KAK ZAI SAYS......my Sarawak trip

My trip to Kuching Sarawak from 24 to 26 November 2010.

Posing at the LCC Terminal before checking in.

The terminal is busier compared to KLIA.

The clouds above Selangor..the wing blocked a clear view of the scenery below.

I had the middle seat, on my left was this Bidayuh lady. At 53 she has 7 grandchildren..Sarawak women marry at a young age.

The chinese man on my right fell asleep and started to snore right after takeoff :)

The in flight magazine made good reading...unlike MAS..AirAsia says leave it behind please.

At the Kuching International Airport...a welcoming board :)

I was fetched at the airport by Puan Rosmahwati a consultant from

Idaman Dhoori a consultant company entrusted by the Jabatan Ketua Menteri

of Sarawak to give sewing lessons to the poor and single mothers.

There were 20 participants including 4 gentlemen :).

Most of them handle sewing machines for the first time and I must salute them for they were able to sew a pair of baju kurung, a pair of baju melayu and 3 tudungs within a period of 4 days...Amazing!

For pictures of the sewing lessons please visit my other blog.

KAK ZAI SAYS......flying to Kuching

The last few days have been a bit hectic for me, making preparation for my trip to Kuching.

Finally almost everything is packed and ready to go on board AirAsia this afternoon.

This is going to be my first trip to East Malaysia and hopefully it will not be the last.

Tomorrow 25 November, I'll be teaching a group of ladies how to sew 'tudung'. For 3 days they learn how to sew 'baju kurung' that is starting Monday.

I was told the ladies will be wearing what they sew on the final day, 26 November.

Hope to snap lots of pictures...so stay tune :)

LITTLE ITEMS FROM SCRAP

A business card holder from scrap given to me by NYKOLETT

Mostly handsewn..with little embroidery.

It has been decades since I embroider anything.

Another one..........

Backview...........

So girls, waste not your precious scraps :)

MENCARI HIDAYAH DAN PETUNJUK...

Assalamualaikum

Kata guru..sebesar2 dosa kecil ialah dosa mata.

Macam mana ya nak jaga mata..tak mudah! Tapi boleh didik mata supaya tak melihat yang tidak sepatut dilihat.

Kata guru lagi...mata yang banyak melihat perkara berdosa dan tak sempat bertaubat...di akhirat nanti tak dapat lihat zat Allah..rugikan.

Olehitu marilah kita sama2 menjaga pancaindera kita yang amat berharga yakni MATA.

RECYCLE YOUR REMNANT..FABRIC FLOWER

I use lycra fabric to make my flower since I have plenty of it.
Cut a strip that measures 8" approximately.
Sew in the middle lengthwise.

Pull the thread gently till the strip gathers.

Fold the gathered strip..hand stitch along the folded part and gently pull and
turn until it takes flower form.

Here comes the braided strips from my earlier post.
Stitch two ends together.

Put a little hot glue..

..and place the fabric flower on the hot glue, press a few seconds.
Glue on a small button..this one comes from an old blouse.

Tadaaaaaaaa....
a decoration for any door knob.
Ooops...two fabric flower decoration
for your door knobs :)

RECYCLE YOUR REMNANT

ba ba black sheep
have you any wool
no puan no puan
I have no wool

BUT...
kak zai has remnant aplenty
soft n so pretty
jersey n lycra it be

WHICH..
I cut into strips
braid three and another three
mixing colors while on the spree

AND THE RESULT..

ANOTHER TOTE BAG

This is a big one...ample space for everything and anything :)

measurement 19" deep and 20" wide

I am going somewhere third week of November and this tote

will serve as a carry-all.

All fabric used except for the straps is from NYKOLETT

Thanks Rosni...:)

ONCE UPON A TIME..CERITA DULU2

It was in the 1960s that my neighbor bought a television set..a black n white of course. Cannot recall the exact year but I was definitely still in primary school.

It was the year Indonesia invaded the coastal state of Malaysia. The news on the capture of a few Indonesian soldiers was aired. A couple of years later my grandpa bought a tv set for our household. My grandma's favorite series was The Three Stooges and grandpa seldom miss the wrestling hour.

Malaysia in the 60s was quite turbulent..the invasion by Indonesia..the May 13 incident..the communist was still a threat...I remember the curfews, we had to stay indoor by nightfall. Grandpa bought extra provision those days...things like salted fish and salted eggs and of course rice must be stored in extra quantity just in case the curfews were prolonged.

A few hundred meters from the house was a hill, on the hill was a reservoir..grandpa told us it was the scene of Japanese tyranny during the Second World War. Many were tortured and a few were beheaded there. We children dared not play around that area for it was haunted..so the old folks told us.

KAK ZAI SAYS......make your own loop turner!

I was making straps for my tote bags and realized I was taking ages to turn the inside out.

I decided to use a big safety pin and a piece of wire as a loop turner.

Push the safety pin with the wire attached through the seam.....

....upon reaching the end push the pin through the fabric...

....lock the safety pin.....

....and start pulling the wire gently....

....until the whole length turns inside out.
The process took me less than a minute on each strap.

