The Cure For Laziness

When my NB running shoes started to feel unbalanced, I found the perfect excuse to stop jogging. It was my routine to go to the park for a 6 round jog after walking my son to school in the morning. But really, all I wanted to do was eat my breakfast in front of the pc and watch something on the internet. I kept putting off buying another pair of running shoes. I was enjoying myself too much. I didn't even care that much when my butt kept getting bigger. Big butt is good right? Well, my honeymoon soon ended.

My husband tricked/trapped me into going into Royal Sporting House or was it World of Sport? I simply couldn't tell them apart. Long story short, I found myself trying out running shoes and suddenly I became the owner of a pair of adidas running shoes.

So I'm back to jogging again. Except I had lost my momentum and I would make excuses to avoid jogging. I'm so lazy now. I don't know how my brain works but next thing I knew, I had signed a 1 year contract for a once-a-week pilates class at a gym. My husband was sitting right next to me when I signed it.  It's true I had been looking for a pilates class for a while. My pain doctor had suggested several times I take up some form of yoga or pilates. I simply couldn't find one to fit my schedule. Now it's sealed. I am under contract to exercise. Is this the cure to laziness?

Good news for me. I'm getting a free netbook. Last week I made a netbook sleeve for a customer. It was my first netbook sleeve. I forgot to take pictures. I'm so forgetful. This week I'm planning to make a few netbook sleeves to sell at a craft sale at Vanda Road. It's at the organiser's home. Food will be provided for the sellers. It's so sweet of the organisers (2 kids who are students) to take care of us. More details about this sale later.

I wonder if anyone has started using the new blogger editor. I have and I'm not that happy about it. The main grouse for me is I'm used to typing from "edit HTML". But the major tools buttons are not longer available so I have no choice but to use "Compose" mode. I was also hoping the "add picture" function allows muliple uploads like Flickr but it does and it doesn't. Use it and you will know what I mean. Still it's an improvement.

I've discovered a cheap way to create a prototype of my bags. Newspaper! I don't know why I didn't think of it in the past. Hmm. Maybe it's my fear of getting ink all over my hands. Yes, that's it.

I made another gibbon bag using this "newspaper method". But I'm not too happy with the gibbon applique. I think the colour is off. My powers of visualization is gone. Oh no! What's interesting about this bag is the rectangular bottom is created using pleats!

I had time to kill while waiting at the bus stop for my girl to come home from camp. So I made this piggy brooch. It's my first brooch! My husband wanted to know who would want to wear a pig??

Coming up: Sarubobo Tutorial.

I'm In Love...With Gibbons

This gorgeous photo of gibbons was taken by my globe-trotting student-niece, Mindy when she was on a study trip in Borneo. She's now holidaying in Canada. Just kidding. She's there to study the ...mmmmh..I have no idea what she's studying. (some aunt) Anyway, I literally fell in love with the gibbons. Mindy's so sweet to let me use the photo and I was so inspired by it, I made a bag with a gibbon applique. She'll be awaiting some royalties. :D



This is a simple tote which any sewer worth her thimble can whip up. I made if for a child and used my girl as a guide for the size. The applique part took a little longer. I used fusible interface and handstitched it. This reminds me of how I started sewing. I was 7 and really "blur" (s'pore slang for having a blonde moment). One day, out of the blue, my primary one teacher, Miss Read decided I would learn to handsew an applique. Me? I had never held a needle up till that day. In those days, I was too blur to even protest so I just went along with Miss Read's big project. She fused a huge applique of a puppy on a fabric which I remember felt very snuggly. Once a week, me and a few "chosen ones" would sit in a group and sew away. Some of the lucky ones got to do really exciting projects like art and craft. I envied them so.

Miss Read was fearless in her ambition to make sewers out of us. I have no clue why she chose me to be a sewer. I was clumsy. I was slow. I made a lot of mistakes. She made me unpick every mistake. Sometimes I would sleep on the snuggly fabric. But she would praise me at the end of each sewing session.

By some miracle, I completed the applique. Miss Read told me it would be displayed in the classroom on Parents-Teachers Day. On that day, I searched for my puppy applique and almost fainted when I saw it had turned into a really nice satchel. I loved it so much. At the end of the day, Miss Read gave it to me. And that was the beginning of my love affair with bags.

As for the bag, I think one of my siblings used it and ruined it completely.


Gibbon climbing up the cabinet


Gibbon hiding from photographer


Gibbon chilling


Gibbon lying down

Gibbon now available on Etsy.

I Wish I Can Draw Like A Kid

My girl drew some animals for me to embroider onto blue fabric. White embroidery on dark blue fabric is one of my favourite indulgences and I go back to it from time to time. When I draw animals, I need to look at photos of the actual creature and study the details before I can even begin. My kids don't do that. They draw from their imagination. My son who's 12 tends to draw details. My girl who's 9 is very kawaii. I love all the drawings she did for me and she's waiting for her royalties.

The following 2 moose heads were done by me.

A simple zip pouch.


A simple denim stationery case.

Both now available at Etsy.

I have not been successful selling at Etsy. I thought that if I list, the buyers would come. (I'm murdering Field of Dreams) I honestly have no clue why I can't sell my bags at Etsy. I wish someone could point me the right way. I have joined some groups and the members have given some advice. I hope it works. So I'm back to listing my items on Etsy and bleeding money.

I wonder if anyone noticed what my current obsession is? Yes, it's animals.

