A Stitcher's Musings

TAST - Week 5

2012-02-07T11:03:00.005+08:00

It's week 5 of the TAST. I stitched this on Aida 16 using DMC Perle no. 8.

Here are all the 5 weeks pieces:

TAST - Week 4

2012-01-31T23:04:00.003+08:00

This is the first time I make this stitch. I have to watch some videos before I figured out how to sew it and the design came out pretty nice especially the 'closed' Cretan stitch done on the hearts. I particularly liked the centre criss-cross! The open stitches were done randomly after seeing some samples of work by others.
It is clearly an experience in learning new stitches and using those that I've known to sew creatively! :)

TAST - Week 3

2012-01-23T20:53:00.003+08:00

I decided to do a free-form stitching for this week's Feather Stitch. It is still ATC size stitched on cotton using a HDT by Zarina. I made a boo-boo - I wanted to wash away the water soluble blue ink and then realized that the colour of the thread had run after the put the piece under the tap! :( ......so please excuse the blotches on the piece!

YEAR OF THE DRAGON 2012

2012-01-22T10:55:00.001+08:00

TAST - Week 2

2012-01-13T20:00:00.002+08:00

Stitched on Aida #16.
Words & purple heart - DMC Perle #8
The buttonhole stitch is done using a hand-dyed thread (by the seaside) by Zarina.

New Challenge

2012-01-08T22:05:00.009+08:00

I took up a new challenge ~ TAKE A STITCH TUESDAY 2012 this year....for the next 52 weeks I will be stitching the stitches posted here.

For the first week which began on 3rd January 2012, it was the FLY STITCH. I have never seriously used this stitch before in any of my craft/embroidery work, but when I started to work with it and looking at the other stitched samplers, I realized that it can be varied and the variations made interesting patterns!

Week 1 - Fly Stitch 2.5" x 3.5"

stitched on Aida #16 using DMC Perle #8
except for the dark green using 4 strands of floss.

A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL

Red & Green

2011-12-24T10:05:00.004+08:00

Lillie sent me this cute snowman with the cute card.

Lee Fun and I were discussing about some crafters giving the empty toilet paper roll holder a new lease of life and this is my version......

....the big tag is also recycled - a tag from some clothes I bought. I covered with a pretty candy wrapper and the smaller tag is a 'cheat' from some papers I got free from a magazine.

Enjoy!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS.

Paper Art

2011-12-23T22:44:00.015+08:00

Below is a private ATC swap with a friend and her daughters:

.......and she even made a booklet so that I can store the cards. :)

MOOS....is basically a narrow card that is 1 inch x 3 inches. I participated in this exchange with a Yahoo group and the theme was Christmas as we were to swap the cards before mid-December! And since it was for Christmas, we were requested to add a string, ribbon or whatever that will enable us to hang it on our tree! :)

Wishing all a very joyous CHRISTMAS & peaceful NEW YEAR!

This is so pretty.......

2011-11-19T21:20:00.008+08:00

When I saw these here and here; I wanted to make some too! So I got some giant paperclips and took out my box of ribbons - and voila.......

Thank you for coming by!

ALL HALLOW'S EVE......

2011-10-31T00:00:00.000+08:00

Thank you for visiting!

Mug Rug Reveal (Part 2)

2011-10-29T20:12:00.012+08:00

Now that my other partner has received her mug rug, I can show it here. I used the same wonky word technique as the other mug rug. Guess what Astrid likes to drink? :)

After waiting for sometime, and giving my partner sleepless nights whether her package will arrive safely - I finally received my mug rug all the way from Swissy land. Shanny calls herself a beginner where sewing is concerned, but look at what she sewed for me! The mug rug is reversible and she used different techniques on each side!

Seminole piecing & FMQ

(I have not tried this piecing technique before and I've been sewing for a long, long time......)

Machine applique & hand embroidery (steam coming out of the mug)
This side is so yummy!

Thank you, Shanny! You have done a great job! :)

When Shanny came home to visit her parents last May and we had our NNC Bee to coincide with her visit, I gave her a mug rug. (She was not my partner for the swap; even though I did give my other partner her piece during the same Bee! See the earlier post)

Crazy patchwork

Outline quilting & crocheted edges directly onto the piece.

A is for.......

2011-09-10T17:27:00.005+08:00

ANTIQUE TILE
These blocks turn out rather pretty, but unfortunately it is not a quilt filmsy. They are for a block swap 2011 at NNC and will be going out to the various participants soon. In return, I will be getting a similar pair in different colour way!

ATC
I took part in a fabric ATC exchange with one of my fave theme - CUPCAKE! This is my piece that went to Canada:

Unfortunately, my piece from my other partner in Holland went MIA. However, she is so kind that she will be replacing it. (will post pic when I receive it)

Recycling Cards

2011-07-31T21:09:00.008+08:00

These ATC's are recycled from greeting cards.

above from Chinese New cards;
gold foil from chocolate wrappers

below: from a wedding invitation card

I have a new toy!

2011-07-23T20:50:00.003+08:00

As a birthday gift to myself, I bought a die cutting machine. It comes in my fave colour too!

Now I'm a BIG SHOT owner! *grin*

Have been LAZY....(one Mug Rug revealed)

2011-06-19T23:19:00.006+08:00

....this post is so overdue.
I handed one of the Mug Rugs to my partner, Sabariah during our last Bee held at Sally's house in Shah Alam. She received the 'Chinese' Mug Rug and I stitched it with the alphabets using the method described on this book. This is a quick way to do letters as one don't need to measure ahead, just cut out strips in various widths and sew as you go along - the author calls it Unruly Words! The rug turned out quite wonky as the brown borders are so uneven!
I also gave a Chinese tea cup to Sabariah, but I forgot to take a photo of it. :(
I have yet to send the other one to my other partner. Besides the Mug Rug, she and I are in another exchange and I have not completed this other one yet. So the other mug rug will only be revealed when she has received it. Sorry, peeps you have to wait a while.......:D

Mug Rug

2011-05-01T22:18:00.005+08:00

Over at NNC we caught the 'mug rug' fever, so an exchange was set up by MW aka the Headmistress. The mail out date is mid Oct 2011 ~ there is actually an option to do two rugs, and I signed up for both, thus I have been assigned two partners whom I can't reveal now. One is a local (Malaysian) member and the other from across the oceans! *wink*

I know October is still 5 months away, I was afraid something unexpected to crop.....I finished the rugs yesterday! *grin* BTW, I may stitch a few more pieces........anyway, here are the two pieces (reverse side). I used local batik for the reverse. The front will be revealed when my partners have received them!

Reverse of mug rugs using local batik

HAPPY WORKERS' DAY!

HAPPY EASTER

2011-04-24T23:12:00.004+08:00

The Lord is risen. Alleluia!

Have a joyous and blessed Easter.

March was....(a long overdue post)

2011-04-08T19:53:00.025+08:00

....a hectic month for me.
Firstly, I packed myself off to China for a 7N/9D tour which took me to Suzhou, Hongzhou, Wuxi, Nanking and Shanghai. Those cities are actually about 2 - 3 hours drive from one another and with the new expressways that China has been building, the journeys weren't tiring and the cold weather was of some help! BTW, the temperature was always below 10 deg. C and dropped below zero during the nights, but by that time I had warmly checked into the hotel!

I went to Shanghai because DD and two friends won a trip to represent their uni/Malaysia in the Henkel Innovative Challenge and since I don't have to pay for her fare....I took the opportunity to visit....lol.

The Oriental Pearl Tower (formerly used for TV broadcasting)

The China Pavilion
(only one still open to public viewing after the 2010 World Expo)

More photos here. :)

After China, it was time for NNC 4th Anniversary get-together at Rose's house in Shah Alam on 19th March. Like previous years, there was a gift exchange among the members plus a GINGHAM HEART challenge set out by the Headmistress aka MW! I quickly set to work on the heart since it wasn't too difficult to put together. My inspiration was from one of Tilda's design.

~ Tilda inspired heart ~
the background is a knitted cushion cover

Cupcake Apron - exchange piece drawn by Mel our resident cupcake Queen.
The apron fabric was a dish towel bought at Ikea. ;)

All the Pretty Hearts!
(photo by Nik)

I'm not going to repeat what happened on that day. It's here, here, and here!

