that NO I do not need another pattern book! On the 5th visit, I finally decided that YES I was going to buy it and suddenly this young couple picked it up and seemed so interested! OMG, I was nearly in tears, my heart was racing. They put it down, I picked it up and ran to the counter for my life, they looked flabbergasted haha, yup this is a true story.

Sizes in here are for 90cm to 130cm and they are gorgeous. A MUST !

One more week till I leave Malaysia, not much looking forward to it especially going from 32C to a -6C, brrrr , I hope the kids can take it. Have been shopping for winter clothing since it is a bit cheaper here compared to Europe.

My IMac is leaving with Mr J on his flight tomorrow night, so that means this will be my last post from Bukit Antarabangsa, Malaysia. I'll see you next from cold, wet and cloudy Rotterdam.

Adios and keep on crafting.

ps. I couldn't help it, I bought books on crochet and knitting, have high hopes of making pretty sweaters once there! Lord, I'm gonna have excess baggage moannnn.

My Sewing Nook has GONE :(

2010-11-27T23:31:00.001+08:00

Salam all, I'm a bit stumped at the moment! Basically most of my possessions have left the building and most probably somewhere enroute to the Gulf. Please Somalian Pirates, leave my container alone!!

I've parked my MAC right next to my mattress on the floor ( yup the bed has gone too), and my daily ritual is now tying up loose ends and organising things that are left behind. Those to be given away, those for charity and those to go to the dumpster. My body has been aching these past few weeks, seriously getting too old to be this active, sleeping on the floor not helping either :(

What I miss most is of course my sewing machine , waaaaaaaahhhhhh and my pattern books. Can't believe how wrapped up in my sewing i've been these past few month. I wanted to post some pictures of my sewing nook as it once was sob sob. Even though its just a corner but its a place I can truly call my own.

My sewing table with my fabric covered corkboard

My Egyptian closet stacked with my most favorite cottons and pattern books

The landing where these little two read or play their gadgets while I sew, or to simply roll around

Mr J's study nook just across from mine where the kids hijack the Mac any chance they get!

The tables and closet remains but anything personal has all been cleared. I am a little sad at leaving the life and place that I have called home these last 3 years. I can't believed that I've lived in 6 homes in my 11 years of marriage, but this by far is my most beloved.

I've been painting the walls and making repairs, only one more room to be painted, ouch, hard work ! I don't know when I'll be able to return to this lovely home but I do hope that it will happen someday, InsyALLAH. But then, what is LIFE if not for its surprises eh? Three more weeks till I FLY to join my beloved Mr J :)

Azirin's Wedding -Part 2

2010-11-23T00:03:00.000+08:00

As promised earlier, here are photos of Azirin's wedding reception which was held at Merak Kayangan on the 13th November 2010. She was a vision, all decked out in gold lace and beads. The night went perfectly and best of all, it was great seeing relatives and cousins who lived far away and most that I have not seen in years! Us with our busy lives, it takes events like Hari Raya and weddings to really get together. But we had a blast especially with the photo session at the end :-)

The beautiful couple walking towards the main table

The kiddies insisting on going up on stage !

With some of my aunts and cousins

My mom in Red with my Aunt in Blue. They've always had this ongoing feud on who is the prettiest of them all. We the kids, very wisely have kept silent :)

The parting gift were yummy chocs in pretty boxes decorated by my mom

My in-laws with us that night

Yup, thats me on stage, giving my 2c worth on the bride! I have a serious case of stage fright and I had earlier absolutely refused to go up. But after seeing my baby sis on her special night, I felt that I had to share with our guests exactly how special she was. So, while everyone was busy eating, I grabbed a pen and paper and started scribbling. Lord, that had to be the most impromptu speech in history ! But after the first few minutes of babbling, I calmed down and did manage to say what was in my heart , which was mainly a little bit of advise from an elder sister and my doa and wishes for the both of them.

According to my mom later, her friends were mightily impressed with my speech, except for one mistake, it seems I actually said 'good afternoon' instead of 'good evening' ! Lord , utter embarrasement!

Azirin and Shafri, may you both have the best that life has to offer and happiness together always, muahhhh !

Azirin's Wedding - Part 1

2010-11-17T00:20:00.003+08:00

My sister Zirin got married last friday, Alhamdullillah! Frankly, the whole family was getting a bit worried over when she would tie the knot. She's a fussy little thing, smart and way too talented for her own good. It was a bit of a bombshell when she suddenly announced to our parents, ' urmm, my 'friend' wants to come meet you'. And by 'meeting you' the boy came and asked my parents permission for her hand! Then the flurry of organising the wedding took hold. All the work was done by my mom, zirin and baby sis and between the 3 of them they did a beautiful job. The whole thing went without a hitch. I'm a bit sad that I didn't get to help, I was busy running around doing my own organising :-( I didn't even get a new dress done, just didn't have the time, and ready made ones never fit me cos I'm too tall and skinny to be average , sob. So, I ended wearing something old.

