Getting off the hook

It's with a heavy heart that I've to shut down this blogshop in compliance to the policies laid down by the organisation I work for. I tried emailing and calling but being put on hold for 15 minutes only to be cut off twice just isn't my cup of tea. So, until all the i's have been dotted and all the t's crossed, the 'shop' part remains closed.

I'll still keep in touch, maybe on Instagram, so you'll know what I'm working on. I'm currently overloaded with yarn, yarn and more yarn,,,
There are

• vermillon / grey throw that I'm knitting on the bias. Garter stitch as usual because this yarn is so fine and I'm using 4 balls at a go. More than half done.
• DS' raglan jacket that I've yet to start
• DD's cotton blanket that's going to use almost 2kg of yarn. That's 2 balls of 10 colours in the pattern that she chose. Incidentally, she now prefers the wrong side of the pattern, LOL!
• semi-circle shawl using beautifully dyed tonal yarn that was on sale because it's discontinued 
• semi-circle shawl using deep grey yarn from a cone. Not so portable project that I tried to bring around. I'll just work on this at home.
• knit/purl throw in mustard and navy
• green shrug - I think I'll frog this
• variegated orange shrug - I think I'll frog this too
• rainbow coloured cowl - I think I'll frog this again
• knitting loom shawl - I'll need to figure out how to get it off the loom and I'll have another FO
• book covers wrapped with Uniqlo and Yacht 21 paper bags waiting for the inside covers and paper. I've yet to decide whether to stitch the book together or just O-wire the pages
• multi-coloured pages waiting to be sewn together, now that I've found the string and the wax. What stitch shall I use? Perhaps Coptic in a single colour so it won't fight with the colours and patterns.
• and there are simply too many UFOs to list. Yes, insta is good. Snap and post so you can see progress. My current phone has 13MP which is so much better than the previous 8.

Until next time, stay happy, healthy and continue crafting. 

Thank you for staying with me these years and hope to see you soon!

Christmas Giveaway Winners

It's been a rather hectic day. I achieved a lot, preparing for a last minute trip, but I also FORGOT about the giveaway. Sorry!

So, what I did was get all the names down and clicked ONCE. This is the list that resulted.

Congratulations to those who won and for those who didn't, please look out for the next giveaway soon, for the Chinese New Year.

Have a blessed evening.

Four peas in a pod, well, almost

Still in the reversible tote kind of mood and venturing into pricier cotton linen blends from Japan and Korea. I'm becoming a big fan of Nesshome. Wonder if they have stuff on sale this Black Friday or Cyber Monday?

I'm wondering too, whether to keep the second from the left for myself. This is a very interesting piece of fabric, almost like a painting. I only have a half yard of this and am not able to get anymore. There'll be two reversible totes and both have different prints. How cool is that!

Have a blessed day!

ps: I'll be going to VivoCity for the fireworks tonight. I hope it won't rain. 

WIP: Reversible tote

Ever wondered how the reversible tote is made? Well, at least for the recent ones because I lost the previous template. Somehow, the top of the can gives a nicer edge than the bottom.

What's you favourite flavour? DS used to like English clam chowder. I think he'd like those that have a ring tab at the top, LOL!

Have a blessed day!

Do you believe everything's that in print?

Reversible tote (ice cream on one side, organic butter on the other).

Disclaimer: I've not tried this recipe but if you would...

9 eggs

2 tbsp vanilla

1 cup heavy cream

3 cups sugar

dash of salt

1/2 gal/ to 3 gls Milk

Beat eggs until very frothy. Use your electric mixer. Add sugar, vanilla, salt and 1 qt. of milk. Continue to beat.

Pour into 1 1/2 gal/ old fashioned freezer.

Gently stir in cream and whatever amount of milk is necessary to make the freezer the right fullness for freezing, according to freezer manufacturer. Pack with crushed ice and rock salt and freeze.

Use vanilla according to taste.

Mood: Reversible Totes

I'm in a reversible tote kind of mood. Trying to use up the fabrics I have so I can buy more. Does this make sense? Incidentally, for a amount of fabric to price ratio, this tote has a very low ratio, meaning, I use a lot of fabric and sell at a low price. Compared to something like a pouch, which uses less fabric but has a zip. About the same effort. Maybe I should increase the price of these, hmm, LOL!

Have a blessed day!

Octuplets

This is the first one. Seven more in various stages of completion. Made from fabrics that I just bought from Chinatown yesterday. First Sevenberry fabric (the navy gingham) that I bought and I like it!

Fully lined drawstring pouch that can be used for gift-wrapping this Christmas or for any other use.

Have a blessed day!

ps: all 8 of these have slight differences...

Cambell Soup bag?

Are you thinking how un-glam the name of this bag is? It's the reversible tote from before, with a twist.

I used to use a template to make these. Then I lost it and created another and lost that one. Then I came across this sewing theme fabric but there is only one fat quarter of it. My previous ones were larger than a fat quarter. I decided to then draw the pattern in, adjusting it here and there, and with the help of a Campbell soup can, completed the pattern. 