- o - o - o - o -

Before the month ended, our company hosted the Annual dinner for all the staff in Penang. So we make our way to the Pearl of the Orient on Friday 25th March. We stayed at the Golden Sands Hotel, Batu Feringgi, Penang, but the dinner was held next door at the Rasa Sayang Hotel. This year each branch has to put up a performance (and it was a challenge) and I'm proud to say Ipoh branch won the first prize for our rendition of "Satu Malaysia" the theme song of One Malaysia! Yeah, Ipoh branch boleh!! :D

Ipoh branch BOLEH! Yeah!

The next day (early evening) we boarded the Superstar Libra for a cruise to nowhere. It's the first time I spent the night on a boat (a large one), but I still felt the boat rolling on the wave and it made me dizzy for a while! lol As we sailed at night, there was not much to see (and it was also raining), I spent the time inside the casino and lost some money! :(

A view from the upper deck

Phew! How the month flew.....thank you for visiting!

25 years ago.....

2011-01-04T00:01:00.000+08:00

...... this day, DH and I exchanged vows to love and honour each other...at the Church of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, Ipoh Garden. Prior to taking the walk down the aisle, the church required us to attend a 6-weeks course of marriage preparation called Evening of the Engaged (EE). [It has since be re-named Catholic Marriage Preparation course] Besides us, there were two other couples plus the married couple who were facilitating the course for the church. It was compulsory for couples seeking to be married in the Catholic church to attend this course as divorce is not permitted in the church's doctrine -"what God has joined, let no man un-join!"

And I designed my wedding gown, though I did not keep the gown after the BIG day! Because the bridal shop had to start from scratch to make the gown, they charged me extra! (and my mum make a big fuss over why I have to use my own design, instead of just renting one of those ready-made ones to save some money. Well, it was my gown and I wanted one that was unique!) It was a combo of 'Scarlet O'hara' and the late Princess Diana's wedding gown! *grin*

DH and I had our ups and downs and we have come a long way to learn to live as a couple! Along the way, we had a daughter who is now 23 years old and doing her final year at the University of Science Malaysia, Penang.

We had a quite dinner on Sunday night to mark this event at the San Francisco Steak House......
here is the dessert we had which was a rich chocolate cake filled with a sweet gooey chocolate sauce and served with Hagen Das ice-cream! Yummy!

Thank you for visiting.

Jenny Tseng's Concert

2010-12-19T22:40:00.004+08:00

DH and I went to Genting on 17th December 2010 to watch Jenny Tseng's Love Farewell Concert. Unlike the previous concert (Lobo) which we watched in October where Lobo just sang, Jenny's had a few costumes changes and some songs included dancers. She wore mainly mini-skirts which showed off her still gorgeous legs!

However, she couldn't do the dances with her dancers as she had a broken shoulder as a result of a fall she sustained at Hong Kong airport upon her arrival from the USA. She didn't wear the sling during her performance, she was carefully not to move her right arm much during her performance. Many times during her performance, she mentioned that she is in pain. Her fans were quite considerate when she came down from the stage to sing with them as they stayed away from her right hand!
Since I bought her set of CDs prior to the show, I was given the opportunity to get her autograph and a photo together with her!

Thank you for visiting.

Wishing everyone a Christmas filled with Peace & Joy

and a Happy & Blessed New Year

Giveaway at StarZanite

2010-10-18T21:17:00.003+08:00

A crafter friend is having a giveaway at here. They are lovely and would look nice hanging from your scissors or even mobile phone!

Kerala, India

2010-10-10T10:10:00.008+08:00

.....Part 2

After the jumbo ride, we went back to Munnar town and went to a 'theater' to watch a traditional dance called the "Kathakali". The dance uses facial, hands and legs movement to 'tell' the story as there is no dialogue! The make-up and costume of the dancers are very elaborate - the make on the lead dancers takes up to 4 hours to put on and they showed the audience how the dancers dress up before the dance and that took nearly an hour!

Dancers in action

Next day, we left Munnar (another long journey along the same winding road!) to go to Kumarakom - a backwater paradise to stay the night on a houseboat. As it was daylight this time, we saw many waterfalls which we missed on our way up to the hill resort on our arrival day!

Something all of us (who are Catholics) noticed as we traveled along the roads of Kerala, the countryside and towns are dotted with churches - large and small ones! And one of India's saint - St. Alponhsa was born in Kerala in the early 20th century. Her tomb lies in one of the towns we passed through! The church where her tomb lies is a very big and modern one! Many pilgrims visit this church as she is said to intercede to bring about healing of illness. Read more about her here.

We finally arrived at the river where we are to take the cruise. The cruise is along a river which goes into a lake (supposedly the second largest lake in India). It was a bright breezy sunny day while we were cruising. We spent the night on the boat - however, during the night many small flies come out from the surrounding area and boat operator had to cover the the boat with canvas and we had to use the minimum light as the flies are attracted by the light! Lunch, dinner and the next day's breakfast were served on the boat and it was dinner that I was 'poisoned'! lol. I threw up the whole night and didn't manage to get much sleep! And the next day, I had no appetite and didn't want to risk throwing out on the plane as it was our departure day!

'Our' houseboat
Another houseboat cruising of the river/lake

Sunset on the river/lake

Our departure day, being Sunday, we were obliged to attend mass and to receive the eucharist. Our guide took us to the Santa Cruz Basilica. A wedding was taking place there and it was opportune that holy communion was about to be distributed and we were able to receive the eucharist too! The wedding was pretty elaborate and presided over by three priest!

Santa Cruz Basilica

Ceiling of the Basilica

Wedding mass

After visiting the Basilica, we visted the Jewish quarter of Cochin, then to another church where the tomb of the Portugese explorer Vasco Da Gama lies. After this, we had lunch and then made our way to the airport.

Tomb of Vasco Da Dama

Even though the car (motion) sickness and the food poisoning were most unpleasant, I have fond memories of this visit to "GOD'S OWN COUNTRY".

Indian taxi

Thank you for visiting.

Kerala "God's own country" India

2010-10-04T20:33:00.009+08:00

Part 1

A very dear friend invited me to spend a weekend in Kerala, India. We a took the afternoon Air Asia flight from LCCT and arrived at Cochin, Kerala'a airport at about 4.30pm (Indian time - which is about 2.5 hours behind Malaysian time). Our tour was pre-booked so our tour guide and his driver were waiting for us.

the signature red plane

arrival hall

We did not anticipate a long journey (5 hours!!) from the airport to Munnar (a hill resort) where we were to put up for 2 nights. This is the first time in my life where I got car sick - the long distance, coupled with a very, very winding road up the resort (and bad driver - he was not familiar with the way) and insufficient air-cond reaching the back part of the car. I threw out everything I had before the flight!! We managed to arrive at the resort called Tea Valley in time for dinner - we were the last diners! By then, I didn't had much appetite - so only ate to replenish what I threw out!! LOL.

Valley in front of our rooms - was a very misty day!

The valley after the mist cleared - note the very, very winding road. It is very narrow and only a vehicle can be on it, However, the were times when there was traffic from the other direction - one will stop to let the other pass by before proceeding. And the honk is always used to warn on coming traffic especially as hairpin bends - one cannot see what's around the bend!

We spent the morning visiting the Eravikulan National Park which is a sanctuary for a kind of deer. Unfortunately, it rained when we reached the highest most part of the park - so no deer was seen. The hike up was difficult - thin air (and lack of exercise). However, the walk was compensated by the spectacular view down the valley and up close with a waterfall!

No trip will be complete without shopping - we went into Munnar town and made a stop at a shop selling spices and tea. Since I'm not into cooking - let alone cooking Indian style, I just let my senses take in the various aromas of the spices!

After lunch, enroute to view more of God's own country - I rode on an elephant! The experience is a rather scary one - the elephant first went uphill which was slippery after a downpour and came down hill. It's amazing that the elephant was so sure of this footing and the path to take - it's keeper walked along with us, but then.......
......to be continued

Margo Handbag by Lazy Girl

2010-08-28T20:34:00.005+08:00

I fell in love with this bag when I first saw it here. However, I was quite in daunted with the zipper as I have never been successful in sewing a zipper to a bag by machine! I hesitated in purchasing the pattern for a few months. lol! Anyway, there was a sales over here and .......

I used fabrics from my stash and am pleased to say that sewing the zip was rather easy - and the instruction was very clear! I did not use any batting even though the pattern called for fusible batting - the main fabric (the large grey circular design is actually meant for curtains and therefore stiff enough to 'sit' well.) I used a fusible fabric interfacing (bought from Corine at the Quilt retreat in Penang last year) for the rest of the bag and it give enough support to the overall bag! The bag has many pockets inside which make me love it more! I'm very pleased with this bag! More to come, later....*smile*

Inside of the bag with my personal things. *grin*

Thank you for visiting!

