Elastic button bracelet

A simple quick project. Takes about 30 minutes to finish.

Inspiration for these are the bags of buttons I bought at beading.my. Did not know what I wanted to do with them but I am such a sucker for buttons. Plus they were very cheap!!!

Materials needed

 Buttons and elastic cord

I used oval shaped 8 x 10mm buttons for this project. By using different sized buttons (or even combination of sizes/colours) makes unique different bracelets.

First,cut the thread about three time the size of the finished bracelet (i.e size of your wrist). 

Thread in the elastic cord into the first button hole

Then thread it into the 2nd hole. Add more and more buttons, you can add buttons at random (as I did) or you can plan ahead and add buttons to make specific pattern.

After getting the length you want, thread in both elastic ends into the 1st button

Tie both ends together with a reef knot. Make a few knots to secure it. 

You can add glue to the knots to make it more secure

Cut off the excess thread

walla.... your own funky bracelet

Variation....by  using different sized buttons at regular intervals... a cluster of buttons ends up looking  like beads

Make and Do

It is nearly a year since my last post.
Have I been crafting all that time? Oh yes, of course.

I have not been sewing as much as my boy (now 2 1/2 years) demands my full attention and company. Plus he gets hyper-excited when he hears the noise from the sewing machine. However, I have been up to other stuff i.e. learning wire jewelry, dabbling in stringing up beads and charms and lately making again fabric flowers (this time using an idiot proof flower loom and mini knit set).

I have decided to revive this blog to document stuff I will be making especially simple home crafts for kids. This is for the benefit of my niece who has turned 6 recently and also my friends' children who may be interested in making their own stuffs.

Many parents ask where I get my stuff or where I learned all these crafty things and I must say, I have an encouraging and inspiring mom. She let me use her sewing machine to make Barbie dresses, wallets and bags when I was younger. She even took me to Mun Loong (a famous fabric shop in Jalan TAR) in the 80s and let me choose the fabric I wanted to make my own vest (that was the rage at that time). I also used to tag along to the sewing supplies shop and always I get to buy some beads, buttons, ribbons etc to use in my 'projects'.

And she also bought us (well, the book was supposed to be shared with my older brother) a set of kids' encyclopedia which INCLUDES a volume called 'Make & Do'. That was my primary reference and also my inspiration and it became the most USED book in the whole collection

I have no idea where the book is now. I guess it may be still in the old house. But I have decided to re-live my childhood 'crafty' experiments here so others can also enjoy them.

Hopefully, I can write one post per week. *Fingers crossed*

Making A Simple Bag from A Pair of Jeans

I have always been fascinated by handbag made from jeans. Not just the material denim but a pair of jeans. I was given one when mom went for a trip to Bandung about a decade ago. I dreamt of making one but the thought of cutting up my favorite jeans always stops me. Anyway, recently I bought a pair at a jumble sale just for this purpose.

Constructing the bag was very easy. It may as well be the easiest bag I have ever made.

 

I cut the jeans as shown above. The outer seams are used to make the bag handles.  I used the cut jeans itself as a template for cutting the lining (I used striped cotton for this). I added a zipped pocket inside  but I decided to use the existing pockets of the jeans as the bag's pocket/compartments. As for the main body of the bag it is made just by sewing straight accross the crotch area. In my haste to complete the bag I forgot to take step by step photos (anyway, it was an experiment so I didn't know how it would turn out) but I promise I will do so for the next  Jean's Bag I make.

My small shopping handbag

 

I have been thinking of making this bag for a long time. It is a fairly simple bag to make with a single compartment with a zippered pocket on one side. The outer material is heavy cotton I bought from Fabric  Buffet and the inner is cheap polycotton I got from Nagoya. Strap was made also from black heavy cotton and this was embellished with various sized button and a letter L was sewn on it (L is for Lynn, in case you're wondering).

 

The finished bag is 20cm(length) x 22cm (height) and the base is about 10cm wide. It is just nice for me to put my compact camera, my handphone and my wallet: suitable to a quick dash to the supermarket.

