2011 Recap...

Does it still count if the recap or talking about the new year are done when the first month is almost over? or maybe I can claim I was waiting for the Chinese new year... *roll eyes*  

Anyway... 

I enjoyed (envious actually) looking at all the pretty mosaic recap table on so many blogs, that I was determined to have one too this year. I played with Big Huge Lab Mosaic Maker and finally managed to come up with the above.. 

Highlight 2011 for MyBotanG:

1. My first sew along - Reversible Bucket Bag 

2. My second sew along - applique project

3. Designed Diaper Keeper for mommies

4. Introduced baby quilt set

5. Carrie-me-tote in style

6. A single sized quilt for boy

7. Designed bento wrap - reusable sandwich wrap.. yeay!!

8. Designed Odekake BOX - inspired by Odekake bag - will blog about it 

9. GA to celebrate 1K-LIKE on FB page

10. Obsession with flower brooch - pic here, here and here

11. Kinoko Sling using laminated fabric

12. Made some quilted cozy cases   

Hope you've had a great start into the year of Dragon.. 

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Fabric Find Monday and a secret giveaway... ssshhhhh!!! (CLOSED)

Can you imagine that it's already DECEMBER..?? It feels like only recently I was penning down my 2011 plans and aims.. and now I have to assess achievements and progress made throughout the year and start planning for 2012. 

In the meantime, what do you think of this print..? your cup of tea..?

The fabric is by KOKKA and it's 100% cotton

A quick giveaway to MyBotanG exclusive readers only.. 

Tell me what you think of the fabric and two of you might end up with an FE cut of this piece. 

Tell me about the print/colour/feel/possible project/etc - you do not need to write an essay, few sentences would suffice - I'll choose 2 comments I like best on 15th December 2011. You can write in either English or Malay.  

I've held something similar before - see what people wrote, see the winners comments.

Edited:

Thank you for participating ladies. Enjoyed reading all your comments.

For me the bold and vibrant colours against the black really brings out the FUN  and CHICK in this print. The no direction of the patterns allows for easy (lazy *grin*) cut where you do not really have to worry about having cut the pattern in the wrong direction.. eerrr believe me it has happened before *sigh*

However, the print is rather big, thus limiting the items you can make out of this fabric to medium - big bags only. I am very sure the fabric would look great as a skirt, but since I do not make any wearable, I can't say for sure..

There were 17 comments and I've decided to let random.org to choose the winners:

(Tried attaching the random box here to no avail.. *give up*)

Winner 1 is commentor 8 -  Cik Tyra (you are really lucky dear, you were one of my 1K-LIKE GA winner few weeks back, right?) *I hardly ever win anything.. sob*
Winner 2 is commentor 17 - Aynz

Each winner will receive an FE of the above print in the mail soon.
I've listed the fabric in the shoppe if you wish to get hold of some.
Thank you for participating.Pin It

Scrap Busting - Fabric Tape

Remnant fabrics from projects can really mount up very quickly and surprise you.. Without realising you might end up with bags full of pesky odd size fabrics.. 

One particular type of fabric scraps that I have collected over the years of crafting (and don't know what to do with them other than make tape to use for binding) are long fabric strips - too narrow for scrap bags or binding but too cute to be chucked out.. 

A really neat project done by a talented lady (Azzah of Sewfabby) got me all excited and immediately I went to work on producing something similar

A fabric tape works like a sellotape but with a cuter personality. They are very easy to make and cost very little. A wonderful project that would be enjoyed by both kids and adults. 

Here's a simple how to: 

All you need are fabric strips and double sided tape in the width of your choice (for best result, it should match the width of your fabric strips). 

   

For wider scrap fabrics, paste the double sided tape on the wrong side of the fabric to your desired length and use a rotary cutter to cut the strip out

After rolls of double sided tapes and various fabric strips later, you will need to figure out how best to store them. I find folding them over some old cardboard works best.. 

And.. why stop at fabric strips.. 