A Skirt

2010-08-22T20:31:00.007+08:00

It has been ages since I sewed for myself......here is the outcome of 1 hour work! I just sewed the one side seam, put it the elastic cording and ta da.....a NEW SKIRT for moi! *grin*

I bought this fabric about a month ago at Nagoya when NNC had the mini stitching bee in Ipoh. It has a very pretty Japanese style print on a pink background and I knew I had to buy it! LOL However, it is not Japanese cotton which I initially thought was. It is made in Thailand as there was a mark on the selvedge with Thai script! :( Anyway, I still have a new skirt.......

Arrghh......

2010-07-25T21:48:00.007+08:00

......I don't have space to craft anymore!! Which means...............

.......it's time for another clear-up. I did that here. *wink* I such a messy person, no?? Anyway, I spent yesterday afternoon clearing up and re-arranging the table so that I can find my tools - I couldn't find my tape measure a few days ago when I wanted to measure how long I wanted to make my skirt from the piece of pink fabric with Japanese design which I bought from Nagoya two weeks ago! :(
However, before the clean up, I went to buy some new containers to store some of the papers which I have printed out from some freebie site and which I hope to make/stitch one of these days! And I found just the right one....it store A4 flat and I can use it to hold my wip's without have to fold the paper chart!

And so, here is the result after a hard afternoon's work................:D

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Voila! My craft table is back.

Thanks for visiting.

Have a nice day!

Making Jewelery

2010-06-19T11:26:00.006+08:00

Recently, I caught the 'bug' of jewelery making, though I did not make many in earnest. LOL I made a few pairs of earrings and some bracelets; plus crocheted one or two pieces which I have since given away!
The gratifying thing about jewelery making is that the result is almost instant. I can make up a pair of earrings within half an hour and wear it immediately!

Charm bracelet

Crocheted necklace

Crocheted bracelet

Earrings......

........more earrings

Wire Crochet bracelet
(crochet with wire was not as difficult as I thought! LOL)

NNC 3rd Anniversary Meet

2010-03-28T23:19:00.006+08:00

It was time again to celebrate NNC's third anniversary! This year, Sabariah hosted the gathering at her brand new house located at Setia Alam, Selangor. I as usual had to travel down to KL and Margaret and Jackie came to fetch me at the bus stop and we (including Mel who also got a lift from the sisters) made our way to Sabariah's house. When we reached there, Alynn and her family, Rose, Paul and Anna have already arrived. Some of yummy food were already laid out on the dinning table and more food were brought by MW and Mel! I brought Ipoh Old Town white coffee for the members to have a cuppa! :)

The VERY YUMMY food

Mel's chocolate strawberry cheesecake

When most of the members have arrived, we tucked in to the sumptuous food - I couldn't decide which to start with first as every dish looked so yummy! lol. We chatted while we ate and also to catch up with some members who had not been active on the board, namely Jo Yap who has been MiA for a while and Valarie Goh who has been jetting about. We were glad to see Faizon, our tatting guru who had a bout of dengue fever recently.

After feasting, it was show and tell time - Nik showed us some of the bags she made. We ooh and aah over the bag she specially made for Diane from USA. I did a applique demo for some of the members who wanted to learn the needleturn method, button-hole stitch and using the bias tape.
I also saw Faizon teaching Valerie how to tat! Mel also showed us how to do a fabric button with the gadget she gave each of us in the goody bag.

Then came the exciting part....the lucky draw and Gift exchange. Diane from USA contributed a book entitled Felt Flowers. (We had to make a felt flower as part of the gift exchange this year and below are the members' creation! Pretty aren't they?) Nik was the lucky winner of the book!

The Gifts for the Exchange

The felt flowers

The happy hostess with her 'note' bunny made by Paul

After everyone has ooh and aah over the gifts they received, we had another round of eating, chatting and laughter. It was such a fun-filled day with such good company! Once again.......

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY NNC!

Chinese New Year 2010

2010-02-20T17:41:00.004+08:00

On the 5th day of the Chinese New Year (Feb 18), my friends and I met up for our so called "annual gathering" This year's was a little late....many of the gals have came and gone! Anyhow, we have a special guest this year...Mary Cheah.... flew in from Vancouver to attend her aunt's 80th birthday celebration.
We had an enjoyable lunch at the Indulgence Restaurant, Ipoh - a treat from Micheal Lee.

**********************

A day earlier, I met up with two members of NNC who happened to be visiting their families in Ipoh - Paul and Ann. Ann is a very new member and she is very enthusiastic about what we do in the group. Incidentally, Paul and Ann have signed up for the current 'blue' pincushion exchange co-ordinated by Usha and Paul has been assigned to send to Ann.....*grin*

oooOoooOooo

This Chinese New Year is one of the hottest I've experienced - the heat and humidity makes one want to stay indoors! There has not been any rain since the first day - 14th February - of the celebration!
This afternoon DD went back to campus as classes will resume on Monday and I have to go back to work on Monday, too.........:(

Goodbye 2009, Hello 2010

2010-01-01T17:37:00.003+08:00

I have not much to write for this post, but just want to post a picture of the Chang family photo....Chang is DH's family name and he has 5 brothers and 2 sisters. His sisters live in Adelaide, Australia and they are visiting with their two daughters. Unfortunately, DH's brothers in-law couldn't make the trip. Anyway, it is not an easy feat to have the whole family together at one place....now especially some of the older grandchildren are off to college and unis and they have different semester break.

Chang family-taken on Christmas day 2009

WISHING EVERYONE A HAPPY 2010

Christmas Greetings

2009-12-23T14:14:00.002+08:00

Wishing all my Friends and readers
a joy filled Christmas
and may the New Year bring plenty of blessings

I Believe!

2009-11-17T22:35:00.005+08:00

I received this lovely poem from a friend which I would like to share it here. I'm sorry to could not credit the original writer as I don't know who he/she is.

I Believe......That just because two people argue,
it doesn't mean they don't love each other.
And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do love each other.

I Believe......That we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.

I Believe....That no matter how good a friend is,
they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I Believe....That true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.

I Believe... That you can do something in an instant
that will give you heartache for life.

I Believe...That you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I Believe....That you can keep going long after you think you can't.

I Believe...That we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

I Believe...That either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I Believe....That money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I Believe...That my best friend and I can do anything ~ or nothing ~ and have the best time.

I Believe...That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down will be the ones to help you get back up.

I Believe...That sometimes when I'm angry, I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

I Believe...That it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others;
sometimes, you have to learn to forgive yourself..

I Believe...That no matter how bad your heart is broken, the world doesn't stop for your grief.

I Believe...That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for whom we become.

I Believe....Two people can look at the exact same
thing and see something totally different...

I Believe...That credential on the wall does not make you a decent human being.

I Believe...That the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.

'The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of anything'

Clean Up

2009-11-15T21:46:00.005+08:00

My craft table was becoming so cluttered that I hardly had any space to work on! I also couldn't find some of the necessary tools for my craft. All of them were drown in the mess! LOL
Yesterday I decided to clean up the table and re-arrange my things so I can at least see what is where!

Before

VOILA!...........here's how it looks like after............Yay! I have more space to work on......lol.

NNC STITCHING BEE on 7th November 2009

This bee was initially arranged to coincide with Lody's visit to Malaysia while she was visiting her homeland, the Philipines. Unfortunately, the Philipines was hit by heavy rain which caused much flooding just after Lody arrived there and she couldn't come over as planned.

Anyway, the local members went ahead with the bee and we had the biggest turnout of members thus far! A detail report of the day is here.

During the meet, MW gave me a belated birthday present which was designed by Lody. Thank you Margaret! It is so well-stitched and beautifully finished.

Needle Etui

Inside

Back

Fob

Thank you for visiting.

L*K Exchange

2009-11-08T12:22:00.005+08:00

I received this lovely and cute pillow from Karen T, USA. It is in my favourite colour too!

Pirjo of Finland also informed that she has received the piece that I stitched for her.

This had been a fun exchange, but I regret I can't take part in Round 3 due to other commitments. Anyway, I hope I can participate again in 2010. Thank you Angela and Lisa for organizing this exchange.