5 tote bags completed.

My first attempt at making a clutch bag.

JOM JAHIT..TRIM CATCHER

While blog walking a few days ago I came across Jom Jahit activities organised by tinihani.
Sew a trim catcher..well that's something new and an interesting item to sew.
But my trim catcher is different from the others as it is tied to the chair on the left hand side.
I found this style and position convenient.. :)
after all my working table is covered by a table cloth..placing another piece of material
does not seem appropriate.
Appreciation to Rosni from NYKOLETT
for the fabric.

RECYCLE

These are among high quality scraps given to me by NYKOLETT
Thank you Rosni :)
The fastest item I can think of to sew is a tote so I arranged 16 pieces to get the best
color combination. I want my tote soft, the outside and inside patched.

The end product...
The small flower in the middle is made of scrap of lycra.
I have bags of these.

The inside.
Next time I'll try reversible.

ONCE UPON A TIME...part 2

...of circuses and funfairs.

I was too young to remember details but when the big tent was erected people got excited!

Elephants and tigers in cages..monkeys and parrots.

I remember the ride to the circus site on my male cousin's bicycle. He was 11 years older than me.

Hmm..how much the entrance ticket cost..I don't remember.

We would sit on wooden benches chewing popcorn while waiting for the performance to begin.

I love to watch trapeze act..the performers swinging , jumping and catching with perfect timing.

Of course there was the safety net below to catch the performers in case of mistakes

or the final jump during the finale..and they lined up and bowed to spectators.

Elephants were actually taken around town by their keepers to promote the circus.

At one time the elephants strolled beside our house and we fed them bananas and sugarcane.

Some of the young children around the neighborhood took the opportunity to ride the

elephants but not me..I was too timid.


Funfairs..o yes..the ride on the choo choo train, the games to win prizes

and candy floss.

RECYCLE

Tote bag made from curtain remnant.

I bought the remnant from Jakel..only 1/2 a meter left.

The double layer bows are made from Ikea heavy cotton and velvet.

The string attached to the bows is a salvage item from a paper bag.

So...this is my shopping bag :)

RECYCLE..WASTE NOT!

ONCE UPON A TIME..CERITA DULU2

Glimpses of childhood brought fond memories...... I was brought up in a small town in south Kedah by grandparents whom I called "bapak' and 'mak'. Way back in the 1950s there were no such thing as preschool, so my morning activities were a trisha ride with my grandpa to his favorite coffeeshop in the middle of the town. Grandpa's order would be 'kopi O' and mine 'kopi susu'..and yes 2 slices of toasted bread and half bolied eggs. I loved to sprinkle the egg with lots of black pepper. After breakfast, off we went to the wet market..see..those days of no refrigerator, fish, meat and anything perishable need to be purchased daily.

Pak Arshad or Pak Chat as we called him was the trisha man my grandpa hired to take us on those trips. For 6 years in primary school Pak Chat sent and fetched me without fail..may Allah bless his soul.

Those were the days.....of circuses that came to town...funfairs once in a while...a quiet life... no responsibilities.

...to be continued

KAK ZAI SAYS

This morning I paid a visit to Nykolett and look at what I bring home...:)

Thanks a million Rosni for those beautiful pieces of material.

(pic taken by hp so not very clear)

Perhaps after class tomorrow I'll start sewing a tote bag..

hmmm ..mix n match the pieces and sew scatter cushions

think..think..so many things to turn them into...

thanks again Rosni :)

MENCARI HIDAYAH DAN PETUNJUK...

ISLAM

TO SEEK ITS TRUTH

TO DISCOVER ITS BEAUTY
<><><><><><><><><><><>


Jika diizinkan Allah setiap Selasa dan Jumaat Kakzai akan ke kelas agama di masjid.
Guru kami berasal dari Pattani..dilahirkan dan dibesarkan di pondok.
Ilmu Tasawuf dan Usuluddin yang diajar membuat kita lebih mengenali Allah dan juga diri kita.

Kakzai ingin kongsi antara apa yang diajar hari ini.

HURRAN MUHAJJADI..pertama kali dengar ni.

Kata ustaz di padang mahsyar nanti Rasulullah diiringi malaikat Jibrail akan mencari orang yang ada HURRAN MUHAJJADI yakni orang ada cahaya dari wuduk..tidak membazir air ketika berwuduk.

Bagaimana kita berwuduk ketika kekurangan air..dari secawan air pun boleh..pernah cuba?
Itulah yang dimaksudkan.

KAK ZAI SAYS

Reflexology..my younger sister is an expert at it having travelled as far as a remote village in Sumatra to learn the art of massaging the feet from a 'kiyai'. Her guru invented the above tool to make massaging easier. The one above was custom made in Kota Bharu and she gave it to me as a present. The u shape part is made of iron and the handle solid wood. My children and I massage each other's feet to improve our health.




My son's foot...this boy is so tall he's going to be a six footer in a couple of months n he is only 17.

