More than a year had past since I last blogged??

OK. I just realised that I haven't updated my blog in the last one year or so. Been busy. Busy with what? Hmm......

But I have been updating my FB status though!

I have been busy with work, travelling for work here and there.

I have been busy crafting too!

The year 2016 has seen me venturing into quite a number of new things, work wise and craft wise.

Work wise might bore you, so I'll start with craft wise first. ;)

I finally got to set up my own craft studio in December 2016!!

Yippee! It was like a dream come true!

Though not yet fully equipped but it can already start taking students for small classes.

I managed t o arrange for 2 classes in December 2016 with the Wave Bag by Ruzila Kassim, and the Backpack class by Razatie.

It was a very small class, but it was a good start.

I hope to organize more classes in the future.

Come back here and I'll try to keep this blog updated as much as possible!

Till then, HAPPY NEW YEAR 2017!

May this be a blessed year for me and my family and friends and everyone else!

NNC Craft Retreat 2015 - Come join us!

My Craft Group, Needles N Crafts, or fondly known as NNC, was formed among friends through our love and passion of crafting.

We have celebrated 8 years of being together, and this year 2015, we celebrate our 9th Anniversary! 

To celebrate another milestone of our existence, we are organizing a 2-day Craft Retreat of fun, sewing, crafting and making new friends in October. 

Partnering with Uniquely Aznique, my blogshop specializing in handmade bags, we are opening our doors and inviting you, all Malaysian Crafters out there, to join us in this celebration to make this Anniversary a special and memorable occasion. 

We hope by extending our invitation for other crafters to join us, it will bring more crafters together to share their love of creating and crafting, while forming friendships that will last a lifetime

Let’s sew together! Let’s do some crafty things together! Let’s hang out, eat and have fun! 

I will be teaching the projects that we will be doing, assisted by a few friends. The projects will be fun projects that will encompass a little bit of sewing, crafting and of course lots of lovely fabric! Don’t you just love fabrics? LOL!

At the end of the Retreat, there will be a Show & Tell of completed projects, maybe a prize or two *wink* and a group photo to remind us all of the great time we had!

Jom! Join us! Come craft away with us!

Zippered pouch by Uniquely Aznique!

Need a pouch for all those little things you carry around? 

Need a quick gift that is small and cute but can pack in a lot of small items that is absolutely necessary to carry with you? 

Why not buy a pouch specially made by Uniquely Aznique! 

Check out our collection at

http://uniquelyaznique.blogspot.com/2014/09/zippered-pouch.html

Going Bananas!

It's finally done! I finally completed the Banana Bag for Mel!

I started on this bag in April 2011, but I could not complete the bag because I could not get a strap that comes with a leather tab like the one in the original design on the bag I learnt from Corine in Penang in November last year.

Mel ordered this bag during the NNC Anniversary Meet in March 2011. I told her that I would get it done in two months time. I did, but minus the strap.

I had bought my strap with the leather tab from Corine, but when I wanted to order the strap from Corine for Mel's bag, Corine no longer had stock of it and wasn't planning to order anymore so soon. So I tried contacting this lady in Penang who does leather things if she would be willing to custom make me the leather tab. I could buy the strap myself and put them together on my own.

Unfortunately, she was no longer willing to take custom orders because she was tied up lots of orders for custom made leather bags, her core business.

Corine offered to show me how to make my own tab but using PU instead. I was supposed to drop by her house during one of my many trips to Penang for work. Unfortunately, I was always short for time as I rush from meetings to meetings when in Penang. By the time work is done, it's time for me to catch a flight back to KL.

I was beginning to get a little bit embarrassed that I am taking longer than 2 months before I could deliver Mel's order. That's not good when you are in the business line. I had to find a way to buy the leather tab somewhere or try making my own from PU like what Corine suggested.

I was going online almost every spare evening I have in search of the tab, but all in vain. I could either be searching at the wrong place or I am not keying in the right key words. I only know that it is called a tab. For all I know, it could be going by another name.

I eventually ordered 2 pieces of PU on eBay in two different tones of browns in an attempt to make my own tab. It didn't work. It just did not look right for the bag.

I spent several nights trying out different ways to attach the PU tab to the bag, but nothing seems to look like how I imagined it to be. I went to bed on many nights feeling frustrated.

I was about to give up when suddenly an idea popped out of my head one day.

I imagined the idea that I had in mind, when done, would look sweet and cute. Now it is a matter of whether Mel would like it, it being lacy and all. Not many people like laces, so I can only hope that Mel wouldn't be one of them.

The result of my idea? Here it is, lace and all....

 

What do you think?