 

Scrub Hats

Scrub hats are fashion accessories in the dull world of operating theatre. OT attires are generally dull grey or blue which is usually drab looking. For the OT fashionistas the only different thing will be the caps. Caps are needed to keep the hair in check - preventing stands dropping into the sterile wound hence is needed to minimise OT infection or contamination.


Recently I got the idea of making my own scrub hats after seeing so many of the anesthetic team wearing their own hats instead of the usual disposable ones. Apparently, they buy these online from eBay and usually ends up getting them from the USA or the UK. Getting inspiration from McDreamy and A Gifted Man, I searched for nice looking patterns online; ended up purchasing a set of patterns of various hats. However, I had to tweak the patterns to my liking.

A GIFTED MAN - with his red scrub hat.

After spending so much on patterns and fabric I decided to sell the hats to my friends - mainly to cover the costs of my sewing hobby and addiction to fabric.Currently, I have 2 patterns that I make regularly i.e. female all elasticated hats and male tieback version.

FEMALE ELASTICATED CAPS

MALE TIE BACK CAPS

Latest hats ordered by my friends

Latest perfected male hat with a colleague as a model (hat was given as token of appreciation)

These caps can also be used in any setting where sterility and cleanliness is needed.

If anyone is interested, they can see my FB album for the fabric choices
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150677329618430.412582.520963429&type=3

Folded Wristlet- vintage prints

Bought this material in Petaling Street about a year ago. It is old (I think it has been in the shop at least past 20 years) cotton with nice simple prints. I finally decided to make this folded wristlet.

It can fit a phone, wallet and a few other stuff. I call it folded wristlet because when I made this the zipper was at the center and when I fold the bag in two walla... I get a wristlet

Boxy pencil cases

I love simple sewing tutorials. So when I saw this simple boxy pencil case tutorial I simply must try it. Furthermore, it is quite a fast project. I managed to complete each pencil case in less than an hour. Ideal stuff to do when I just have to sew and only have the baby's naptime to do it.

The first one I made was the green pencil case. This I followed exactly the measurements mentioned in the tutorial. The 2nd one was the blue one, I made it wider so I can fill it with more stuff. Both I used striped cotton for the outside fabric and flowery cotton for the inside and the side tabs. I used pink zippers not by choice but that was the only colour that I have in hand. As usual, no project wouldn't be complete without embellishments and these I completed with pointed flowers (also another tutorial discovered on tipnut)

The best part about this case is that there is almost no exposed edges either inside or out. My usually ugly stitching is hidden between the two fabric. So it looks sort of 'professional'. Yeayyy!!!


Inside : no exposed stitches or edges

Embellishment: 6 petal pointed flower

Baby Rag Quilt

When I saw this tutorial on Do It Yourself Divas (http://doityourselfdivas.blogspot.com/2011/05/diy-baby-rag-quilt.html) I just had to try and make this quilt. I had the perfect person to make it for - my colleague's newborn Jessica. However, the choices of flannel fabric in this country is fairly limited. I decided to go ahead with making this 'sandwich' blankie with hopes that Jessica's mommy like it too.

World Breastfeeding Week

The first week of August was declared as World Breastfeeding Week. There were many activities planned and executed by many parties and is still going on throughout August. In the hospital I work in, there was a day celebration with some local celebraties participating.

As for me, it is already 4 months and 3 weeks since Azry was born and so far, he is still fully breastfeeding. I hope that will continue till he is more than a year old as I do not fancy putting him on formula milk.

Breastfeeding is a wonderful experience but it is very challenging. My mother breastfed three out of four of her children hence I thought it was a normal thing. She only managed to breastfeed my elder brother for about a week and she attributed this to being ill-prepared for the journey. Mental preparedness is definitely the most important thing in breastfeeding.

Now, after feeding is established I can sort-of look back and remember the hardship I went through. I am writing it all down today so that I will never forget and would not brush off a mother's reason for failing to breastfeed. As a medical practitioner, we were all taught the goodness of breastfeeding but never in a million years I thought that it will be a hard and challenging journey.

