Not a very spectacular project, but this thing proves to be very useful in summer. I think it is also called scrunchie, but it is called chou-chou here and I like the name better.

I found several tutorials for making chou-chou, but they always involve hand-stitching, which I’m too lazy to do for such a simple thing. Then I see another way of doing it, it is much easier, and more importantly: no hand-sewing! This project only took around 10 minutes to make, and it is also a good way to make use of all the fabric scraps.

Here’s how to make it:

You will need:

• Fabric: 10×50 cm. Use non slippery fabric so the chou-chou won’t slip off your hair. My fabric here is cotton/linen mix. The measurement is not exact, you can make it longer or wider. I just snip 10 cm off my 50 cm cut fabric.
• Elastic: 20 cm. I use ordinary hair elastic, but you can use any thin elastic strip.

Sew the short ends together with 1 cm seam allowance.

Fold the upper fabric inside as pictured, and hold it with one finger.

Fold the lower fabric over, sort of wrapping the first fold of fabric inside.

Starting with a backstitch, sew the edge with 1 cm seam allowance. Don’t catch the fold of fabric inside. When you almost reach the end, just pull the fold of fabric inside and continue sewing. It is easier done than written here!

Stop stitching about 3 cm from the first stitch. Backstitch to secure. Now you have a sort of crumpled tube with a little opening.

Here’s the fun part! Reach into the little opening and pull the tube out.

Suddenly you have this!

Using a big safety pin, thread the elastic inside.

Tie the ends together. Pull the elastic several times to make sure that it is tight and secure. If you use thin elastic strip, you can also stitch the end together.

Tuck the elastic inside and stitch the opening closed.

Backstitch both ends of stitching to secure. If you want to be neater, you can also use hand-stitching to close the opening.

Turn the stitched edge to the inner side and there’s your chou-chou.

Then you will want to make more!

Hope it is useful!

Chou-chou is a post from: :: verypurpleperson ::

We went out for dinner in Shinjuku with friends a couple of nights ago. Sidra took these pictures.

mama & papa

Mama & friends

In the elevator

Shinjuku

Dinner in an izakaya

the world from a kid’s point of view is a post from: :: verypurpleperson ::

After days of postponing and slacking around, I’ve finally finished my blouse for Burdastyle Book! Actually I planned to work on it just after the Yokohama Artist Market, which was, errr, 3 weeks ago, but lots of things happened between then and now.

Suddenly I found the need to make a couch cover, which by the way was something that I should have made months ago. Then I made a pair of shorts and dress for myself. My husband managed to give me a look of slight disapproval (on my procrastination, not on the clothes), but hey, I was just warming up my sewing mood!

And Sidra needed a new messenger bag. Actually he already has a messenger bag, but it’s worn out and I was afraid that the seam might rip sometime. While I was at it, I decided to make use of the fabric and made another tote bag for my husband, who already has a bunch of tote bags. But a new tote bag always makes him happy, and I’m happy when he’s happy!

Last Saturday, we changed the soil for the larva, because there’s no way I can let our kawaii larva stayed in those old and stale soil. Then we went to the chiropractor for my appointment, and after that the three of us went to a local library to read some books. We always do everything together on weekends, but this time my husband and Sidra went swimming while I went back home. But I have to blame the hot summer day because I completely lost my sewing mood after spending several hours biking outside. So when my husband got back from the pool, the fabric was still hung on the living room. I hung it there to give more motivation to myself. It didn’t work, obviously.

That left me with one day to make my blouse. I almost started sewing a summer yukata for Sidra, but my conscience took over desperately and told me to finish the blouse. So I started to work on it,  with lots of regret of course, because I would have more time to make it better and saved myself from lots of stress if only I started days earlier. Now I’m not so sure anymore about my work and I even start to think that maybe they will reject it!

I wonder why it is always harder to finish a project when there is a deadline and especially when it is not truly for myself. Fortunately Burdastyle told me to make this blouse in my size, so at the end of the day, I’ll get to wear it after all. Or to be more exact, in about 18 months after the book is published. Oh.

Burdastyle Book Project: finished (ugh, finally) is a post from: :: verypurpleperson ::

Warning: wriggly thing pictures ahead!