Here are the photos of the engagement and wedding solemnisation ceremony held at my parents'.

Zirin looking relaxed whilst waiting for her groom !

The groom being told the rules of marriage by Tuan Kadi. Ironically, this is the exact Tuan Kadi that officiated my marriage at that exact same spot 11 years ago! Lord, how ancient that sounds , LOL

Such a beautiful serene bride to be, her dress was stunning, wished I could have gotten a close up.

The exchanging of rings

The four siblings with the gorgeous mummy. My mom painted the walls herself! Yup, she's one of those 'I can do anything' types!

Enjoying her wedding feast with new hubby. My mom made a whole pot of masak lemak udang galah (Tiger Prawns in Coconut Gravy), was awesome. Shucks, should have moved that flask out of the way.

With Shasha and Aika who insisted on posing with the beautiful bride. I made Shasha's dress from the Autumn Cucito 2010 same as here. I used 1 meter of this gorgeous maroon velvet I found at Harrisons. First time using velvet, I have to admit it was pretty tricky, but as long as you sew with right sides together, it was ok. Only catch was that it can't be ironed and topstitching was impossible. But I loved how it turned out, simple and demure and the material flowed gorgeously. 1 metre only got me 3/4 sleeves however and hem slightly above the knee. I always underestimate how big she has grown.

I wished I had gotten better pictures though, but I was too busy running around entertaining the guests. Hopefully the photographer has good ones, he better!

I'll post photos of the reception later, thats even more stunning :-)

MY Girl has come a long way

2010-11-03T20:42:00.001+08:00

Celebrated SHASHA's birthday recently. Since her's was on the 25th, a monday on the start of exam week, she agreed to postpone it till the week after. I did of course bring everyone out for dinner to celebrate and she got loads of books in the process. She's so into The Tiara Club Series now so I decided to head over to our favourite bookstore ( other than Kino), bookexcess at Ampcorp Mall. Yup, even though its all the way across town I ploughed through traffic to get there! Why you ask, well, for those who are not aware, bookxcess is just that, they sell excess books at very discounted prices. A RM35 paperback goes for RM17, and even hardcover editions go for Rm19 / RM17 and keep checking their website because they're allways bringing in new titles, too bad they're not getting any Japanese Pattern books, then it would have been perfect :-) Its of course a great place to get kids books. Adam got his Brinsinger and Eldest for Rm17 and Danny his Dr Seuss for RM12!

I made Shasha a new dress to commemorate the day ( actually I was sick of packing ! shhh), the pattern from the cover of Autumn Cucito. Made it from the gorgeous Hunky Dory Garden in Green. Turned out very pretty I think.

She's getting a long distance call from her beloved Ayah, she is such a daddy's girl! I tell you, she only has to say the word and the daddy will get it for her, it never works for me ! You really should see when she's lying on the sofa, twirling her hair and having a chit chat with her daddy on the phone, utter romance LOL!!

So on Monday the 1st of Nov we went over to her school. Made some cupcakes , her friends were more excited over getting the party packs tho. But they were so cute, everyone said 'Thank you Aunty' after that and Shasha looked so proud and happy.

Looking at her now, I find hard to believe everything she went through. She was born full term at 3.79kg and healthy. She however did not thrive as normal babies did even though she fed well. Every time I pointed it out to the hospital paed he would dismiss it but a mother's instinct are never wrong. She contracted serious pneumonia at only 5 months and had to be hospitalised for a week. I was doing my closing from the hospital bed and not getting any sleep, it was exhausting. After that episode she continued to be hospitalised every month for serious asthma, I seriously have a phobia of hospitals now!

I really think it was a blessing that events conspired to enable me to stop work because she was not thriving at all. She developed motor skills and speech much much later than other kids. The two of us have been to weekly sessions of physio and speech therapy from the time she was 4 till just before she entered primary, scans and tests. But seeing her now, so confident and happy and interacting with other kids, I sometimes can't help shed a tear of happiness at the most unexpected moments.

The world is changing and we hear more and more cases of children with autism or other special conditions where before it was very rare. I salute those mothers who are dedicated in giving their all to their children, I know how hard it can get. But always remember it is worth it 100% and when at times it gets just a little bit overwhelming, call the hubby and go get yourself a day off :-)

One thing I do regret however is concentrating so much on Shasha that I disregarded Adam. He became such a wise little person too fast and was always helping me out around the house. He was the one helping to look out for the baby sister even though they are only 2 years apart. I'm trying to be fair to all now that Shasha is on the right track.

To my darling girl, just be the best that you can be and no matter how far or high you go, what matters is you keep that heart of gold.

xoxoxoxox
Ibu

It's Zara again!

