Yesterday was a day of unexpected errands... and so even though I had kind of set my mind to make some cards, that didn't happen. Well, I learn fast and so before I got drowned in today's chores, I started off my little project the minute I came back from my morning walk. Now what do you think of this lot? Not bad, right? ;-D ... considering I have this much to show after an hour plus of cutting and pasting :-)
My Red Ribbon series...
The Green Ribbon series...
There were also two or three random ones... those that didn't quite fit into either series! You can see I tried out my punched patterns from the Penang trip. I also downloaded a new font (Baroque Script) for the greetings. I was hoping to find some really fancy curly swirly stuff but this was the best of the lot I googled out. I'm still not quite happy with how the letters turned out so if you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them. Meanwhile, I'll give this craft a rest. I hope to sneak in some time later to sort out my quilting projects. Honestly, my fabrics and blocks are all over the place and I'm expecting guests this weekend (Happy spring cleaning to me! LOL!!!) Right, have a good day and thanks for dropping by.
Here are the Christmas cards I made before my Penang trip. I experimented with a variety of colored cards, tried several different layouts and used all kinds of ribbons and laces to concoct these designs.
...my favourite ...and its message inside
This set is what I call my Wise Men series :-)
I must say this is not the end. As you can see, I've yet to try out my punched out borders from my Penang trip. Maybe I should do something about those tomorrow...
Hubby took a day off on Thurs to drive down to Kuala Lumpur to help our younger daughter move back home after finishing her South Australian Matriculation program at Taylor's College. A quick stopover in Ipoh to visit my parents saw us tucking into some of Ipoh's specialties. Usually, we head for the hawker stalls for dinner but this round, we had guests. It's that time of the year for term break and like us, my brother-in-law and his wife were up in Ipoh to fetch their son home from Universiti Petronas. Dad and mum wanted to host so we went to one of our favorite restaurants in town - Seng Hup Kee.
We had Marmite chicken, Streaky pork & salted fish...
Dry-fried aubergine & long beans with dried prawns (their signature dish), Japanese toufu cooked with minced meat...
And the main dish? Black pomfret assam curry :D Are you drooling already?
For breakfast, it was dim sum at Ming Court. Did think about trying Fosan (another grand old dim sum shop that had moved opposite it) but in the end, loyalty reigned :-)
My daughter calls this the sweaty chicken (lol) because this oven-baked salted fella (an Ipoh specialty) starts off quite dry in the box but will be soaking wet in its own condensed juices by the time you get it home onto your dining table! Sorry, I have only the damp box to show - I forgot to take pictures AGAIN before we devoured it :S
I was totally knocked out by the time we left QEII but Day 2 in Penang was only just about to begin..... :DI am a real sucker for craft work... and when I have these expensive toys dangling so temptingly in front of me, there goes Sleep :D Thank you WMS for the panda eyes! LOL!
The results of sleeping at 2am... I believe these lovelies will be feeding my paper crafting craving soon. I was already seeing greeting cards, book marks and gift tags in my happy mess as I went to bed... or was it in my dreams? (lol)
When we got up, we decided to skip breakfast - to save our stomachs for lunch :D MS took me to the Spring Chamber @ the Sun. "Where???" you ask. You're forgiven... Not many people know that the Sun Yet San Memorial Centre along Macalister Road actually houses this neat little joint. Tucked away inside are also a cafe lounge and a gift boutique. Aaaaaaaaah! But, first a little diversion...
We were SO lucky... the centre was also hosting a craft fair and so this greeting was a total surprise. The rumbling of the stomach was forgotten and we were immediately feasting our eyes on this array of shell-crafted animals... See those cute little darlings on the right? Now if only babies were made from stockings :-)
Cute little felt dolls & animals..... and what do we have here on the right? Pencil companions (?) These are little stoppers you put at the end of pencils and they are made from Amos clay...
Kusudama origami ornaments (Japanese decorative balls)..... painting of river stones...
