That Time of Year

So it's that time of the year again - Ramadhan!

Source: www.sodahead.com

I'm going to be honest in this post. I find Ramadhan hard. I'm not ashamed to admit it. I usually try to trick my brain into thinking that it's easy peasy lemon squeezy, and hoping (in vain) that my body will agree. But it's not so easy peasy lemon squeezy. Not for me anyway. 

And so, this year I came prepared for the hunger pangs (they hurt!) and the heavy head (just show me a pillow and I'll fall asleep anytime, anywhere), and the cravings (jammy doughnuts pleeeeaase!)  And you know what? It's turning out to be not too bad at all. 


Because however hard it gets, I know that at the end of the day I'll be back to being a happy bunny with my loved ones. And I also realize with each pang that whatever I'm feeling is temporary, and so I'm grateful. Grateful because I'm healthy enough to carry the fast, because we're tolerant enough to be able to practice our faiths in peace and because when the sun goes down I'm lucky enough to be able to stuff my face with whatever I fancy, with the people I love, and crawl into my soft bed under my warm quilt, and because the biggest problem I've had today is deciding whether to have the blackcurrent or the strawberry doughnut. 


So if you're fasting, Happy Ramadhan! Be grateful, be good, be moderate and remember now, no drooling!  To everyone else, happy sewing!

Kitty Under the Needle

I was in The Office the other day, working on my machine. 

The door was open a crack, and by the by someone came along to visit. 

She came up and sat really close ... 

Then got more and more comfortable .... 

And soon fell asleep .... 

I've heard about working with a baby on your lap, but how do you sew with a kitty under your needle??? 


Hope everyone's having a more productive week ;-)

Easy Applique Project

A couple of weeks ago Irene from the office had asked me to make her a carry bag for her yoga mat. Actually Irene asked me last year to make her a carry bag for her yoga mat.  Last week she asked me again. 

So, (ever so slightly) embarassed, I got to work. 

The main fabric I picked out was a dark one, because seeing that it would be used for sport (hmm, is yoga a sport?) we didn't want anything too delicate or that would soil easily. But I also decided to make a feature panel which would take the focus away from the boring main fabric. In the end I opted to try out some simple applique. I must just say that I'm NOT great with applique. If I'm perfectly honest, I might even admit to being a little scared of it. But they say practice makes perfect, and so I went ahead with my plan. 

The bag itself was pretty simple to make. I used this tute. It has a lining and looks like it will hold up very well. The most 'difficult' part was making the applique panel. 

The progress in pictures: 

Supplies

drawing out shapes on fusible web

fused onto fabric 

fused onto panel

applique!

finished flower

finished panel

In the end, it wasn't too bad at all! And here's a tip I learned : interface is a must! And it also helped to have a thin piece of paper underneath the background fabric when you applique - you can always peel it away later. 

Suddenly the thought of applique doesn't seem so intimidating :-) So all in all I'm well pleased. 

Unfortunately I don't have a photo of the completed bag in action (duh to me). I've asked Irene for one, but because I know her, I'm not promising if or when we'll get to see that ;-) 


Hope everyone's enjoying their weekend!

A Crafty Find

A new Daiso store just opened where I work. 


Daiso is a Japanese shop, and what's interesting is that everything in it goes for a fixed price of Five Ringgit. That's the equivalent of maybe USD1.50. I couldn't wait for the store to open - I probably should say that I'm a sucker for dollar shops, just like my Dad. We don't necessarily need to buy anything, just being in there gets the happy hormones flowing, hee. 



So anyway, the other nice thing about Daiso is that it also has small crafty section where you can find craft supplies. And while I was browsing I found these little bags of polyfill: 

The thing is, it's vacuum packed, so believe it or not, that small bag can actually fill a small cushion nicely.  

Anyway I soon got the chance to put this filler to the test. Niece's BFF Nina had a birthday last weekend, so I made her a personalised pillow in her favourite colour. The pillow insert is 12" X 18" and the Daiso polyfill did the job perfectly. 

It's also super soft, and I'm happy to report that Nina's was very pleased. 

Don't you just love a party? 

The happy Birthday Girl :-)

Happy sewing all!

Just Surfing (and a review)

I've been blog-hopping a lot this week, and on one of my trips visited Little Miss Shabby's blog. She's having what's called a Fusion Blanket Sew Along. You can read about it  here.

It's basically a bunch of double-sided charm squares, each with a crocheted border. And I tell you what, I think those squares are so, so gorgeous! So gorgeous that I'm going to borrow a photo and paste it here for you to see:

Source : Little Miss Shabby
www.litlemissshabby.com

See! Isn't it pretty? Now imagine a whole of these together - swoon! Makes me wish I could crochet...

Needless to say I'll be dropping by LMS's blog often to see how things come together.

Moving on, I had a couple of comments on my last post asking for a review of The Kite Runner (thanks for visiting dahlinks!). Umm, I've never done a review before, but just for you gals I'll give it a quick go.

And so,

The book centers around 2 boys, Amir and Hassan, growing up in Afghanistan in the 60s/70s. They come from totally different backgrounds, but are best friends and share a common bond. Each has  a deep effect on the other, even after they are separated. Due to political changes happening in Afghanistan at that time, Amir eventually leaves his country and builds a new life in America. Years later, he receives a letter that will bring him back to Afghanistan and force him to face his past secrets, and which, ehem, will change his life forever.

Now The Kite Runner is not the usual genre of fiction that I read. I work in a fast paced and taxing industry, so when I read I usually pick the light and easy stuff, like comedies and romances. But it didn't stop me from enjoying this book. It has a riveting storyline and the author, Khaled Hosseini, writes simply beautifully. I also like that I got to learn a bit more about Afghanistan and its political past. Sadly, there is very little exposure to world history in this country, so I also give this book also a point for its 'educational' content, heheh.

At its core, it's a very 'human' story, if you know what I mean, so expect it to tug at your heartstrings.

So then, I hope you've enjoyed all that.

Now go have a great weekend and I'll see you very soon :-)

The Week In Pictures

More FMQ Practice :

The good (ish)

The bad

The ugly

A Yummy Hubby Find at Local Nursery :

Desert roses

In red and white!

A Dose of Fiction :

Warning : Un-put-downable

A Surprise Package (thanks Zeti!):

FQ from New Zealand!

Mini Kiwi hexagon *love*

Caught Tailing Yummy Hubby on Morning Walk :

Cute!

Hope everyone had a great week - have a happy July!