DIY Wednesday: Part VIII (and the imminent birth of Ms. Wan Little Pea)

After weeks of DIY block, I came across this tutorial for a no-sew coloured pencils roll-up case. All of a sudden, Kakak Krafter's hat popped on my head and tadaaaaaaahhhh....I came up with a similar version for make up brushes! 

Warning: I am still in my malas mode so please excuse the wonky end product.

*****

1. Get a piece of felt. Draw these lines - this will be your brush slot band.

2. Line them brushies up.

3. Mark the width of each brush neck. Snip off the sections, creating slits.

4. I was feeling a lil' bit fancy and honestly, the original tutorial was too straightforward. Since makeup brushes should be kept off germs as much as possible, I thought that it's just appropriate that I make a properly covered case. 

I took a chunk of fabric from my stash - didn't even bother to properly measure the dimensions and I just placed the felt piece from above on the fabric and snip a rectangular piece off it. Remember, we're still trying to aim for a no-sew craft here, so hem the sides using fusible tape we did.... hahahhaaaaa!!!!! 

If you're in Malaysia, you can get your fusible tape at sewing/craft supply shops (there's a good one in Pertama Complex) or buy online here.

5. Attach the felt piece. Fold the bottom bit of the fabric upward to make a pocket. Again, we use our trusty fusible tape on the sides. Heheh.

6. Slot your brushes in. Almooooooosst ready.

7. Okay, I missed a picture here (bahhahhh, lazy mode lazy mode). 

There will be quite a bit of fabric on the top bit, yes? 

Now you use that as the top flap to cover the bristle. 

Make a tiny slit in the middle, or wherever you want, so long as the front and back bits of your floral print fabric meet.

Grab a long-ish piece of elastic thread (you can also use hair elastic). Make a loop and thread the disjointed ends through one of your snipped slits and a button. Make a knot. 

8. We are now ready for the finished product. Roll the case from the no-button end to the other. In this case, it's left to right. If you're a lefty I imagine you'd have done this the other way round ;p

Loop your elastic around the case and tuck the end into your stopper i.e. the button. 

FINITTO!!!!! 

Told you it's wonky. Measure properly if you're a stickler for perfection. I'm pregnant and not being my usual self. 

So here we have what's probably my last DIY before Pea's birth. I hope that I'll feel as crafty and that time will be on my side during my confinement period. I've seen friends who were bored to the bones when they had theirs but I seem to always experience things differently compared to others, in both good and not-so-pleasant ways, so I'm not gonna put my expectations up so high for now. Just gonna relax and go with da flow...

*****

Ahhhh...Pea. You're 39 weeks today and still happily wriggle about in Mommy's tummy. You come out when you're ready okay? Whatever it is, I believe it's all for the best. Guess you're too much of a priority to me now that I'm gonna be fine with how it will clash with my classes. Let's just pray that Mommy can sit for both Research Methods and MIS classes. Sayang dia mwah mwah!

Oh chup! I find it funny that the Mister startles a lot in his sleep these days. Like, when I wake him to help me get up to attend to nature calls, he'll go "kenapa sayang???? kenapa sayang???" thinking I've gone into labour hahahahahhhh.... 

(Laughing now, potentially screaming later) 

-__________-

DIY Wednesday Part V: A Quickie

Are you in a dilemma where wearing tops that reveal too much to be desired is of concern?

Are you sick of relying on boob tubes which half the time are too snug for your comfort?

If you answered "yes" to both questions, fret no more because last weekend I found a cheap, comfortable solution for all you decently dressed women out there!

HOW TO MAKE AN EXPRESS MODESTY PANEL USING A HANDKERCHIEF


Grab a handkerchief/small scarf. Rummage through your mom's drawers if you have to.

Fold it into a triangle.

Wear your bra (if you aren't already).
Do the following.

...and you're done. No more boobie show!

Cost: MYR 0

Satisfactory level: Priceless

I've had the handkerchief for 15 years, if not longer. It came in a set of 6 and I have no idea what happened to the rest of them. The dress is about 3 years old, and seldom worn because of the cleavage show factor. Now they have both suddenly become my favourite maternity outfit yeay. 

31weeks+4 days Pregnant
(Smiling despite having issues with my chubbier than ever cheeks. Gemok, and I need a haircut.)

I have a love-hate relationship with tube tops so I only opt for them in times of desperation. Don't you just hate how they clam your breasts and back?