Look at this very cute door knob cover in the shape of a little girl with her bonnet & long skirt (In case the photography is so bad & you can't make head or tail of it, this is the backview)... ooooooh, and a lovely pyramid box that opens out into a container for your sewing equipment - it can't be anything else cos logic tells me the puffy triangular pillow inside is the pin cushion :-)
And how about this very innovative hotpot carrier? My head was swimming, I was overwhelmed with ideas for craft work :-)
Finally, back to our fine dining experience... The set lunch was a steal because at RM28.00 per head, you couldn't be getting a better deal - classy ambiance and beautifully presented western cuisine (that didn't shrink in size just because it was promoted as a set lunch!)
The mushroom soup was very different from our churn-of-the-mill type - you need to taste this for yourself to know what I mean. For the main course, both my friend and I ordered grilled lamb but she took carrot cake for the dessert while I had mango pudding. As usual, this glutton here couldn't contain her impatience and she forgot to take a photo again (of the mango pudding) :D Sorry!
Well, all good things had to come to an end... after the very sumptuous treat, my friend drove me to the jetty to catch the ferry home. Moral of the long rambling? Life should be filled with more little adventures like this :D :D :D
Whatever got into me?! Here I was on the way to Penang... on the bus for the first time... and all on my own. Nope, I didn't quarrel with my dear hubby and ran away from home!!! I decided to embark on this little adventure all for the sake of a passion called quilting (LOL!) ...and I had the blessings of my family and lots of encouragement from my friend in Penang who provided free lodging and transport for the 2 whole days I was there :-) Thanks for the hospitality, MS. The bus stopped at Butterworth and I took the ferry across to the island where I was promptly picked up at the jetty. First stop was a late lunch at the New Lane hawker stalls... to get my fill ofchee cheong chook. See those mouth-watering deep-fried pig intestines and delicious red meat inviting you over? In my hunger, I forgot to take a picture of the bowl of piping hot porridge (sorry!) but I certainly did not forget the price - RM4.50! That's steep but one place that I will keep returning to... the porridge is THAT good :-)
It was straight to the Vistana Hotel after that. The 2 workshops (one on quilting & one on making bags / etui boxes) were about to "tutup kedai" when we arrived (after all it was almost 5pm). Anyway, we did catch a glimpse of what the participants had been up to... and WILL be up to (their course is a 3 day thingy). For visitors, there were quilt / bag exhibitions at the foyer... sale of sewing / crafting tools... and the Benina sales personnel was there to give us a very personal demonstration of their ultimate quilting machines. One word - COOOOL (if you are willing to fork out RM7999.00 :-)
Dinner was at QEII at the waterfront... This is one of the newer and more unique dining places on the island. It caters to the young (hey, we're young at heart; so that qualifies!) and serves a combination of Italian, Asian and French cuisine. It was a Friday night and drinks were on the house for ladies. I very timidly asked for a coke :D!!! The seafood pizza we ordered was the thin crust type and it came loaded generously with calamari rings, prawns and oysters topped with oozy yummy cheese... hmmmm... the word "delicious" does not do it justice (just don't ask the price, ok?) lol...
More pictures to remind me of my night in Penang. Shimmering lights... on the street... at the waterfront...
Truly, Penang deserves its title - "The Pearl of the Orient". My friends and I took a leisurely walk back to the car park... this was only day one. Come back if you want to know what I did on day two :-)
What do you think of these handmade cards I created some time back? I'm going to start another round of card-making this coming school holidays (two days time...HOORAY!). Nope, I've not turned my back on quilting :-) It's just that I'm forced to take a break... for now, at least. I have been working too much on the floor (my table is not big enough for my quilting projects) and that's why I've bursitis... THAT is according to the in-house doctor - my dear hubby! LOL! Anyway, with card-making, I sit at my table (he can't fault me there! Hehehe!) ...and yes, I can make some Christmas cards to start off... will post pictures of them when I have any to show.
Talking of Christmas, I also need to start on my presents. I hope to continue last year's tradition of giving out handmade gifts (it was table runners for 2008) but I've yet to come up with a project for this year. Of course, ideally, I would love to give a quilt to all my dear friends ;-) but we all know that is quite impossible :-) So...bright ideas, anyone?
Here... a few more cards from yester-year for you to enjoy :-)
Our annual staff lunch this year was held at D Old Village Restaurant and this is our souvenir from the Staff Club. Yeap, in other words, we buy our own gift!(but that's another story altogether). Frankly, most times, I end up giving away my share cos they are usually not my kind of thing. However, that afternoon, I was very pleasantly surprised. Unwrapping the gift, I found the most exquisite ceramic tray inside - the rose design is exactly like that of my collection too! **doing a double jig** So sorry, no donation this year (lol)!