Why the need for the lace, you might say? Why couldn't I just have the handle sewn directly onto the bag? Well, I did try but I didn't like the look where the strap meets the bag. It did not look right, neither did it look nice. It looked like an after thought and not much thought and time was given to the detailing of the bag. It's just not me to make something that looks like an after thought.

 

If you don't mind my saying so myself, I like the way I have managed to resolve this tab issue which has been "haunting" and bothering me for the last 4 months since completing the bag body.

Here's a peek inside the bag to show off the Uniquely Aznique label. *wink*

 

I can now finally hand over the bag to Mel and hope that she likes what she sees. I hope that this bag will be Mel's constant companion each time she goes out with friends and family.

Thanks, Mel, for the opportunity to do business with you. I hope there will be more to come in the future. *wink*

When crafts transcends all languages

On my recent trip to Penang for work, I came across this Japanese book on bags.

In the last two years or so since I started making bags, I have been buying quite a number of Japanese craft books, but I have yet to make anything from any of the books. I always end up getting intimidated by the Japanese instructions. I still am, but, for some reason, when I bought this book, I saw something I really like and want to give it a try.

I forced myself to get over feeling intimidated, and try to figure things out from the photos instead. That's one thing good about Japanese book - they come with good photo instructions, and our crafts transcends all languages.

I took about 2 days to figure out the instructions and on the 3rd day, I started tracing out the templates.

I had another problem though. Not being able to understand Japanese, I could not figure out the instructions printed on the templates. I couldn't make out the dimensions where dimensions are written and not drawn.

That's when I had to get creative and luckily, with the basic knowledge on bag making that I have, I made some educated guess and with some adjustments along the way, this lime green and orange bag was born.

I think I shall call it the Box Pleated Bag.

The original design calls for the handles to be made of 1 1/2 in tape sewn in the way I would always attach handles to the totes I make.

But when I had a visit from Sally last week, I had asked her to bring along some of her lovely bag handles. I wanted to get a brown one for another bag that I was in the midst of making.

But when I saw this lovely lime green bag handle, I knew it would be perfect for the Box Pleated Bag that I was going to do.

I think I was right in choosing this handle. It gave the bag some class.

The bag is quite small actually, measuring only 11 inches wide at its broadest, 9 1/2 inches high and 3 1/2 inches at its side, but it could comfortably fit in Sam, my Samsung Galaxy Tab, with still plenty of room for my purse and make-up pouch.

The side pockets are perfect for my two handphones!

I also added an internal  pocket which was not part of the original design.

I had also omitted the buttons as I could not find a button in my stash that would go with the bag.

I did not want to wait till I could get to Kelvin to get some buttons as I want to try to finish the bag when I still have some free time.

Besides the language barrier in trying to understand the instructions in making the bag, my only other problem was that of thickness or bulkiness due to the layering when doing the box pleats because the fabrics had already been ironed with interfacing.

If ever I make this bag again, I think I will make the pleats first, only then will I iron on the interfacing so that I won't end up with bulk at the seams.

Overall, I enjoyed making this bag, and might even consider taking orders to make a few more! *wink*

I have another bag I am making from the same book that I got the pattern for this bag, and again, I had to make some adjustments and some educated guess to try to figure out the instructions. That bag is also nearing completion. I just have the accessories to add.

I will post photos of that bag too when it is fully completed. Stay tuned!

More Little Missies!

Remember I did one for my niece in purple when I attended Corine’s bag class at Kelvin’s more than 3 months ago?

Well, after that, I made 3 more!

I made two in shades of pink and one in turquoise and pink.

The first pink bag was for my niece, Kuyana, for her birthday in August.

I just love the pink and purple flowers and the pink polka dot fabrics just compliments the pink and purple flowers very well, making the bag look so sweet! Just perfect for my sweet niece!

The pink and purple flower fabric was from an old stock some 2 years back when I started going crazy doing patchwork. The polka dot fabric came from IKEA bought more than a year ago.

I had actually completed her bag in time for her birthday, but since I did not get a chance to meet up with her, I kept it until a time when I would meet up with her.

Guess what? This 16 year old niece of mine called me up crying, no, make that, wailing, saying that that I had forgotten her birthday and that I did not love her because I did not make her a bag but I made her sister, Kuyasmin, a bag (their birthdays are only 4 days apart).

In actual fact, I met up Kuyasmin after my class with Corine, and so decided to give her the purple bag then which, coincidentally, was the day just before her birthday. At that time I had yet to complete making Kuyana’s bag.

Trust my niece to wail! LOL!

Anyway, I finally gave her the bag when we had a family get together cum Raya Open House on the 16th of September 2010. Just look at that happy face upon receiving the bag! LOL! Makes it all worthwhile making her the bag when you get such a wonderful reaction like this, doesn’t it?