When Azry was born he had to stay in the NICU for about 2 days. I had not opportunity to feed him at the time of birth as he has some sort of respiratory distress. He was whisked off immediately after the caeserian section and I saw him the 2nd time the next day. I could only express the milk and it was given to him using a syringe as he was in the headbox that provided 100% oxygen to meet his requirements. Only on day 2 was he given to me for my first attempt to feed and oh boy, was it difficult. I was definately at a disadvantage as I never had any breastfeeding counselling prior to delivery despite working and followed up in a 'Baby friendly Hospital'. I was a few of those people who fell through the net as some of the counsellors thought that since I was a doctor I would know what there is to know. So, at delivery,all the information I have on breastfeeding was what I read on the internet.

My inital experience was almost traumatic. I struggled to hold the baby and entice him to latch on. It was good that the nurses were helpful and the ward matron and sister whom I knew personally made it a point to help me out, I was at my wits end. I had so many 'strangers' man-handled my boobs throughout my 5 day hospital stay. Being embarrased was definitely not in my books then. And giving up was definitely not an option.

Despite surviving the first week, Week 2 till 8 did not go smoothly. At times when I thought I had it all under control a new problem presents itself. Positioning of the baby was a problem - he seemed so uncomfortable every time I hold him. Initially his latching was poor as the big breasts made it difficult for him to put the whole nipple in his mouth. I really wished that my breasts were smaller then. I was also worried that I might fall asleep and suffocate him to death.

Another issue and a major one was due to the improper latching and strong sucking I kept getting cracks and soreness in the nipples. Someone told me to stop feeding for a few days and express the milk to give lil' Azry which I did for 24 hours. However, after discussion with a lactation expert (my mom's good friend) I resumed feeding and endured all the pain.

I tried all remedies: applied milk and lanolin to the nipple; expressed some of the milk first before feeding; used cold cotton to numb the nipple prior to feeding etc. They only work partly and oh boy feeding was a dreaded session. At times I would cry prior and during feeding as the pain was so intense. Post feeding the nipple was so sensitive that I would feel the same pain when it rubs against my shirt/bra. My only consolation was that it seems that others have also gone through the same thing and I am not alone. I googled for all sorts of advice, devices that can help me through this bump. Thank god I found a wonderful aid but it took 10 days to come vis post from Australia. After that I still had some sores and cracks but it healed so fast that it was bearable. I wished I knew about it earlier.

Anyway, right now for me the challenge is to express enough milk at work to keep up with Azry's day to day feeding. I was so stressed listening that some people who can express minimum of 4oz per breast each time but after a talk with my mom I gather that these people are the abnormal ones. I can only managed 2-3 oz per breast per pumping session and the current strategy is to pump enough for the next day from Sundays to Thursdays; and pump more to replace the frozen used milk on Fridays and Saturdays. So far, I have been back at work for 3 weeks and looks like it might work.

And to keep me going I keep tabs on the things I have so far achieve by breastfeeding Azry.
1. Azry's weight : birth weight was 2.75kg; 1 month 3.9kg; 2 months 5kg; 3 months 6.2kg and now i reckon he is 7kg plus
2. Azry's health : so far he has not needed to see the doctor for any illness, alhamdullilah
3. My weight : I have lost all my weight gained during pregnancy and even went to the weight before I got married
4. My clothes : I can wear my old working clothes..yeayyy no need to shop for new working attires
5. Bonding : my son knows and loves my smell. Yup, I smell like old milk most of the time and he loves to cuddle up to me. Though some people is telling me he is getting to be to 'manja' or a Mama's Boy

I do hope I can keep this up. To all those working mothers who manage to exclusively breastfeed their children till the age of two years you are my inspiration. And thank you for making me believe it is possible.

Yellow Flowery Clutch/Wristlet

Made this wristlet/clutch/mini handbag today. By removing the strap it becomes a clutch; If the strap is attached to one side it becomes a wristlet. The bag is sized 9 inches x 5 inches and the inside is lined with plain yellow cotton.

