NNC Craft Retreat 2015 – Day One of the Retreat (Part 2 of 4)

I woke up as early as I would normally get up to go to work. 

I wanted to get a head start in getting to Wiseed Meeting Center, at Merchant Square, where the venue of the Retreat is, as I needed to get things ready before the participants start coming in to register.

Sally and Margaret had promised to come early too to help out.

Sally arrived my house at slightly before 7.00am just as hubby was about to leave for work.

After a quick breakfast of homemade waffles (Yes! I actually made waffles the night before because I figured I wouldn’t have time to go out and have breakfast but needed to start my day right with a good breakfast!), we made our way to Merchant Square and arrived at the Meeting Center just as Radha and Margaret arrived.

We quickly got things organised, setting up the registration table, the ironing corner, cutting corner, and tools and materials corner, before setting up our own sewing machines, ready to start the Retreat!

We even had a table set up for tools and other materials which the participants might need in case they ran out or forgot to bring. 

You can see some thread organisers I brought along to sell in case anyone was interested as I had some queries on them.

I also showcased the projects which we will be doing to give the participants an idea of the project in real life, as before this, they only saw photos I put up online.

I also made up some extra kits in case we might get some participants interested to buy extra kits to make on their own.

Soon all the other participant started coming in. Besides Sally, Margaret and Radha, we had Paul, Radha’s sister-in-law, Suseela, and my cousin-in-laws, Zuraidah and Zawiyah.

We were supposed to have 9 participants, but my cousin Ima and Sally’s friend, Alize, could not make it at the last minute due to some clash of schedule.

Class started punctually at 9.00am with an introduction of what is expected out of the class, what to expect and how I intended to run the class.

We went straight into the first project with the Etui Sewing Box.

This is a project that was mostly gluing and minimal sewing. In fact, only one item needed sewing. The rest was just gluing pieces together.

Seen here are Radha and Suseela.

Here are Margaret and Sally hard at work gluing the Etui pieces together.

I never thought about bringing a radio for some light background music, so the class fell silent as everyone focused on gluing the many pieces together.

Below are sisters Zuraidah and Zawiyah.

Our very own NNC member, Paul, hard at work.

We stopped for tea at about 11.00am before continuing again right up until lunch time at 1.00pm.

Everyone went according to their speed and level of skill. No rush. 

When someone is slow, we wait awhile while he or she catches up. 

When someone gets too eager to complete by going faster than the rest, I show him or her the next step first with those able to follow the same speed. If not, I just show the steps or instructions again.

I told everyone to get themselves comfortable. Most of us even went barefooted as the classroom was carpeted.    

I am impressed with the facilities provided at the Wiseed Meeting Center. They gave us extensions wires at every table for our sewing machines when I told them we needed individual power supplies for our sewing machines.

Tea and lunch was served right on time at 11.00 and 1.00pm respectively as requested.

When it was time for me, Idah and Oyah to do our prayers, because we catered the tea and lunch from them, we had the use of part of the smaller meeting room for our lunch and a space to pray. I was most impressed when they even provided us with a sejadah!  

I’ll definitely consider them again for future retreats or meetings, should I ever have a need for a big meeting place.

Except for the pincushion which we could not complete because I had forgotten to bring the poly fiberfill, everyone managed to complete the Etui before we broke for lunch.

Before we broke for lunch, I told everyone that as soon as they are done with lunch to start ironing their fabrics for the next class to avoid a long queue after lunch and waste precious time.

The 2^nd project for the Retreat was a Lotus Bag. It was mostly straight sewing.

Seen here is Zawiyah having a go sewing on my Janome.

Almost there, Zuraidah!

Sally is an expert in origami so this Lotus Bag was almost child’s play for her. She aced through the bag without waiting for the others! LOL! That’s my star student!

The 'Headmistress' Margaret all focused on getting her Lotus bag done!

Zawiyah with her almost completed Lotus bag!

Paul is all smiles as he puts in the last part of the Lotus bag.

Suseela helping out Radha to get her Lotus bag completed.

