200+ Followers & 25.000+ Hits Giveaways Series #2 : Japanese Books 100 Patchwork Bags

Ok guys, do you ready for my next giveaway ? This time I'll give away this cute japanese craft book :

I don't know its title exactly, but I guess the title is : 100 Patchwork Bags. As the title says it all, you can expect a huge collection of patchwork bags, completed with visual illustrations and (short) tutorials

It is full of detail and visual instruction, so even it is written in Japanese, the tutorials are easy to follow :)

Above : Cute bag for Spring (they even give us different style for different season, awesome !)

Yum ! yum ! yum !

Do you want it ? just leave comment about what is your favorite crafts (or craps :D ) I've made. You can find in Made by Me label.

As usual, international entries are welcomed
Giveaway starts from today, Oct 29, until November 5, 2010, 3 p.m. Jakarta time

Good luck and have a nice weekend

Correction : Giveaway will be closed at November 4, 2010

Balinese Hobo Bags Winners !!

So, is it true that most of readers want me to write a tutorial ? Ok then, I'll try to write a tutorial every week.. oops.. ok maybe it won't be in every week, but I'll try my best to give you a quick, easy-to-follow tutorial

I tried to draw the winners using more creative tools, instead of random.org, but I was lack of time, so I went to random.org again. Ok, no further talk. I draw the winner for marroon bag first

Marroon bag goes to comment #29 : Tiari !!

Tiari Pratiwi Hutami said...

mbak citra..
aku paling suka post tentang giveaway ini.. :)
soalnya aku dari dulu belum pernah ikutan giveaway apa pun, dan setelah diajak n baca post ini, aku langsung tertarik.. hehehe
beside that, aku suka post tentang tutorial, soalnya jelas, from nothing to something..

keep blogging, mbak! :)

And the brown bag :

The brown bag goes to comment #2 : Amy !!

Amy said...

hello, just found your blog, I really like it, and would expect a post of a showcase full of your crafts :)

Congratulation dear, I'll contact you today. Hope can find an email address in your blog profile :)

update : my dear Amy, please leave comment noticing me your email address or whatever account/contact you have so I can send you email, please a.s.ap, because I can't find any email address/contact in your blogger profile

My First Japanese Sewing Books

I've listed japanese sewing books in my wish list for a long time, and spied them in etsy :) I can't find a good japanese sewing books in Jakarta. I mean, there are a lot of japanese crafting books, but mostly they are all about bags, felt, crochet, patchwork, quilting. I love patchwork, and also love quilting, an I had bought some of them, but I want japanese sewing books so much

So few weeks ago, I contacted my favourite shop in etsy that sell unique japanese sewing books. Unique, because the books she sell are not common. So I ordered three !! And they came to my home in a right time

Ohh my first japanese sewing books !!

What a surprise ! Look at those cute japanese Hello Kitty and Snoopy stamps, so cute :)

Ok, now, I want to order five more books (?) Does it sound ambitious :D

My Finished Sadie Shirt

Woaa !! I've finished my Sadie Shirt from cotton fabrics that I had shown you. But after I force it to my daughter, it doen't fot her. It is too big. So I decide to give it to my niece and make smaller one for my own daughter. Sorry dear, at first mommy thought that it would fit you

Look at those buttons. I didn't have any yellow button so I made it myself using brown buttons and I covered it using yellow fabric. It's so easy. You can try this tips yourself. I'll add these pictures into Craftiness is Not Optional craft pools

This post has been linked up to :

They made it : Triangular Pouch

Isn't it beautiful ? Michele from Nostalgic Cafe shares her triangular pouch made using Triangular Pouch Tutorial

I love the fabrics and color schemes she chose. Congratulation, Michele !! I hope you like the pouch

Truckermomma from Kissing Bunnies Crafts also made it, oopps not just one, but three triangular pouches !!! Here they are :





I love them all, thank you Truckermomma for sharing them :)

I can't believe that many crafty people in all over the world want to try my tutorial. I know that the tutorial needs to be re-written and needs to be added some visual references (maybe I'll check it back and add some visual guide soon) but they still did it perfectly :)

PS : From now, I will feature anything made from my tutorial. So if you have made any, please let me know by dropping comments on any post in my blog or sending me email at mama.rafif@gmail.com

200+ Followers & 25.000+ Hits Giveaways Series #1 : Balinese Hobo Bags

From the title of this post, you doesn't have to guess what this post is about :D It's about GIVEAWAY !!

I'm glad that my blog (finally) is in the step of having 200 more followers and 25.000 more hits. If you are my real readers, you can see how musing my first posts. were. I was confused about what I shall post. At my first month, I post about almost everything I like to post, and the posts didn't really stay focus on one topic. And they really didn't fit me. And then I start to learn to stay focus on a thing that I love : Sewing and Crafts. And then my confidence started to grow.

It has been 5 months since I blogged for the first time, and I shall say thank you very much for my fellow readers and crafters whose comments had encouraged me to create more.

And for giveaway, I've made into series !! yes, they are all in a series of post. So you can choose which item you like to enter. Or you can enter every of them !! It is sooo permitted

For my first giveaway series, I bring you some delicacies from Bali (note : I haven't sew any handmade crafts for giveaway, so you can expect them to appear in next series ^_^) More than a week ago, I went to Bali and bring many souvenirs. Two of them are these beautiful hobo bags from Putri Bali Agung

Do you want them ? Two lucky readers can own one of them !! just put a comment on this post telling me :

"What kind of post you would like to expect from my blog ? Is it : a tutorial, a showcase full of my crafts, a product review, a giveaway, a blog swap, a bundle of my favourite projects all over the blogland, or something I've never heard before ? Please tell me...

