handmade bag - tarra! this is the bag that i've made with hanim

this is the side of the bag that was featured in my earlier post.

status: compeleted, TAKEN

cheers,
YunY

bag making class: final day (sunday, 30 oct, 2011)

yeay!!! that is the end of the 3-day marathon. we have graduated. mine is on top. ida's slung over the back of the chair. and the brown concoction is salwa's. aren't they just gorgeous.

i am too tired to stay blogging. today we had an 11-hour marathon and cikgu hanim stayed till almost 10pm.

hanim is a wonderful, wonderful teacher. such dedication and yet she is so funny. we enjoyed every moment of it. thank you cikgu hanim for having us as your student.

cheers!

YunY

bag making class: day 2 (wednesday, 26 oct, 2011)

cikgu hanim came again yesterday for our bag making class. we started at about 10am and cikgu hanim stayed until 5pm. of course, cikgu hanim gave us more homework.

for day 2, we learned how to assemble bag lining and continued to work on the leather trimmings. we are quite used to working with fabrics. we found that working with leather is not as easy. nonetheless, cikgu hanim is happy with our progress.

we planned to have day 3 this sunday. hopefully cikgu hanim can make it.

we enjoyed cikgu hanim's class. it was conducted at the right pace. not too slow, not too fast. cikgu hanim kept saying that her methods are primitive. but i have to say, despite her primitive methods, her bags are so well made. and i honestly believe that her primitive methods prove that leather works are doable. we don't need expensive and sophisticated tools to create leather goodies. BUT we do need patience, lots of it.......and the saying "practice makes perfect" couldn't have been more right. and of course, having an industrial sewing machine does help. it speed things up. but if if you love to hand sew, go ahead....we find it therapeutic and calming to jumpy nerves:)

have a great day everyone.

cikgu hanim, na and salwa. see you this sunday.

cheers!

YunY

bag making class: day 1 (saturday, 22 oct, 2011)

hanim arrived at about 10:30am and we started at around 11am. we called it a day around 3pm and cikgu hanim gave us homework before she left.

we are trying to make one of hanim's creations. she brought us some of her fabric stash. the very same fabric she used for all her creations. we came to realise that it is not that easy to come up the combination that has the WOW factor. i noticed that hanim patched more than 10 different fabric to make a single bag and yet she is able to achieve a really, really pleasing effect. while i felt almost suffocated when i tried to add the 5th pattern into my combination. it took me 2 days to finally settle with the combination.

today, wednesday, 26 october 2011, will be day 2 of our bag making class. i will upload the photo of my bag if it turns out great, ok?

happy deepavali to our hindu friends.

cheers,

YunY

calling all pfaff users

i have two portable sewing machines and both are pfaff (select 1530 and quiltstyle or tiptronic 2040). i love them very much because they have never failed me.

i have once owned a singer portable sewing machine. it was my 1st sewing machine. we didn't have that many adventure together. it drained all my energy and creativity because each time i tried to sew it misbehaved. i gave it up after about two years and replaced it with a jenome machine.

i was thrilled with the variety of presser feet that i could opt to use with this jenome machine. i bought a couple of presser feet but i didn't get much done. the machine was not sturdy enough to handle heavy fabrics. it choked whenever it encoutered bulky seams. i was further disheartened when i tried quilting. it couldn't feed all the layers evenly (even when i used the walking foot). i gave it up too and bought myself the pfaff select 1530 in 2003. it was love at first sight. i has been there for me ever since. i love this machine so much that i wanted another one, for back up. in 2007 my darling hubby bought me my second pfaff machine, the quiltstyle. it was a bit pricey but it was one of my best investment.

i love the IDT system because it feeds all layers of fabric evenly. i am exited about the many presser feet that pfaff offers. i bought a couple and they make sewing less laborious. these pfaff machines are sturdy too. they handle heavy fabric well. they cruise through bulky seam without hesitation. they make sewing a pleasure and i look forward to have the next sewing adventure with them, everyday. my only regret is that pfaff doesn't have any appointed dealers in malaysia.

what is your pfaff experience? would love to hear from you guys.

cheers!

YunY

i am making my own skirt

work-in-progress. i am making my own skirt. i drafted the skirt pattern from scratch. i've finished hemming. next is the waistband.

my daughter said the skirt looks just like the one i bought from m&s. i think so too.

it is a 6-gored skirt made from a medium weight fabric. so, i did not line it.

if you like it let me know. boleh tempah.

status: completed.  for photo of completed skirt, pls click here.

cheers!

YunY

handmade bag - i made this tote bag last year

i made this bag last year before i found hanim's blog. i wanted a bag that is fuss free and light. i wanted side pockets where i can keep loose change and those small pieces of paper. so, i made this bag. i had this bag fully lined and now it is with my cousin, ida.

after i found hanim's blog, i told myself i must learn how to make those gems that hanim is making. so, i went to penang to meet her.

hanim is such a wonderful and talented person. she is such an inspiration.

cheers,

YunY

my sewing adventure in penang with hanim of brown garden dream

i went to visit hanim at her beautiful house in penang.  and she is so sweet, kind, generous and talented.  seeing her bags there.... live!, just gave me goosebumps.  they are so fabulous!  i want to take them all.  better still hanim agreed to teach me how to make them.  i am so, so, so happy.

hanim and her fabulous creations

cheers!

YunY

i made this skirt for my daughter.

I drafted this skirt pattern from scratch and it turned out great!

cheers!

YunY