Sew Retro Chic!

Baby Erfan - My Birth Story

noreply@blogger.com (Zura) — Thu, 30 May 2013 15:25:00 +0000

Today, the 30th of May, was supposed to be the day of our baby's arrival.

However, he was determined to come early, 5 weeks earlier than EDD to be exact. Yup, our little angel, born a late preterm at 35 weeks. My baby, Erfan :)

On the night of before his arrival, I went out shopping for groceries with hubby and the girls. Back home afterwards, I felt some contractions but seriously thought it was Braxton Hix and tried to ignore it by focusing on sewing the binding of the baby quilt I was making...

Then, after midnight the contractions were stronger and by 3am I could no longer bear it as it was 3 minutes apart! I remember thinking - It cannot be...it's too early! And with the girls it was totally different - I would either have a bloody show or my water broke long before any contractions! So we rushed to the hospital. Around 10 minutes after, my water broke and I immediately feel the urge to push.

I remember the havoc it was as they rushed me to the labor room and just another two pushes my little warrior arrived, gliding out and seconds later came his loud cry...both hubby and me were shocked...never crossed our mind that our precious little boy would be premature...but then again this pregnancy had been extra strenuous for me as I dealt with the stress of my job & extremely bad edema..I was swollen all over and ballooned so big! I also was diagnosed with polyhydramnious just a week before...

Nonetheless, he's just beautiful...he weighs a tiny 2.4kg but his apgar score was 9/10..he was given oxygen to help him breathe better initially and after that cleared to nurse. His latching & feeding was great too so we were not very worried.

That was until the next day when the doctor said he looks jaundiced. On day 3, Erfan was admitted to NICU at Putrajaya Hospital for Severe Jaundice. His bilirubin level reached the exchange blood phase as the doctors stuggled to bring it down. Nothing could describe my worry at that time..but finally received the good news that he responded to ivig treatment on day 4. Erfan ended up in the hospital for 5 days and when we were discharged we were told that we need to bring Erfan for motor & developmental follow up by the specialists every 3 months until he reaches 2 years old. This is because his jaundiced was severe and they fear it might have affected the brain...I am praying hard now that my little warrior would be okay...

Erfan is now 33 days old..I am exclusively breastfeeding him..he seems to gain weight and active but we could see that the jaundice is still there, maybe just less severe. We are waiting for his 1st month appointment to see what the doctor says.

Other than this, Erfan is a happy baby who cries for milk almost every hour! He loves to play at night and mostly naps in the morning & afternoon...his looks changes almost everyday as we cherish this very short newborn stage..I am so very much in love and we are so grateful for him Alhamdulillah...

The big sisters are also over the moon of their baby brother...and its heartwarming to see how in love hubby is with his son. Grandma & grandpa was smitten too! :)

Today, my lil love bug is 33 days out in the real world. We have only the best dreams and wishes for him and pray endlessly that he would grow up healthy and happy...looking at his chubby cheeks now..well I am grateful for Allah's blessings and I could just kiss him all day long!

6 Months Along & Baby Fever!

noreply@blogger.com (Zura) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 00:58:00 +0000

Hello there!

Yup, I am now 6 months pregnant and getting more and more excited every day to meet our little family's new addition :)

The pregnancy this time around is pretty tough though...constantly lethargic & fainting spells, you name it. I guess this comes in a package, being pregnant at 37 years old....And the fact that I have a full time office job...hmmm...let's just say I am not exactly an asset to the organisation at the moment...oh well...I have plans for that though...will announce when everything is confirmed :)

And now, that lil bub inside me? The doctor is pretty sure we are going to have our first (and perhaps only) BOY!!

Our 3D scan did not give a very clear photo of the gender because baby was really camera shy lol...but we got a glimpse of his sweet face...and that cute nose? Hmmm....daddy's boy he is! :D

We went for another ultrasound to check on baby's heartbeat after I had another fainting spell, and this time the doctor was able to get a pretty clear potty shot and she was 80-90% confident of the gender :D

Oh we are beyond happy! And the smiles & proud face of my husband is priceless...he is also such a sweetheart now, extra caring & attentive towards me, this baby is bringing SO much love to the family :)

Sewing wise, I am on a roll, perhaps because I didn't get a chance to sew for my 2 girls when they were still in my tummy (because I have not started seriously sewing till 2009)....And I have also caught the quilting bug, will blog about it later. Nowadays I have been dreaming of sewing for boys, browsing the internet for inspirations as well as this book....so cute!