Guess Which Bag Was Sold First?

So ends another MAAD for me. I had visitors again. It was nice.


My sister, Erica (middle one) came with her family on Sat. You can't tell how tall she is from this pic. She's super model tall. She gave me a bunch of fabric some time ago.


Here she is modelling a bag I had given her.


Hoola hooping up a storm.


This is Elaine, another sis who popped by on Sunday. She's modelling a bag I had given her. Her girl takes beautiful photos of nature. I'm doing a few bags using her girl's photos for inspiration.

My sis-in-law also came by with her friend. I forgot to take a picture.


Mandy whom I met on my first ever MAAD also gave me fabric. She's really versatile. Now she sells hair accessories and jewellery. Check her out at Forest Flame.


Mandy's gift. So retro.

It struck me today. I have become a fabric leech. :D

My sales were disappointing. I only sold 6 bags. On top of that, on Sunday, I developed a ginormous headache which lasted until yesterday. It was such a relief to wake up this morning not to have your head on the verge of imploding.

Although my sales did not meet my expectations, I am still optimistic and will soldier on. I have signed up for 2 days of craft market in 2nd half of October. I'm skipping October MAAD because the dates aren't good for me. I have also signed up for 3 days in November and another 3 days in December. So it's going to be busy, busy sewing time for me. Two of the craft markets I'll be selling at are new to me. So I'll have to do a bit of research on the customers. I'm venturing out of the Red Dot Design Museum. It's kind of scary yet adventurous.


This was the first bag I sold. A very pretty lady with a daughter bought it.







For this bag, I don't have a good picture because I had forgotten to take a photo of it.This was my sweetest sale for me because many people criticised me for its largeness. I had pictured the customer for this bag as someone who carries it with attitude and not so much to carry a lot of stuff. I felt really vindicated when a young woman who fits exactly the image of this imaginary customer bought it.

Sarubobos Anyone?

In case I haven't reminded you enough times, I'll be at the red dot design museum selling my bags this weekend 5th & 6th Sep from 11am to 7pm. Admission is free on these 2 days. The address is 28, Maxwell Road , red dot Traffic, #02-15A Singapore 069120.

I had some free time, so I made some sarubobos. They aren't hard to make and really fun. If you don't already know how to make one, you'll be happy to know I'll be posting a tutorial for these babies soon. I'll include templates as well. So be sure to check back for it.


Are we there yet?

These four sarubobos are the hardest to make because they are very small with very little space to turn right side out.


Stop tickling me.


Mama mia. Here we go again. My my...

The above 2 singing sarubobos are a little larger and easier to make. Check out their hats.


Rope climbing looks better on the brochure


Sarubobo trying to read the newspaper


Sarubobo irritated by photographer

Have a great weekend!

Not Another Pleated Bag

Seems like I live with a family with obsessive behaviour. My kids are crazy over Korean pop songs and a facebook game called Restaurant City. Despite a heavy school workload, exams and a mom and dad who hoard the computer, they manage to log in a decent amount of time on Restaurant City. Before school, after school, before showering, after showering, before dinner, after dinner...As for the Korean songs, they all sound alike to me but the kids are able to tell them apart. Well, they should. If I don't raise any objection, it's Korean pop night, night after night after night. I can only identify one song as it involves telephone ringing and a long conversation. I can't tell you how much I dislike this song. If only my kids will pay as much attention to Chinese songs. Then maybe I can stop paying a ransom to the Chinese Language Tuition Centre every term.

My husband's current obsession is jeans. In several shades of black, blue, brown.. It used to be windbreaker. In several shades of black, blue, brown.. Before that, it was shoes. In several... You get the idea. Me? It's pleats. Now, I want pleats on every bag I make. Pleats, pleats everywhere. Don't worry. I'll get sick of it. Then I'll find something else to get excited about. That's how it is with this family.


So, it's yet another pleated bag. The "band" is wide and curved. I made a template before cutting the fabric. A curved band is rather hard to draw. A curved band with pleats is worse. I took a few classes in drafting fabric when I was young. I think they're finally paying off!


For the bottom, I wanted it to look sexy. So I made the bottom gusset end in a point. Can you see it? I think I just found my next obsession. :D

Black And White Beauty

I've been really happy last couple of days as it started raining heavily. In Singapore, cold is something you have to pay for. I don't mind the hot weather so much as long as it's not muggy. And Singapore weather is mostly muggy. I love rainy days especially when I'm indoors about to go to bed. Due to some freak fengshui, my bedroom is located in this part of earth where during cold nights, the room feels like there's air-conditioning. It's so cold I could sleep till noon. (sometimes I do :D)

September MAAD is fast approaching and I've started packing for my sale. I always leave a lot of tasks until the last day. It's a habit I can't break. I'm always nervous before the sale because you never know how it's going to turn out. Each time is different for me.

I really shouldn't be sewing anymore but I'm on a roll. It's that way for me. Some days I can't make anything. Some days I can't stop.


This black and white bias binding beauty is my latest bag.

Bias binding is no piece of cake. I've done bias binding countless of time but it's still a lot of work. I wish I have a bias binding foot for when I sew the edges together. Right now I use a zipper foot. I looked up the catalogue for my Brother machine innovis-200 and I cannot find any bias binding support device.




I love this black and white print. I rarely use black and white print mainly because it's hard to find good ones. The ones which are available are overpriced. But I'll definitely like to work with more black and white prints.

Darn it! The sun's out again.