Happenings ...

It was Margaret W's birthday end of last month and this is what I came up with.

Cross stitch design by The Sampler Girl and made it into a zipper pouch. 

 I really like the zipper pouch finish as it's such a useful item and I can incorporate a lovely XS pattern and use a coordinating fabric.  In this zipper pouch the fabric is by French General (a gift from Merilyn) with a piece of French Linen tape attached to it.

Now the buttons were difficult to centralize.  Pushing the fabric to the button tool took all the energy I could muster! 

Another tote bag but this time wider using the tutorial by MSQC on YouTube

Visited Yee Buttons a couple of weeks ago and got some stuff and made even more enjoyable when I have a 25% discount voucher!  I got those crochet hooks that I've wanted badly.

The Clover needle threader is fabulous.  The old eyes are quite thankful for it :)  I really love it especially since I've been sewing up some hexies lately.  I've also read some good reviews on the Clover thimble especially for quilting.  I haven't tested it yet but I will hopefully this weekend.  And some perle thread to add to my stash.  Comes in handy when embellishing garments and big stitch quilting.  Among those I got some 1/4M cuts of fabrics for my other projects and hexies.

I was inspired when Libby took out her hexie project here. They look so pretty.  So I took out mine and worked on them more earnestly! :)

 It's a small project, either a table topper or a cushion cover ... we'll see.  Quilting it should be fun.

On the crochet front I made some flowers and leaves using the tutorials by Attic 24 and BobWilson123 on YouTube.  I gave them to Lucy when we met for coffee on Wednesday.  She also gave me a piece of blue cotton jersey fabric which is soaking now.

 Here are some sewing notions that I bought from Lucy's webshop.  Love the packaging of the snap buttons ... rather vintage methinks.

This is my stack of granny squares for the bag I'm planning.  Don't they look like flapjacks? I've run out of yarn :(  Hopefully Maycraft stocks up quickly.  I've joined an affiliate program with them, so if you need some cotton yarn please click on the image on the right.

Last week I made some prawn fritters also known locally as cucur udang.  I don't think I've added enough salt :(  But I'll give it another try.  It's simple to prepare and I followed a good video by our local chef Norman Musa on YouTube. 

 This book came in the evening.  It's my continuing education in garments.  The baju kurung is a traditional garment in Malaysia.  I intend to learn it's inner workings :)  Thankfully it is in English.

Nothing much ...

My sewing machine kaput on me.  I suppose I could drag out my old Singer.  Maybe I will, if I really need a fix to sew.  And to think the service people has not come and collect it for repair up till now :(  Oh well ... I figure there's many many more crafts that will be able to keep my hands busy apart from just sewing.

Enter my 'creative' space.  So I finally got off my butt and cleaned and cleared the corner and chucked some stuff into the store room.  It'll do until it's time for a deep clean before Christmas.  The dust bunnies were propagating!   

All those hand stitching crafts were staged!

While I was in the store room I dragged out my CW quilt.  Oh my ... when will I enjoy sleeping under this quilt?  So I've decided to tie-quilt instead of hand quilt it.  Sometimes I just have to be practical. Really hope it'll get speedily along.

Then there's more crochet.  I crocheted a placemat!  Jess W calls it the Dolly Mixture placemat!

 

I think the colours look really pretty together

 And my current WIP, granny squares for a bag.  There's 3 more rounds to go but I cannot proceed till the yarn stock arrives in early September :(

I need 17 granny squares for a bag.  There's only 8 so far

I'm hooked

... literally.  My days have been filled with everything crochet.  Even while waiting at the doctor's office I was reading crochet patterns and trying very hard to learn and understand them.  I think I'm drowning in crochet but please don't save me! LOL!!

 I've since added colours to my cotton yarn stash.  Variety is always good IMHO :)  So I've been following along Lucy's blog with some of her generous tutorials.  I came up with  hexie.

 Even did some organizing of the yarn labels with some yarn tied around it for 'future' reference!  I got out an old tote bag I made over 10 years ago.  Please ignore my terrible finishing.  I've since improved ... I think.  The tote had an obscene 6" gusset!  Talk about serendipity.

Then I discovered Heidi's blog.  She has an awesome tutorial of the African Flower hexagon on the side bar.  Gosh it's so pretty. I'm just playing around with all these grannys and learning how their constructed.

 I made another beanie, this time a turned cuff beanie.  A tutorial by Beth on YouTube.  The way ribbing is done in crochet is very interesting.