Here's to sewing for that little man in your life, yeay!! :D

The Sunki Dress for Aisha

noreply@blogger.com (Zura) — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 02:05:00 +0000

I rarely get to sew anything for my sweet Aisha...now that she is 12, she is understandably picky about what she'd like to wear. Luckily when I showed her this pattern few months back she said yes, so I went to work :)

I used the Sunki Dress pattern by Figgy. This pattern only goes up to size 9 and that is how skinny my girl is. It fits her just nice and yes she wore it as tunic with her favourite leggings or skinny jeans.

The pattern itself is fabulous! It's definitely NOT for beginners but using this pattern makes me feel like a real fashion designer lol. It's so modern and hip and fit for the runway. Well maybe not in the print that I made but the design itself - with side pockets, pleated sleeves, overlapped shoulders & facings - indeed is different and fashion forward.

The construction was a challenge but the pattern does come with excellent instructions. I love this design so much I wish Figgy would come up with larger size range for tweens. I still want to sew for my big girl and finding a good pattern that she approves of gets more and more difficult.

All in all, a great pattern and definitely a gratifying sewing project! :)

Life Update

noreply@blogger.com (Zura) — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 03:03:00 +0000

It's another long stretch, what else is new?

Well I have a strong reason this time around lol.

I'm pregnant. Yup. Answered prayers and oh so blessed. I could not believe it at first and had to take the test twice! We are beyond happy for the new addition to this little family, alhamdulillah.... :)

So the first trimester was really, really bad for me. Because of the long gaps between children I tend to forget how difficult it can be for me. Sickly & basically zero energy. But, believe it or not I still sew 1 or 2 dresses per week. It's a miracle.

I sneaked some sewing for the little miss too...she's such a spunky 5yo now it's a challenge for us all lol. Nonetheless her personality blossomed from the timid toddler to an outspoken, opinionated little lady.

My sweet Aisha achieved straight As for her UPSR. It was a happy day for the whole big family. It's a first time for both sides of our family (hubby & me) of a child/grandchild in exam year. Aisha was so happy & add to that lots of cash rewards from grandparents, aunts and uncles, we hope it's a great motivator for her to excel further in life :)

I plan to blog more now that I feel better in my 2nd trimester. Just into my 16th week, I have gained so much weight it's just crazy. I have no idea how to control it now that I am extremely hungry ALL the time!

Next up would be a pattern review of a tunic I made for Aisha. And I have so many projects planned for the baby I will blog all about them as I made them.

That's all for now my friends, have a lovely day! :)

The Avita Dress - Pattern Testing

noreply@blogger.com (Zura) — Sun, 23 Sep 2012 00:13:00 +0000

I had such a blast sewing this dress!!!

When Alviana of Sewn By Alviana emailed me to accept my application to become one of her pattern tester, I was beyond delighted! I was so proud to be a part of our own Malaysian girl making it in the exciting world of pattern designs! Her pattern shop Popolok Design features some very innovative designs, a breath of fresh air among the many peasants & knots pdfs on Etsy.

The pattern itself is easy to sew, you'll have fun sewing it! I learn a lot from this pattern too & I just love the sweet design.

Some snapshots of my little princess in her Avita. You could see just how happy she is, just in love with this dress. She even asked me to make the next one in Purple because the dress looks like what Rapunzel wears. Ermm, ok dear...whatever you say m'am... :D

Aidilfitri 2012 - The Sewing

noreply@blogger.com (Zura) — Sun, 02 Sep 2012 00:50:00 +0000

Salam Aidilfitri, Eid Mubarak...

This entry is way too late but my motto nowadays is better late then never, in all aspects of my very hectic life lol...really it's hard for me to find the time or energy to blog these days...so I guess this post will be pic heavy!

So how was Eid? I hope you had a wonderful time enjoying the holidays with your loved ones...

This year we were in red the 1st day of Eid. In Malaysia, it is becoming a culture to have a theme for the 1st day of Eid. I guess it just adds to the fun & enjoyment of Eid & gets the conversation going when visiting relatives :) It was so hard to get a good pic of all four of us here's the only decent one I could find lol...

We spend 5 days in Kota Bharu, travelling back & forth from my in laws in Sabak place to my parents' house in KB. Some pics we snapped at my parents' on the 2nd day of Eid. This year majority of our photos are blurry due to very novice photogs handling my new manual setting lense. I try to salvage whatever I can lol...