I can kiss the lady who came up with this brilliant buy :-) And if anyone of my colleagues is reading this and does not agree with me, I"m ever willing to give your tray a home here with me :D
I loved my Scrappy Trips Around the World so much that I decided to do another. However, this time, I gave it a new twist. I arranged my blocks into a single radiating diamond (above) instead of multiple ones like my previous (below).
Both make use of 36 blocks of scrappy 2 1/2" X 2 1/2" squares and when finished, the new project should measure the same size... provided of course I stick to the same measurements for the borders. It's kind of difficult to decide which I like better, suffice to say both took my breath away (LOL!)
Ever been to a masquerade ball? You know, the type of party where you attend wearing some costume and a mask? Well, my Little One will be going to one after her exams but she had trouble finding a mask that she liked and that fitted her (face as well as budget!). So? It's Mummy to the rescue of course :-) Care to see how this Fairy Godmother waved her magic wand? :-) :-) :-)
First I made a template from paper before cutting out the real thing on elephant card. Then the headache started... I had to make this raised part of the mask where the nose will fit in (yeap, here's trying to be professional all the way... LOL!) Tricky but I managed it finally. Next, I covered the whole mask with black velvet (special request from Daughter). See the picture above on the right? Worth all the trials and errors, right? After that, the decorating began. Now that was fun!
Out came the laces and trimmings... Daughter said "not sure of what to wear for the night yet so please stick to shades of white and silver" and so your wish was my command :-)
And then some "curly twirlies" at the edge... needed to soften the look a bit so what do you think of that millinery corsage? Something still missing, you said? I know...I added some danggly ribbons and while I was at it, I also threw in a string of teeny weeny faux pearls.
Daughter was not in favour of elaborate stuff so I kept it simple (as compared to those colorfully ginormous masks I googled for samples)... and finally, it was to the post office... Pos Ekspress too! Looks like this simple mask is not as economical as we thought! Well, I hope Daughter likes it and will have a great time at the ball. Remember to be back by midnight, my little Cinderella... LOL! As for the rest of you, thanks for listening to my babbling today :-)
...Have not been very productive this past week. Gosh, the weather is so hot some afternoons, the air conditioning doesn't seem to work and you just feel like sticking your head into the refrigerator!!! Anyway, despite the discomfort, I've finally done up the backing to my Scrappy Trips Around the World and here's the proof :-) Enjoy!
While the heat has been a source of complaints for me, my plants seem to revel in it. Look....
So the moral of the day is... Stop complaining and enjoy God's blessings.... by the way, that chiding is meant for me :-)
Here's another quilt top which I completed some time ago that I hope to finish up for Little Miss Muffet's this October. Yes, I've decided to set myself some deadlines :-) so that I will have some finished projects on hand.
You can see for yourself that this one uses the Disappearing 9-Patch technique. It's another queen size spread in pretty pink prints and white eyelet cotton lace (which I love). Will post a picture when it's done... if it's done! *LOL!!!*
TA DAAAAH!!! If you like the vintage and country look, you will love this :-) As you can see, I finally decided to go queen-size (with a bigger quilt, you see more of the design) and so that's why the long blogging silence. I have been spending every free minute trying to come up with the additional 4 diamonds. It's obviously very tedious work - each tiny little square is 2" X 2" but the technique I learnt from Quiltville helped make this project absolutely fun.
Took a while for me to decide on the borders too but the effort was worth it, don't you agree? With so many colours in the diamonds, I thought I would go for a darker border and here the navy polka dot worked beautifully. Then, I used a light stripy fabric for another round of narrow trimming before finishing off with a broad outer border of smoky grey rose print to accentuate the squares and diamonds.
I'm almost there... I still need to do the backing (or haven't you noticed? LOL!)... Well, if things work out, I hope to put up some of my quilts for sale this Christmas. They should be available by late October - unless they get "hijacked" along the way to Little Miss Muffet's Closet :-) Thanks for dropping by and do visit again.