More ATC

2009-10-26T22:17:00.004+08:00

Since both these ladies have confirmed they have received the cards, I would like to show them here too! *smile*

To Lynn
Design from Cross Stitcher Magazine

to Beth
Design from Cross Stitcher Magazine

32 YEARS ON.....

2009-09-09T19:27:00.018+08:00

Saturday, 5th September 2009 - six of us (Maria, Yin Peng, Li Za, Gaik Kee, Lai Yin and myself) drove to Kuala Lumpur for a very special meeting! We have pre-arranged to meet up with some of our school mates who are residing there.
For ladies, any outing without our other half will mean......SHOPPING. We went to IKEA, shopped and had lunch there before proceeding to the Atria where Tracy's boutique "EYE CANDY" is located. Tracy has arranged hi-tea for us outside the boutique and we were expecting about 20 gals to come by as some had prior engagements which could not be changed when this meet up was arranged.

Ipoh gals with Tracy

Our hi-tea started at around 2.30pm and continued until the shop's closing time at 8pm. For the record, the hi-tea was delicious which was a combo of nyonya finger food and some cakes and sandwiches. We were so pleased that those who confirmed their attendance, came even for a short while. It was a blast catching up with each over the lost years....some whom we did not see since with left our dear alma mater - the MAIN CONVENT of Ipoh! And the memories came flooding back when we started to sing the school song....

The School Song

The whole gang

Those of us who were still around at 8pm then adjourned to have dinner at the Esquire Kitchen Restaurant on the ground floor of the Atria. We were such a noisy group in the restaurant!
It was such a memorable day and we resolve to do another one pretty soon........to be continued!

Kate's ATC

2009-09-03T19:04:00.007+08:00

Kate informed me that she has finally received the ATC. Her birthday fell in July - I sent her this, but it didn't arrive!!

Missing ATC
Design from DECORATIVE CROSS-STITCH ALPHABETS
ISBN: 0-8069-7603-9
Stitched on 14ct Aida using DMC floss

I told her that I will replace the missing one for her and I so glad that it finally reached her!

Design: Freebie from Casey Buonaugurio

Fabric: 16ct cream Aida using DMC floss

My apologies to Kate that she has to wait so long for her card.

Exhanges Received

2009-08-18T21:25:00.015+08:00

It was a relief when my 'secret' partner Ulla from Finland informed that she has received the L*K exchange. For a while I thought the piece has gone missing. Now, I am eligible to sign up for round 2! *smile*

L*K pinkeep for Ulla

And Marie from Australia has also received the ATC birthday exchange albeit after her birthday!

ATC for Marie

Last Saturday 15th August, my online group Needles and Craft had a stitching bee at Starbucks at Bangsar Village II, KL. During the bee, there was an impromptu exchange of some dress-up glass jars! Those who brought the jars were Rose, Mel, Alynn, Paul (absent, but asked Rose to bring his jar) and myself. We drew lots and I picked Alynn's jar.

Pretty jars in a row

Alynn's jar and goodies stuffed inside

During the bee, I also gave to my 'secret partner' Alynn the needlebook which is an on going exchange at NNC.

Needlebook for Alynn
Design: freebie from Primitivebettys
Fabric: 32ct raw linen stitched with DMC 151

Needlebook (inside)

More details and pictures of the Bee can be found at Alynn's blog.

Thank you to all who have visited. *smile*

100th post giveaway.....

2009-07-25T18:10:00.002+08:00

.....No, it is not mine, but BEV's - My Wee Stitchy Blog.

A Giveway

2009-07-22T12:00:00.003+08:00

A fellow stitcher is celebrating her 2nd blog anniversary and she's giving away some yummy floss. Go and take a look! *smile*
http://crazypurplemom.blogspot.com/2009/07/blog-anniversary.html

Happy Mail Day

2009-07-18T19:19:00.008+08:00

I received two envelopes today - both from Australia!

The first one is from Lisa VV who is my secret partmer for the L*K exchange. She finished the stitched piece as a 'no sew cube' style and used pink braid threaded with a pink velvet ribbon. Pink is one of my fave colour!

The second package is from Marie Roy enclosing the AT C birthday exchange.

I want thank both ladies for the lovely pieces. *big smile*

AN INSPIRATION AWARD

I want to thank Cindy Mae for giving me this award. It is a pleasure to know you. Even though we live in different sides of the world, we can be connected in an instant thanks to all these technology.

Here are the rules of the above award:

1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of

the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link.
2) Pass the award to other blogs that you’ve newly discovered.
Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know
they have been chosen for this award.

Now the hard part - who to pass this award to! So many people have inspired me:

Emily - whom I first met through the cyber space and has now become a dear friend.
Mel aka Yoonie - one very talented and creative gal who can whip up a bag, a flower, etc in a very short time!
Faizon - a master tatter. She has set her passion to create such beautiful motifs from simple theads. (sorry Faizon, I have not been practising my tatting lately)

I know the above bloggers are not newly discovered (breaking rule no. 2), but I would like them to have the award as they are my inspiration to continue crafting! *smile*

Christmas RR & Exchanges

2009-07-17T20:42:00.011+08:00

MW organized a quartet Christmas RR at NNC I chose to stitch snowmen because of a chart I received from the ATC birthday exchange. I found the snowman so adorable! Lillie will be the next person to stitch on it; after which it will be passed on to MW, then Anna.

Design: Waxing Moon

Stitched on 14ct red aida using DMC fibres

This is the second RR I'm taking part in. Unfortunately, the first piece (which is nearly a year old now) has not been returned to me yet due to circumstances beyond my control!

I am glad to say I'm kind of updated with my exchanges - I have posted (on 16th July) my piece for the LK exchange. I will reveal it when my 'secret' partner has received it.
I have finished stitching my next ATC birthday exchange for Marie whose birthday is in August. Now I just have to mount and post it to Marie. However, as of writing, Kate whose birthday fell on 7th July has not received my piece yet - keeping my fingers crossed that it will arrive soon.
One more exchange which will be due end August is the needlebook exchange also organized by MW. It is partially finished and I hope to complete before the end of the month! *wink*

Thank you for dropping by.

An Award!

2009-07-13T08:48:00.005+08:00

Paul - a crafter extraordinaire gave me the above award. I suggest you visit his blog to see the crafts he has done, and most of them were his first attempts and they have turned out AWESOME! Keep it up, PAUL!

By accepting this award, I have to tag 8 friends. Here they are: Lillie, Dawn, Bev,
Cindy Mae, Kate, Lynn, Ronel and Marie. Ladies, you are all crafters extraordinarie too. *wink*

Lillie......

2009-07-01T12:55:00.005+08:00

.......is so sweet. She sent me these for my birthday. She remembered I once asked her where she got some laces she used on some of her finishing and she sent me some for lovely, lovely laces. Thank you very much, dear Lillie.

Personalized Pinkeep

Laces

More ATCs

2009-06-27T22:24:00.006+08:00

While I was away in Sydney, Australia, I received these lovely cards from these talented ladies:

from Lynn Sletta

from Kate Roland

from Beth Collier

from Bev Robinson

from Ronel Webb

ATC no. 2

2009-06-04T18:55:00.006+08:00

The postman brought another ATC card today. It is from Cindy M ae and I am so touched by her that she created the design specially for me. Thank you, Cindy.

My first ATC

2009-06-03T23:18:00.007+08:00

Today, the postman brought my first ATC birthday exchange from Dawn B.

Thank you Dawn. The card is so lovely.

Close-up of the stitching

When I say......

2009-05-16T17:58:00.002+08:00

I received this beautiful poem from a friend and would like to share:

I'm A Christian
by
Maya Angelou

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin'."
I'm whispering "I was lost,
Now I'm found and forgiven."

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble
and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak
And need His strength to carry on..

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed
And need God to clean my mess.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible
But, God believes I am worth it.

When I say.... "I am a Christian"
I still feel the sting of pain.
I have my share of heartaches
So I call upon His name.

When I say.... "I am a Christian"
I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner
Who received God's good grace, somehow!

Share this with somebody who already has this understanding, as reinforcement. But more importantly, share this with those who do not have a clear understanding of what it means to be a Christian, so that the myth that Christians think they are "perfect" or "better than others" can be dispelled.

Another Exchange & a Zigouigoui

2009-05-08T19:14:00.010+08:00

I have joined another exchange (my gray cells must have gone on vacation when I signed up). Since it involves small pieces of stitching, I believed I am able to follow through! *keeping my fingers crossed though!* This exchange will allow me to stitch some cute small designs and finish it as an ATC for the birthday gal and this exchange has stitchers from all over the world.....Australia, Africa, UK, USA and yours truly in Malaysia. There are many designs that I had loved to stitch, but did not know how to finish it, so the ATC is a good opportunity to do so! Incidentally, the first person on the birtday list is yours truly and I am so looking forward to receive the cards. Frankly, I only have a vague idea of the ATC so being the first recipient will allow me to know what to do for the next birthday gal whose birthday falls in July!