Colombian Hercules beetle larva, age: almost one year

This morning, the three of us woke up in excitement  because today was the soil change day for our larva! It can only be done every 3-4 months, so this occasion is something that we are always waiting for. It has been almost a year since we bought the larva, and today is the third soil change.

The larva is growing slower now, the size is just a little bit bigger than the last time (March 2010), but the body is  a lot firmer. It also moved a lot when I held it, and when I put him on Sidra’s hand, it bit Sidra’s hand! I took it from Sidra’s hand and it bit my palm too! The larva has a pair of little mandibles that are used for digging the soil. I guess he was trying to ‘dig’ on Sidra’s and my hand. It was just a little pinch though, no serious damage has done.

My husband still refused to touch the larva, he said that he couldn’t touch it because he was busy taking pictures. Owkay. But I know that deep down his heart, he loves the larva too.

More action pictures in my flickr set!

Sidra: It bites!

I love my larva and my larva loves me too (I hope)

//Song credit: Be Gentle with Me by The Boy Least Likely To//

Soil change for our larva! is a post from: :: verypurpleperson ::

Summer holiday has officially started since yesterday! It’s also getting hotter and hotter now. Strangely, I never sweat that much. Most of the time there’s only a layer of ‘glow’ over my face while my husband and other people are literally drenched in sweat. Not that it’s a good news. While my powder stay in place, I would get overheated inside, feel bloated and out of breath. It’s awful. I wonder if any of you has the same problem?

Anyway, I haven’t made any progress in my Burdastyle Book project, which by the way has to be sent by next week, instead I made some bags for Sidra and my husband. The fabric is this beautiful red stripes canvas that I found in Asakusabashi. It was kinda pricey, about $34 per metre, so I only bought half a metre. I managed to make two bags out of it because the width is 150 cm.

I’ve made a messenger bag for Sidra about two years ago, he uses it everyday and it is now worn and faded. The new one has simpler shape, no fastening or pockets at all because Sidra never uses them anyway. I use plain cotton webbing for the straps and attach some colourful plastic rings on the tabs so he can put keyrings or other stuff to them.

My husband has a lot of tote bags, he loves them and always carries one everywhere. I think he change bags more than I do! I kinda stick to one bag and put everything in it until it gets dirty before I change to another bag. I made him another big tote bag like this one with the red stripes fabric, the lining is dark -almost black- twill fabric that’s also used for Sidra’s bag. I put one pocket on the outside and one on the inside. Now they have matching bags!

Sidra was happy to have a new bag and he brings it to a trip with his art club today. He was still a bit sleepy when we dropped him off at the bus station this morning. I took this picture of him there. Unfortunately my husband refused to get his picture taken today because he was drenched in sweat after biking from our house to the station. But he loves his new bag!

Red stripes bags is a post from: :: verypurpleperson ::

So I’ve said that I won’t make any floral for sometime, but it turned out that I still have 1.35 m of this floral fabric in my stash, so I made a one shoulder dress for myself.

Initially it was cut for a ruffled collar dress, but then I got kinda bored of making it again.  I just made diagonal lines and cut one shoulder off. The ruffles is a wide strip of fabric, then an elastic is inserted inside the top line. I also use selvedges of fabric as hem and edge of the ruffles, no need to finish them!

The dress has already been worn last weekend when we went to Indonesian festival in Yoyogi. We came for the food, but the lines were so long and it was such a hot day, so we didn’t really enjoy being there. Sidra seemed a bit confused, ‘Why are there so many people speaking Indonesian?’

There was a choir singing ‘Rayuan Pulau Kelapa’, an old post-independence song. Usually the younger generation doesn’t really care for it, it was only sung at school events and of course in Indonesian events in other countries. Having to left Indonesia in a young age, Sidra is not familiar with the song,  but he seemed really drawn to it. He went closer to watch the choir and his face showed a mixture of amazement and confusion. Very interesting.

Eventually we got our Indonesian food, it was good but the day was just too hot and there were too many people. My husband and I don’t really enjoy people, so we only spent a little time there and moved on to the spacious park on the other side to take a walk and have some shaved ice. That’s more like it!

One shoulder dress is a post from: :: verypurpleperson ::

A pair of limbs in linen shorts

I made this linen shorts several days ago because I need something to wear at home. The linen fabric is only 50 cm, bought already cut and it’s only about $2.