2010-10-28T19:45:00.000+08:00

Hello dear cyber readers, I'm sick today :-( Thats why i finally decided to take a break from my hectic packing and blog. This one is so so long overdue but it really is one of my most adorable collections to-date. These were commissioned again for my niece Zara by her lovely mom for the past Eid. A bit unorthodox for Eid, but the mommy just fell in love with the cute Japanese pattern books, who wouldn't ?!

So here they are , ta-ra !

Set 1

Pattern from this look, she loved the simple Sunday School look, so i tried to keep the choice of material from being too garish.

Set 2,

I just love the itsy bitsy shorts, cuteness personified. I couldn't resist making the 2nd one from pink, Zara is just so cute! These from this original photo:

These two patterns are taken from this book. Its definitely worth it, the patterns are modern, fresh and so very boutique. Does take some fiddling to do but the results are so gorgeous!

And here, the last, a simple peasant long sleeve tunic

Met Zara's mommy ( Intan) recently and she wants more! Well, not a problem except that postage will later cost a bomb :-)

The movers are supposed to be here in the next week and there's still tons that I need to sort out. The kids toys are giving me a headache, I'm telling them, thats it, no more toys from now on. Its amazing how much trash 3 little tykes can horde in their bedrooms! At least now, Adam has moved away from toys and into collecting books and he has become such an organised little person, its scary! Have a feeling it skipped a generation and he's getting it from my mom's side of the family :-)

Thats it dear readers, the kids are hollering for their dinner , sigh, a mom's work is never done.

Honeymoon in Netherlands :-)

2010-10-07T19:11:00.001+08:00

Honeymoon ? Ummm yes, coincidental let me assure you :-) Hubby had a meeting and some work in Rotterdam and for the first time ever, asked lil old me to come along! Yeahhhh , of course I couldn't say NO, so I said YES BABE!

Its been 7 years since I was last in Europe and I think 15 since I visited Netherlands, so was really excited. It was a 12 hr flight from KL, took KLM. Not too bad, KLM seats are wider and the crew was very friendly. They also happen to be cheaper than our national airline by RM1.4k :-) ! I was greeted at Schipol International Airport by a Fog! Not so great when you're moving from 32'C to 10'C overnight! That day cleared however to a bright but still nippy day. Here's the view of Rotterdam from my hotel window.

Netherlands is essentially flat with the west coast going below 8m below sea level, yup a scary thought! So the rule is, if there's a flood, head west or up north to Switzerland! Rotterdam itself is a modern city as most of it was destroyed during WW2. The surrounding countryside however was so beautiful, green pastures with sheeps and cows grazing and lovely little houses.

We visited the Binnenrotte Farmers market that Saturday, and let me tell you, it was a feast for the eyes. Gorgeous fruits and vege's, fresh fish, cheeses by the rounds and the flowers were heavenly. I'll let the pictures do the talking :)

And here's something for you crafters!

Found a row of stalls selling fabrics from cotton to satin to fleece and even upholstory fabrics and stalls selling notions and trims too. I was hopping up and down, its like being in crafters haven. Couldn't resist getting a few things hehe, but they're not for me :-)

On Sunday took a 1hr train ride to Amsterdam. Beautiful gothic city with its criss cross of canals and tall tall houses that looked liked doll houses.

Visited the Red Light District, how could I not ! But photo taking is forbidden there, so sorry, no photos but did take some of the surrounding streets , as my Mr J terms it, 'the support services'!

One thing, if you see a 'coffee shop' , this is not your average coffee shop, they'll serve you coffee but laced with marijuana! But laws are strict in that you can only consume it inside the premises only and be of age. If you want normal coffee with a doughnut, go to a 'cafe' :-)

We stopped at a 'cafe' and had hot chocolate. The best i've had, a block of choc on a stick that you plunged in steaming fresh milk till melted and add a dollop of cream, aaaahhh heaven.

Netherlands is easy to get around as its a worm hole of tram, metro and train lines. The Dutch are people who either walk or cycle, which I think is an excellent way of getting around plus with their excellent public transport, who needs a car ?!

Well, thats it for this post, I'm still recovering from the long 12 hr journey home, contracted food poisioning at Schipol Airport, so you can imagine the horror of the following 12 hours. I kept eyeing the door and calculating my odds of survival if I jumped ship !

But fear not, there will be more stories of Netherlands and its neighbours in the months to come as I will be moving there end of November. Yup, a bit sad of leaving home but excited of new experiences, packing will be a nightmare though. So till next time , au revoir ( ummm thats french !) The Dutch says Tot Ziens!

Hari Raya 2010

2010-09-20T13:52:00.000+08:00

Selamat Hari Raya to all! By now everyone would have been back to the usual hectic daily schedule :-) It was so great that this year's holiday coincided with the school hols so it ended up being 2 weeks of holidays, bliss for me, not having to get all 3 kids ready for school etc. This raya turned out to be a sad occasion however as on the 2nd day while we were in Ipoh at MIL's house, hubby's uncle, Ayah Cik, passed away. It was very sudden of a heart failure. Understandably no one was in the Raya mood for the remainder of the week. He was a gentle soft spoken man and he left very peacefully, May God keep his soul among those that are pious, InsyaALLAH.