Everyone managed to finish their Lotus Bags by 5.15pm, before we call it a day.

NNC Craft Retreat 2015 - Day 2 (Part 3 of 4 parts) - coming up!

NNC Craft Retreat 2015 – the preparations (Part 1 of 4)

The much awaited event finally arrived!

After months of preparation, many sleepless night and countless anxieties attacks, the NNC Craft Retreat planned since July 2015 finally arrived!

I have wanted to do a Craft Retreat for the last 3 years. I have been talking about it, dreaming about it, had many discussions with the NNC group members, had a few disappointments and frustrations along the way when initially the response wasn’t good, but, finally, it became a reality, and I can safely say, it was a success!

First I must thank Diane, who, even though she is halfway around the world, was the person who guided me and gave me strength to go ahead with it, despite many disappointments and frustrations as I tried to organise for the very first time, an event I had been dreaming of to do for the longest time.

I must also thank my hubby, who has been very patient with me, for putting up with me turning the house upside down with all the things needed for the Retreat, as the event drew closer and closer. LOL!

Of course, I must also thank my Co-Moderators, Paul and Margaret, for helping me with some decision-making with regards to organising the Retreat, and for their support.

I knew at the start of my planning, that I wanted to do a Retreat where the projects we were going to be doing would appeal to a variety of craft interest and all levels of sewing skills, from beginners with at least some basic sewing skill to advance.

I chose the Etui Sewing Box as a first project, because I think everyone who is into sewing would appreciate having a sewing box with all its accessories.

So, with the Etui Sewing box kit, I threw in a bonus pack of accessories to go with it. That way, every participant can go home and start using their Etui Sewing Box right away!

The second project I chose was a Lotus bag, which I think would be an easy project to do for any beginner as it involves only straight sewing. It was like an origami bag as you fold it and it opens out into a cute little bag that any little girl, or even adults, would love to have!

As for the 3^rd project, I gave two options to choose from – a Reversible Bag or the Dresden Plate Quilt Block.

I thought the Reversible Bag would appeal to those wanting to learn how to make a simple bag, while the Dresden Plate Block would appeal to those who wanted to learn to make a new block they have yet to give a try.

photo courtesy of Zarina Shamsudin

Once the projects were decided upon, I had to start planning and buying all the materials needed to make up the kits.

I travel a lot for work. Even though I started planning the Retreat in July, under normal circumstances, I would have 3 months to get everything organised. But with my constant travel, I was afraid that I might end up with very little time to get things ready.

I was right! The last month prior to the Retreat, I was outstation for work almost every other day, going from Penang to Terengganu to Melaka and the last week before the Retreat, I made a trip to Langkawi to visit my son who was sitting for his PT3 exams.

I almost had to travel outstation again just a day before the Retreat!

Luckily I had a dependable assistant who could take over from me so that I can take leave for the Retreat! LOL! Phew!    

So as soon as I confirmed the venue for the Retreat and the minimum number of participants needed to make it worthwhile to go ahead with the Retreat, I started planning on the things I needed to buy to make up the kits. I also had to think about the tools and other materials that the participants new to the crafts would need to have but would not know where to get them from.

I sourced my materials from Kevin from Quilt Friends and Corine from Penang, besides diving into my large collection of stash to make up the kits. 

I had to buy some from Spotlight IPC too to make up the balance of materials needed for the projects.

I wanted the participants to be happy with the projects that they were doing. I didn’t want to make up a kit that might end up being thrown away because the participants didn’t like the colour of their projects.

I remembered an NNC member telling me that she once hated a kit she got from a class she attended because the colour she got was not her choice of colour. She ended up dumping the kit away.

I didn’t want that. I wanted, as much as possible, for all the participants to go home happy and proud of their work and to treasure it as a piece of work that they had learned at the first ever NNC Retreat in 2015.

So I set about making a Registration Form that included preference for colours. I had some requests for preference of motifs, but it was something I could not fulfill because I would end up buying too much fabric, and that was not economically feasible.