I'll share the how-to with you some day, or maybe if you leave a comment. It's quite simple actually and I'm wondering why I didn't think of it sooner. You can adjust it to fit any size but there are some rules of thumb that you would want to watch out for,

Have a blessed day!

ps: the moon hasn't set, or at least 10 minutes ago when I spotted it in the clear blue sky. Pretty!

Is the grass really greener?

If you scroll down a bit, you'll see the other side of this tote. The pasta one. Pasta and cheese.

I used to take multiple views of one item and collage them. Then I realised that the pics were too small and just took one but this tote has a different front/back so it merits another post.

:-)

I don't have an iPhone

I don't think I'll get one, simply because I prefer a larger screen.

Made this cellphone sleeve from cotton linen. That is becoming the fabric of choice recently. I like it's texture. If you remember the red bus tote? That has the nicest texture I've come across for this fabric, even nicer than Nesshome! 

Have a blessed morning!

I would like some Carbonara, please?

DS does a mean Carbonara. He likes it with the Fairprice back bacon (less fat) and San Remo vegeroni spirals. I like it when DS prepares it, I just don't like the mess after, LOL!

Nesshome print (pasta and cheese). I didn't take a pic of the cheese. DS chose it to go with the pasta. Fully lined with panel of pockets inside. Double handles again. I'm starting to like double handles though it means I have to restock my webbing soon.

Have a blessed morning!

Pink, Pinker or ?

I like selvedges.

Some are so pretty, like this one from Nesshome. Can't remember which print this was but it surely wasn't the colourful strips. The colour circles don't match.

This is going to be a pouch / pencil case. Problem now is, I can't decide which pink to use. I'm thinking leftmost. What do you think?

Have a blessed morning!

I like these zips. I like them for the flexibility in length since I bought them by the yard. Bought 18 colours! Lol! Only two things I'm not happy with are that there aren't matching zipper pulls for each of the colours (I only bought silver and antique bronze pulls) and that it takes a fair bit of effort to put the pull on.

WIP: Reversible Totes

It's been such a long while since I made this. So long that I lost the template. Managed to find one unsold reversible tote and used that to draw a new template. Incidentally, it fits on a single drawing block back. LOL!

Lost template but found...Nesshome fabric! The browns that you see; one bag will be coffee (cup and beans) and another will be tea (leaves and teapot). I like Nesshome fabrics, printwise and texture.

Anyway, these are still works in progress. I'll need to go buy coordinating threads for top-stitching.

Have a blessed afternoon!

Fund raising: Typhoon Haiyan / Yolanda

Picture from www.theguardian.com

Typhoon Haiyan / Yolanda may have passed Philippines but she has left a trail of destruction behind.

I'm raising funds to send to Red Cross for relief efforts.

If you would like to donate directly, the details are here. Otherwise, I'm selling stuff. 100% of sales will go to Red Cross. I'll absorb local shipping if it's low but we can discuss this, I hope.

Since this is a fund raising, items will be sold at a premium above normal prices.

Preview of what I'll be selling:

A5 hardcover handbound book with drawstring bag - S$40

A5 hardcover handbound book - S$30

A6 hardcover handbound book - S$15

reversible tissue case - S$5

faux suede bracelet - S$3

elastic hair ties - S$5 (4 in a box)

mini notebooks - S$5 (4, let me know your choice of colours)

Detailed pictures will be available soon.

The issue here is, Red Cross doesn't have online acceptance via ibanking. I've yet to check the ATM though. The only way I know is to bring the cash to Penang Lane. If you think I'm going to pocket the money rather than send it to Red Cross, please donate to them directly. Details here, again.

Else, I will send the money as soon as I can, latest by this Friday morning.

I forgot, this sale will be on Facebook. You can always message me if you have my contact. Not via email, please, because I need to get this done quickly.

Thanks and have a blessed evening.

Reversible tissue case. Other side is blue background.

Elastic hair ties. Happy Chihuahua fabric from Lecien.

A5 hardcover handbound book with drawstring bag.

A5 hardcover handbound book. Each signature has a different cover. All with the same theme.

A5 hardcover handbound book.

A5 hardcover handbound book.

A5 hardcover handbound book. With signature covers.

A6 hardcover handbound book

A5 hardcover handbound book.

A5 hardcover handbound book.

A5 hardcover handbound book.

A5 hardcover handbound book.

A5 hardcover handbound book.

A5 hardcover handbound book.

A5 hardcover handbound book.

A5 hardcover handbound book.

A5 hardcover handbound book.

A5 hardcover handbound book.

A5 hardcover handbound book.

A5 hardcover handbound book.

A5 hardcover handbound book.

Faux suede bracelets

Mini notebooks (10cm x 10cm)

Been rather busy recently....

Yup, I'm still here though things have been rather quiet at the crafting front recently. Made 3 pencil cases out of really pretty cotton-linen fabric that I sourced from a new supplier.

This is a digital print. Cute one at that. Printed on cotton-linen. Paired it with turquoise and white polka dot fabric behind and lined with even more cotton-linen inside. This is a large pencil case. Gigantic.

 

I like this print. Finnish design printed on cotton-linen. I have only a small piece and this is half of it. The other half I made into a similar pencil case (not shown here). The back is also the turquoise and white polka dots and the lining similar to the Fun swimming pool one.  