She was also excited to see the other pink bag I made, but most probably I won’t be giving away nor selling it just yet as I need to have one as a sample/reference in case I might forget how to do it.

This second pink bag has wild flowers motifs for its front and bag. I had bought this fabric at Kelvin’s at about the same time that I had attended the class to make the Little Missy.

The complimenting pink fabric was from my old stock, but fits in almost perfectly with the wild flower motif fabric.

The 4th Little Missy bag I made is in turquoise and pink, an order from a relative who saw my bag at a family gathering at my uncle’s house during the Raya season. She said that she’s ordering it for her daughter.

I really enjoyed making this bag as I really love the colour combination!

Both fabrics came from Quilt Gallery in Bangsar Village which I had bought more than a year ago.

Makes me feel good to use up stash I had bought long time ago rather than having to go out and buy new fabrics when making projects, especially those that are special orders. It gives me the feeling that I am spending less yet making money! LOL!

The bag was safely hand delivered to the relative sometime in September, all packed up ready to be given away as a gift should she decide to give it away as a present to her daughter or someone else.

I am now taking orders to make the Little Missy. So, if any of you are interested to order, do visit my blogshop at Uniquely Aznique to find out more or drop me an email.

Been busy embroidering......

I have been busy...well, ok, since when have I not been busy? LOL! *grin*

OK, make it, I have been EXTRA busy! LOL!

Besides work and doing the household chores, I have been quite busy lately doing embroidery work on my Em, embroidering towels as gifts and also to fulfill orders. Yeah...orders! Sounds like I have loads of orders, right? LOL!

I do, actually, though not many, but enough to keep me occupied after my son goes to bed, and while I keep my hubby company (or is that the other way around? LOL!) whenever he watches one of those war movies. I have fun playing around with the beautiful designs available online and personalising it with names for that special someone.

You know, it does make a lot of difference when you gift someone something personalised. It makes that person feel special that you actually took the trouble to have it personalised.

I made these for a friend who got married on the second day of Hari Raya.

I made these for my brother and SIL for their 17th Wedding Anniversay. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, Nik Ai and Eli! Miss you guys!



These are for my brother, Ayis and his family. I just love the colours of the towels that he had chosen! And, I just love the motif for FATIN and FAWZAN. Cute, don't you think?

Don't you just love these personalised towels? Well, guess what? I am offering sets of embroidered towels at my blog shop - UNIQUELY AZNIQUE  (http://uniquelyaznique.blogspot.com/).

Do drop by to take a look on what I have  to offer and to get further info and more details.

Introducing Uniquely Aznique!

I have been putting this off for too long. I am nervous, but excited, but, I think it's time I just do it! So, here goes......

Introducing Uniquely Aznique! – the shop to get your customized handmade bags and other craft items and craft supplies!

Go here to check out the shop!
http://uniquelyaznique.blogspot.com/

For a start, I have 3 types of praying mat and praying mat bag up for order. More handmade bags and other craft items will be added as I make them and add them here. I will also be putting up cottons for sale as and when I get them in.

Take time to browse through my many handmade items and should you require any further information, please do drop me a line at nikainun@yahoo.com and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

If you are interested to order any of the items, please send me an email at nikainun@yahoo.com with the code name of the items and let me know your choice of colours, and anything custom made that you would like to have on the item -trimmings, pockets etc. - for the handmade items.

For the handmade items, as, at the moment, I have yet to put up all the collection of fabrics that I have in hand, I will send you an email (please check both your Inbox & Spam Folder ) with an attachment of the choice of fabrics that I have in stock in the colours of your choice for you to choose from. Once you have made your colour choices, I will let you know how much the cost of the item is and my account number for you to bank in the amount.

For cottons, please list down the code name of the cottons, and I will email you with a proper list and total amount to be paid to my Maybank account. Please let me know by email once you have banked in the payment, and include in your address where the item is to be delivered to.

Please note that price listed is NOT INCLUDING shipping and handling charges and delivery is only by Pos Daftar (Registered Mail) or Pos Laju, and will be charged according to the weight of the package. All items sold are neither refundable nor exchangeable.

I am afraid I cannot be responsible for any loss or damage during delivery, but I would appreciate it if you would let me know if you have not received the item after 10 days from the date of delivery so that I can still try to track it down through Pos Malaysia. I would most appreciate it too if you would let me know once when you have received the item so that I no longer need to keep track of it.

A note though, as I am not doing this full time and can only work on customised orders mostly on weekends, and is only available to go to the post office only on certain days of the week, please allow for a minimum of 2 months for items that are to be handmade and delivered to you. But, should I complete it sooner, I will email you to let you know that item has been sent together with the registered tracking number. For cottons, please allow for a minimum of 2 weeks.

Thank you, and wish me luck!