I am so thrilled with my latest project. It's called ScrappyTrips Around the World (and you can see for yourself why). I got this free pattern... and many more :-)... from Quiltville, courtesy of the very generous Bonnie Hunter. See the diamond? It is actually formed from 4 blocks (of diagonal strips) rotated and pieced together . Look below... I've got 20 blocks laid out on the floor. See how I've turned and twisted the basic diagonal blocks to form the radiating diamonds? No matching of colours, no scratching of the head - literally anything goes! This is SO fun... LOL!!! I have just 1 more diamond (4 more blocks) to go and it's done :-) ... but then, do I want a single or a double? That is the question ;-)
This is my first quilt for someone other than a member of my own family. I wasn't going to post about it for at least another month. It's a birthday present for a dear friend. I was suppose to send it out later next month but since she's in town, I gave it to her today... and now I get to show you all :-)
This is a rather funny gift cos she will need to work on it further! You see, she lives in America and I just couldn't get the right kind of batting here to finish it up. She would freeze with the flannel that I always work with (LOL!!!)
This is crazy patchwork of course, done using the stack-and-slash method. Started sometime last year, I only got to finish it two months ago. This quilt top is huge (sorry, I forgot to take the measurements but it's easily king size) and it took me some really crazy hours to complete! I worked with mainly yellows (her favourite colour) with dashes of browns & greens. It turned out really well and I am thrilled that she loves it. Happy Birthday dear friend!
...Was eager to wrap up the diamond scrappy quilt I showed off yesterday as I wanted it ready the minute I decide to head back for my parents'. So I spent the whole morning and afternoon (today being a public holiday) sewing up the backing and tying together the 3 layers of fabric (I had lined the inside with flannel so it will be nice and warm at night). I thought the checky fabric I bought a few days ago would go well with the huge diamond in front... and it did :-) But let's see how it looks displayed...
Voila!!! Yes! I love this! Even my other half was admiring it so that should say something! LOL!
Finally I'm ready to showcase my very first scrappy quilt. Measuring 82" X 82", this queen size project is built up from light and dark fabrics. As you can see, I have been working around 3 main shades - reds, browns and greens... and I just love how it has turned out!
This is definitely no week-end project. In fact, it took me weeks to gather the fabrics and months to get them to evolve into this 392-carat (392 scraps!) diamond. Although it was relatively easy to make, I won't be doing another one real soon! Getting scraps was a monumental task... I cheated in the end and bought some of the fabrics (LOL!)
Now, I'm sure you will agree that a mega project like this one deserves an extra special owner and there is none more worthy a recipient than my beloved parents. This is their belated birthday present :-) ...and I had better get down to work on the backing too or this will soon become next year's present!!! (LOL!)
...Not the live ones but these that are etched onto smooth white china...
I just acquired this 5 piece serving set today. This will come in handy when I throw a popiah (spring roll) party... or a satay (kebabs) party but of course that's just an excuse to add on to my collection of crockery (LOL!!!)
Although the design is similar to what I have, I noticed the made is different. The set is also more stoneware-like than fine bone china... but I'm not complaining :-)
EEEEEEEEK! I couldn't believe my eyes when I walked into one of my favourite shops today! A coffee pot with matching cups and saucers in the same rose design as my tea set was beckoning to me from the shelf at the main entrance. It only seemed right that they came home with me so I didn't even think twice! :-)
You know, eon years ago, I had been drilled by my Home Science teacher that coffee goes into a coffeepot and never a teapot (God forbid!)... I even had my own little memory verse to help me remember the difference...
Drink hot coffee, drink hot tea Coffee in a coffeepot, not a teapot, you clod! That one may be squat and jolly But the coffeepot? She's tall and stately!
I have often wondered where my collection of rose crockery came from (if only they could speak!). Well, these ones don't say on the box but the word Japan is glazed on the bottom of the containers so I'm wondering... or is that a red herring? I've decided it doesn't matter, I still love them all - don't you? By the way, did I mention that the shop had quite a few other accessories of the same design. I just didn't have enough time to today... guess where I'll be heading first thing after work tomorrow?! LOL!
I know it's mid-week and I'm not on school break or anything but I just had to have a go at these :-) I call them Rapunzel's dream bands (LOL... I think she would rather let go her long hair than have it all braided up!) They are relatively easy to make except for the fiddly part when you have to turn the tube inside out - that took ages! - but the outcome was worth the while.
