Pencil Case Tutorial

After sewing the reversible bag, I thought of making something useful with the scraps. The leftover cutout for the bag handle gave me an idea to make this pencil case. If you have made verypurpleperson's reversible bag & still have the scraps lying around, why not try out this simple tutorial.

Materials:
- fabric scraps
- lightweight fusible interfacing
- 3/4" velcro tape
- button (optional)
- ric rac (optional)

1. Here's the basic measurement if you want to cut out other fabric.

2. You will need 4 fabric cutouts of pattern A & 2 of pattern B. From lightweight interfacing, cut 4 of pattern A & 2 of pattern B.

3. Press interfacing onto the back of each fabric with an iron.

4. Cut velcro tape measuring 1 1/2" in lenght. Position the tape to the inside flap & the front fabric. Edge stitch the tape to the fabric. Embellish the front part of the fabric as you wish. I sew a bear button on the front flap & added ric racs  on the front plaid fabric.

5. Arrange your fabrics just like the picture above (front flap with back side fabric & inside flap with inside lining). Place flap B  on top of fabric A with right sides together.

6. Sew along the top edges using a 1/4" seam allowance.

 7. Now work with the remaining 2 cut outs. With right sides together, align front side fabric to inside lining. Sew along the top edges (1/4" seam allowance).

8. Turn right side out & press. Topstitch along the top edges. This is the front part.

 9. Place the sewn front part on top of the inside lining & inside flap. 

10. Pin together raw edges. Sew together along edges using less than 1/4" seam allowance.

11. Place the back side fabric & front flap on top of the sewn front side fabric (with right sides together). Pin in place.

12. Stitch along the edges using 1/4" seam allowance. Leave a 3" opening for turning at top of the flap.

13. Turn right side out through opening on flap.

14. Fold under & pin together raw edges of opening.

15. Sew the opening closed with a slip stitch. Fold & press the flap over pencil case front. Now you can fill your pencil case with your favourite stationery.

The ric rac was sewn only on both ends so I can slip in notes or cards :)

Happy sewing everyone!

Reversible Bag

This bag was made using a pattern from verypurpleperson . I was pleased with this pattern as it was really simple to make. I traced her pattern straight away from my pc screen, adjusting the size to the right scale because my printers not working.It's much faster than the cranky printer!
The plaid fabric is flannel & I like the feel of it cause it's soft. For the inside, I use lightweight cotton canvas.

While rummaging through a pile of tablecloths at Kamdar, I found this pattern canvas & grab it right away. It was more than 2 meters in length & I got it for RM 20. There's still some leftover to make 2 more bags.
I really really like this bag & gonna sew more of them. A really great bag for weekend activities.

Have a nice weekend everyone :)

Raya Mood :)

Cadbury layered cake, Sweet sour layered cake & kek hati pari

Salam Aidilfitri to all Muslim friends. I had a great raya holiday feasting on once a year special Eid delicacies. I'm a Sarawakian, so layer cakes & kek hati pari are the must haves for raya. I'm the 'pastry chef' for my family so every year I am always 'the chosen one' to bake & steam cakes. I managed to bake 3 cakes this year. Last Saturday I baked Nescafe layered cake because what's on the pic above are pretty much gone :).

Kek hati pari is actually a dark fruit cake filled with blackcurrant. Cooking chocolate, Horlicks & Browning sugar (black treacle) added to the cake mix resulting in the rich dark colour to the cake. A really big bowl and strong hands would be needed to fold the cake mix. One recipe would yield 2 (9" X 9") cakes.
The cake is steamed for 6 - 8 hours & every 3 hours you'll have to add water to the steamer. What makes this cake special is that it lasted for months but you still need to refrigerate it.

The last few years I baked more complicated layer cakes. Now I opt for simpler ones so I can spend more time sewing & crafting :P The two pics below are my once upon a time baking ( maybe two years ago).

Bamboo shoot layered cake

 Ketupat roll

Bamboo shoot layered cake is from Jamie Jong's recipe & the ketupat roll is from Rabiah Amit's 'Kek Lapis' book.

This delicious Ayam Percik was last Saturdays meal. The recipe is from Chef Wan's 'Sedapnya 2' cookbook. I don't have any candle nut in the pantry so cashew nut substitute  was great enough. I followed his recipe to the T. It's pretty much like cooking rendang, the chicken is cooked till the gravy  thickens & then baked in the oven for 10 minutes. It's so yummy & I would definitely make it again next time.

I hope I don't make any one of you readers droll in front of the monitor:P.
I'll try to force myself to start sewing something tonight so I can stop munching cookies. There are 2 bags to be sewn & 1 pair of shoes waiting to be painted.

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri & Maaf Zahir & Batin.

Painted Face Pin

I'm baaaack! :) I made this fancy face pin a few months ago using all scraps laying around my desk It measures about 1 3/4" diameter (minus the lace). This is not really a tutorial since some pictures of the process before painting went missing. 

Here's how to make one:

1. Cut a cotton fabric into a circle measuring 2" in diameter. Sketch a face straight onto the fabric. Paint the face with fabric paints using a really small brush. Add eye brow, facial expression & make up as desired. Let the paint dry. You might want to leave the room while it's  drying because there isn't any pleasant fragrance added to the paint. :)

2. Iron a lightweight interfacing to the back of the fabric. Cut a small piece of felt into a circle measuring 1 3/4" in diameter.

3. Sew the two fabric circles together with a blanket stitch. Leave a small opening for stuffing the polyfill. Sew shut the opening with a blanket stitch.

4. The back side looks like this. You can sew some fancy lace to the back as you wish. Hot glue a pin to the back side. You can use the pin to adorn any plain bags or pouches.

This small sack measures about 7"h X 5.5"l. 


Happy crafting & to all Muslim crafters, I'd like to wish you a blessed Ramadan. 

Hot Smocking Clutch

Here's the finished look of the smocked clutch, posing happily under the morning sun. Do you fancy it?

I added clear plastic button for the flap closure. The overall size for this clutch is 11" wide X 7" high. The flap's width is 6" long. It's quite a roomy clutch to stash your wallet & hand phone.

I have to say that the clutch looks much better when it is full with things. I only added lightweight interfacing to the lining fabric, so this clutch is really lightweight.

Here's more pics of the clutch...

Inside out look of the clutch.

I'm really happy & satisfied with the finished look that I gave myself a pat on the back :). Sorry for the picture overdose...I got too excited while snapping the photos & ended up with more than 40 snap shots of it :P

I learned how to make the gathered rose from Better Homes and Gardens magazine - 100 decorating ideas under $100 (Fall 2009 issue). 

Happy crafting.

Hello

It's been a month since  my last post. I caught the 'lazy to blog bug' but I'm still crafting as usual. I've been too lazy to even surf the web for a month! Now that the lazy bug is gone, I got so many blogs & emails to read.

:) It's so easy to blame on the bugs.

Yesterday was Earth Day so happy Earth Day everyone!

I made the Queen of Heart doll using bed sheet scraps, cotton fabric & felts. The hair, face and heart shape was painted using fabric paint. This doll measures about 10" tall. I made another set of the doll cut outs to make the king & still haven't sew it together....another pending work of mine :P

Thanks everyone for visiting my blog & I really appreciate all of your comments . It fells great to share ideas with others alike.

Have a nice weekend & happy crafting!

Beware of the lazy bug. *0*