This time I put a thin batting (which i got in Daiso)in between the fabrics and it gave the nicest effect of the bag having a bit of body but not too stiff like my first clutch.

Cons for this project: the attachment of the D rings for the strap was too near the opening. So when the bag is filled the opening appears collapsed. However, I am still pleased with the outcome. I hope the person I made this for likes it (fingers crossed)

Simple pillow covers (UPDATED)

Dinosaur themed. I think the sillouhette of the dinosaur turned out ok.

Simple Baby Pillows

Made these pillow covers for my 6 week old baby as he keeps regurgitating milk unto his pillow. I used striped materials that I have kept for a while, thought that they would go well for boys. At the front,I made simple applique designs to make it more 'creative'. Thinking of making a few more as a gift to my medical officer whose baby is due in two months time.

Learning to knit

When I was in primary school, my mom taught me how knit. I managed to make a belt and something else (can't remember what) but that was it. Never knitted anything after that and I totally forgot how to do it.

Lately I saw lovely knit blogs and was itching to learn again. Initially wanted to enroll in Rozi's needle work classes but knowing myself it will be hard for me to go somewhere to learn.

So when I saw Make it and Love It having a learn to knit series I got excited, immediately went to buy some knitting needles and yarn.

However, I needed more help and I turned to Youtube. This video is super duper easy to follow.

I hope by next week I will have something to show :)

More Flowery Stuff

I made more cotton flower this week. I made a hairband with the blue and pink flower. Whereas the grey one I attached it to a barette.



Some one gave me 4 IKEA bottles to decorate and this is the result. The fabric is not glued on and is held with elastic. Hence, the bottles are washable. Thinking of making my cookie jars using the same method.

Trinket Mini Jars

Have to get rid of all the jars and mini jars I have collected over the year. What better way than making them irresitable to others. I applied felt over the caps and then embellised the cap with some stuff I made; namely fabric butterflies and yo-yo flowers.

I am hoping to sell these at a jumble sale I am holding at my workplace to collect some funds for our library

Small polka dot bag

Made this bag over the weekend. It is just big enough to fit a wallet, camera and handphone. It is just nice and small. The black flower is made from cotton (kanazashi flower) with the centre part using a button I bought last year from Yoonie. I am quite pleased with the outcome.

My first clutch

I have been experimenting on different patterns, fabrics and interfacing in making bags. It is still a work in progress but finally I managed to produce an acceptable (by my standards) clutch. As usual I prefer lining to hide in imperfect stitching but this time I used a cotton flower print. I did not make a zipped compartment as I usually would.

Beaded bobby pins - a quick project

I wanted to do something simple while I figure out how to complete my latest project, a clutch. So I dug out an old Klutz book my mom gave my sis. She bought it in the US and at that time both of us had a lot of fun making our own clips. I used the beads I have in my stash and walla...

I haven't yet attempted the difficult ones and so there are more to come...

The original book. Apparently Klutz is no longer selling them :(

More Sling Bags To Cure Boredom

Made this yesterday. Used pyjamas striped materials as the main fabric. The flap was designed with my cats as inspiration. 'Silhouette of cat looking longingly at the stars and moon'. Inside the flap is a zipped compartment. And inside the bag there is a small pocket. Initially there was supposed to be another zipped compartment but I don't know why everytime I sew the zippers it ended looking ugly. After my 4th attempt I decided to scrap the zip and put a pocket instead. Note: This bag is sold today to my friend Chew Ping. Thanks for liking it (updated 3.10.2010)



This bag is almost similar except that it is a bit bigger (by about 2 inches in width). 2 zipped compartment - one inside the flap and one in the bag itself. The flap design is inspired by the fabric itself.

Who did I make the bags for? I have no idea.... As I mentioned, the process was boredom therapy

Sling Bag For Myself

Found this material at Nagoya. It just caught my eye and from that instant I knew this was going to be turned into a bag.

Anyway, I am please with the outcome. I combined the fabric with a plain red material for the flap. I decorated the flap with some felt flowers. I must say this is so far the best bag I made.

The Bag

INSIDE - extra zipped compartment