A Zigouigoui.......what in the world is this when I first saw the name?? Anyway, a fellow stitcher made one and I fell in love with it. (BTW, there is a tutorial link at the said post on how to finish is little ornament!) Finally, I managed to complete it and here it is.

Fabric: 14ct red Aida

Fibre: DMC metallic E135
Fringe is made from a multi-coloured crochet yarn.
I stitched pearl beads along the seams and
the cord for the hanging is crocheted from the nulti-coloured yarn
with pearl beads added along the way.

Here is the design before the finish. It's a freebie from here.

Thank you for visiting and I also take this opportunity to wish all mothers
A HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY.

Time flies.....

2009-04-30T19:17:00.005+08:00

About 10 months ago, I wrote here that DD was entering university. Last Sunday, 26th April DH and I drove up to Penang and helped her to bring back her things from the hostel as she has completed her exams and first year! How quickly time passed.....

She is home now for the next two months and these past few days, she had done nothing, but sleep and watched video! She and her friends have planned some trip for next month. We (she and I) will also be going for a holiday down under in June!

During this trip to Penang, I took the opportunity to visit Little Penan g Street. Personally, I was quite disappointed with what were offered or displayed there. It could be because we were there rather late at about 2.30pm and some of the stalls were already empty. For those who want to visit this event which happens on every last Sunday of the month, it is on the street adjacent to the E&O Hotel, Pg which is a historical landmark.

Lizzie Kate

2009-04-20T21:48:00.002+08:00

I have decided to take part in the international Lizzie Kate Exchange organized by Angela. This is my first international exchange and I'm pretty excited by it.

THE SEED

2009-03-24T13:51:00.003+08:00

A successful business man was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business. Instead of choosing one of his directors or his children, he decided to do something different.

He called all the young executives in his company together.

"It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO," he said.

''I have decided to choose one of you."

The young executives were shocked, but the boss continued. ''I am going to give each one of you a seed today - a very special seed. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO."

One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story. She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed. Every day, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks,
some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow. Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew.

Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing. By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn't have a plant and he felt like a failure....

Six months went by - still nothing in Jim's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Jim didn't say anything to his colleagues, however. He just kept watering and fertilizing the soil - he so wanted the seed to grow.

A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection. Jim told his wife that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But she asked him to be honest about what happened. Jim felt sick at his stomach. It was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right.

He took his empty pot to the board room. When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful--in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed. A few felt sorry for him!

When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives. Jim just tried to hide in the back. "My, what great plants, trees, and flowers you have grown," said the
CEO. "Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!"

All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty pot, He ordered the financial director to bring him to the front. Jim was terrified. He thought, "The CEO knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!"

When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed.. Jim told him the story. The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives, "Here is your next Chief Executive! His name is Jim!"

Jim couldn't believe it. Jim couldn't even grow his seed. How could he be the new CEO the others said?

Then the CEO said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead - it was not possible for them to grow. All of you, except Jim, have brought me
trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive!"

MORAL:

If you plant honesty, you will reap trust.
If you plant goodness, you will reap friends.
If you plant humility, you will reap greatness.
If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment
If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective.
If you plant hard work, you will reap success.
If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation.
So, be careful what you plant now; it will determine what you will reap later.

source: from the internet - original author unknown

An Overdue Post....

2009-02-28T15:43:00.005+08:00

Group photo courtesy of Tini

This event happened a while back.....7th February 2009....to be precise! It was my online craft group (Needles n Craft - NNC) 2nd anniversary get together. It took place at our list mom's house in Subang Jaya.
Instead of repeating myself, you can view the reports plus lots of photos from here and here.

I had a enjoyable time during the gathering and the food was just delicious!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2008-12-24T19:48:00.002+08:00

Thank you everyone who have visited me.

My Wife's A Hooker

2008-10-17T17:12:00.003+08:00

This entry is shamelessly copied from a post by a member at NNC

My wife she is a hooker,
Of this she's mighty proud,
And the stories of her exploits,
Are legends in our town,
She's shameless with her talents,
She'll go hooking anywhere,
And if people want to watch her,
She really doesn't care,
It seems to be a family thing,
Her mother taught her how,
Seems her grandma was a hooker,
And my daughters hooking now,
She goes to hookers meetings,
to learn the new techniques,
She starts hooking in a frenzy,
And won't talk to me for weeks,
She doesn't do the housework,
She doesn't make the beds,
No she doesn't have time for that,
She'd rather hook instead,
My wife she is a hooker,
And I curse that awful day,
When she first picked up the hook and yarn,
And learned how to crochet

I am also a hooker and proud of it!

Peranakan Culture

2008-09-10T14:43:00.007+08:00

After hearing so much about the Peranakan Museum in Singapore, I made it a point to visit it this time around and it was worthwhile tour. The entrance was S$6.00 per adult. For those who are into beading especially the kasut manik, this museum is a treasure trove. Best of all, you are allowed to take photographs (without flash).

Kasut Manik (top)

It features a culture which is sadly fading even though some people are trying pretty hard to preserve it.

Staircase of Katong Antique House
(note the coloured tiffin carriers)

Had the opportunity to meet one such man, Mr Peter Wee owner of K atong Antique House. He conducts tour of the house with prior appointment with costs S$15.00 per pax and after the tour he serves tea with pineapple tarts (yummy!

Metal teapots of a bygone era
(photo courtesy of Katong Antique House)

BTW, Katong is known as the Peranakan belt of Singapore, so a stroll along East Coast Road will be a very educational one. Besides, these 'antique' houses, there are lots of yummy food to savour!

Mid semester break

2008-08-29T11:08:00.004+08:00

DD had her first semester break from 15th - 24th August 2008 and she came home for a few days. She took this opportunity to visit her fave place - KLCC or more precisely Kinokuniya book shop! She even pre-ordered one of her manga books and picked it up while we were there.

I bought a few books myself too, *wink* 2 Chinese craft books and a Japanese x-stitch book with French designs.
We also went to Petaling Street as DD also wanted to look for anime VCDs.

USM Campus

2008-07-07T12:48:00.006+08:00

We (DH and I) and Celine (Cheng Fai's mum) made an early start to Penang. We fetched Celine at 7.30am and had breakfast before setting off.

It was hazy while we were crossing the Penang Bridge like a storm is brewing over the island, but surprisingly it was bright and sunny when we arrived on the island. We didn't have difficulty finding the campus - just followed the sign boards and landed right at the doorstep of the main entrance (Batu Uban) lol! After gaining permission from the guard, we drove through the campus and had a first hand look at the Garden University which USM is also know as. It is like a small township and quite impressive and condusive for study! DD and Cheng Fai's hostels are located at the other end of the main gate - in fact, it's an annex to the main campus compound. There are six blocks of apartments - namely Restu, Saujana and Tekun. DD is staying in Saujana, whereas Cheng Fai is in Tekun. DD block is pretty clean and she said the cleaners come around every morning to empty the rubbish bins. Apparently, over at Tekun, the bins are only cleared once a week. DD shares the room with a girl in the same course whose hometown is over at Butterworth!

DD in front of hostel

After unloading the luggage, we went to Queensbay Mall.

The two of them, apparently just got up before we arrive and thus did not have any breakfast. We had brunch at Nando's as DH and Celine hadn't tasted them before. Then we proceeded to Borders where I bought a few books and a Japanese mag (the only one I saw) while DD bought some Japanese reference books! After spending 4 hours at Queensbay Mall, we went to Tesco Extra as both of them want to pick up some tidbits and necessities! Brought them back to the hostel and after having a drink at the cafeteria, we started our journey home. Today, the kids start their classess......