The 6 of us....it used to be 7 and the absence of my late baby sister was strongly felt...

My handsome dad with his youngest grandchild - my nephew Faris!

Me & my lil angel Hanan...

And as for the sewing, I sewed 2 sets of outfits for my girls this year. The first are these tunics.

They are loose fitting and the girls love them with jeans. They were worn on 2nd day of Eid. Here are the tunics in action.

Sisters!

We are happy cousins!

Shadow play...

Tunic back.

And for the 3rd day of Eid, the girls wore this Sisters Sisters set I made them. These were last minute project, I managed to finish 'em right before we pack for our balik kampung trip :)

My Spanish Rose...

That's all from me, thank you for reading my friends, enjoy the rest of Syawal, Eid Mubarak to all! :)

The Butterfly Dress

noreply@blogger.com (Zura) — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 22:22:00 +0000

Hi there! How's life? I hope yours are not as miserable as mine....I am now going through a really crazy, topsy turvy adjustment phase of my life as a full time working mom. It's not easy, it's rough and very heavy on the heart as I mourn the fact that I'm leaving my kids for the most part of my days....story of my life, hoping that one day it will change for the better...

To brighten up, here's a Butterfly Dress I sewed for my lil Hanan few months back. The pattern is from Tie Dye Diva and it turned out so cute!

I usually limited my sewing to a combo of only 2 fabrics because I somehow feel that more than that would make the dress looks busy. But for this pattern, I went outside my comfort zone and used 3 fabrics. I actually really love it! I must do this more...The sewing part is mostly easy but I find the pattern surprisingly used up a lot of fabric.

I am enjoying her happy face while it lasts...the saddest thing is my baby girl is turning 5 soon and she is now at that horrible stage where she just refused to wear dresses!!! I almost cried every time after her bath & I suggested a dress to wear & she would just say an outright NO! Oh gosh, I'm crushed...lol!

My lil angel is growing up way to fast...I'm missing the sight and sound of a baby in the house...we've been trying to get pregnant for more than a year now but I guess it's not written in the books for us...yet, I hope...

That's all for now my friends, thank you for dropping by and have a beautiful day! :)

Happy Father's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Zura) — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 13:28:00 +0000

Now that I am older, I realize every day how my parents are growing older too...and I secretly have this fear inside me of losing them...sometimes I feel like clinging on to them just like how my babies are with me...I don't really know how to express my feelings all I know is I love my parents so much and everyday I pray for their happiness and good health...

Today is Fathers' Day. In my family we don't usually celebrate it but I make it a point to tell my dad how much he is loved and how lucky I am to have him as my father...He is a special man with a gentle and humble heart and his quiet strength helps me a lot in dealing with my insecurities...He has taught me so much in this life and his believe in me keeps me going...love you so much Papa...

And the other 'father' in my life....the one to my girls are their hero...my beloved husband...who's completely comfortable at home, surrounded by us girls lol...I don't think anyone could match his patience and the laughter he brings us just brings so much joy....His job now requires him to travel quite a lot...one day my Aisha, who's now are actively exploring her creative side, showed me a video she made of her dad...it was during a long weekend when hubby had to work...this is the video. It's apparent that she missed her dad so much. Nevertheless, I'm still amazed that she could actually produced the video on her own :)

Happy Father's Day to all wonderful fathers out there! Believe me, by being there, you make a difference to the girls/woman in your life! :)

Birthday Giveaway Winners!

noreply@blogger.com (Zura) — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 23:35:00 +0000

So sorry for the delay my dearies! Work is crazy right now and last night I just wanna hit the bed - zero energy for blog time gosh! First of all, I'd like to say THANK YOU for all the sweet birthday wishes. They truly warm my heart! :)

I have randomly picked 3 winners! Congratulations and please email me your address ya? Since most of you did not leave your email add I have no way of contacting you so please email or PM me on my Facebook page to claim your prize.

So here we go....

Winner # 1 & #2 - Vintage Sewing Pattern Packs

Mrs Chietham

Ika Tsaiha

Winner # 3 - 2 Half Yards of Designer Fabric

Masliana

Another Birthday Another Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Zura) — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 22:00:00 +0000

*CLOSED*

Salam & Hi!

Yup it's my 36th birthday....and being thankful everyday for the blessings of this life...therefore, a giveaway!

I will choose 3 lucky winners to receive ....

2 packs of vintage sewing patterns from my personal collection!