I made raya breakfast at home this year with my mom and sisters and aunt attending. Here are the kids all dressed up that morning.

I wanted to deviate from the usual baju kurung this year for Shasha, so I made her this long sleeve pleated dress with matching pants. Still demure but she had fun jumping and running around in it.

And here is the family picture

Me in green with my youngest sister , SIL , 2nd sister and my Mr J. My brother w baby Danish and my parents up front. You may be wondering why we took a family picture in an Esso petrol station ?! Haha thing is I've been having my first day raya ever since I got married at this exact station! My parents are retired and opened this one all the way in Klang. So raya time the whole family needs to pitch in since they're short staffed. But it is pretty festive as all the customers turn up in their raya finery and wish us Selamat hari raya! And of course my kids have a field day choosing whatever drinks and sweets they want!

Here are my 3 stooges getting ready to visit our neighbour's open house. It was a scorching hot afternoon so we decided to keep it simple.

Another one I made for Shasha, 3 qtr peasant sleeve tunic w pants with contrast neck and cuffs.

Here they are with their best friends, Shasha and Arfan, cute huh

So thats it for now, am rushing off now for my Dutch class. Nope that was not a typo error, hehehhe, till later, enjoy the rest of raya friends!

Happy Birthday My Boys :-)

2010-08-17T20:09:00.000+08:00

My Adam turned 10 recently whilst Danny was a while back in May. It would have been unfair to just make a party for Adam and not little Danny, so here Ibu went all out to make a party her boys will hopefully remember.

Adam next to his best friend Danish and the brother Didi ( matching outfits, so cute!) My niece Hani and nephew Eiman just refused to budge.

I used Nigella's Buttermilk cake from The Domestic Goddess. Turned out really well. A blue vanilla buttercream frosting for Danny and Choc buttercream for Adam. The tops are ready made icing stickers that you just stick on top of the cake and its edible, what an invention, made my job so much easier! The boys were awed and so were my guests :) You can find them at good baking shops.

Danny with his buddies, Irfan and Amir, they all wanted Spongebob ! They're so cute at this age!

I love making deserts, I can skip the mains and go straight to desert! From top, hotdogs wrapped in puff pastry and sprinkled with sesame seeds ( kids n adults loved them and easy as pie), coconut macaroons, rocky road, peanut butter jam drops and choc macaroons. Made mushroom voul-il-vent, but they were gone as soon as they were out! Managed to pop one before I got them out :) Maybe will post the recipe here.

Aren't these cute? These were all that were left! Made some stars and gingerbread boys too. I used Donna Hays butter biscuit recipe from her Magazine kids party series (still on the shelves). They turned out really buttery but not too crumbly, perfect. Used stiff royal icing to outline the shapes, then thinned it down with lemon juice, gave some color and filled in the gaps.

I'm glad the day went well with friends and neigbours all dropping in, and the kids had fun with their friends. It was worth the hours of baking and cooking I think to see that I made their day. Shasha is already planning for hers in October, 'groannnnn'!

Beyond Gorgeous If I May Say So!

2010-08-03T19:16:00.001+08:00

A good friend, Shahrizan, offered me a challenge, a striking, pretty blouse and pants set for her tomboyish 3 year old daughter and 2 cousins. They had to be pretty she said but also versatile enough for active 3 year olds! And, they had to be same but different to avoid cousin squabling! So there I was leafing thru designs then putting batch after batch of materials together to match, quite a headache really.

These are what I finally came out with, and I just love them. It was hard to stop from keeping them for my Shasha, luckily they didn't fit :)

and my absolute favorite!

No 1 pattern from CUCITO Spring 2010 same as here, no 2 & 3 from CUCITO Summer 2010 no 43. The pink is Daisy Dance by Michael Miller teamed with Argyle in Spring by Ann Kelley. The sky blue polka dot is teamed with a Heather Bailey's. Those ruffles are a full 84inches!

And here are the matching capri with of course, ruffles!

My friend loved them and most important, the little miss (also a Shasha) loved all of them and wanted to wear the pink to bed! Yup the mom has decreed the pink to be hers :) A satisfying job well done, pat, pat LOL!!!

And i didn't think the outfit would be complete without hair accesorries, so using a Clover flower yoyo maker, here are 3 pretty hairbands.

Blues for Zara

2010-07-22T22:20:00.001+08:00

Where does the time go, its nearly end of July already! I have been stitching and running errands as usual, I hope my fellow stitchers are having fun stitching.

I had a request from a cousin to make one pants suit and one smocked bishop for her 2 year old Zara, and below is what I came up with. Pattern for the blouse is again from Children's Style Book from my post here. I have to say this is my best Japanese pattern book to date, so many options, I'll probably end up making them all :)

And here is pretty Zara, she's just adorable with the prettiest glossy black curls. She's real happy with her new clothes :)

The request for tops and capri sets have been really good, so that is what your's truly will be doing at her machine for the next few weeks! Ramadhan is just few weeks away, so in case I forget then, to all my fellow muslims, Have a happy Ramadhan and may your ibadah be blessed by Allah s.w.t.