Off to Uni (USM Penang)

2008-06-27T15:43:00.004+08:00

Last week, Michele found that she has been accepted to study Management at Univeristi Sains Malaysia, Penang.....thus began a hectic week for us. First, we went shopping....for SKIRTS and blouses, two items that is not common vocabulary for her! lol Finding blouses/shirts were not too difficult, but the skirts were another story....they are either too short, too flowery, or too expensive. Didn't want to get pricey ones as she won't be wearing them much once the Orientation is over. Finally, we managed to find three pieces that meets her criteria at Reject Shop at RM100.60 for all three pieces!
Then we have to buy pails, brushes and other daily necessities which she took for granted while living at home. As she begins this new journey, she has to learn to do chores for herself....wash her clothes (though there are washing machines in the campus), ironing, and keeping her room clean! At home, she didn't do chores at all!
And she began packing only yesterday afternoon and I helped her to pack her suitcase and there seem to be so many things that she has to take along. The next week is only Orientation week and her clothes took up most of the space in the case! Didn't get to bed until after 1 am! Her other stuff is still lying on the floor at home and DH and I will be bringing them to her next week when she moves to her 'permanent' hostel for the semester. We are taking Cheng Fai's stuff too to him. He is doing a different course - English Literature and Linguistic Studies.
Both Michele and Cheng Fai left for Penang this morning and staying over night at Cheng Fai's friend's place at Batu Ferringhi. The friend will be fetching them to USM campus tomorrow.
Will miss her though especially going for Japanese food.

Crochet?

2008-06-06T09:08:00.006+08:00

There was a crochet craze at NNC last month. These were some of the amigurumis I hooked up!

Pink Octopus

Pink Mouse

Pink Cupcake

Penguin

It has been a while....

2008-04-17T14:20:00.010+08:00

....since I have written here.
Let's re-cap what I have stitched or sew thus far....

Firstly, I have stitched the Jan and Feb ornies for the Christmas SAL which I signed. Here there are:

January ornie for Christmas SAL

Design from Cross-stitcher magazine, UK

February Ornie

Design: AMAP (freebie)

Secondly, I stitched some Redwork

These designs are by Alicia Paulson (see posting on 7 Feb 2008 to download the patterns) which features different designs for each day of the week. As you can see, I still have Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday to stitch!

These two pieces are a monthly BOM SAL from Capricorn Quilts. Unfortunately, the designs are retired after the month is up. At the moment, April pattern is still available, but Jan-Mar are no longer available (free) .

And then of course........

the Rose Sampler SAL from EMS

the Old Sampler from here

How Does Your Garden Grows from Papillon Creations. This piece involves speciality stitches besides cross-stitch and it is quite fun to stitch once I have figure them out.

The last three pieces are international SAL and will run until the end of 2008!

Besides stitching, I also did some crochet like these:

They are amigurumi bears. The pink one has been sent to Irma in Chile for the Secret Valentine Exchange at SNN. The brown bear is for the NNC lottery to be drawn in Sept 08.

This brooch was also sent to Irma in Chile.

This one was given to BJ.

At NNC, there was the recently concluded Charm Exchange where there were not sewing involved (phew!). We sent 10 different pieces to each participant who has signed up. The participants were Emily, Nik, Ratna, Tini and moi. So I received 40 different pieces of 5"x5" fabrics from these lovely ladies.

There are more exchanges to come both at NNC and SNN and shall write about them sometime soon....;-)

Christmas Ornaments SAL

2008-01-18T10:53:00.000+08:00

I have signed up for an international SAL (my first) here.

Welcome 2008

2007-12-31T15:11:00.001+08:00

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year.

Re-union

2007-12-28T14:02:00.000+08:00

Our trip to Singapore was also a family re-union of sorts. Rapiah and her two children, Zuleika and Arif Raiyan also came back from Australia for holidays. Brother Kok Onn and his family were also down. There was a dinner gathering to catch up with each other and for the younger generations to meet.

SINGAPORE RE-VISITED

2007-12-28T13:28:00.000+08:00

After nearly 10 years, I visited Singapore again from 15th - 21st December 2007. Went with Michele on 14th Dec night by express bus. Bought tickets for Super VIP, but on the day itself we were upgraded to Deluxe coach (first time we travelled on a double-decker bus!) This type of coach has individual TV monitor and there were movies, music and games to chose from. However, I didn't watch any of the movies as those 'nice' ones I have seen before and most of the Chinese movies were of ghosts and ghouls! Eeks! Since we took the 10pm bus, I didn't fancy listening to music, so the best thing to do was to sleep, which I needed since I will be having a full day in Singapore after we arrive.

Reached JB about 5.30am and there was long queue at Woodlands immigration as we met the going-to-work crowd, plus many buses going to Singapore as it was the week before Christmas! It was already 7am plus when we reached brother Kok Sang's place at Bishan. Had breakfast before we went to bed. Woke up around 10.30am as Christina had to fetch Nicole from tuition and I were to meet Jullie Teo, Margaret and Jackie at Spotlight in Plaza Singapura at 2pm and Michele wants to look for her manga shop. So we took the MRT to Plaza Singapura, minus Christina and Nicole as they headed to another direction for Nicole had a birthday party to attend. Since Mich and I arrived early at PS, we looked around for the manga shop first before proceeding to Spotlight to meet the gals.

Shoes & Teapots fabric from Spotlight

Discovered a two dollars Japaneses shop at PS that we selling all sorts of goods including craft things. Bought some tatting threads and felts from Daiso!

Felts from Daiso

Margaret had called earlier when she arrived in Singapore that she will be late for our meeting as her brother had ordered lunch for them. So waited for Jullie and since it was our first meeting, managed to spot her at Spotlight's entrance. Pretty and jovial gal and we clicked immediately.

Jullie & Me

After shopping at Spotlight, Jullie, DD and I headed for Chinatown while Margaret and her family continued along Orchard Road. We went to Golden Dragon, one of the older craft shops in Singapore and I bought some shuttles (clover) and some short pins which would be ideal for doing pinkeeps! Jullie also brought us to the 'tong sui' shop at People's Park which was famous for their steam egg pudding. Unfortunately, the item was sold out for the day while we were there. Next time.....then!

Shuttles, ribbons and pins

A slice of CAKE, but.....

2007-11-23T12:35:00.000+08:00

Nik and Mel have been making 'cake' pincushions! When I saw this in one of the Chinese book which I bought, I made it and posted a challenge to the NNC members to guess what it is. Barbara (aka BJ) made the first correct guess and will be sending this 'cake box' to her.

Design from this book.....

.........A slice of cake, but not a pincushion....

.........but a box!

NNC 1st Annivesary Meet

2007-11-22T18:30:00.000+08:00

We had our meet on 3rd November 2007 at Nik's house in Subang Jaya. I didn't take any photos, but you can view them here at the Group's photo page. Thank you to Nik and Margaret for organizing this meet which I enjoyed very much and thanks also to all those who brought all those lovely yummy foods...forgotten how many helpings I had!

Part of the food we had!

Yummy!

We had a gift a gift exchange too. I made a mini quilt called "Token of Friendship" to commemorate this event and crocheted 4 doilies. They were drawn by Faizon.

Token of Friendship Quilt & Doilies

I drew Nik's gift:

Here's some of the gifts which the girls made for us:

Crocheted hearts from Usha

From Faizon, who is a tatting sifu

From June - a felt flower wrist pincushion

From Margaret - a mini pincushion with my initial 'J"

Beauty from Trash

2007-10-09T11:46:00.000+08:00

Ever wonder what to do with your empty plastic bottle, old newspapers/magazines or the white box which you "ta pau"? Last Saturday, I attended a workshop where you turn these 'trash' into beauties!

The 'vase' is re-cycled from a cut-off plastic bottle and sprayed black.

From old newspaper.......

.....to a pretty basket!

NNC-Card Challenge

2007-10-09T11:42:00.000+08:00

Tis' the card I received from Emily. She included a crocheted heart-shaped bookmark in purple!

NNC-Card Challenge

2007-09-27T11:50:00.000+08:00

A card challenge co-ordinated by Ying was announced end August 2007.

Quote:

What to do : Made a handmade card by yourself and send to your partner.

Supplies:Ying will send the supplies to you. ( Free, of course!! :-)) .You make the card using the supplies given, yes, all the supplies, and IF you want to add your own supplies , please not over 3 items.

Sign Up : start from now to 9/September. Please give me your full name, snailmail address and email address. Please sign up via my private email:.........Ying will assign the partner and send the supplies to you by 10/September.

Due Date to send your card to your partner: 30/September.Please be on time.Please scan your card before you send to your partner, if you can't scan please state it when you sign up.

Unquote

The players were:

Barbara Jack

Charlene Ng

Melanie Tan

Nik Ainun

Usha Ranee

June Tung

Lillie Liu

Rose Jonid

Radha Kumar

Emily Chiam

Janet Chan

Ulla Fredriksson

Ying Pang

and my partner was.......Emily Chiam and this is the card I created for her!

Emily's fave colour is purple and the only thing I had on hand in my stash was the purple ric-rac!