Patterns in each pack will be randomly selected by me, one pack for one winner :)

AND

1 lucky winner will get 2 half yards (total 1 yard) of fabric from my favourite corner of the sewing room! Fabric will be selected by me.

To enter this giveaway just leave a comment. I will randomly select 3 winners on Friday 15th of June. This giveaway is open to all no matter where you are in this world.

Good luck! :)

The Sweetest Ending, Final Semester Result

noreply@blogger.com (Zura) — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 23:31:00 +0000

I was greeted with the most wonderful news yesterday morning when a friend called me urging me to check online as the final semester results (of 2 papers - Strategic Management and Project Paper) were out. I had been very anxious about my project paper research as many knows that I had to ask for an extension and really struggled to complete it.

Alhamdulillah....Allah is great. Both subjects exceeded my expectation and this final semester result is indeed the sweetest ending to my Mba journey. This means a lot to me because of the fact that I was never an A student when I was younger and also how I was at the same time growing Lovemelots Creations as I was completing my study.

I have so many people in my life to thank for, first and foremost would be my mother for her blessing and never ending prayers. My beloved other half for putting up with my various episodes of nervous attacks & helping with the kids and for everyone here and over at Lovemelots for supporting me.

My baby girl Aisha will be sitting for her UPSR this September...I hope this would serve as a motivator for her too...as I now know, in this life, nothing is impossible.... as long as one work hard for it, Insya Allah success will follow :)

New Beginnings, New Directions

noreply@blogger.com (Zura) — Mon, 28 May 2012 05:47:00 +0000

Hello friends!

Wow..do I still have readers? This blog has really dried up...so many things happened but I just didn't find the energy to blog about it somehow. But today is different. Its an important turning point in my life. And I had to make some decisions, at least for this version of me - the sewing-mama me.

Some of you on Fb, Twitter & Instagram might already know that I'm finally done with my Mba. The dreaded research paper was done and submitted last week and I am now breathing easier. Can't wait for the convocation in October!

And today, I received my finalized posting order and I have officially reported for duty at 8 a.m.

Yep, I'm back at work, full time. This time it's nearer to home & even though I'm happy that I get to be near my kids, I do miss the familiarity of my previous office. Now, in the new department, everything is alien to me and at this level, I have no choice but to speed up & catch up. It's a busy department which involves travels. Though I am excited that this time around I get to work with the industry & deals with economic matters, I also know things are going to be hectic but at the same time very, very interesting.

Now, having said all that, comes the decision. What's in it for Lovemelots Creations? Well...I will continue sewing. I will not stop. I need a creative outlet and I find bliss in creating pretty dresses with my two hands. BUT, naturally I have to slow down. I'm thinking of a limited custom slots per month for the time being. I think I can manage at least 1 dress per-week. I will re-evaluate as time goes by. So, for now, no new custom order except for those already agreed as per discussion through email/Fb etc as I am already full for June. To Lovemelots customers, I truly am thankful for all your support, you gals are amazing!

I also would like to sew more for my kids & myself. I miss that and my kids are growing up too fast...I have limited time to sew for them. And of course, I'd like to blog more. That has always been at the back of my mind, but we'll see how it goes, no promises! :)

Tova Take Two!

noreply@blogger.com (Zura) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 08:51:00 +0000

I told you am gonna make another one! I still don't have the courage to cut into my precious voile, so am practicing on an equally slippery fabric, a linen blend + contrasting full moon polka dots from Amy Butler.

This pink linen had been in my stash for so many years. I just didn't know what to use it for. I bought it mainly because I love this blush color & I tend to wear a lot of muted dusty pink or brown. When picking fabrics for my 2nd Tova I saw it and thought ok, a top it is. Mainly because I have enough yardage for this pattern as all the others that I'd love for this top fall short. For this top length I need 2.5 yards.

This time, it took me around 2 hours to make the Tova top (previously I lost count as I carried the project over a few days). It is still not perfect to me because there are some tiny pleats on the sleeve caps. And you can see on the neckline stitching, my obvious mistake of using white threads (some wonky stitches there too). I am just too lazy to change the thread and I blame it on my impatient self. I rushed through this project very early in the morning so that I could wear it to the library! Lol!

Me in my 2nd take on this pattern. I just returned from the library and typical of linen, it gets all crumpled up. But I love this crumpled look so it's ok to me. Sorry for the blurry pictures, my 10 yo Aisha took the picture & the lense I'm using is not on auto focus.