And finally this is my REAL current project.  It's a pattern from the Burda magazine that June T gave me for my birthday.  Is that karma or what?  It's the start of a cushion cover with a crocheted flange.  I need to learn to understand the instructions, slowly but surely.  The beauty with crochet is you can always rip it all off and start again! I also fancy the granny squares blanket on the right.  Next project perhaps?

My little gifts for my pals Merilyn and Elyte arrived safely in Australia.  Their birthdays fall on the second half of July.  I embroidered their house numbers on the roof of the house!

Some crocheting

What?  You ask.  Well I'm smitten ... what more can I say.  It was love at 3rd sight.  Out of the blue I thought I'd give crochet one last swing.  I've tried it before and the results were quite dismal :(  More because I did not have the correct yarn.  Yeah blame it on the tools.  Really ... I absolutely loathe those acrylic yarn that are easily available in every haberdashery shop from here to Timbuktu!  I am not a yarn snob but at least I know good yarn from bad.  And with the amount of work one puts into crocheting it better be worth it.

  

 These are cotton yarn that I bought from Maycraft.  I've not seen many shops in KL selling cotton yarn.  Since I was just testing the waters again I got only 2 skeins ... for now.  The hooks are those regular Tulip brand hooks. 

 Some of my trial granny squares.  The left square is from a tutorial by crochet supremo Lucy.  And the right is a traditional square by my favourite YouTube instructor Beth.  Gosh the colours red and white together is sooo damn classy!

And ... the basic beanie was the next project I wanted to tinkle with.  It was really really easy.  My sis wants a slouch beanie!  When I proposed some roses on the beanie ... she said please don't ... gosh no way that she will be able to look as cool as David Beckham with roses on a slouch beanie!  So watch this space for more yarn, more granny squares, more beanies and better quality crochet hooks!

Another local INS I came across recently is Popular Fabric. Lucy the owner is a most wonderful lady.  It also helps when she's passionate about sewing.  Going all out of her way to test a particular sewing foot for me when I requested for more info.  She even made good a short order with an additional pack on the house.  Now that's what I call SERVICE!!

Some button covers and 45mm pack of rotary blade

With Lucy's challenge via her Facebook page it pushed me to make the zipper pouch sooner than I anticipated.  It's from a free tutorial on Craftsy.

 

 I used a 12" zip rather than the called for 9" because then you can place the zipper pull out of the way of the zipper foot.

 Love that fabric combo.  So British for sure, thoughtful gifts from Margaret W. I have enough to make another two but with a different fabric for lining.

And a Union Jack thimble (again gift from Margaret W) to complete the picture.  This will be for my cousin's daughter Chloe who just finished a year of study in UK.

Month of June

First up was June T's birthday a couple of weeks ago.  It can be really difficult deciding what to make for June, as long as it's blue-ish I think I'm safe.  Since my friends has all got a mug rug, it was June's turn to 'suffer' one from me!

Stitchery pattern by Kaaren.  Hand quilted with Perle thread.

Bag tutorial by MSQC

Then Margaret W got us ladies some lovely souvenirs.

I think I want to make a zipper pouch from the oh so British fabrics!  Some pins for that lil teapot tray.

And yesterday I collected Merilyn's parcel from the PO.  Gosh was I overwhelmed.  It's suppose to be for my birthday but better late than never I say.

A whole load of goodies.  The fabrics are French General people! A vintage spool, vintage counted stitches book and a sewing machine pin.  Also an Olfa pinking blade which I know will come in handy in my sewing and the requisite chocolate :)

My Birthday Week(s)

It's always a thrill when my stitching pals send me birthday gifts.  It's something we've been doing for some years now.  And yet the excitement never dwindles.

So I'll let the pictures do the talking.  First up are gifts from Margaret W.

See that beautiful Lecien fabric ... a bag it will be!

And this little pretty purse is from Jackie W

The gifts from Lillie who is slowly ... but surely ... becoming a quilter! Yay!

Look at that gorgeous linen fabric cuts!

Next up are gifts from June T.

Ah ... my first Burda magazine!

And last but no way least from Jess W.

Oh my ... lovely trio of CW indigo fabrics!

My pals know me too well.  I really appreciate the thought that goes into it.  So well coordinated ... so well executed.  Humbles me plenty to be in the midst of these fine needleworkers.  Thank you all so so much.