If your DIY adrenaline is on high drive this week, you may want to try this tutorial instead.

NB: 

Apologies for the less-than-enthusiastic DIY project. I'm way too tired being 32 weeks pregnant and fasting in Ramadhan. If I happen to whip my (almost-the-same-size-as-pre-pregnancy) ass this weekend, I'll launder the baby's outfits and go on a DIY spree on a few (or one) of the white rompers. We'll see about that. The only thing I wanna do these days is to curl up on the couch and read. 

DIY Wednesday Part IV

Hello. Kakak Krafter is back after a traumatising DIY Wednesday drama. Dropped my phone while snapping pictures for tonight's post. CRAAAAAAAACK!!!!!!!

There. The deathly white, blank screen. With a very arty crack line somewhere in the far horizon.

Alas, hubby got it fixed today and I am waiting for my two darlings to be home.

(Dear classic old BB, I promise to not mock you for not being the uber stylish S3 or iPhone anymore)

Moving on!

Remember this sneak preview? Well, I had a different plan for it initially but creativity always has a mind of its own so the end result was something which I totally never thought I would try so soon. Pinterest-driven mode again, heh. 

Pillowcase dress tutorials have caught my attention much earlier but I always let them sit idle on my pinboard. So on Monday night I had allowed this tute by Prudent Baby to creep its way into my head:

(L) 2T (R) 0-3 months

Since I am still a newbie at all these sewing affair, I decided that this will be another practice project. Instead of potentially sacrificing a good piece of material I used plain calico because it's el cheapo (RM5.60/m) and in abundance in my fabric stash (more on the stash later. hehe excited!)

Left to right:

1. Made a paper template first. I don't trust myself even with cheap fabric.  
2. All cut up, pinned and hola amigo - fusible tape!!!!! Fusible tape is God-sent when you don't wanna do real sewing, or like me, you are attempting a prototype. Just lay the tape between two sheets of fabric, iron on and they're fused (awesome for DIY curtains too).
3. First attempt at attaching a bias tape to hem a curve. It's quite a pain to do this by hand and at this moment I really wished I had lugged mom's sewing machine back to MIL's (where I stay during the week).
4. Done after half an hour. Mind you, this is just a tiny armhole and I only did one of four sides to practice and to understand how this bias tape thing works. 
5. Bias tape is flipped inside giving you a nice curvy hem, no pucker in sight. Okay, mine is ugly, I know. Remember, this is a PROTOTYPE so I really couldn't be bothered to stitch properly. And for a proper project I would use a plain cotton bias tape instead of black sateen, and machine stitch.

THE END RESULT

Little Miss Prototype 

I won't be dressing Pea up in this, haha. Despite being potentially financially deprived due to my stay-at-home Mom status in months to come, I promise that my kid won't be caught dead in a burlap bag ;D

This was a simple project and yet it was a very good experience at basic dressmaking for a newbie like me, adding on to my list of sewing do's and dont's (see the sides of the hemline? yeah, case in point). I'm already thinking of possible projects out of this prototype. I mean, I can't/shouldn't let this piece go to waste, kan? 

For the weeks to come I have to muster the courage to attempt bigger projects as Pea will arrive very, very soon. Can't let the little princess sleep on an itchy mattress, can we? Here's what we have to work on, courtesy of my sister Nyanya from her Korean holiday (please note that I'm paying her back, ehem), my own purchase from LoveandCraft and IKEA. Oh I swear I would have bought more had my husband not stopped me that morning (was it because he's the one paying? hahaha....)

My sister obviously has a penchant for safari animals ("-_-)

Bedlinen sets? Curtains? What else, what else? 

:D :D :D

DIY Wednesday III (Part 2)

I bought this top in 2008. Or perhaps, in 2007.  

(Who keeps track of purchase dates when the buying never stops?)

A shade that was formerly known as white

I had spent good times and gathered many a sweet memory with it, among others, at our 28th birthday celebration hosted by the sayang Jimbas. 

Lokman & yours truly. Bang Long and Kak Long, they call us.
Notice the youthfulness and slim line silhouette? We have both since 'grown'.

Typical of every owner of almost bursting to the seams closets worldwide, I tend to "forget" the existence of silent old friends. If only my clothes could speak, I bet they would scream my name at night. 

Believe it or not, I have always wondered, what do I do with yellowed cotton tops? I have donated some away but quite a few pieces are still kept in the closet because I honestly love them. I just don't have enough chances to wear them so often (fine, I should probably buy less). 

