The reason I start to make a quilt with a sewing machine is that I can handle only a straight stitches... never thought that I will make a dress ( because the pattern seems complicated and require more than just a straight stitches.. :) and the measurement... calculations... ooh seems out of reach for me.
But... Never say never.... my interest to a dress making actually is there hidden in the deepest part of my heart.
When I was in high school, I used to doodle a fashion illustrations... but don't know why I didn't pursue my career as a fashion designer or at least anything that relate to sewing.
Ooh well.. life took me to a different path... I'm happy because now fabrics, needles and threads are my best friends.
Now when the desire to sew a dress comes up again... I no longer can't hide it anymore. The little voice seems to always whisper to me to try to make it.
WOW...
Now that I sew ( mostly straight stitches for quilts ) but I have everything I need to make a dress... I have fabrics.. lots of them... sewing machine... needle and thread and buttons....
What I need now is a willingness to try... .
Do I dare ?
Well I will never know if I am not trying... right.. ?
My mom help me to make a pattern for a dress making. Now I make dress for my little girl.
I love making it and would definitely make many more...
my fabrics are now not only for doll and quilt making... but dresses for my little one too... woooo hoooo... Yeay me....
See... if you dare.. you can achieve it.
no worries.. cause worries just takes you nowhere..
This is my first dress for my little girl.
I have lots of ideas for Children clothes in my sketchbook.. for the time to come... Hope it won't only stay as an illustration anymore...
Wow.. another dream is there to reach.
Sew happy..
'Na
Learn to make Batik isn't as easy as I thought. Making Batik needs skills. That isn't gained only for a few days...
Those are skillful practice it everyday, they even were doing it since they were little... taught by their family. It is a heritage that passed from one generation to another. In our fast world, now we can create Batik pattern with computer and printed it with modern machine. But the old traditional way are still exist cause the beauty of handmade Batik will never be replaced... This astonished me... like Wow.. they can survive.
I learn to make Batik too.. feeling so excited about this. I enjoyed the process from drawing pattern on the cloth.. ( I did a free hand drawing ) to coloring it. Batik can be done in two ways... with hands using tjanting ( tools to draw wax on cloth ) or with tjap / stamp.
Unfortunately I didn't take a picture for every process, but at least I have the result ...
and closer look
This is simple Batik. my master piece.. and it is not easy... so imagine how they make the complicated pattern with lots of colors. I should practice more... .
Batik is our heritage... I should now more about it.
Ini pertama kalinya aku belajar membatik... sayangnya tidak mengabadikan semua proses2 membatik. Tapi hasil membatik masih tersimpan rapi.... dan baru sekarang di foto. :)
Membatik itu tidak mudah. Perlu keahlian dan ketelitian... tangan gemetar bisa2 malam bisa tumpah deh...
Ini hasil membatik ku...Ingin sekali untuk terus menimba ilmu tentang Batik.... karena Batik itu warisan leluhur kita, maka sudah wajiblah kita menurunkannya kepada generasi selanjutnya... paling tidak memakai Batik pun sudah upaya kita untuk membuat Batik tetap eksis.
Ada kelas2 Batik yg diadakan oleh Museum Tekstil dan para pencinta Batik .. namun sayangnya aku belum bisa gabung.... mudah2an akan ada waktunya untuk menuangkan ide2ku dengan proses membatik.
Feeling blessed,
'Na
I love Black and White and all bright colors.
This surprised myself, I never thought I would love this colors when I was a teenager, I would only wear pastel colors for my dress. The more I see the world.. makes me opened my heart and my mind... the colors that are available out there can't make me like pastels only. I still love pastels but other colors gives me such an energy... Try it yourself ! you will feel different when you wear something Red... for instance.
Sometime we need to be bold to say who really are. :) so.. this is the daring me. I choose this color and I made a black and white log cabin block with a touched of red. Looks very sophisticated.
The first intention for this blocks are for a piano cover, but I made more blocks than I need... sooo... I am thinking about making something else... hmmm I had fun auditioning this blocks on the floor... Log cabin can create lots of design.
Sooo.. this is the fabric I used
Many Blacks... Many Whites... and one thouch of Red fabrics...
seems unusual... but turns out to be great...
Sew a log cabin with this fabrics....
sneaking up to my studio.. keep calm and sewing on... I got the result.... :) 16 blocks Log Cabin.
My little girl too get busy arranging this blocks .. " It
is like a train.. Mom.. I like it " she said. We had fun together
finding the right pattern together. But I'm thinking to make a modern
quilt too, which only needs a few quilt blocks arranged on a big solid
color. It's gonna be great.
I made several blocks arrangements.. . they are all looks good.