I had so much fun going through my stash and buying more (Yup! BUYING MORE! LOL!) stash to fulfil each colour preference, but I had a lot of headaches too, *LOL!* trying to match and coordinate the fabrics for each person’s kit. But when each kit was completed and seeing how almost everyone was satisfied when they received their kits on the first day of the Retreat, made every headache and time spent matching and coordinating each and every kit to match each and every participant was very well worth it!

I felt a sense of satisfaction that at least I had achieved one of the targets set for the Retreat – for the participants to be happy with their kits.

I apologize if there are any participants who were not happy with the kits they got. I’ll try to do better next time. Next time??!! LOL! *grin*

Next thing to prepare for were the notes for the Retreat. That was another headache and time consuming as I set about making the notes, writing, and making sure that I did not infringe on any copyright law, and eventually printing out and binding the notes into booklets easy to refer to.

There were tutorials that could be made copies of to be distributed, but mostly, they were for personal use only.

So I had to make my own notes from scratch, or, for some, I could only list down the list of materials and told the participants to take notes as I teach so that they can recall what they had learned and can do the projects again should they want to do another one in the future.

As much as it was time consuming, I actually enjoyed making up the notes, especially when they eventually turned into little Note Booklets which the participants can easily refer to as they were in an easily handled A5 size.

Next came the templates for each project.

The most time consuming was the Etui Sewing Box template.

Cutting cardboard was no easy tasks. I was beginning to have shoulder aches from too much cutting.

An option was to make the participants cut the cardboard templates themselves, but then, it would be too time consuming, and some might even end up with crooked templates that might not square up when completed. Then it would be time down the drain and money wasted.

So I ended up recruiting a friend to help me out to cut the templates.

He was God sent. If it wasn’t for his dedication to cut all the templates, all 20 of them, with each kit having 8 pieces, I don’t think I would have been able to do it on my own.

With the template preparation taken over by a friend, it freed my time to focus on other things, especially to cut up all the blades for the Dresden Plate Quilt Block which requires 20 blades for each kit plus a circle for the center and the piece to lay the Dresden plates on.

It was very time consuming cutting every piece of the blade without a die, but I persevered. *grin* 

It also took a lot of my time to painstakingly trace every Reversible Bag template onto the interfacing, cutting them and ironing them onto the fabric. But I decided to do that so that the participants can get right into starting the project immediately, instead of spending time tracing, cutting, ironing and cutting again.

I wanted the participants to go back with a completed project over the 2 days, or, at least an almost completed project that they can go home and complete all on their own because I had enough time to show them all the steps needed to complete the projects.

If the participants had to spend time tracing, cutting, ironing and cutting again, I think we would end up with completing only 2 projects or less by the end of the 2^nd day.

I wanted to make sure that everyone goes home happy and satisfied. That was a target set for the Retreat right from day 1.

I know I cannot please everyone, but at least I want to try to minimize on the complaints as much as I can.

Having  to hear someone said that my choice of projects were boring and uninteresting was hurtful already, but I guess it comes with the job! *grin*

Oh! I also wanted everyone to have a great time, not just learning but making new friends too. I even made a name card for everyone to put on their table! *grin*

Cousin-in-law Zuraidah calls me meticulous! LOL!

I’ll take that as a compliment! Thanks! *wink*

I spent almost every evening after work that I was not outstation and on weekends (minus the weekends that we had weddings to attend or compulsory visits to my in-laws and my mum) preparing all the project kits which included the tracing, cutting, ironing, more cutting, and writing, editing, printing and binding the Note Booklets.

I ended up investing in a binding machine so that I can do the binding myself in the wee hours of the night on some nights as the Retreat date drew closer.

It was an exciting feeling as I packed up each and every kit. Each kit completed put a smile on my face as I imagine the person getting it.

I couldn’t help teasing the participants by posting sneak peeks and teasers, just to get the participants excited too! LOL!

Option 2 - Dresden Plate Quilt Block set plus Lotus Bag and Etui

Option 1 - Reversible Bag set plus Lotus Bag and Etui

With the kits all done up, I focused on getting a kit ready for myself to use as teaching material.