Lunch with friends + fabric shopping = HEAVEN!

2010-06-30T19:26:00.001+08:00

Hello hello, I had such a good day. Had lunch with my best buds PC ( her glamor name ) and Ayu. Arranged to meet at Secret Recipe Central Market since its the most convenient especially for PC who works nearby. She still had to walk 10mins in the scorching heat though, thanks PC! These friends of mine have been with me since I was 18 and the first time in college, away from home. Its funny to reflect that we all came from such diverse backgrounds, but from the first moment when we were thrown together into a cramped, smelly dorm room, we instantly formed a bond. We got separated along the years, all went to different uni's but we never lost the bond. These are the friends who have shared my tears of frustrations to my laughter of joy. We know each other's intimates secrets and hopes. Its funny that whenever we meet up, the years just seem to melt away and we'll be laughing like hyenas! Its true that blood runs thicker than water, but real friends are more precious than diamonds! 3 other of our 'gang' are missing due to work, definitely need to make another date. We missed you Lynn, Mariana and Tati!

I'm one of those people who just love to explore, and Petaling Street ( China Town) is definitely an excellent place! I found this marvelous little shop that it seems has been around for aeons. Its button heaven! My jaw literally dropped the first time I stumbled upon it. Its just stacked floor to ceiling with little drawers full of buttons, from fancy to kids to ornate to simple ones, you name it. They even have things like metal and plastic bag buckles, magnetic snaps, laces, ribbons, sewing accessories. Trick is you need to ask because its either stashed behind the counter or in their storeroom. But the best thing about it is the price! Go check it out. Enter under the red arch ( the one facing Kota Raya) walk a few metres and just before you reach the intersection, the shop is on your right. The nearest station is Pasar Seni Putra station.

And I definitely could not pass up a visit to one of my favorite fabric stores, People Textile. Amazing little shop with the finest quality fabrics. Anything from cotton to stretch knit to wool and i was surprised they even had seersucker. Their cottons are printed in Japan and has this lovely satinny finish which looks really classy. And of course your's truly could not resist, but I did try! Here's what I bought that day. Add is no 13, Jalan Petaling. Come back out of the red arch and you'll be facing a small road that is just next to Kota Raya. The shop is the 3rd on your left I think.

I had earlier ordered some fabrics from Ayu since she was having a sale and here they are. My favorite pink polka dot was sold out tho, so so so dissapointed, but I'm really happy with what I got. Good to have a friend who has a fabric shop eh? And I saved on postage too hehehehe.

I had a superb and fruitful day, largely due to my friends, thank you girls, love you xoxoxoxoxo!

A Color Fiesta!

2010-06-24T11:04:00.000+08:00

Yes, I've done it in record time! Am really in love creating with these yummy fabrics to the point that I even skipped lunch, bad bad girl! So here are the two blouses that were meant to complement the Insa skirt.

Blouse No 1. Sweet, Simple & Demure

Blouse No 2. Funky, Fun & Sassy !

But truth be told, I prefer blouse No2 paired simply like this

I am seeing bright pink corduroy pants with some appliques with this top! Yup there I go again, mind just can't seem to take a break. Blouse no1 pattern from Spring Cucito 2010 and Blouse No2 from Children's Style Book Spring 2010.

But as the saying goes, "too much of a good thing sometimes not so good" hahaha my version! I actually would pair this skirt with a simple plain white t-shirt and maybe just add a dash of applique on it from My Minds Eye. What do you think?

INSA with a TWIST!

2010-06-17T09:39:00.000+08:00

Had a mind boggling time finding the perfect background for 'Just Dreamy' by My Minds Eye. Am really happy with how this turned out. You can never really go wrong with polka dots! This pattern is the Insa skirt from Farbenmix designs. Pattern included in this book which also includes the famous Feliz dress. The designer, Sabine is just awesome, check her out here. Notice the sweet curves of the outer skirt? Pretty impossible to hem and maintain the curves so I piped it, perfect :)

But here's where I digress a bit. I left out one back gore of the outer skirt to show the back skirt and I ruffled it!

The sweet polka fabric is from my friend Ayu's shop (can't believe we've known each other 21yrs, both became die hard accountants and now both have left and started crafting!) Blue outer skirt from Lovemelots and the 2 fabric for trims from Cottage Patch.

Am currently thinking of 3 options for the top, maybe I'll make 1 or maybe all 3 :) Keep tuned muahhhh!

Children's Style Book-Spring 2010

2010-06-11T09:22:00.001+08:00

I've gone utterly mad!!!! This is a craze that I just have to loose. But it is just so hard, someone please take away my credit card! This is an ensemble that I made for Hani, my niece. Has become my favourite at the moment, but then so are all my other creations hahahaha!