Just one entry for one person please :)
Open from October 22 - October 28, 2010. Giveaway will be closed at October 28, 2010, 3 p.m. Jakarta Time

And you can win one of these...

Really pretty, aren't they ?

The oh-so-lovely bead works

So hurry up !! international entries are welcomed

Note:

My blog has been added to Giveaway Scout. Giveaway Scout is a giveaway search engine. Its subscribers will receive updates on the latest giveaways on the web. Add your blog and your giveaways will be exposed to large network or users.
Another advantage is it will publish your giveaways on its multiple channels (web, newsletter, Twitter, Facebook and widget network). It totally rocks !!

Silky Double Breasted Jacket

nI want to share to all of you my favourite past projects. They are two double breasted jackets that I made few months ago. I'm not a good seamstress, so for me they felt like forever. I made them from fine silks my aunt sent for me from Beijing

Above one is my most favourite. I just love the pattern of the silk. I think it's very decent and shabby. I made the jacket from the an existing jacket in a same model. The being-imitated jacket is labelled Diane von Furstenberg, but I don't think that it is a real DvF because ... umm I just feel it's not genuine :)

I traced the jacket into a set of pattern. And I was glad that finally I could sew silk. You may see it flawless, but think of it.. I got the silk in 5 yards. To make the jacket in that size, I just need 3 yards or more. Because some (great) failures I've made, the remnants I had now is in very small pieces

Love the bow detail in back :)

Very sweet !!

I made another one in different model. Call me a copycat, but I also imitated it from an existing jacket that I own

If you want to make one like this, you can refer to McCall's 5525 Misses'/Women's Lined Jackets, Coats and Belt Patterns

Do I want another silky-jacket project ? NO !!! Not for this time

Ps : I'm still learning hard to use my new camera. Maybe I need to take a product-shoot photography course

Fabrics for Sadie Shirt

Apparently, I'm in the mood for sewing, sewing and sewing all week long. I've got so many projects in hand, and unfortunately I can't handle them all. The unfortunate one is this Sadie Shirt. I had prepare some nice fabrics , including this yellow-gray cotton :

or maybe this green-orange one ?

If you want to sew a Sadie Shirt, you can visit Jess from Craftiness is Not Optional and steal her idea on sewing a cute, comfy little shirt for your daughter. She made a few series of tutorial named The Sadie Shirt Sew Along. The series she'd written are :

Part 1 - Pattern & Pieces
Part 2 - Bodice and Placket
Part 3 - Button Closure
Part 4 - Sleeves

and the last one, Part 5 : Hem, Collar, and Buttons will follow tommorow

I've committed that I will finish my Sadie Shirt tommorow, aww I've got so many plans in my head. I'm just afraid that they will blow out without being accomplished :(

I put the sew along button below, because I (in progress to) participate in it :D

Triangular Pouch Tutorial

Hello Dear,

Meet me again in another DIY Tutorial, I hope you don't mind ^_^
Have you try my balloon dress tutorial ? I hope you've tried it, and please do not forget to email me your creation using my pattern

Not so long ago, my friend sent me a fat quarter of beautiful japanese linen. I was so in love with it, but still, I didn't know what kind of thing that I can make from a fat quarter. And few days ago, I stumbled upon a red polkadot from my old stash. I thought it would be a good contrasting colour for my japanese linen. And then I decided to make this simple triangular pouch.

I saw the model on my friend's desk few years ago. It was a long time ago, but my visual memory about that pouch was so strong (I guess ^_^ ) so I tried to recreate my own version of this triangular pouch. I'm not so sure if that a perfect name for this pouch.. but ok let's name it "Triangular Pouch" ^_^

Very pretty, isn't it? It is suitable to carry our children's school stuffs (pencil, crayons, etc) and also our make up

Here is focus fabric and lining fabric measurement, you can add length, depth or anything you want, but don't forget to link back to this tutorial as a a source

What you need :
A fat quarter of focus fabric
A fat quarter of lining fabric
Bias tape on lining fabric
Fusible (web) interfacing
Two pair of snap

How to make :
1. Cut focus fabric according to the pattern. In my version, I add a little lining fabric as an accent


2. Iron the fusible interfacing into wrong side of focus fabric


3. Fold the focus fabric. Please refer to the fold lines on the pattern


4. Prepare the lining fabrics. Cut it down as the lining pattern goes. You can see the "SEW" line on both the focus & lining pattern. That means you shall gather the focus and the lining fabric at those lines wrong side together

In my photo below, you can not see the sew line because I use a red thread (I'll fix it later so you can see my stitiching line)


Turn the right side, so the right side is now in front


5. Pin every side of the pouch. Please refer to picture below
Prepare two pair of snaps and bias tape


6. Attach the snaps at any place you want. Before attaching them, please make sure that they will meet at the same places



7. Sew the bias tape along the side of the pouch. Right side together.
Start it short at the red contrasting fabric where snaps were attached. And then start again at the top-right side, along to the bottom, then up to the front flap. And then turn down again to the left bottom. And end the sew at top-left side

I know you're confused reading my instruction above
I'll re-draw the bias tape sew-along line tonight, so you aren't confused anymore



Turn the right side of bias tape outward, press the stitched bias tape using iron. And then hand-sew the other side of bias fabric. You can also finish the bias tape using machine stitching, but I prefer hand-sew for a soft look

And finish !!
You go girl !! I love my new pouch


P.S : Some friends had tried to make the pouch. You can check them here and here

This post has been linked up to :

Thank you so much Cindy for stumbling at this project. Please go check out her Stumble Upon page, she has huge collections !!