KAK ZAI SAYS

Friday 15 Oct 2010..I made a trip to Putrajaya to give sewing class to a group of ladies. They took advantage of the long Friday lunch hour to learn how to sew 'tudung'. My mode of transport..the KLIA Transit..the coaches were clean n comfortable..what a smooth ride only 20 minutes to Putrajaya. Ticket price is a bit pricey though but then if you travel once in a while it does not hurt the pocket.



...and the arrival.

This shot was taken by a student I befriended on the train.

RECYCLE

Organizer...

What can you do with an old blouse or t shirt?

Below is an organizer which I made from my daughter's old blouse. The long sleeves were folded in the front part of the blouse and then sewn in such a way it became a big pocket.


Turn the blouse inside out then sew along the opening.


I opened the seam at the back of the blouse about 6"..thus creating space for extra storage.

Hang it anywhere suitable and you can save a lot of space.



This one I hang in the bathroom..

An old t shirt, the sleeves had been cut off and sewn as pockets.

KAK ZAI SAYS

Giveaway by Izue

Jom ramai2 kita cuba nasib..mana tau bertuah dapat label percuma. Kata izue boleh design sendiri nanti. Kretif izue..dah lama kak zai teringin buat label tapi tak tau macam mana..sebenarnya tak pernah cuba pun.

Jom !

KAK ZAI SAYS

Interested to sew your own 'tudung'?

Please visit LOVE STITCH :)

Step by step instructions with diagrams.

Acquire a skill.......
Save your ringgit......

KAK ZAI SAYS

FRIENDS OF YESTERDAY
YOU BRIGHTEN UP MY DAY
MAY OUR FRIENDSHIP LAST FOREVER
START AGAIN NOW OR NEVER

Well..one of the wonderful things about modern technology is it brings people from all over together. Long lost almost forgotten friends from decades ago.
Recently I had the urge to search the name of my former secondary school..SULTAN BADLISHAH. Pleasantly a string of familiar names surfaced. The faces are no longer familiar..the toll of old age..or should I say we have all mellowed.......
Last night I rummaged through my old albums and found pics of fond memories.
Days of short skirt and short hair.
I bet everybody has fond memories of their school days.

KAK ZAI SAYS

I was touched when I got this order..."Kak Zai tolong jahit tudung untuk isteri saya..baru

bersalin..jahit cantik2 mahal tak pe..letak manik sikit..nak surprise dia"


Actually the husband wanted to buy branded tudung but the wife turned down because she wanted something that reach almost to the waist. No problem Kak Zai can sew :]

When we visit friends or family members who give birth..do we bring presents for the newborn or the mum? Personally I think the women who have undergone such traumatic moments of labor should be appreciated more.

Here is the tudung labuh ...

Dont throw that...not just yet

What do you do with old shirts or t shirts with buttons on them? Too soiled to giveaway so just turn them into rags.......before that....save the buttons. They can be used for other purposes. I turned some of them into bookmarks.

All you need is a piece of string thin enough to go through the holes. Tie the ends together.


The string should be longer than the length of the page of the novel, book or whatever reading material you want to mark..and of course the button will be hanging outside the pages instead of being inside.

AHLAN WASAHLAN YA RAMADHAN

To all my muslim friends may this Ramadhan bring you closer to Allah swt.

The last few days I spent sewing 'tudungs' for little princesses...yet to upload pictures in the other blog.

Working alone from A to Z will not produce many..well perhaps next season I'll get an assistant.
I try not to repeat the same color combination twice so as to ensure exclusivity. A few customers just want plain and same color tone for the body and awning...sew a little embroidery and it turns out cute enough.

Be patient..pictures coming soon :)

KAK ZAI SAYS

Gambar tudung kanak2 boleh dilihat dalam www.sewnsell.blogspot.com

Jemput2 ya :)

Ibu2 pakai tudung lawa..anak2 pun nak lawa gak kan...

Kak zai says

Salam everybody.

Ramadhan is just round the corner..the holy month much awaited for. Even though I've closed the 'jahit tudung' class still I received text and calls from interested parties. Perhaps after Aidilfitri the classes will be resumed.
Right now I'm busy sewing 'tudungs' for little princesses .. how does 'TUDUNG PUTERI' sound?
Why do I choose to sew little 'tudung'..simply because the market for adult size 'tudung' is saturated.
So moms...wait till I finish a few dozens and I'll display them here or in the other blog..:)

KELAS JAHIT TUDUNG

ANNOUNCEMENT

No classes will be conducted during the holy month of Ramadhan.

Thank you.

When the overlock machine does not sew well, summon the technician..not that I have not tried servicing it as best as I know how :(
Took out all the threads..wiped all the dust..adjusted the knobs..poured a little bit more oil but still it did not sew well.
Oh well...no choice but to summon the technician, he will be coming this afternoon and hopefully I'll be able to sew smoothly after this.
Can't let the customers wait too long for their 'anak tudung'.

Anak tudung ada sengkuap. Bila pakai tak melekap di dahi.

Harga RM10
Posekspres RM3.50

Warna yang ada sekarang: shocking pink, hitam, putih.
Warna lain akan ditambah dari masa kesemasa.