I just love this pattern, I think I could just use this one pattern over and over to fill up my wardrobe. Think of all the possible fabrics I could use! And the top length is great, not too short nor too long. The perfect length for me. I hope I will not bore you to death with my future posts of more Tovas! :D

A Weekend at Colmar

noreply@blogger.com (Zura) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 04:38:00 +0000

This will be a picture diary of our little family getaway to Colmar Tropicale awhile ago...hubby had a 2 days workshop there so we took the opportunity to have a little escapade. We didn't get to visit many of the attractions there such as the horse riding park. We only managed to go and see the Japanese Village which was really awesome. I love Colmar and its scenic highland view. And the chilly weather, made me forget that we are in a humid tropical country lol...enjoy the pics!

This is the face of a happy girl once we're settled in the hotel room lol!

At breakfast, my Aisha's portrait of mummy reading a magazine in front of her :D

At the resort. The girls felt like they are in a princess castle, complete with swan lake! Yes, on one end there's a pond with 2 white swans & colorful fish and on the other end there was a black swan, looking all regal yet lonely. I found it almost a disturbing take on some of life's cruelties, silly me....

At Japanese Village...such a beautiful, scenic place. I felt like we were in an old Japanese movie with a tiny hut deep in the forest lol...it was quite a climb getting there..we were a few thousand feet above sea level...

Some random tourist-y pics lol...the top pic is the hotel room, I simply love the vintage French decor. All in all, family time well spent & I'd love to go again and explore other places & activities there.

My First Tova

noreply@blogger.com (Zura) — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 01:05:00 +0000

I have been so inspired to sew for myself lately, I found myself constantly looking for inspirations on Flickr. Last week as I was browsing in the current Made by Rae's Spring Top Sewalong entries, my eyes caught some very cool tops/dresses made using a pattern called Tova by Wiksten. One thing led to another, I found that there is an ongoing sewalong over at verykerryberry, from there I found that the pattern is available as pdf download, yeay!

So, I made my first Tova. I wanted it longer and chose the dress length. I used a very cheap lightweight cotton from Kamdar which I think I bought to make baju kurung for my lil Hanan, thus explains the little flowers lol...but I need to test the pattern fit, knowing how adult patterns can be tricky and usually I need to modify them especially at the hip area. I was pleasantly surprised that the pattern fits me perfectly, no need to modify anything. So let's just say that this is my wearable muslin now :)

I absolutely LOVE the pattern styling and details, exactly the type of top/tunic style I love to wear and perfect for us covered girls :) Overall, the pattern is pretty easy to sew with the exception of the front placket/inset. I found that to be most difficult especially trying to get my sewing right at the corners. I had to unpick twice as the fabric tend to get caught and pulled in as I pivot the needle. I found Kerry's tips in her sew-a-long post very helpful in getting this part done. After that, everything else falls into place beautifully. I even found the set in sleeves a breeze to make! :)

I wore the tunic to the library yesterday. I absolutely love my Tova, am now already selecting fabric for my next one. I really wanna make it in a designer voile I've been hoarding. This time I will make one in shorter top length, I think it would look good paired with my other straight or boot cut jeans. Till later, have a great day friends! :)

Angels of Mine...

noreply@blogger.com (Zura) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 04:48:00 +0000

My lil Hanan Alia and Aisha Alia...April 2012....

They are growing up way....too....fast....

*sob*

Love them to bits, my life...my everything..is for them...

Thank you God for blessing me with these beautiful children. I learned a lot from them :)

Tunics : Made by Mommy
Fabrics : Robert Kaufman
Pattern : Audrey Tunic/Dress by Violette Field Threads, modified sleeves

Me and My Devon

noreply@blogger.com (Zura) — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 02:45:00 +0000

I love my Devon! And I love it even more in this precious Loopy Vintage print. Both are of course from Sis Boom, you know I'm a big fan!

I sewed this top for myself many weeks ago but only got to model it yesterday. That was my Aisha behind the camera and I think she didn't do too bad getting mommy in her Devon shots.... I am at the moment struggling with my weight....almost 21 months of study leave combined with the stress of school + meeting orders dateline...you get the picture.....mindless nervous munching + free flow of coffee..bad mommy, bad!

Oh well, school will be over in May when I'll be back to my old full-time-working-mom mode. I have 2 more months to work on fitting into my old clothes again... I've been working out (home workout videos lol!) and trying hard to control my late nite binges....hmmm...wish me luck!