The blocks are enough to make a wall hanging...a table runner or a baby quilt if I add more border..
6 patterns selections.... and may be more ...
I love the heart pattern. which one do you like ?
Love,
'Na
The power of cyber world leads me to have more friends.. and seeing lots of works from creative people out there..
and sure they see me too... some time they just peek without say the word.. . and I am so glad if they to stop and say hello to me...
I have Face Book recently for my works...and it excites me everyday to be able to post my works and voila.... I got response. Wow.. that how it feels, that I actually need recognition... :)
One day.. a woman drop a message on my inbox.. telling me that she would love to have me making a quilt as a gift for a friend..
This is what I do..
send her a design sketch according to what she wants..
finding fabrics... . and do the work !!!!
then I do drawing, cutting, sewing, hand quilting and you know the drill. :)
This quilt is about 50 X 60 cm.. it is small but beautiful I guess...
and Voila.... Applique... Patchwork and hand quilted.
this is the result...
What do you think ?
My portfolio is adding up... Thanks be to God.
So glad to finished this quilt.:)
'Na
My sister is a kind of boyish style. She is even as strong as a boy when we grew up. But things change over the years..make a long story short, yesterday when I visited her house, I noticed she bought a jelly roll Bali batik fabrics. Wow .. that surprised me indeed.
She never touched a thread and needle before, but now she has fabrics ? Odd..This just goes to show that this fabrics really has a charm to lure someone into the sewing world..
I have been making quilts and dolls for years, but she never seems interested, but I don't know what comes into her mind...that she finally dares herself to this new craft, that require a whole lot patience attitude to finish the project.
I know she would be a different new person if she can accomplish the quilt she makes... and be proud of herself as well as I would. LOL.
What is more surprising ? She was making a pillow cover but soon she will be making a Quilt...
Yes... a Quilt..
so... that night we chatted while piecing all those little fabrics together by hand.. giggled and laughed out loud was part of our time together. I'd enjoyed the moment. Thanks dear...
From now we can do fabric hunting and discuss those quilt patterns together... this would be fun. Oh Joy.. !
I made a piece of quilt by hand only for my first quilt years ago, after that I use my sewing machine to make it faster... :). I still do the hand quilt though.
The joy of hand piecing quilt is never fade.... I was again fall into the excited moment when a quilt block is done, and my sister was fired up with a new spirit ready to make a baby quilt size. WOW.... The dining table is now turned into a chaos of scattered little fabrics... a creative mess it is.
This is the block that I made with her... Lovely Blue Bali Batik fabrics... aren't they ?
Whooo hoooo... love it.
But I need to make more than 1 block then I'll just bind this one and make it for a hot pad or a coaster... simple right ? :)
Happy... Happy... Happy..
'Na
What comes to your mind about Crochet ?
A picture of grandma crocheting on a rocking chair ? That might be my grandma generations. Now.. in our era.. young lady hooked on crochet... a lot of ideas comes up to be enjoyed by young people from bags to sweater and even accessories...
I know I can feel this joy of crocheting now ... before I become a grandma... :)
Sit and listening to a favorite music and crocheting is a peaceful activities for me... I felt like I didn't wasting time at all.
What so good about this, is that you can crochet whenever you want to... it is easy to bring a small project in your bag...
Crochet now is not only about scarf and afgan...
it is too about small pretty stuff like brooches.. and with a little twist.. I can make a unique necklaces too..
My mother and I make lots of granny square... ( crocheting is addictive... I tell you... )
then.. what can we make after we get so many granny square ? Bags... pillow cover, scarf... blankie... pincushions... to name a few...
My mother crochet this... I put it on the mannequin.. and put an orange brooch...
My friend bought this scarf, but will use it as a table runner...
Voila... Nice and colorful... sure will makes you warm and stylish
at the same time.
I'll turn my granny square into pincushion and a bag... ( whooops.. it has been months I haven't touch that project )
I'm still working on the other project ( old and new ) one by one, sure I've to finished what I've started.
Merajut tidak lagi hanya dilakukan oleh nenek2 di kursi goyang... :)
sekarang dunia merajut banyak diminati oleh kalangan muda dengan gaya yang sangat bervariasi.
Merajut itu bisa dilakukan dimana saja pada saat kita ada waktu luang... jadi kita akan merasa menggunakan waktu dengan baik pada saat menunggu anak di sekolah atau antrian dokter misalnya... he he
Alat yang digunakanpun sederhana... benang, hook, dan gunting.
Merajut itu mengasyikan.... percaya deh...