I think my card turned out rather mediocre :(

Bouquet for Cheryl

2007-09-27T11:15:00.000+08:00

Bouquet for Cheryl

Stitched on 14ct white Aida

using Carrie's Creation Joy Noel

On 23rd September 2007 at 11.25pm, I put in my last stitch for Cheryl's Bouquet. Took me nearly three months to complete. Felt relief and also sad now that I have completed it. Had enjoyed stitching it as I didn't have to change threads as I sewed. Used overdyes by Carrie's Creation call Joy Noel with varies from Red, Green and Yellow thus making the piece very Christmassy! lol

Quilt Expo

2007-09-11T12:56:00.000+08:00

The Quilt Expo in conjunction with Bernina's Sewing machines 75th Anniversary was held at the Corus Hotel, Jalan Ampang, KL from 6th - 9th Sept. 2007. Went there on 7th Sept with the main purpose to attend the Thread painting workshop. Paid RM120 for this workshop which gave us a kit of 9pcs 6"x6" of cotton fabric, 6 spools of Metler threads, a large piece of muslin, a hoop and some stabilizer. The instructor showed us how to 'paint' on the fabric using the Bernina 440 It looked very easy, but when I tried the piece was a disaster! Lucky, I 'painted' from the corner, therefore was able to savage some of the fabric which I believed were American cotton.

Since the workshop was only 2 hours and I had plenty of time to 'kill' before coming home, I bought the Christmas ball kit to make. The kit costs RM20.00 which consisted of a polystyrene ball and 3 sets of 2" x 2" cotton fabric and some pins. It was easy to make as it only involved folding the fabric and pinning it to the polystyrene ball!

Before leaving, I bought some buttons and charms, the heart shape

yo-yo maker (small),a tin of spray glue and the plastic for the rim of the Ort bag.

Didn't get any fabric though as what they have there were not to my taste. Were looking for Amy Butler and Kaffe Fassett, but they did not carry them. What they had were quite dated and the novelty prints which I saw were cats!

Had lunch with Seng Fong whom I had not seen for sometime, before going to the Expo. We took the opportunity to update each other on our news.

WIP

2007-08-28T10:21:00.000+08:00

Have started to stitch on the piece of linen which Margaret bought for me. At first it was difficult as the fibre is very fine (32 count) and difficult to see where the holes are. Am stitching one over two from a chart from the French mag -De Fil En Aiguille - Sampler (special edition). Am using DMC 75 (a variegated red) Since receiving the magnifier from Jean, stitching is a breeze - no more tired eyes! lol.

My CB is progressing along slowly. This is how it looks after nearly 2 months and finishing one card (8 yards) of the threads. There were a few misses and needed to undo and the thread broke! Have started to use the 2nd card - 2 yards done.

Have also found the pattern from an Aussie mag to make up the anniversary gift. It will be turned into a wall hanging!

Daylight Flexilens Magnifier

2007-08-22T12:00:00.000+08:00

Bought this magnifier from Jean of Needle Little Love, Singapore. It makes stitching on linen so much easier. By far, a very good investment.

Garden Pillow from Mel

2007-08-20T12:12:00.000+08:00

I received the Garden theme pillow case from Mel in our CCE exchange. She appliqued felt pieces of birds and flowers and used ribbon embroidery. She also enclosed a hand made card and a tag which I think is made from photo paper baked in the oven!

WIP ~ Finished Work

2007-08-06T11:49:00.000+08:00

This is what I've stitched so far Bouquet for Cheryl:

This is a challenge - BJ offered to reimburse the Carrie threads we used if we can finished stitching this chart by 31/12/2007!

Have also completed the cushion cover for Mel for the Cushion Cover Exchange on NNC co-ordinated by Lene. Send it out on 5th July 2007.

Stash from Daisy Stitch

2007-08-06T11:41:00.000+08:00

Bought some cross-stitch fabric and threads online from Daisy Stitch based in Canada. Also asked Margaret to get me 1/2 metre of raw linen from Yee's in PJ. Here they are:

Reason, Season & Lifetime

2007-08-03T13:25:00.000+08:00

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person.When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn. They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy.Believe it, it is real. But only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons, things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life. It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

Thank you for being a part of my life, whether you were a reason, a season or a lifetime.

Carrie's Threads

2007-07-03T13:42:00.000+08:00

BJ sent over the threads I ordered from her. Not very excited over them as the colours were not what I expected especially the Purple Pansy. Didn't like the very light shade of purple on it!
Began to stitch the Bouquet for Cheryl last night with Joy Noel starting from the centre, but didn't really like the blending of the colours as Joy Noel is made up of red, yellow and green they are quite distinct from each other! :(( Perhaps, I should stitch in a different way instead of following the rows - maybe do it in clusters! *sigh*

NNC Wish List Exchange

2007-06-14T13:20:00.000+08:00

Yesterday, I mailed the reversible tote bag to Margaret. It's pink on one side and the reverse is blue! This is my second exchange on NNC, the first being the pincushion! I have finished my obligations, but have a number of WIP to complete - namely:

1. Fairies x-stitch from Marie Barber's book

2. Tulip quilt

3. Ripple crochet

Then it will be Bouquet for Cheryl a challenge thrown by BJ of NNC and distributed of Carrie's thread. It's her way to promote Carrie's thread in this region and we purchase 5 skeins of CT and stitch the Bouquet by 31st December 2007. If and when we finish the project by that date BJ will give us 5 skeins of CT free of charge. I have already placed my order - I'm going to stitch it using Joy Noel (a multi-colour variegated in shades of christmasy colours, namely green, red, gold, etc). Besides this, I have also ordered a skein each of Fall Splendour, Purple Pansy, Over the Rainbow, Lagoon Green and Lumiere de Cheryl. Each skein costs RM4.00. I hope I can complete this challenge on time!

Bookfest & Amigurumi

2007-06-06T12:25:00.000+08:00

Went to KL with Michele last weekend particularly to attend the Popular's Bookfest. Didn't buy much at the fest as the books and things were not what we were looking for! However, we did go to Kinokuniya (Japanese section) and we found what we looking for! We spent RM360+ there and my CC bill will increase again *sob*.

I found the Amigurumi Collection book volume 5 and the turtle which I made from it. Isn't he cute? Anyway, he will be going to another home soon - to June who will be celebrating her birthday on 11th June! Turtle will be a companion to her hippo!

There was a heavy downpour in KL when we were about to go to Puduraya to catch our bus. Barely managed to reach it with one umbrella! There were many people at Puduraya as most buses were delayed due to the rain. Our bus (6.30pm) was delayed, but we managed to get on the 6pm one, but which left Puduraya at 7.00pm. As we reached the Jalan Duta toll, there was a long queue as the road after the toll was flooded - there was a huge jam. Fortunately, our bus was just at the entrance to the toll and managed to do a reverse and go by another way i.e. via Jalan Kuching which was almost slightly jammed. By the time we reached Rawang, it was 8.30pm and we arrived Ipoh at 10.15pm+!

Teachers' Day

2007-05-25T10:25:00.000+08:00

Last night, took DD shopping for gifts for her teachers (last minute)! Went to Living Cabin at Ipoh Parade and bought eight heart-shaped photo frames for all her teachers. The class teacher gets an extra gift - a foldable fan . It was thoughtful of her and her classmates to thank their teachers with a small token. However, I believe the best gift a teacher will receive from their students will be their students' success in their exams and future life.

Boxy Lady, done!

2007-04-23T14:21:00.001+08:00

Phew! At last completed the Boxy Lady - 22 days late from dateline 31st March 2007! The heart-shaped box is part of a set which I bought about 2 weeks ago. The x-stitch design is from BHG: 2001 Cross-stitch Designs which I bought from MPH Midvalley last year. It is stitched on 14ct aida using a hand-dyed thread (cranberry red) given to me by June. The design has french knots, but I substituted it with tiny green beads!

I lined by box with furnishing fabric given by Emily. Since the fabric is pretty thick, didn't need to use interfacing. The cover is edged with a braid.

Am thinking of doing up the hexagan-shaped box (small) too when I've found a suitable design!

Ripple

2007-04-18T15:10:00.000+08:00

Usha and I started to crochet the ripple pattern and encourage each other along the way. This my progress so far (pic shows ripple at 60th row). I'm now at the 80th row.

I found these

2007-04-18T14:08:00.000+08:00

After having breakfast last Sat, I went to the shop across from the kopitiam to look-see what they are selling. On the outside it looked like a gift shop with a Japanese name 'Ichiban' which number one. When I stepped inside, lo and behold, I found these containers!

The red boxes have a lot of potential for Boxy Lady a project being organized at NNC. As tomorrow is a public holiday, I intend to complete this project using one of the heart-shaped boxes!