I only managed to do that, thank God for the Awal Muharam public holiday just 2 days before the Retreat.

When everything was all ready and packed up into boxes for ease in carrying, I ended up having 5 boxes containing the project kits and other tools and materials needed but not included in the kits, 2 irons, 2 ironing boards, 2 cutting mats, and my sewing machine. My little red Kembara was packed to the brim with all the things for the Retreat! LOL!

I went to bed late the night before the Retreat, packing up any last minute things needed for the Retreat, but I could hardly sleep as I was feeling anxious and nervous in case things wouldn’t go according to plan.

I was practically tossing and turning all night long! I was getting worried that I would start getting gastritis problems, but luckily, everything went smoothly.

The Day of the Retreat....... look out for next posting!

Look, everyone! This lovely heart shaped thread organiser arrived in the mail a few days ago! Cute, don't you think? ;) 

One of it will be put up as a Lucky Draw prize during the NNC Craft Retreat happening on the 16 - 17/10/15. 

So those who have yet to sign up for the Retreat, there's still time! Jom, come join us!

NNC Craft Retreat - sneak peek

Got one more Reversible Bag kit to do and the Dresden plate kits to do. Can't wait for the Retreat! Are you excited? Jom, come join us this 16 - 17/10/15 for some sewing and crafting excitement! Open to all crafters in Malaysia!

! 

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!

Bags of pink!

After coming back from the retreat in Penang, I was excited to get started on the two bags which I did not manage to complete while at the retreat as there was so much to do, but so little time to do them all.

However, I never managed to even touch the bags until the evening of Hari Raya Haji as I came down with a flu and a bad case of backache on Wednesday which lasted till Raya Haji day itself.

I think it had to do with the fact that I never had the time to fully recuperate from the traveling and excitement over the last 3 days in Penang as I had to go back to work the day after I arrived on Monday evening. I needed a break to recuperate from my break! LOL!

Anyway, not wanting the long weekend to go to waste, and after feeling much better after a much needed rest on Friday evening (we did not do any visiting to any relatives’ house this Raya Haji, except to visit my in-laws and talking to my mum over the phone, due to my bad backache), I slowly picked up the bags to work on.

I managed to complete both bags – the Four Face Bag

and the Lacey Tote – just before I had to get dinner ready.

I like both bags, but I think the Lacey Tote is really sweet, especially it being in PINK, and with the lace and all!

I can imagine myself having to walk really daintily and looking demure dressed in a flowing skirt carrying this lacey tote! LOL! *wink*

The Four Face bag, on the other hand, is more like the rough tough type of bag where I could just carry it around wearing jeans and dumping everything and anything inside it! LOL!

Both bags are made from printed corduroy, and yes, they are of the same motif. I could not resist buying the pink kits even though there were many other colours, but none attracted me more than the pink bag kits. *grin* I think it was also more because I did not like the fabric combination of the other colours, even though I thought I should make one in earth tones.

I figured I could always make the bags in other colours once I have learnt the technique of making the bags. I do plan to make more of all 3 bags that I have learnt at the retreat. Corine had already asked me if I had made more bags since I came back. *smile*

BTW, here’s the kit for the Hexagon bag which I never even managed to get started on.

I also bought the tea pots and tea cup pieces which I hope to appliqué some day. Yup! SOMEDAY! LOL! So, when will that day come? *grin*

We also got upon registering for the retreat a kit for a purse, but I never got the time to learn how to assemble it. I am hoping for when Corine comes to KL next time to learn how to assemble it from her.

Oh! Have you heard that she's coming to town very very soon and she's offering to teach a bag or two? Would any of you be interested to take up the bag making class?

I will tell more later in another posting. So, keep a lookout, or, if you can't wait, leave a comment here or email me offlist. If we have enough positive response, we might just start organising a formal class.

Anyway, back to what I got at the retreat, I also bought, couldn’t resist it *grin*, 2 pieces of one meter each fabric at Corine’s shop, and two rulers from Kelvin’s shop.