And thus I embraced my inner DIY-goddessness on Wednesday night and here I am showing you how I tried to get on the mint bandwagon before it's too late. 

1. Tools - Dylon cold dye in Dawn Pink and Turqoise something (RM6.40 each)*, cold dye fix (RM1.80), rubber gloves (RM2.75 for 5 pairs), salt (RM0.50), tongs (do not re-use for food prep).
2. Dye fix+salt mix. Only 125g of salt is required. We're supposed to use 1 sachet for each can of dye but I only bought one, and not two. Don't ask. Pregnancy brain is to blame.
3. What Dawn Pink looks like. Very nice shade of coral, no? 
4. The horrible dye mix when Turqoise was dumped into the 'dye vessel'.

After step 4, I succumbed to the possibilities of a botched experiment. Whatever gave me the idea that I could tame deep turqoise, which actually looks more like teal, with pale pink? 

After one hour in the colour bath, I took the garment out. Much to my dismay it was this shade of putrid green. Couldn't even bring myself to snap a picture. Redha sajalah. I had to practically force myself to do the final step - rinse and hang to dry. 

......then came a surprise in the morning:

Isn't this somewhat MINT????? 

Hey, it's probably not 2012 mint but at least it's not vomit green!

I have to admit that the imperfection didn't just lie in the shade that I wanted, though. Look closely. See those teal streaks? I'm not gonna go on an ombre spin here because I've ranted enough on the subject in Twitterville. No point when the peeps who read this blog are the same ones on my Tweet list haha. 

Inspiration: In Honor of Design, 9 September 2012:SO chic. God bless you, Anna Liesemeyer. 

With this facelift-ed top, I thee wear.......

30 weeks pregnant.
In mint condition. Heheh.

I LOVE ME DYE JOB!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Sekian, terima kasih.

*Dylon cold dye in cans have been discontinued. You may still find some floating around your local craft supply/DIY/hardware retailers, but these have been replaced by their new, more expensive sisters. Rit is not available in Malaysia so Dylon is the only trustworthy range we have access to here (God bless America? haha). 

DIY Wednesday IV (Sneak Preview)

Hopin' that this will make it to next week's post for I have a tendency to be very fickle-minded and easily distracted by something new. Fuhhhhhhhhhhhhhh......

DIY Wednesday III

Very excited to share my project of the night with you! 

NOT. 

Something's brewing in the pail and should be done in 20 minutes but I'm not looking forward to the end result at all. (Note to mind: Don't attempt ten things in one night when you are 7 months pregnant.)

Oh well, at least I'm stoked to get reacquainted with my dusty craft box. Baby darling, Kakak left you all alone many MANY years ago. You must have cried your eyes out in the cupboard because I hardly touched you once (okay tipu, maybe 5 times) since I started having a real job. 

Pandora's Box, muahahahaaaa

What do we have in here? Aaaaahhh....I call them "endless possibilities".

Clockwise from top left: Polymer clay beads from my days of hanging out with Crafty Kats, beads+jewelry knick knacks+pliers (I was into bead-crafting back in uni), ribbons, an assortment of spare buttons courtesy of my clothes obsession, more stuff (and feather boa - what was I thinking?), tiny insects+felt alphabet, and mini terra cotta pots (HONESTLY WHAT WAS I THINKING?)

And now we have new additions to the gang. Heheh.

So stoked on the fusible tape, stencil blade and sponge applicators, wooohooooo!!!!!

So you ask, what's with the tong and salt? Darling sayangs, those are part of tonight's botched experiment. Will tell you more about it in the next post. IF I feel like it. IF it's actually not that bad. 

Now I need to check the "cauldron". Hopefully there's something good to share (and wear).

Alas, I will not leave you with sighs of frustration. Here's a quick, no-brainer DIY to satiate your eagerness: 

(heh konon macam orang excited sangat nak tengok projek dia kuikui)

Plain, black velvet ribbon turned into a headband back in 2009. Attach a brooch and we have a head bling for tonight.
Wheee!

DIY Wednesday Again!!!

Hello, it's me wearing the Kakak Krafter hat again. 

Half of you would have already known what I've been up to for the past few days because I was talking about nothing else but this one project (typical easily excited me). So for today we have the "Making of Little Owlivia"!!!

*****

I downloaded an owl template from here.  However, it's too thin for my liking so I transfered the image onto Microsoft Excel and adjusted the "fatness". Heheh. Trust me, Excel is the holy grail to DIY-ing templates and stencils. If you had studied in University of Malaya circa late 90's / early 2000's, you would totally get me. 