The style is very Kimono like, so sweet. I made ruffles for the sleeves. The pants are the basic pattern but I added matching ruffles and matching green ruching.

Here's the book

This one is really worth it cos so many simple but sweet styles, just add a dash of imagination :) Sizes are from 80cm-140cm

And this is the pattern it was adapted from

I really have to stop this craze, please do not tempt me with more cute patterns aaaaarrrghhhhh!!!

Little Pinky Dotted Girls!

2010-05-31T23:17:00.001+08:00

My favorite color has always been a cross between green and blue, to the point that my wardrobe choices have also been these 2 colors. I thank my precious Shasha for introducing me to PINK! Everything to her must be in pink, I really wonder whether this is a girly phase or a permanent addiction :) Truth be told, I am starting to fall for pink myself :) late bloomer I guess. My aunt requested a simple tunic for her Aika, something comfy but ala Pumpkin Patch. And here are the results. I made matching capri pants, with frills for Aika and a doubled hem for Shasha. This adorable tunic is from CUCITO spring 2010. It was Shasha's idea to make her a matching tunic , clever girl, she got a new suit in the process :)

This pose looks like it came out of the pages of a Japanese pattern book! I so love the simplicity of it.

Best of friends forever, Shasha & Aika ! Can you notice those spots on their legs? What a spoiler, tsk tsk.

Summer Garden

2010-05-19T17:46:00.000+08:00

At long last I completed this smocked summer dress. Was sidetracked discovering gorgeous stuff on blogshops and trying out non smocking patterns. Needed to give thine eyes a break from smocking those little pleats. I'm really happy with how this turned out. I wanted an easy relax dress that Shasha could wear anywhere. Most of the smocked ones I've been making were more formal party ones.

Its a halterneck style, pattern for the dress taken from Australian Smocking issue 79. I kept it simple using lace flowers in the smocking rather than embroidered. I love how the bright pink corded piping on the armband and neck gave the dress a splash. I added a 2inch tuck which I can let down as she grows taller and pink grossgrain ribbon at the hem. The same white lace flowers are stitched on the ribboned hem.

A close up of the front smocked panel

The pretty butterflies are from Yee's Button, simply gorgeous albeit a bit expensive. The whole panel is backsmocked to make sure the pleats stay together.

A gorgeous summer dress would not be complete without a summer hat :)

The patterns from Aust Smocking magazines are simply perfect. Comes with detailed instruction on how to construct a garment. MPH Malaysia is currently carrying multiple back issues in their stores at only RM36. Do go take a look, I always look forward to their next issue, just so pretty.

Pants Made By Mommy

2010-05-05T13:33:00.009+08:00

Its fun being a girl, that goes without question, especially when it comes to clothes! Just look at the stores, rows and rows of girls clothes all sorts of designs and colors, mommys, you feel like you want them all. But boys, alas, t-shirt, shirt and pants. Its lucky I guess that by nature boys do not go mad by fashion :) After churning out so many girls clothes, I began to feel guilty about my 2 boys. Both of them have even come to the point of flipping through my pattern books and asking if a particular shirt or pants are for boys. Which mother’s heart would not feel that twitch? So I went to my local fabric store nagoya and asked for denim fabric, and they just happened to be on sale, 1mtr only costs me RM18, and I only needed 1.75mtrs for both the boys. So here they are, ta-da! saturday at KLCC.

I’ve been searching for elasticated long pants for Danny (5yr old) everywhere and its funny that when it comes to boys, all pants are zippered. I did find one that went for rm80! I prefer elastic waists cos its much more comfy and easier to pull off and on. I made extra long hem which I can let down as they grow. Adam, my number 1 is going to be 10 but he’s just growing by leaps and bounds! Already 137cm tall and I end up buying new pants for him every 6 months, phew, tough on the wallet! I added a felt patch of a baseball on Danny’s knee, he loved it, he asked “where’s the bat”? Adam was just too macho, didn’t want any embelishments! They were just so happy and I felt proud to see them strutting about town in their pants! Shasha’s pants is cute too right? Used the same pattern as Danny’s. Her’s is from stretch cotton that I had bought from Cairo aeons ago. Adam’s pants I had to draft myself since Jap patterns rarely go above 130cm, but Danny’s and Shasha’s are from the Spring 2010 CUCITO. Perfect I must say and only took me a day. Examples of the pictoral instructions are like this :

And here are some patterns from the book to entice you :) Too flipping cute, makes me go oooh and aaah!

You can find further write-up of Japanese Pattern Books from Zura’s post here. Oh and I did get a new pattern book from Kino while I was there, but lets save that for next time :) Till next time, take care.