I have a tin full of lace scraps to kawaii to dispose.. 

Use the same method and produce cute lace-tapes

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Silicone Stamp - How to..

Have you used silicone stamp before? 

They function like any other stamps you might have tried, the only thing you need to remember is, unlike rubber stamps where you stamp with all your might to get the design perfectly stamped onto paper, with silicone stamp you need to be gentle and not put too much pressure when stamping as it might cause the ink to spread and distort the pattern.. 

*click the picture to animate*

Here's a simple how to:

1. You will need silicone stamp and a clear stamper 

2. Peel a desired design from the sheet - For first time use, the design might be unyielding and may require some pressure to remove from the sheet 

3. Mount the design on the clear stamp - Unlike rubber stamp, you do not need to fix it permanently onto the mount, and no glue is required

4+5 Stamp away - Try it out on a test area before you stamp onto the desired place, remember that not much pressure is needed

*To change design, wipe the design with tissue for excess ink, remove it from the clear stamper and place it back onto the sheet and repeat step 2 to 5 

I have listed the silicone stamp in the shoppe if anybody's interested.    

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'1K-LIKE' Giveaway

My page on Facebook as passed 1000 LIKE about a week ago.. 

It feels surreal...

I am grateful to everyone who has LIKE the page.. It always managed to lift my spirit to see the number increasing..

To mark the achievement, I'm having a giveaway on my page.. 

Here are the details.. 

10 Goodies to be given away to 10 lucky people..
To stand a chance to win all you have to do are...

1. LIKE MyBotanG page
2. TAG yourself on one of the same pictures (max tag is 50 names per picture)
3. COMMENT on this picture
4. WAIT patiently... :)

A. Do 1-3 within the time frame which is from 11/11/11 - 30/11/11
B. On 1/12/11 I'll randomly choose 10 names from the TAG box.

The 10 goodies are:
1. D'Lavender bag
2. Curvy Clutch
3. Hello Kitty tin box filled with Tokyo Disney Resort memo pad, coin pouch and drawstring pouch
4. Hello Kitty tin box filled with Tokyo Disney Resort memo pad, 2 FQ cut fabrics (1/2 yard), laces
5. 2 matching Japanese motif cushion covers
6. Mushroom card holder
7. Matryoshka doll card holder
8. Drawstring pouch with goodies inside
9. Drawstring pouch with goodies inside
10. Drawstring pouch with goodies inside

Note:
+The first randomly selected person will get gift number 1 and so on...
+If the winner do not respond within 48 hours of being contacted, another winner will be selected without prior notice
+The giveaway is open to anyone living anywhere with a postal code..
+You can TAG 2x or more if you have more than one page, just LIKE us and TAG away..

 

   
So remember, the giveaway is happening over at MyBotanG FB page and NOT here..

TAG yourself from 11/11/11 - 30/11/11 to stand a chance to win one of the 10 goodies that I'm giving away..Pin It

Moving and never ending unpacking..

We moved to another state in Japan last weekend (on 29th October to be exact)

The move went smoothly, it was a perfect day and the movers did a good job packing, loading and later unloading our stuff in the new home... 

Pictured above - the moving truck with quilted covers used to cover the oversize stuff i.e fridge, telly, table, washing machine, etc to protect them from bump and bruises *grin* 

My studio was all packed within an hour by 1 lady mover. It went from this..

...to this lonely and cold room full with panda boxes... It took me more than 1 week to get everything into the boxes the last time we moved.. my theory - we are attached to our items, we tend to ponder and daydream of yummy projects, thus taking longer to get the job done *grin*

Major headache started when I have to unpack and put everything in some working order..

Pictured - the view of my studio a day after the move.. 

The best thing was all the boxes were labeled and the movers sorted them into its designated areas..   

It took several days and lots of pushing and pulling, but after almost a week, I'm happy to report that basically everything is in its place and I have even started sewing again, working on some small projects..