 Cut patterns out. Have fabrics ready.

Attach templates to fabric. I didn't use all. Malas.

Start stitching/attaching the parts together. I painstakingly hand-stitched these again. It's so therapeutic (eh?). 

Feet go first.

Then the eyes.

Beak and lastly, wings. 

I only stitched the two sides (of the body) the following night at my mom's. 

No, I didn't purposely go back to do this. My youngest sister came home from India for semester break so I wanted to say hello. The "hello" doubled up to  "Can you teach me how to use the sewing machine?". She's quite good with needlework and has her own machine in India (bless her). 

Dentist-cum-tailor. Bukak klinik, time takde patient boleh amik tempahan menjahit. Ngam tak? ;p

Using the sewing machine was NOT easy. I repeat, NOT easy. It apparently requires massive motor coordination. My hands were fumbling with the fabric curves while my foot was trying to control the pressure on the foot press. How the hell does my mom do it ever so gracefully???

I was ecstatic when I finally put the owl's body together.

But alas... I forgot to tuck the feet in (on the right side). Vongok ("-_-)

When turned in, we 'lost' her feet cos they were stitched INSIDE the cavity. Aih....

Exhibit A

Thankfully a sewing machine is a wonder thingamajic of some sort, even if it's already more than 30 years old.  I just had to loosen the stitches, tuck the feet out, and mend the gap by running new stitches over the old ones. Pheww....

I stuffed the cavity with polyfibre. I used pillow stuffing, and didn't go for the ones at art supply stores or haberdashery cos those are somehow 4x more expensive. I believe they're all the same thing. 

The last step was closing the little girl up. I must say that I'm proud of my workmanship. It's definitely not professional quality, but I think it's not bad for someone who last attempted a sewing project more than 20 years ago. And that was just a simple quilted pencil case.

Tiny "hidden" stitches

SO here it is.....introducing Little Owlivia!!!!!

Sitting confidently by herself

With Bapak

With Mommy, and of course, with Lil' Pea. Hehe.

I have a gazillion other projects after this one, all safely pinned up on my Sew Inspired board. I actually wanted to make a big plushy for Pea but I thought it's better to practice on a mini version so I could take note of the do's and don'ts. Trust me, there's a quite a list of those. 

I have so much fabric left and by the time Pea arrives, there could be a whole safari waiting to play with her hahaha....

Till next Wednesday, folks, Kakak Krafter signs off here!

Not Exactly Rocket Science to Feed Yourself

My sister made me soy milk from scratch over the weekend because I pulled the pregnant momma trick and had asked her too. She probably last made it when she was still in school back in the yonder years, so it came to no surprise that the result was errrr....somewhat 'scratchy' too. It was way too thick and Sarah was such a dear to have significantly reduced the sugar because of my GD. Tastes like chalk. 

No fun :-/

Fast forward to yesterday, I made the executive (pun intended, hah!) decision to be creative and let no soy 'concentrate' go to waste. It was a wise move. I was (and still am) very pleased with the outcome that had this been a company, a 5-month performance incentive would have been rewarded to every employee regardless of years of service or the invested amount of ass-kissing to commemorate this successful venture. 

Soy Berry Smoothie 

Half a mug of thick, home made soy milk

+

Some frozen mixed berries

+

A spoonful of Blue Bunny's fat-free, sugar-free brownie fudge ice cream

Blend and serve. 

***

Ideally, I should have doubled the stuff. Totally wanted seconds but there was none no more.

Blender courtesy of a wedding guest.
FINALLY one present un-boxed a few days shy of our 1st anniversary.

Waste as little as you can. 

Lick the jar clean if you wanna cos it's sooooooo-y berry sedap!

Little Pea gave her kicks of approval and I hope she sleeps soundly tonight. 

We're doing this again tomorrow, kiddo. Wooooohhooooo!

***

NB

Here in the "beautiful tropics", frozen berries are more wallet-friendly since they're about half the price of fresh ones.
God bless Cold Storage, for I do not yearn for the American farmers' market anymore.
Bitch slap me now, haha!

Brownie Pancakes and My Undying Love for Measuring Cups

I have a life-long obsession with waffles and pancakes and poffertjes. 

The only thing I ever wanted as a wedding gift was a waffle toaster but you can hardly find one for the home in Malaysia. Probably need to get one of those commercial griddles, or buy one online. Sigh... 