1 Yard of Heather Bailey :)

2010-04-26T12:04:00.009+08:00

Hi again, hope everyone has been well. I feel happier today because at long last hubby is back! He was actually on work in Amsterdam (hmmm?) which was originally planned for 3 weeks ended up being 6! The last week was due to the ash cloud. He actually had to take a bus ride over 2 days to reach Rome and fly home from there! So here I was running around going a bit beserk with the kids. To relieve the stress I actually managed to get a few stitching things done, but with my usual professional photographer gone, could not take any pictures, sigh.

Ok ok, back to the topic on hand, 1yard of Heather Bailey. I kept thinking how unfair it was that my girl gets designer fabrics and I dont! So I attempted to make a skirt for myself. 1 yard in length however was way too short, so I added a bias hem of 3.5 in. I wanted a bit of interest to the skirt so added an inverted pleat in the middle and the matched band, part elasticated. Then I discovered in terms of width, I still had roughly 10in x 1yd in length. That was when I decided to try out the multi panel skirt from Sew Beautiful Issue 129 2010. I had more fun doing up this dress for Shasha than my skirt! So here they are , from 1 yard of Nicey Jane, Dream Dot in Clementine. I do particularly love the green check cotton, perfect shade. I actually did go around walking in KLCC with this skirt and Shasha in that dress and man, most people were doing a double take, even the shopkeepers! They must be wondering which shop I got it from, quite fun actually :)

Hmmm yes, I'm sure you're all wondering if thats me and how come Shasha looks different! I decided that these legs of mine were just too sexy for that cute skirt! So I ended giving it away as a bday gift to my neighbour's 15 yr old daughter, Nadhira. It suits her much better I must say. And so I got the 8 year old Fina to pose in Shasha's dress . Let me tell you, Shasha was right there at the edge keeping a close eye on her dress!

I love this pattern, so simple but so many possibilities. The panels are 2in wide at the top and flairs out at the bottom, so thats how you achieve the fitted structured top. I wanted an easy dress so I added the green tube and straps that button in front. I added elastic under the arms so the bodice fitted snugly. I hate how dresses can gape and you can see right down them! Hem is finished with matching bias piping. The pattern is easy to adapt to any size, even adult ones i guess. This is one issue which is a keepsake, go and get it if you haven't , a lot of other fantastic ideas there too. I made matching pants too :)

Check out Sew Beautiful site and their blog . The latest issue , Blue, is out and I just got mine from Kinokuniya last night, beautiful. Bye for now and happy stitching.

ps. I still don't own a designer item, sob!
pps Hoping to get the new Canon IXUS210!

My first Bag

2010-04-08T12:24:00.004+08:00

Isn't that a cute bag? I thought so , my girl thought so but alas its for Nadia, my friend's girl who turned 5! It is actually my first bag making attempt. It turned out pretty good. Yes it had to be pink, and what goes with pink, green !!!! I applique a Sun Bonnet Sue and flannel heart on the pink pocket , then the whole thing was quilted to give it texture. It has a zip at the top. In my rush I forgot to put in that adjustable 'thinggy' that can make your bag strap adjustable. Will remedy that next time. The bag is a little bit 'soft' though, next time need to put on an interfacing. Well it was a good experiment and luckily, Nadia just loved it :) I had her name applique on the back.

The pattern for the Sun Bonnet Sue I got from a Japanese book , from Kino of course which at that time they had a promo was going for 30% off from rm80+ The designs inside are really fresh and pretty, but the Jap's tend to use very muted color fabrics. I like mine as striking as can be! So of course, go crazy as you like.

I'm going to give you all a tip here. I recently found the same book, but translated to Chinese (the cover was different tho) at popular bookstore going for Rm50! And popular was having a 20% sale ! I screamed (of course silently). And I discovered some others too that had been translated and going much cheaper. But surprisingly , only one or two clothe pattern books, sigh, frustrating.

My Shasha is still waiting for her's, and even my two prince's want one two, hmm either they have good artistic taste or ?????

Like it? Contact me for details as specs.

Introducing my mummy on the NET!!!

2010-04-01T11:31:00.003+08:00

hahahaha mummy, your face is now officially on the world wide web! Yes everyone, this is my mom, she is the person who first thought me how to crochet, sew a button and use one of those old singer sewing machines. Broke a few needles in the process, but look mummy where I am now, yup, blogging! :)

Here she is with a lap quilt I made for her. And its aptly called Mother's Heart! I love the vibrant red batik for the heart and of course had to set it off with a pure white damask cotton. But then decided was just too sterile, so added the green and red sashing, now it looks christmassy! But mummy loves it so that what counts! Stitched in the ditch to make the hearts pop and some simple free quilting on the borders.

And here's the matching pillowcase and cushion cover, phew glad its all done, now can create some more dresses weeee!

Flower Power!