The longer one is actually in metrics because I have yet to have one in metrics. All my other crafting rulers are in imperial.

I bought the square one with the hope that my squares will be more squared up. Yeah, I know, I don’t actually need to buy a square ruler to make my squares square, but, heck, I just have got to have it! LOL! *wink*

My sewing friends will understand, right? *wink*

A great time at the Craft Retreat! – Part 3 (22nd November 2009)

We got up really early that Sunday morning as Corine said that she will start me off early on my bag so that I can get as much done as possible, this being the last day of the retreat.

I was down at the 1st floor foyer ready with my sewing machine and sewing things at 8.00am, all excited to get started on another exciting day at the retreat.

After helping out to get things organised a bit for the day, I immediately got started on the ABC bag which Sheet Lin had already kindly cut to size.

When I first saw the bag, I thought that it was going to be an easy bag to make, especially when Corine said that it only took her two hours to complete it. Errr…..thanks for the vote of confidence, Corine, but I think Corine forgot one very fundamental element - and that is the fact that I am only a novice at making this kind of bags, unlike her who is already an expert! LOL! *wink*

So, how long did I actually take to do the bag which is supposed to be as easy as A..B..C..? SIX HOURS! And even then the bag wasn’t fully completed as I still have the hand sewing part to do. LOL!

The handiwork in my rush to complete it? Errr….don’t even ask! LOL! It must have been my worst! *grin* But, I am glad that at least I managed to complete it at a level where I could understand the technique on how to do it.

I definitely will have to do another piece, this time, at a normal pace, so that I can make proper notes for future reference.

By the way, I finally know how to make the zippered pocket! I have been wanting to learn how to make the zippered pocket for the longest time, and finally Corine taught me how to do it! I am so excited! *grin*

While doing the bag at the retreat, I made notes by taking photographs for almost every step, but I would need to go through them again and redo my `notes’ so that I can understand it better when I need to do the bag again.

I also took photographic notes for the four Face Bag, but not as detailed as the ABC bag as it only occurred to me halfway through making the Four Face bag on how to go about taking notes without spending too much time writing as I rushed to complete the bag.

In the mean time while I was busy and having fun at the retreat, my hubby and Aiman was also having fun hiking Bukit Bendera. Aiman called me from time to time to report to me on his progress.

My hubby said that it took a lot to motivate a boy to take a four and a half hour hike. He said that he learnt a lot about himself as a father too. *smile*

I am so proud of my two boys! More so when my hubby said that Aiman was threathened and chased by an aggresive alpha male leader of the pack monkey. It was a new but frightening experience for him but he took it in his stride, although, according to my hubby, he cried a bit, but he would not let my hubby relate it to me out of embarassment. *grin*

After completing the ABC bag at about 3.30pm, and rushing through lunch of McD Prosperity Burger ordered by Niza (thanks, Niza, for the lunch!), I immediately got started on the Lacey Tote bag.

I wanted to get as much done as possible so that at the end of the retreat, I will feel satisfied and happy that I have accomplished so much even though over a short span of time. At least I have something to show for, despite the crisis that we have had to go through and make every sen and time spent worth it.

I did not manage to get the Lacey Tote done by the time it was time for the retreat to end, but Corine gave me enough tips for me to be able to go home and complete the bag. I also took lots of photographs of the sample bag so that I have something to refer to should I need to.

Here are some photos of some of the bags which Corine will be offering to teach next year! I just can't wait! I just hope that I can find the time to come to Penang to learn all these lovely bags from her!

By the way, there was also an Etui class being taught by Agnes.

I had wanted to learn how to make this too, but Agnes adviced me to concentrate on the bags as Corine is in Penang and I might not have another chance so soon to come to Penang again.

Whereas the Etui can be learnt later as Agnes is in Kuala Lumpur.

Soon it was time to pack up, and things were buzzing around with the organizers getting things together. Goodbyes were said to those who were not able to join us for the BBQ at Corine’s house that night.

I did not want to leave the foyer of the hotel where the retreat was taking place so soon despite having packed up all my things. I was starting to experience a withdrawal symptom.