Since waffles and pancakes basically use the same batter, the latter is the only option when the craving kicks in at home.

Last night, while trolling on Pinterest (damn, it's addictive) I saw a link to Chocolate Covered Katie and  my oh my, there it sat, a sexy and chocolatey glistening pic of a stack of brownie batter pancakes. 

*drool* 

I already have a go-to pancake recipe so all I needed to do was use her recipe as an inspiration and this morning, whipped up my own batch.

ADIEPOT's BROWNIE PANCAKE

1 cup plain flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

3 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt*

1 tbs sugar*

1 cup milk

1/4 cup plain yoghurt

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 egg

2 tbs melted butter

1/2 cup nutty muesli cereal*

Whisk all ingredients, except for the egg and muesli, for 2 minutes in a blender or food processor. You can always opt for the bowl-and-egg beater combo the traditional way, but I personally think it takes too much time to smoothen the lumps so why bother when technology is here to make life easier. Heh. 

(By the way, kitchen virgins, please do not use the same machine you've been using for savoury stuff. You gotta use the fruit blender for desserts cos you don't want no garlic-onion-scented chocolate pancakes here. Trust me, I made the same mistake with a smoothie back in primary school. Yuck.)

Scrape down any bit of flour that's sticking on the walls(?) of your blender jar. Dump the egg in and whisk for another minute. When this is done, take off the blender lid and smell the sinfully delicious aroma...

Ooooh....yum. Please don't gulp the batter down your throat even if your greatest vice is uncooked chocolate chip batter. There's salmonella in the egg for goodness sake!

.

.

.

.

Okay, carry on Nadia ('-_-)

Pour the batter into a bowl and add the nutty muesli.

Heat a non-stick flat pan with a tiny drop of butter or oil. Or none. 

Your choice, the fat's going to your behind and not mine.

You can use a medium size ladle for one piece of pancake. Decide on the thickness. Some like it thin, some like it thick and fluffy. For a real brownie-ish taste and texture, I say make it approximately 1cm thick.

Wait till bubbles pop on the surface and the whole thing darkens in colour. Flip it on the other side. It takes about 2 minutes to cook one pancake.
I think. 

Stack all your pancakes up in a cute plate and dust with icing (confectioners) sugar. A dollop of butter and honey drizzles complete your ensemble (and your fatty bum bum, but no one's complaining).

Butter and honey are not included because I saved these for my dad. Don't want 'em to go soggy.

I had the pancakes with a slight drizzle of honey only because of my gestational diabetes issue. I shouldn't even be having any form of sugar or fruits for breakfast, but I allow myself to indulge a little bit on weekends. 

Now let me explain on the * bit:

Use 1 tsp of salt if you're using unsalted butter.

Double or triple up the amount of sugar if you like your pancakes sweet. You can't even taste the sweetness if you follow my recipe, but it's not too bland either. I always prefer to make it up with honey. Honey also gives more 'body' and that sexy rich-in-your-mouth feeling.

I used Dorset Cereal fruits and nuts cereal, minus the dried dates and figs because of my GD.  The nuts and rolled oats really give these pancakes the taste and texture of real brownies.

I also used a ratio of 2:1 for flour and cocoa. This is because I love the bitter dark chocolate. Just use more flour if you prefer a milder chocolate flavour.

Some suggested variations from the top of my head include adding to the batter: 

1-2 tsb peanut butter

mashed up bananas

(or both of the above)

1/2-1 tsp instant coffee (mocha pancakes!)

raspberry/blueberry conserve (black forest pancakes!)

Oh, the possibilities are endless. Like, totally. 

What are you waiting for? Go surprise your other half with breakfast in bed already!

DIY Wednesday

*sneak preview*

The real deal will be up tomorrow. Eat this Lem Lem!

Ewah. Hehe.

Domestic Goddess Hits The Road Again!

Hello, I'm back again with another DIY home project! Hahah, konon. Tak penah-penah buat DIY project sejak banyak tahun lepas. 

So anyhooooo...here's what I made (BY HAND) tonight:

Tadaaaaaahhhhhhh.....my first maternity bandeau top!

I've been very frustrated with the selection of maternity wear in the local market. Not only are the choices very limited, but they're also fashionably unflattering, frumpy, and effing expensive! I've made do with cardis and camis, stretchy knit wear and gathered-waist tops up till my fifth month. Now that the little pea isn't so little anymore, I need to wear more forgiving outfits. But at the same time, I don' think it's wise to burn more holes in my pocket now that I've made the decision to stay at home (yes, I quit my job) for awhile, perhaps till Pea hits her first birthday (yes, it's a girl).