Meanwhile, let me me be content at admiring my Devon...it's the easiest pattern ever! I sewed size L and cut a 27" finish length. It took up 2 yards of fabric. Any longer than 27" you need to have more than 2 yards of 44/45 inches wide fabric (for L size). I didn't change anything about the pattern and am lucky coz the fit is spot on. I chose the elastic (faux drawstring) option. I've kept this pretty fabric for so long and now so happy I get to keep it to myself as a top.

I am revved up about sewing for myself, I think I'm gonna do this more often. It helps me to upgrade my dressmaking skills too...especially on adjusting/fitting patterns to my own body shape. I have already cut another Sis Boom pattern, the Patricia Tunic, will blog about it once I'm done. I am also right now waiting for a few Lisette patterns to arrive so that I could sew some of those really, really pretty patterns!

Thank you for reading friends, have a gorgeous day!

Jakarta-Bandung Family Trip 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Zura) — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 04:19:00 +0000

Finally I manage to get hold of all the photos from my dad's camera...I didn't bring my own since hubby didn't go (he was away for work), I knew I'd be a mess lugging a bulky camera with 2 lil girls in tow...

This year, we had a blast during our big family trip to Jakarta and Bandung...we ate and we shopped, non stop...I love the people too...everyone was so nice and friendly, not to mention the Indonesian language which I find very beautiful and poetic :)

Some pics from the trip...I edited heavily coz majority of the pics turn out very poor...but I think they captured the essence of the trip well...I wrote some note in the caption space below each pic.

At the airport...I love how my mom and dad also crouched for the photo and everyone looks so excited :)

At Mangga 2 ITC Jakarta

We stayed at Novotel, Jakarta, the pool was massive!

We ate a lot! That spread you see is Padang Cuisine, you only pay what you eat :)
The others are shopping havens in Bandung...all the factory outlets.
I mostly bought t-shirts & jeans for the girls.

At textile heaven in Pasar Baru, Bandung....I went crazy, running around haggling with the sales boy here lol!
The cottons are nice (and cheap) but I ended up hoarding French Lace (super duper cheap!)

I love this pic!!! My Aisha & my nephew Nazrin in front of a scarves wall at one of the factory outlets in Bandung.
The place is called Rich and Famous lol!

My little nephew Faris in the shirt I sewed for him..he's a real cutie!!

At Jakarta airport, heading home....family time well spent...another set of happy memories created! :)

Sweet Summer Baby Dress for My Niece

noreply@blogger.com (Zura) — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 23:57:00 +0000

Last week I uploaded this dress picture on my Facebook page (on mannequin) and many fell in love with the black and white theme. My sister in law wanted her daughter to wear this theme for her birthday celebration and I made a Sweet Summer Baby Dress for my niece Widad.

The dress was born from many customer requests in baby size. This is the first time I play around with patterns (I usually sew using purchased sewing pattern and stick to it with minimal changes). I think I am now more confident on altering existing patterns to achieve a design I have in mind. But not grading the pattern to make bigger or smaller sizes. That, I have yet to find a good formula to do it and honestly I am so afraid of messing up the formula/sizing I simply stick to the sizes available in the sewing pattern.

My niece wore the dress on her birthday. We had a small family celebration at my parents in law's place before we returned to Putrajaya. It was a simple yet happy party with the neighborhood kids joining and enjoying the food....it was a real good family time, our way :)

I am happy to finally able to snap some photos of the dress modeled. Now that my youngest is almost 5, I find myself without a model for baby sizes...here's my niece on the phone with her paternal grandma, asking for a present! :)

The two cousins are so close, practically bff......I love this photo taken by hubby of them chewing on apples...those expressions! LOL!

Flower Girl Dresses - Round 2

noreply@blogger.com (Zura) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 04:45:00 +0000

It's time for another wedding in the family, thus another round of flower girl dresses sewing for me. My beloved sister in law, Cik Chik to the nieces, wedding reception was on the 10th of March 2012. Like before it was held at my parents in law's place in Sabak, Kelantan.