Pola Granny Square seperti diatas dibuat macam2... dari pincushion ( tempat jarum pentul ), bros, sarung bantal, tas, scarf.. dll
Itu adalah hasil karya rajutan ibuku... granny square yang aku buat belum disambung2... rencananya akan dibuat tas....
Yuuuuk mareee merajut...
'Na
I remember about this quote every time I was reluctant to move on... IF NOT NOW, WHEN.... ?
but the fear was holding me more than I can handle.. I always make an excuse for not doing what I love to be doing as a Quilter and a crafter and a jewelry maker... whatever the label for me is... . It takes a long time for me to really believe in myself, to listen and follow my heart... to be brave and take a risk... to use my wings and fly away to start a journey .. start a new and exciting adventure...
Deep inside my heart...
I want to bloom and be fruitful.
I want to use and explore my talent... and share it with others...I want to live my life to the fullest...
I want my life to be colorful... I want to meet new people and make new friends... I want to get up in the morning with energy that gives me a kick to create things all day long...
I want my life is meaningful and be a blessing for others...
I want to touch someone's life and inspire them ...
I am now working on it.... I'm now in the phase of facing my fear... willing to take a risk... just bluntly dare... LOL
I believe God is with me all along..
Happy to just bring this out from my head.
if anyone out there is still in doubt... then remember this saying... IF NOT NOW... WHEN... ?
So... start it now...
Start sewing..quilting..writing...walking...running...or doing whatever you'd like to do..
Happy to finally get in this phase... I've been too long for being stagnant. This is it. This is the time to get out from my comforting zone... I am now feeling so brave...and will challenge myself to get a whole new experience.
I am so excited to know that I'll be living my life as I imagine it. I will be .. soon.. very soon... ( cross my finger )
Believe in yourself. That is the most important.
'Na
Mom made this quilt. Simple but it is a big quilt. She machine pieced it and hand quilt it.
To be honest, the color choices isn't my cup of tea. But back then she lived in a small town where she couldn't find the fabric easily. so, she just used what she had, I guess.
But she made this big quilt... WOW that matters the most.
Her effort to do this by herself really kicked me to do something with my fabrics stashes. ( felt so embarassed that I got a better fabrics but no quilt is made for myself - yet )
Soon Mom.... soon... I'll show you something ..LOL
Proud to have a mom who likes to sew... no wander I had the same interest with her.
'Na
Since my mom and I are in the same boat in the Quilting world... then she is now, addicted with fabrics more than when she sew her own dresses. I bought her quilting tools and off she go creating quilts for herself and gave it to granddaughters. We do the fabrics hunting together.. we shared our knowledge about sewing straight and curved. we talked about binding and quilting and everything including those fabrics, needles and threads...
Fun... Fun.. Fun...
Since me and my sister are all growing up and having our own
family,
my Mom has lots of time to do what she loves. She has an open mind to learn new things...
Look at her hand quilting... she did it better than me...
it looks the same on the back... very neat... Lovely !
I'll put her other quilt in the next post. Wait and see...
Proud of you, Mom.
'Na
When I was living in the US , I came back home to visit my mom and didn't know what to get her as a gift...would it be a book ? a scarf ? a dress ? I wanted it to be last long and she would remember me when I was gone. The AHA moment came !!
It was simply an imagination that she would be comforted under a quilt.... as if I was near her. :)
Then I bought this Quilt . A two sided quilt. What a nice idea to have 2 patterns in one quilt. If you get bored then you just flipped it.
( ooo I need this too... )
This is the first pattern...
And this is the second pattern
And this is how it looks if I combine the pattern together... the quilt and the pillow cover. It is pretty, isn't it ?
My mom like this quilt. That matters the most... :)
'Na
2014.
New Year... New plan.. New ideas.. New journey.. Happy New Year !!!!
My resolutions for my creative spirit this Year :
- Get more delicious fabrics and yarns for new projects...
- Having clean studio to start working.
- Finished baby quilt for my toddler and T-shirt quilt for my teen
before start making Quilt for myself.
- Learn photoshop so I don't have to nag my husband to modify
my pics.
- Preparing online shop.
- Finished all the neglected projects from last year.
- Practice taking pics with my Nikon than just my phone.
- Get inspired with traveling... ooh I have a list to where I want
to go.. seeing a new things... trying a new food... sound
interesting.
- Make this blog more interesting.
Wow.. I need to print this list and pin it on my board... so I'll know how well did I do. I hope that I can make this happened. I'll have faith and walk with God for this journey...
I really want to live my life like I imagine it.. I want to make it happened. I want to use my talent that God gave me. I want to make sure that my life isn't wasted. I want to touch someone soul.. I want to inspire others to live life to the fullest.
Let's nourish our soul and get started to do the work...
'Na