I love them, especially this one, it being a rose print of course ;-> It's not just the colours or the patterns... the fact that it's soft and gentle on my head yet able to hold back my hair (instead of those hard plastic bands with teeth biting into the scalp) makes me one to keep them all!!! ...and did you notice, they are reversible? Two in one :-) I will definitely make some for Little Miss Muffet's Closet. Well, that was a nice distraction ... now back to work and reality. Thanks for stopping by.
What do you do when you are at your busiest and you need to get away from it all? Well, I play with my fabrics... and I HAVE BEEN busy :-) Here is a whole lot that I cut up the last couple of days (weeks?)...
and pieced together using the Disappearing-9-Patch technique...
into this :-)
The colours didn't turn out like what I expected (wonder what I was expecting anyway?!!) but I do love how the arrangement of the reds resemble the wings of butterflies. I've a problem though - now I'm in a dilemma as to whether I should just finish this up as it is or to extend it to queen size. OK, I absolutely refuse to think for now. I will just stash this away first and start on something else that does not tax my grey cells. So much for my Butterflies in Flight, have a great weekend and thanks for dropping by.
Finally, another quilt completed... This one is the result of many added hours of stolen time, nap time plus a few sleepless nights :-) Well, when one is working, one has no choice but to make some sacrifices. Anyway, that is how I "make" time for my passion (obsession, my better half calls it!)
I've purposely made the quilt bigger than the standard single so this one measures a good 150cm X 186cm... should cover every inch of the body... with enough to throw over the head for those who sleep with the lights on (LOL!!!)
And now, it's time to release my baby into littlemissmuffet's care... Feeling a little pensive of course but I know whoever adopts her will love her just as much as I do, if not more.
If you have been following my blog, you will remember I was down with the pumpkin bug a few months back. Hah! Have a look at this...
I decided to make a pumpkin pincushion again this morning... to complement the etui box of course. The only problem was I ran out of the checks. Hence, the maroon suede for the bottom half :-)
What do you think of this? I just so adore the vintage rose print voile, don't you? I hope I can bare to part with this when the time comes! Hmmmm... perhaps, I should think about duplicating this... seriously (LOL!) Then again, maybe not in the near future. I just may not have the time as the school mid-year break is coming very quickly to a close. There's just so much to do before term starts again. Well, we'll see.....
I had always wanted to make another etui box ever since I successfully completed one last year. What held me back was of course the fiddleliness (if there's ever such a word... LOL!) which can equate to several hours of frustration, sweat and tears! Well, with the holidays here, I just had to give it another go :-)
First, I rummaged through my stash and found this very delicate rose print voile - just the thing to give it that vintage look :-) Then, I matched that up with a peachy check for the inside. After what seemed like endless hours, this etui box was birthed!
This time, I made a square-based box instead of the earlier pentagon-shaped one. Of course, this saved me some time but the main reason of course was the fact that I wanted a different outcome. Not bad, right?
I must say I love it... love it, love it, love it..... but do another? Hmmm... what do you think I''m thinking? LOL!!!
HELLO THERE! Look what I made today... another patchwork bag for littlemissmuffetscloset. This is so trendy with jeans and will be a great carry-all for those casual weekend outings. I used two of the test blocks from my Roses & Blues quilt project and added some vintage lace as an after thought.
This is my third attempt at fabric bags and although I enjoyed working at it and am thoroughly satisfied with the outcome, I would like to try something other than the tote for my next bag project. I sure wish there were classes here that can teach me how to make some nice dinner or party clutches... Well, until one comes along, looks like you will be seeing more totes in future - at least in different shapes and sizes I hope (LOL)! Thanks for dropping by.