This time around, I used lace overlay on satin lining. I fell in love with this lace fabric during my recent trip to Bandung, Indonesia and because it was SO cheap overthere (like 3 times cheaper than in Malaysia), I went crazy and bought 7.5 meters of dusty pink lace for the wedding. I made 2 dresses for my lil Hanan and my niece Widad, while the rest I sent to a seamstress to make my Aisha a modern baju kurung....With my crazy workload, I could only sew the dresses a day before our trip back east, had to stay up till 4 am to finish both dresses....but despite the near-breakdown, I think they didn't turn out too bad... :)

The lace itself is not difficult to work with, the biggest challenge is mounting lace to the slippery satin lining....my solution to that, albeit an imperfect one, is to use interfacing...yep, I interfaced almost all seams on the bodice lining to stabilize the fabric. I made 4 covered buttons for the back closure, I love those the most :)

Here are the girls waiting for the groom with their aunt, Cik Yah who's now 7 months pregnant (yeay another baby in the family!!)....Aisha, going to be 12 in December, no longer wants to be a flower girl so she helped with handing out door gifts to the guests :)

Below I made a story board to show you how a simple wedding reception is in Malaysia, or at least in our family :) I love how colorful everything is....this is when the groom and his entourage arrived, received by my father in law...and later the bride (my sis in law) holding the flower girls' hands went to meet her groom halfway...after kissing her husband's hands, they'd walk together to the house to meet the family and friends....it was lovely..I just love weddings! :D

The flower girls on duty....my niece is just 2 years old, yet we are in awe of her poise and eagerness! She did not fuss or cry, carried out her duty wonderfully in the hot weather...so cute! My lil Hanan was of course ever ready to be a princess lol....We tried to get the girls to walk in sync, but in all that heat & so many people watching it's understandable that they get a little confused :)

I just love the family time we had together...the girls had so much fun at their grandparents home...a wonderful family get together...here's the four of us...with me and hubby in the picture...

Thank you for reading about our special moments friends, have a lovely day! :)

Smiles,
Zura

A Shirt for Lil Faris!

noreply@blogger.com (Zura) — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 03:49:00 +0000

I have not been blogging much lately...mainly because my personal sewing had dwindled down to almost nothing...perhaps a few peasant tops or dresses for my girls which is so basic and not blog worthy. Other times I tend to over-think about whether I want to blog about my personal happenings in this blog or not...well...since I have re-themed this blog as "My Life, My Sewing" I think I'm just gonna go ahead and blog about whatever I want even if there is no sewing in it. I'm reminded that one day my grown up children (and nieces + nephews) could come back and read some snippets of their earlier days and appreciate more of what they have - abundance of family love and joy and laughter with some healthy dosage trials and challenges to toughen us all up in this life...

Speaking of family love, I made a baby boy's shirt for my nephew Faris!! Yes, even I could not believe that I was brave enough to attempt it lol! If you ask me what am I afraid most in sewing I would say - collar and set in sleeves and boy, of course this shirt has both! It's a personal milestone for this sewing mama coz having no little boys in the house I never had the motivation to make one but when my sister lamented that it's hard for her to find baby's shirt made in high quality fabric I just forged ahead and yes, that is LOVE... :)

I used this shirt pattern by Carla C. The fabric is from Michael Miller. I like that the plaid is somehow funky and uneven so I don't have to worry much about the placement/alignment etc. The pattern is so unique because the shirt is fully lined! I mean, here in tropical Malaysia we rarely see fully lined shirts but I have to say the lining process actually saves me a lot of hemming/finishing work, that's a plus point.

As I mentioned, these are the two most difficult part for me to sew...and the fact that this is a teeny weeny 6-12 months size...not helping! Lol...but the result is wearable...because the uneven bits are well hidden either inside the shirt or at the back of the collar :D

I actually made this a day before our big family trip to Jakarta & Bandung, Indonesia last week. I will blog about it in a separate post as I didn't bring my camera and all photos are still in my dad's. Baby Faris wore it in Bandung, prefect weather as it is a highland area and quite chilly. Here's me holding baby Faris in his new shirt (pic from my sister's camera)....

So what do you think? Did I pass? :D

Pattern Giveaway Winners!

noreply@blogger.com (Zura) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 07:19:00 +0000

Hello lovelies! Forgive me for the delay in announcing the winners, been busy sewing! :D

Btw, I pick random winners through Random.org, the lucky ones are #2 - Joanandkevin & #8 - Mila!

Congratulations to the winners, Wong the pattern designer will contact you via email and deliver your pattern of choice. Thank you to all that have participated!

Before I go, here's a photo of my favorite dress of the moment. I made this for pretty girl Mya, a size 5. It's supposed to have ruffled sleeves but somehow I forgot to sew it before I finish the seams with bias tape. I still think it's cute though and simply love that fans/scales print :)

Pattern Review : Macy Dress and pdf Sewing Pattern Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Zura) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:09:00 +0000

As promised in the previous post, I'm back with another pattern review from Petite Kids Boutique and this time I sewed the Macy Dress!