I knew that I must not have been the only mom-to-be in such despair so I looked up online to see how others resolved this problem. As we are all aware of, the Internet is full of answers heheheh... Thankfully I found a lot of inspirations from ladies who sew, and there are quite a shit load of sewing and refashioning tutorials out there. For someone who has very minimal sewing skills like yours truly, a lot of careful reading needs to be done before embarking on even a simple project such as this. I probably read through each tutorial ten times to fully understand what the hell these peeps were doing. Now I know what "serging" means. Tehheee.... For what its' worth, I'm thankful to God that He bestows me with some level of imaginative mind so I could visualise each step carefully, and also the abilty to think through how a few different techniques from different sewing projects can be combined to accomplish what I just did tonight. 

Here's what I had to do:

1. Purchase an el cheapo men's t-shirt from Carrefour.

Okay, this is not the real tee.
I forgot to take a "before" pic, hence had to use my still-intact tee as a mock up for this entry.

2. Cut the upper part off to get a large tube. Cut off approximately 1.5" bit more to use as the errr..."longkang" for the empire waist.

Schematic drawing so I get my pieces right, haha!

3. Use the bottom hem as the top and insert an elastic band. Then attach the 1.5" piece on the wrong side of the material for the empire waist. The adventure began. As I don't have access to a sewing machine, and I really don't wanna trouble my MIL to teach me how to use hers, I settled for my ready tools - my bare hands, rather nimble fingers (bahhahhh!), and an emergency needles and thread kit. 

Sewing almost 80" worth of loop wasn't fun (or funny). I diligently tried using discreet stiches (orang Melayu panggil sembat susup) for the upper line but that took me almost an hour. Gila rasa nak pengsan terbongkok-bongkok menjahit. Dah le stitching tak uniform. Then I gave up and decided to just go with good old straight stitch for the rest of the longkang. I couldn't even be bothered to double stitch! I mean, come on, this is just an experiment and no one will stick his/her face right up my boobs to see how neat this was done, kan? And who would even notice white thread on white fabric anyway? Once the longkang was finally done (whole thing took 1.5 hours) I inserted another piece of elastic to make the empire waist. So here's what we have at the end of it all:

Did not hem the bottom cos I'll need a sewing machine to do it properly. Knit fabric doesn't fray anyway.

4. Model the finished product. Ngeh.

Would look better with blue jeans but I couldn't be bothered to stuff my sweaty bumps into some skinnies just now.

So, how do I think I fared? Very well, me thinks. Even darling hubby was impressed and had no qualms to help snap these photos. Pea was also very supportive, kicking only mildly as if she understood that Mommy needed some time off to do this (she had been extremely active during the day, mind you). 

All I had was the knowledge of basic stitches which I learnt waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back from when I was 7 or 8 years old. At the time, my mom refused to buy me extra Barbie Doll outfits. I remember bugging my aunt to teach me how to thread a needle and making knots so I can secure whatever I wanted to sew for the dolls. Mom has a habit of stashing fabric and remnants in the guest cupboard, so I kinda had my pot of "gold" to enhance my dolls' wardrobe. Siap kantoi kena marah sebab pegi gunting kain baju kurung belum jahit, hahahaha!

My advice to all arty farty craft moms/aunts/dads/uncles out there:

If kids love to hover around you when you're concentrating on finishing a project, don't brush them away please? Tell them nicely that they can observe quietly by the side. There will come a time when you would actually enjoy the audience and have the patience to answer their questions because trust me, the experience and what little knowledge you impart to them now will prove useful in many, MANY, years to come. There were one too many times that I sat quietly (lepas kena marah sebab banyak soal) by the side, watching nenek, mom, and aunts cooked and sewed. Now I realise that I didn't just watch, but  really observed the little things they did ;)

Ahhh....it feels like I just had a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken, skin only. Total satisfaction. Now I'm thinking of making several more of these tops over the weekend. Probably need to use t-shirts of a size or two bigger cuz this bump ain't gettin' any smaller. Also teasing my itchy hands now is a t-shirt maxi dress, of which I found the tutorial over Pinterest (thank God for Pinterest too!). 

To be a finance major who bake and sew, how more awesome can I be? :D