Pictured - my sewing and cutting area

Pictured - Fabrics, books, notion








I am happy to report that I have a secret nook for my stash.. It is small and hidden and I am totally loving the headache it is causing me to organise the space..

Pictured above - sturdy moving boxes stacked on top of each other and arranged vertically (6 boxes all together) to form a cabinet to store fabrics, old clothes waiting to be recycled, batting, packing plastics and etc. The top shelf is used to store smaller cut fabrics (mostly FQ and FE) and some other remnants.. 

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Birds of a feather...

Do tend to flock together.. don't they?

Living in a foreign land, working from home do take its toll on your spirit at times. I find solace online through groups I've joined on FB with similar interest in crafting as myself.

I personally feel that I've benefited in various ways from these groups I've joined. To list a few:

1. I get motivated when I see crafts created by others in the group
2. I get inspired and aim to produce something of superior quality to showcase to the group and get their feedback
3. Reading about others' success stories inspires me to do better
4. I learn new things related to my trade
5. I get my queries answered
6. I try to contribute to others' queries which in turn deepen my understanding of the matter

If you take crafting seriously, know Malay (not a requirement but the discussions are mostly conducted in Malay language) and are interested to be part of a Malaysian crafting community that share and care (for FREE), feel free to join us:

1D1P (1 day 1 product) - A group dedicated to encourage and motivate producing handmade items on daily basis. You can showcase your handmade, join in the discussions, sew along, challenge and much more

GMJ (geng mesin jahit) - A group that covers broader aspects of sewing and crafting. A one-stop place for anything and everything related to crafting.  

However, a group is not a place for a freeloader. Just as in a relationship, you need to put in an effort and contribute. You can't just sign in and expect good stuff to come along your way.

What helps you stay upbeat and motivated..?  


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Tracing made easy

Until recently, tracing for me meant finding a big enough tracing paper - with the thin tracing paper on top, trace the pattern once, turn it over and transfer it onto another piece.. talk about waste of time!! That is why I always procrastinate or in many cases pretended that I forgot to trace some cute new patterns I found especially in the library books (which eventually I have to return *sigh*) or from books or magazines where the patterns look like a maze (YIKES!!!)        


When I 'discovered' the use of serrated tracing wheel (bought a while back from my local 100yen shop) I was elated. Gone were the days of my procrastination (or so I thought.. But that is a whole different blog entry *roll eyes*   

Here's a simple how to

1. Gather all your materials: tracing wheel, cutting mat, pattern, paper

(I get a roll of good quality white paper from my local hardware store - it's thicker and sturdier and lasting) 

2. Place the white paper (or any color for that matter) onto the mat, place your pattern on top of it. 

3. Use the tracing wheel to trace around the pattern (straight lines, curves, waves whatever pattern really) - just a little bit of pressure is enough to transfer the pattern 

4. Remove the pattern and wallah you can see tiny little dots of puncture on the paper (Click the picture for a better view). You can now cut along the dotted lines and store the pattern away for another day (this is where another problem arise for me - I've so many cute new patterns stored away waiting to be tried out.. HELP!!!) 

*Sharp object - Keep away from the reach of young children and safely store away after use. 

Try the window tracing method

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Tapes

An essential item in my studio.. 

I have never run out of tapes and am always on the prowl for some cute prints.

The FAVOURITE with my customers are of course the Matryoshka print (notice the different sizes *HEART*)

I tie them together using a hemp string and hang them in my studio - always in view, easily accessible and variety of prints to choose from depending on my what I'm packing.

In a nutshell, I'm NUTS about my tapes *roll eyes*  

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What's new in the shoppe...

1. Books - Felt craft, patchwork, bag making, kids clothing, baby items, sewing for home

2. OLFA Rotary Cutter - 28mm, 45mm and 60mm

Note - I've been using a rotary cutter (as pictured above - code name: 03) for over a year and I'm very happy with it. I cut all my fabrics and interfacing - straight, curves and up to 2 layers with ease. It has definitely save my cutting time to half 

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