Made this planner for myself.

I covered the 900gsm greyboard with kraft paper from a paper bag from this gelato outlet that DS and DD like. They like hazelnut and mango, I like rocher. I have monthly views and quarterly views, plain white and colour pages for notes.

Have a blessed day!

My book. Mine. Mine. Mine.

Well, not mine but I like it :-)

Struggled with it for about 3 hours, just for the stitching. There are no signature covers here 'cos I thought it would clash for attention so it's just plain white acid-free pages. 9 signatures with 7 folios give 252 sides.

I'll need to work on the horizontal lines. It's a good thing that this variegated thread is very bold against the white and covers so the letters are rather striking. Given my original choice of rose coloured thread, I don't think it would be as nice.

Have a blessed evening!

Becoming a bookworm

Usually, I bind books in stages, preparing a few books rather than complete one then start making another. Maybe I might do that some day but not now, not when I'm rushing to complete as many before Term 2 starts. 

Stage 1: cut up the board into smaller sizes, usually slightly larger than A5 or A6. I used to use 900gsm greyboards but now I've started using 1000gsm whiteboards. These white boards are easier when the fabric is light coloured and the background of the backing board matters.

Stage 2: prepare the parts of the book - the covers for the covers (LOL!), the pages, signature covers, charms etc. The covers (fabric or paper) also needs to be cut and glued onto the boards.

Stage 3: While the glue dries, I fold and cut paper into the right size, print lines if I need to. This part is quite monotonous and sometimes I do this while watching Criminal Minds or some other show to distract me.

Stage 4: The outside of the cover done, I'll need to do the insides of the cover. This is either a fly page or patterned paper covering the board on the other side. Glue goes on and I wait again.

Stage 5: Sometimes I press the boards after they're dry.

Stage 6: Decide on stitching pattern, draft if necessary.

Stage 7: Find thread and wax it. I've used polyester, cotton and linen. I like linen for it's strength, cotton for the colours. I don't think I'll use polyester anymore, now that I've found linen and cotton threads.

Stage 8: Poke holes in the cover (and flypage, if there is) and pages.

Stage 9: Sew. Attach charm, perhaps?

Stage 10: Press. Sometimes I press for a few days.

Well, there you have it. Bookbinding in a nutshell.

I'm toying with a series of bookbinding classes for the June holidays but let's see how things go in term 2 first. 

Covers: Wilmington's Bunny's Day Out fabric (front), faux suede (back), 1000gsm whiteboard
Pages: 80gsm, 2 shades of green, acid-free, 8 signatures of 10 folios, 320 sides. Unlined
Stitch: 7-hole coptic
Thread: waxed cotton, variegated green
Size: A5

Covers: Lecien's Happy Chihuahua fabric, 900gsm greyboard, 120gsm endpapers
Pages: 80gsm, 2 shades of blue, acid-free, 7 signatures of 10 folios, 280 sides. Unlined
Stitch: woven longstitch, kettle
Thread: waxed cotton, variegated blue
Size: A5

Covers: Wilmington's Bunny's Day Out fabric (front), faux suede (back), 1000gsm whiteboard
Pages: 80gsm, 2 shades of green, acid-free, 7 signatures of 10 folios, 280 sides. Unlined
Stitch: 7-hole coptic
Thread: waxed cotton, variegated green
Size: A5

Covers: Pattern paper, 900gsm greyboard, 120gsm fly pages
Pages: 80gsm, white, acid-free, 7 signatures of 10 folios with signature covers, 280 sides. Unlined
Stitch: 7-hole single needle coptic
Thread: waxed linen, 4-ply, Robin's egg blue
Size: A5

Covers: Korean quilting cotton, 1000gsm whiteboard, 160gsm flypages
Pages: 80gsm, 2 shades of green, acid-free, 8 signatures of 10 folios, 320 sides. Unlined
Stitch: criss-cross kettle/Coptic
Thread: waxed cotton, variegated green
Size: A5

Covers: Laminated pattern print, 900gsm greyeboard
Pages: 80gsm, white (one book) / rose (other book), acid-free, 8 signatures of 10 folios with signature covers, 320 sides. Unlined
Stitch: Coptic, Roman links
Thread: waxed linen, dark chocolate
Size: A6

Covers: Laminated pattern print, 900gsm greyeboard
Pages: 80gsm, white, acid-free, 8 signatures of 10 folios with signature covers, 320 sides. Unlined
Stitch: Coptic, Roman links
Thread: waxed cotton, variegated brown
Size: A5

Have a blessed evening!

Flutter by

I'm liking this combination of book and bag. Maybe I'll make such for the larger journals as I go. This way I'll use up more fabric? LOL!

Yet another coptic-bound hardcover book. I think I have about 10 to go. Ran out of glue and had to buy some this morning. Waxed linen threads have also arrived from Sweden. Fast shipping :-) Problem is, now that I've tried the variegated threads, I don't know if I want to move to linen. Linen's stronger but the cotton variegated threads are prettier. Hmm, why doesn't someone make variegated linen? Or maybe I've not found them yet.

Have a blessed day!