When choosing the pattern I went straight to a pattern that includes a zipper option as I really, really want to learn the various ways of installing one. I tell you, after sewing hundreds of buttonholes for custom orders I am so sick of it I desperately need a different closure technique! Now, don't get me wrong, buttons are cute! But I personally find zipper easier to use when dressing the kiddos. If only the sewing of one is not as scary!

The construction of this dress is pretty straightforward, easy peasy. I sewed size 5T, a nice loose fitting, drop waist dress great for the active girl.

If you're scared of zipper, use the button option. I love it when pattern designers clearly show me step-by-step for both options. The zipper option for the Macy dress is using invisible (concealed) zipper and Wong (the designer) shows you how to do it when the dress is fully lined. I learned SO much from this pattern!! I feel like a "real" seamstress now that I know how to insert invisible zipper that is neatly sandwiched between the main and lining fabric, so cool!

Last weekend, the big family went to Port Dickson for a short getaway on the sandy beaches! It was a blast especially for the kids. I took the opportunity to take some photos of the lil model on the beach. 5 minutes was all I have before she screamed for her swimsuit lol!

All in all, as previously confirmed, Petite Kids sewing patterns are indeed easy to use and the designer herself is very friendly and helpful. I had fun sewing the Ceci Shorts and the Macy Dress, thank you so much Wong! :)

The discount code in my previous post is still valid until 15 February 2012. And now Wong has generously offered to giveaway TWO pdf sewing patterns from her shop especially for my readers, yeay!

All you have to do to enter this giveaway is to visit Petite Kids Boutique etsy shop here, come back and leave a comment below, stating which pattern is your favorite. Please also leave your email address in the comment so that the pattern could be sent to you. I will choose 2 winners randomly on Sunday, 12th February 2012. Good luck!!

Pattern Review - Ceci Shorts by Petite Kids Boutique and Discount Coupon!

noreply@blogger.com (Zura) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 02:16:00 +0000

I was given the opportunity to test and review a cute pattern called Ceci Shorts a while back, designed by fellow Malaysian pattern designer selling on etsy, Petitekids. The owner, Wong Li Sian, is so sweet and helpful and has agreed to give a 20% discount coupon to all Sew Retro Chic and Lovemelots readers! Thank you so much Wong, you're the best! :)

As for the Ceci Shorts pattern, I tell you, this is the easiest shorts sewing pattern I've ever attempted. Seriously, Wong's tutorial is so simple, to the point and very clear I have no problem whatsoever. I completed the cute shorts for my lil Hanan in less than 1 hour...I made size 4T and the sizing is spot on for my lil girl....

I love the cute little pockets! If you've never sewn pockets before this is a great opportunity to learn...patch pocket is simple and easy to do :)

The little bow detail on the sides that's so cute! This is the only part of the pattern that I changed. I added a few inches when cutting the bow coz I wanted it longer and the bow looks more prominent :)

Isn't it obvious how much the little model loves her new shorts? Lol! She wears the shorts every other day, especially now that the weather is warmer, it's so comfy for her to run around in :)

All in all, this Ceci Shorts pattern is a must in your pattern stash for anytime you want to reach for easy-to-sew-yet-cute-outcome-everytime pattern. For that, the designer has generously given a 20% discount for all my blog readers, not just for this particular pattern but for ANY pattern in her etsy shop! Please use the coupon code LOVEMELOTS01 to receive the discount. For Malaysian buyers, Petitekids also accept bank transfers though her Facebook page.

I will be back with another pattern review for Petitekids soon, this time it's a dress and I am sew excited!

Giveaway Winners!

noreply@blogger.com (Zura) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 14:10:00 +0000

Hye! I just returned from my family trip to Perlis. It was fun! My first time there and we had that much needed R&R :)

Now, back to the giveaways! Random.org had spoken and the winners are :

1st prize - Amalia!
2nd prize - Stephanie Flynn!
3rd prize - Zulaikha Abd Hamid Soon!

Congratulations to the winners! Please email me your shipping address for the fabrics and to the 3rd prize winner please email me to discuss the discounted custom dress :)

I'd like to thank all who have taken part, your kind words and encouragement. I could see that almost all of us have one thing in common - family keeps us motivated. I like that, and I believe in that too, Insya Allah...

I'll be back soon with more sewing posts, I promise! :)