While visiting blogs a few weeks ago, I came across the Disappearing 9-patch tutorial by Rachel Griffith. I had seen this pattern on quite a few quilters' projects before and had been wanting to try it but those numerous rectangles and squares just kind of put me off. So I was pleasantly surprised by the simple instructions but great outcome. Thanks a bunch Rachel :-)
Naturally, I was also eager to try out the block on a finishing. A quilt was out of the question as that would take months... at least for me (LOL)... and what I wanted was instant gratification! And so..... this was the result after some head-scratching :-)
Here is the second project of 3 that I mentioned in my last post. Actually, this piece was started last year but I got distracted half-way! So yesterday I thought I would try to at least finish up piecing everything together. The going was better than expected and I managed to get all the borders done :-)
This quilt, in lovely shades of blue, beige and green, is worked round the darker rose print. I wanted to try sashing again but dreaded the extra work so I had the blocks joined up into bigger blocks of four first. This makes much lighter work as there is less sashing involved. The final product turned out pretty neat and I am more than pleased.
When the whole works is done, I intend to put this into littlemissmuffetscloset. Meanwhile, I must learn the art of "letting go". I tend to get a tad too attached to all my "babies" :-( Have a great weekend.
... to catch up on all my projects. Wishful thinking, I know :-( You see, while tidying up (or trying to, at least) my sewing corner, I noticed the 2 scrappy quilts I started some time ago that urgently need my attention. However at the moment, I'm working on 3 really exciting projects so I've had to make a mental note to come back to them later. What's taking up all my attention, you ask? Here, let me show you my latest "latest" - waiting to be pieced together :-)
Don't you just love the colour combination? Needless to say it was love at first sight the minute I saw the rose print in the shop. I found the unusual pastel blue-green dotty material among my stash and decided to use it because it gave such an interesting contrast to the light peachy fabrics I used. Even the simple gingham had its role. And in case you think it was a breeze for me here, I assure you I had had to work on it for several days. In fact, my initial blocks didn't come out the way I wanted and had to be recycled so look what I churned out...
This pretty patchwork tote is now sitting in the blogshop http://littlemissmuffetscloset.blogspot.com my daughter set up recently. Do feel free to pop over for a visit. You might want to take her (and other goodies) home ;-)
I know... I'm kinda behind in all my projects. I've really been bogged down by school work of late. Then, with dad suddenly taken ill two weeks ago, I've also had much on my mind and crafts just wasn't part of that picture. Thank goodness he's now on the road to recovery and to celebrate that, let me share with you the other half of my hoard (as promised)...
Now, what do you say to this? Pretty huh? Of course, I DID try not to give in to impulsive shopping but I guess I didn't resist too hard because the next thing I knew I was walking out of the shop grinning from ear to ear. As if that wasn't enough, I went out a day later and added these cookie jars!
I am thoroughly excited, totally enraptured! I've just finished piecing together Roses & Romance and after putting in the borders, I thought I would just sit back for some reflection.
Well, with all humility, I think this piece of work is just fabulous and I am really proud of it . Looking at it, I feel so... irrepressibly exalted? elated? exhilarated? Words fail me (LOL!!!)
This project is definitely my most satisfying so far. I have also changed my mind about keeping Roses & Romance for myself as there is someone (my other darling girl) who deserves my blood (poked my finger while pinning the pieces together!) sweat (sewing in the hot afternoon is not my cup of tea!) and love (this goes without saying) :-) Deb will be graduating this July and what better gift can I give her (without burning HUGE holes in my ever shrinking pockets) than this? :-) :-) :-)
OK, I must scoot out to town to get the flannel and backing material now. Thanks for visiting and have a wonderful weekend :-)
While out window shopping with a friend yesterday, I came across some pretty crockery bearing the very design I am collecting. Needless to say, I brought (... I mean bought) some of them home :-) Here's part of the hoard...
First, I was taken up by the very unusual shape of these decanters which came in 3 sizes. I got a large one to use as a teapot...
and a medium one as a creamer. I also found this cute little jar I thought will do great for my sugar...
The cup and saucer came in a slightly different colour (more pinkish brown than pinkish purple). Unfortunately, I couldn't resist the unique shape of the saucer... so I picked up six of each :-)
Here then is the set I put together. The other half of my hoard? Let's leave that to another day, shall we? :-) Have a good weekend!
Yesterday was a day of unexpected errands... and so even though I had kind of set my mind to make some cards, that didn't happen. Well, I learn fast and so before I got drowned in today's chores, I started off my little project the minute I came back from my morning walk. Now what do you think of this lot? Not bad, right? ;-D ... considering I have this much to show after an hour plus of cutting and pasting :-)