2010-03-19T18:51:00.006+08:00

I got the red fabric from Zura, thanks dear and was so totally in LOVE just had to create. It ended up being another dress for shasha inspired from ivey's blog and decided to take the basic A-line pattern, cut wee bit under armhole added inverted pleats in the middle. Sleeves, neck and hem are finished using bias coordinated piping. See the pretty sunflower buttons at the back. I like buttons compared to zips ,not only are they much less of a hassle but prettier too :) My little touch of whimsy, a pretty button on her shoulder. The dress reminded me of the swinging 60's in Austin Powers hence the name!

Made a matching elasticated headband from the same two material.

Anyone interested , RM45 for workmanship with buttons and i'll throw in the headband for FREE!! Contact me for fabric requirement. Shasha is 123cm height and this dress uses 1yard/ 1mtr in total. Length can be varied

Review..♥

2010-03-06T23:32:00.007+08:00

Thank you My CrazyArtZone
We ♥ you..

Shasha's pretty hat!

2010-03-04T13:51:00.007+08:00

And here it is, have completed a matching hat for her to go with the twirly dress. And its reversible too! Notice the yoyo heart with the button? A nice touch I think to match the one on her dress. So need a break right now, aching everywhere! Well, at least I have one very happy little girl :)

Rm45 for the hat and of course you can order it to match the dress! Uses 1/2m of fabric, would look good in designer fabrics don't you think, so couture! Ok bye for now

A Feliz dress for my my shasha!

2010-03-02T20:59:00.005+08:00

Hello hello everyone, yes its been 2 months since my last posting! Have been tied up with kids schooling and everyday stuff, sigh! But yes have been stitching too. Introducing my girl Shasha! Here she is, really happy with her Feliz dress. This was an experiment, the pattern seemed so complicated. But it turned out so beautifully. The main fabric is from my stash but I matched the frills from of course my fav place Cottage Patch. Got lots of praises for this one and she's happy twirling around . Am making her a matching hat, nearly done. Already planning another in a green and pink combo, will definitely be pretty, can't wait! Problem is, the boys are now making noise, maybe will make them matching shorts!

Its a full 2 layer dress, princess cut style with elastic at the waist and back so can expand quite a bit.Please email me for details if interested for custom made for your princess. Soft cotton material is best for this dress so she can twirl away!! For a size 120 -130cm height, requires 2.75 metres including the ruffles. Please enquire for other sizes.

Hmm not sure how much to charge for workmanship, aching shoulders adding all those ruffles and ribbons! :)

More Review..♥

2009-12-22T23:18:00.004+08:00

Thank you My Basic Fashion Folder..
We ♥ you..

Review..♥

2009-12-08T15:57:00.004+08:00

Thank you STYLE2.INFO.
We ♥ you...

Our first Review.. ♥

2009-12-08T15:42:00.007+08:00

Thank you Fashion Clicks
We ♥ you...

Cream Polka Yoke Dress

2009-12-08T15:05:00.003+08:00

Cream cotton sateen, smocked with lime green and maroon satin thread. Embroidered roses and flower buttons at the waist.

Polka Round The Green Bishop

2009-12-07T14:03:00.004+08:00

Green with pink polka dots American cotton. Modern symmetrical smocking in blue, white and yellow. Baby pink pearls for sweetness!

Gypsy Batik Yoke Dress

2009-12-07T13:56:00.005+08:00

Stunning American cotton batik print with multicolored smocking and roses. Square necked and frilled sleeves. Added orange satin hem.

Party Polka Yoke Dress

2009-12-07T13:53:00.001+08:00

Cotton sateen pink polka dot yoke dress. Sleeves are also smocked

Multi coloured Bishop

2009-12-06T13:54:00.003+08:00

A dress that makes a statement! The simple black and white cotton print is transformed by smocking of black, pink, yellow and green threads. Baby roses and buttons completes the design. Neck is edged with a double piping of white satin and dress cotton. Sleeves are frilled with cotton lace. Hem is adorned with entreduex lace with white satin ribbon. Definitely an eye catcher , this one!

Fun Polka Dot Blouse

2009-12-06T13:47:00.004+08:00

A truly stunning pink cotton sateen blouse with smocked insert of simple baby roses. Neck, sleeves and hem are bound with aqua satin piping and striped cotton piping. The skirt portion is a full circle to give it that extra flair! My fav this one.

Sky Blue Bishop w Smocked Sleeves

2009-12-06T13:42:00.003+08:00

A short sleeve bishop dress with pink bullion roses. Sleeves are also smocked and edged with cotton lace. Hem is embellished with matching cotton lace.

Baby Pink Bishop Dress

2009-12-06T13:31:00.003+08:00

A gorgeous pink smocked bishop dress with pink bullion roses. Neck and arms bound in satin piping. Shoulders are trimmed with delicate cotton lace. Hem has a single tuck which can later be opened to add another 2inch of length. Hem is embellished with entreduex lace and weaved with pink satin ribbon. Back is closed off with buttons all the way to the hem.

♥ Starry Blue Bishop ♥

2009-11-15T21:12:00.003+08:00

American cotton. Trimmed w lace and satin pearls