What do you expect when, the last 3 days, you have been spending time together among friends who share the same passion as you, having so much fun together, doing things we simply love and don't mind spending all day doing it!

Note: above photos taken from Troy16 Flickr Album. You can see more here.

I was leaving behind friends I have not met for a very long time. Even though Azie, Leena and Roz live in the Klang Valley, it is not easy for us to get the opportunity to meet like what we did the last 3 days. It's not easy to meet up with Niza either as she lives in Nibong Tebal. I hope to meet Zarina again when I next fly in to Penang for work, even if it is just for a short while. Hopefully I will also have another chance to drop by Corine's Little Hut Shop!

Corine has taught me so much, but there is still plenty that I still need to learn!

Despite completing one bag and having two bags halfway done, I feel that I have not learnt enough or accomplished much. I have lots still to learn and I hope that Corine will still open her doors to me to learn a lot more.

I still have the Friendship Girl and the Hexagon bag to make, and Corine has promised me that she will teach me the next time that she is down here in Kuala Lumpur. I just can’t wait. I just hope that it doesn’t clash with my other commitments here in KL.

There is so much that I want to do and learn, but there is so little time to do it……… *sigh*

The retreat ended with a BBQ at Corine’s house which we almost didn’t make it when we simply could not find our way there. Niza and Corine had to come get us. *grin*

Thanks, Niza and Corine!

Seen here with me, are, from left, Niza, Leena and Roz. Azie had left by the 7.00pm flight earlier that day.

We had a great time at the BBQ, but had an even better time looking at all the lovely quilts which Corine showed us as she got Roz, Niza and Leena settled in for the night.

Wish I could have joined them for an all night girls’ night! LOL! *wink*

I bet all they could talk about all night long was the retreat! I am envious!

I was even more envious when Niza called me the next morning to tell me that they are doing another day of crafting at Corine’s little Hut Shop as Leena and Roz wanted to do more bags while they waited for their flight back to KL.

If I hadn’t felt guilty for `neglecting’ my son and hubby for the last 3 days, I would probably have wanted to join them. *wink* In fact, when Niza called me in the morning, my hubby had taken my son to the swimming pool, and I think I would have walked to Corine’s house had the house just been a walking distance to the hotel! LOL!

But, it would have been a rush as we had to check out of the hotel by 12.00noon. I also had the packing to do. So, to pacify myself, I set up my machine in the hotel room and worked on my Four Face Bag as I waited for Aiman and hubby to come back from swimming. *grin*

We left for Kuala Lumpur at 2.00pm after having lunch at the hotel restaurant, and arrived safely at 7.00pm.

It was a great Crafting Retreat weekend. I had so much fun, and I leant so much!

I really hope that there will be more of such retreat in the future. In fact, I asked Corine if we could have one here in KL, and she said sure, for as long as I am willing to be the organiser. Hmm…why not, huh? *wink* My hubby believes that there is a market yet to be tapped and is all for my wanting to organize one. Thanks, Dia, for your support! Hugs!

I must thank Niza, Ina and Corine so much for inviting me to this retreat. I can’t thank you all enough for the great time that I had, and for all the great knowledge that I gained during those 3 days.

BTW, thanks, Ina, for the yummy chocolate cake! Yum!

Thanks to Roslind too for her patience to teach students like me who can only crawl while others run! LOL!

It was so good to finally meet Leena in person ofter so many years of communicating online and only now having the chance to meet up. Good to meet up with Azie and Roz too. We should meet more often, but, yes, I know, everyone is busy with work and the other more important aspects of their lives. *wink* Maybe we should try to meet up at least once a month for a crafting day? *wink*

Thank you so much, Dia, for allowing me to join the retreat and joining me in Penang to give Aiman a holiday. Thank you for making it possible for me to stay on despite the crisis at home on the first day of your arrival in Penang, but I hope that you have had a great time too in Penang hiking up Bukit Bendara with Aiman.

Thanks, everyone! It’s been great!

Want to see how the other two bags look like? Check out my next posting! *wink*