The pattern is Jane from Burdastyle, which is very simple and easy. The fabric wasn’t enough, so I only added 1 cm for the hem and folded it inside, then I sewed a row of cotton lace on it. The cotton lace is from 100 yen shop, talking about cheap project!

I kinda like the first picture, it looks like a picture of a pair of limbs without a body! Very funny. Usually I took pictures in my bedroom, and it means that I have to take all the mattresses out of the room. Today I’m a bit tired to do all of that, so I took pictures in my sewing room. The space is smaller and the lighting is not as good as the other room, but I guess the pictures turned out okay.

This is the chair that I use when sewing, the sewing room used to be my husband’s computer room when he was living a single life. Now the room including the chair is mine. He moved downstairs and now has to work on his notebook while sitting on the floor. Poor husband.

I sit by the window when I’m sewing, and often take a peek outside to see if  Sidra come back from school. I can see him walking along the river from a distance. I love seeing him walking there, sometimes he takes time examining something on the ground or stopping to see the ducks on the river. Then when he gets nearer, I would call his name and wave at him. He would wave back and call my name. That would be the little highlight of my day.

Shorts pattern is Jane from Burdastyle.

Linen shorts is a post from: :: verypurpleperson ::

to Novita Estiti - from Mamad

We met for the first time on July 12, 2007, after 1.5 years of email exchange. He gave me a handmade card with a little poem on the backside.

Sometime later, I recalled my feeling when I saw his face for the first time and wrote the passage below:

“A smile on a certain face. You were looking up at the face and waiting for it to come down to you. All it needed was only 3 seconds to reach you, but it felt so long yet so soon. You remember every details. The cheeks were a bit pinkish, and you thought that was oh so cute. The corners of his eyes moved as he was smiling, as if his eyes were smiling too. No, not only his eyes, but his face, his body, his whole being were smiling to you. Only to you.

Everything around you receded to a distance as if they were making a space for the two of you. You waited happily at the feet of the stairs in what felt like forever. If you’d had a tail, you’d be wagging it excitedly. The feeling was so strangely familiar that you were amazed you had never felt it before. Suddenly all your hatred and miseries just dissolved like they were never important and you felt so light, so light. It was dizzying and comfortable at the same time. You wanted to share that feeling with everyone in the whole world, even the ones you thought had hurt you and made you sad.”

Have I ever said that I love the man who gave me that feeling?

3 years is a post from: :: verypurpleperson ::

Couch, before

Not a very interesting project, but something that needs to be done. The couch is actually a sofa bed bought from IKEA, I love the simple shape and the neutral navy colour. But after two years of having a little boy jumping on it every single day, it finally showed some signs of deterioration.

There is actually a huge tear on the back side of the seater, and it became bigger with every jump on it. I know I should do something about it sooner, but making a couch cover is sooo not appealing! I kept postponing the project for several months, and the couch was there, looking really bad in the living room. Today I finally decided to make the cover and it was finished in less than 30 minutes! Procrastination is indeed a bad habit.

I was going to make a real cover with zipper and all, but then I was too lazy to do it. So I only made a simple cover with mitered corner and then stitched an elastic underneath. Easy peasy! I also made a matching pillow cover with the same fabric. The fabric is Indian cotton dhurrie in blue stripes, the texture is so nice.

Now I hope the new cover can withstand the heavy wear and tear that lay ahead!

Couch cover is a post from: :: verypurpleperson ::

I’ve just finished putting all my stuff in the shop! Please check it out and if you’re a petite, there might be something for you there!

:: SHOP ::

You see that stripes fabric on the picture? The colors remind me of peanut butter and strawberry jam! The fabric is shantung silk that Burdastyle sent me for the Burdastyle Book project. It’s a bit different from what I have in mind, but I think the texture and colours are very pretty. I’ve never worked with this kind of fabric, so I kinda feel excited and nervous at the same time.

Now that I have the fabrics, thread, and pattern, all I have to do is start working on my blouse! But I’ve been slacking around these last couple of days, doing nothing but browsing on pretty sites. I need to pull myself together now and start. Maybe today I will… print the pattern. Then I can get some rest after that with the feeling that I have made a progress in my project!

Shop update and my progress on the Burdastyle Book project is a post from: :: verypurpleperson ::