The blue hexagon container is good to keep my sewing notions while stitching! It's made of brocade like material with two different designs and I suspect it comes from China even though I paid RM12 for it, I consider it a worthwhile buy! *grin*

An old friend

2007-04-18T13:45:00.000+08:00

This morning received a email from Caroline Wong - a classmate whom I have not seen for nearly 30 years! Imagine 30 years have passed since I left the Convent! It would be great to meet her in person again, but....she's living in JB/S'pore, would have to wait for her to come back to Ipoh to visit her mum!!
In fact, she got in touch me with through her mum whom I met a few weeks back. So glad, Carol took the initiative to contact me! Now that we have made contact again, I sure would like to renew our friendship!!

Book Shops Hopping

2007-03-15T17:35:00.000+08:00

Last weekend went down to KL with Michele for shopping. We arrived at about 10.30am and checked into Hotel Cardogan, Jln Bukit Bintang. Then began our 'adventure'......first to Petaling Street. En route gave a call to Ernestine who works nearby - behind the Swiss Garden Hotel. Chit chat with her for a while before proceeding to Petaling St.
Michele finally found the bookshop she has been looking for - bought her DVDs, VCDs and some T-shirts. Went into Macy to look-see and discovered some evenweave-looking fabrics in some nice colours. Bought a metre each of christmas red and green fabric, plus a shuttle for tatting! Washed the red fabric - was rather dirty and test whether the colour runs. It did, but after a few rinse it seems ok. Have not washed the green piece yet! Still have not began stitching on them!
Then we proceeded to KLCC and along the way to the LRT station we dropped in to Pasar Seni. Went straight to Kinokuya upon arrival at KLCC - bought a book on hardanger there. Michele didn't find what she was looking for. Since we were in Jln Ampang area, wanted to visit Cottage Patch and Haby, but was tired after all the walking. So we decided to go back to the hotel to rest before we meet up with Emily for dinner.
Emily took us to Amcorp Mall for dinner and sago pudding. Surprising, Michele finished her bowl of pudding! She gave another two shuttles and two balls of thread. Thanx, Em!
On Sunday, Ernestine came and took me to St John's Cathedral for mass. After mass, we went for breakfast, then headed for Berjaya Times Square - Borders. We spent nearly 5 hours there. Bought 2 pairs of shoes which were on sales! Found the mag American Patchwork and Quilting which June wanted and bought it for her. Will bring for her when we meet at Margaret's house at the end of the month! After Times Square, Ernestine drove us to Sunway Pyramid, PJ - my first time there! Spent a short time there as we have to go back to KL for a light meal before catching the bus at 7.30pm. Ernestine was anxious we couldn't make it to Puduraya on time! Phew! It was a tiring trip! Anyway, had took leave for the next day!

Sir Cliff Richard

2007-02-13T09:40:00.000+08:00

Went with the church's Evergreen group to Genting Highland on 9th Feb 2007 to attend the concert by SIR CLIFF RICHARD. We left Ipoh at about 8.30am and arrived at Genting at about 11am and have to wait for a long time to be check-in. There has been so many changes in Genting since the last time I was there which was nearly 10 years ago!

As our rooms were not ready by lunch time, we went to have lunch at one of the many restaurants in the resort. We had buffet lunch and were given a 50% discount as all the other members in the group were over 55 years old except myself and Jennifer Durates! We ate our fill since we had so much time! Real glutton! LOL.

Finally our rooms were ready and we went there to have a short rest. I shared a room with Catherine Chow, then we went to walk around the resort and went round it on the monorail which costs RM5 per ticket.

Finally, it was time for the concert which started at 8pm. We had good seats which has central view of the stage! The price of the ticket RM170 was worth it. Sir Cliff sang many oldies as well as new cover version of songs from his new album which he dueted with other well-known singers. The show lasted for nearly two hours. Bought a double CD of his oldies.

After the show, went to the main casino for supper. Many people from Ipoh went to the concert - OMPH and SMC parishioners; Cheah and his wife. He has so many fans from Ipoh *wink*

Meet Up

2007-01-17T16:35:00.000+08:00

5th Jan 2007
Went to KL with Michele to meet up with Aunty Julia, Con, Man and her daughters Brenna and Andrea. It has been some years since I seen them. Man has lost a lot of weight and Con and Aunty Julia have a lot of grey hair! *Sigh* if only time can be stopped! Stayed at Onn's apartment. Exchange news, but didn't have a real proper conversation as most of the time were spent window shopping at Berjaya Times Square and Midvalley Megamall!

6th Jan 2007

Kept my appointment with the gals of NNC. Arrived at the Equatorial Hotel at about 11.45am and Emily and her daughter, Diyana were already there. June (who works at the hotel was there to welcome us. June and Emily have already met before!) We had lunch at the Kampaii Hotel (Japanese food) and got down to chatting-like old friends instead of a "first date". It was exchange and show off time too-gave my FRE Needlebook to June. The main reason for this meet-up. Unfortunately, Margaret was unable to come due to her mum's illness. Margaret is the one to make something for me and I have since received her pincushion.

June showed us the pincushion she made for Nik and it was very beautiful. She gave a 'stork' embroidery scissors (something I've always wanted, but couldn't find it) Thanx June. Emily gave me two balls of thread and a shuttle for tatting. Now I need to find someone to teach me how to tat! Em also gave us some books - she's a member of www.bookcrossing.com I made up a catheral window sample for Em as she said she wanted to make a CW cushion. Included some extra fabric so that she can turn the sample into a pincushion or something... Had a very enjoyable '8-course' lunch. After that Emily dropped me off at Midvalley to meet up with the family. She had to make two rounds as she missed the turning into Midvalley twice! I supposed with our chatting...should have kept quiet while she was driving!

7th Jan 2007

Con and A.Julia left for Singapore by the 3.30pm bus and Michele and I returned by the 5.30pm bus. The bus was going pretty fast as we reached Ipoh before 8pm. Man and her girls took the 11pm bus to Singapore.

French Redwork Exchange

2006-12-06T03:46:00.000+08:00

Received a piece of 18ct fabric from MW for the exchange. She sent another piece of evenweave 28ct which I have never stitched on before and a length of over-dyed multi-colour thread. My, am I behind where XS is concerned having left it off since I seriously concerntrated on patchwork and quilting!

Have more or less finished the XS stitching and cut out the felt and backing fabric to assemble it into a needle-book. Hope the design I've chosen is "french" enough! *wink* Intend to add words for the back panel relating to this exchange, then sew it up and voila I'll be finished!

December already?

2006-12-02T03:25:00.000+08:00

Today is 1st December....how time flies!

MW said she posted the fabric to me, but I still have not received it yet. Hope today the postman will bring it as I want to finish the project this weekend.

Went to wake of HQ's father last night who passed away three days ago. He was 79! Unable to offer my condolences to her personally as the buddhist priests were having a prayer session. Had to leave after nearly 45 minutes and the prayer do not seem to be ending. Spoke to her mum though and she looked OK. Probably meet up with HQ and the rest of the gang after everything is settled. Long time we didn't have a get together...wait for a weekend when Chris is back too!

Just a thought....

2006-11-23T16:51:00.000+08:00

Was thinking...how nice it would be that I'm now home stitching instead of sitting here at the office staring into the PC. Have decided what I want to make for the French Red exchange - have bought the floss and cloth. Unfortunately, the smallest is 14ct Aida - the other materials available in the shop are much larger. Sigh.
Must make a trip to KL to have a look at the other fabric describe by the NNC group - evenweave, linen and 28ct and 32ct fabrics. Actually, I've never worked on smaller than 14ct Aida and wonder how my eyes will take it? As it is, I find my eyesight getting poorer as I get older and now can't even read for long....
Besides, my eyes, I think my memory is also playing up - can't remember where I've put my things. Have been searching for my incomplete 'fairies' cross-stitch and can't remember where I've put it. Have to look into all the boxes - the dust will tickle my nose and I'll start sneezing....

Welcome

2006-11-16T12:28:00.000+08:00

Welcome to my blog. This is my first ever blog and I hope that you, *my friends* will find it interesting. I will be writing about especially about my crafts - patchwork and quilts, but there'll be times when I'll ramble about other things that catches my fancy. This is after all so for those who don't fancy stitching, you're excused and thanks for visiting. Meanwhile, be patient a bit cos' since it's my first blog I've still have a lot to learn to load up my "passion". Will show off my 'masterpieces' when they are ready. Enjoy.