Abaya Revamp 2

Do you sew?

Do you have projects that you have done a poor job and have stuff them into the Abyss of Shame?

If you have, I would love to hear about how you have recycled or fixed them. 

In the meantime, I would like to show a project that was ruined in one day, folks. That's right. One day.

The Worst Project I Have Done

From this abaya, I have learned the value of choosing decent fabric, sewing with a 5/8 allowance, being careful when cutting and most importantly, packing a good burp cloth. The fabric was a very buttery soft but it does not take ironing well. So in the future, it willing be thrown into the dryer to get out the wrinkles. The pattern was very simple, I traced my old abaya out on the fabric (I should have traced paper first) and I begin to cut. Well, I wanted a nice little abaya for the Eid and I didn't plan out anything. That included the seam allowances, the zipper and the jacked up underarm.

Me feel so bad.

It get even better. I added the orange velveteen to give me more "kick" width and I was cool until I got to Altanta, GA. 

Then hell broke loose on this abaya.

During the Jummah Salat, I went into Ruku and the under arm ripped on me. I did'nt worry too much, my hijab had me covered. 

Zaynab, my toddler daughter, was a very cute, milk spewing butterball back then. She threw up on the abaya. 

I had wet wipes and my hijab. 

Then my husband brought us the "Whopper" (my thoughts only) of fish sandwiches in Altanta. This badboy was two battered & fried to perfection fish filets with the works holding the slices of bread together. The restaurant is near a Masjid and a Halal meat shop. I ended up dropping fish onto my hijab and abaya.

When we got back home, my beautiful abaya was a greasy and ripped mess. 

I can rebuild this (I think)

I want to turn this into a hooded abaya. I'm keeping the zipper and yellow embroidery (insha'allah) I hope to incorporate more. 

My plan (please don't laugh)

My inspiration: 

From Umm Ibrahim--Her Post on the Cool Hooded Overhead Abaya

This abaya is on my Eid al-Fitr Want List, folks. 

And while you are at it, check out this stunning collection of lovely hooded abaya goodness at Lace and Gems. 

So I hope to have more on this project soon. Insha'allah.

Where Have I Been...

I have been settling into the groove of Chattanooga, Tennessee. I LOVE this city, it's busy enough you to do something to do but small enough to not feel overwhelmed. I have been learning where the sewing shops, thrift stores and good eats are. I have meet alot of Muslims on the way.
I have not been blogging lately because I still trying to find some direction.
I like sewing yet who doesn't.
Then I ran across this:

Plus sized Clothing can be done.
Then the light bulb came get: I could blog about plus size sewing for Muslims and non-Muslims.

I look forward to posting tips on my Eid Adha abaya, insha'allah.

Learning to Sew A Regency Dress: From Scratch - Threads

My first Regency dress:

It's not the first choice of the Bennets but hey, I'm pretty proud of it. 

Learning to Sew A Regency Dress: From Scratch - Threads

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Correction: Izar

I was doing more research on the term"ikzar" and found out that it's actually spelled, izar not "ikzar".
Arabic is not my native language so I am sorry for the mistake. Also it would explain why I was not able to find any information on the garment when I was Googling it. Here is more information on the izar: Izars
To make sure that future readers are not confused by this mistake, I went back and edited my posts.
Insha'allah, you find any mistakes, please let me know so they can edited.
A follow blogger helped me: fashioningfaith
She has a great blog on Islamic fashion, insha'allah you like Islamic fashion or in need of some inspiration or you just curious, go & check out her blog.

DIY Izar Completed

Shareef's izar is complete and he was very pleased with it. Insha'allah I'll be even more pleased when he decides to wear it out so I can see it in action and get some feedback on it. I think I'll try my next tailored izar project from scratch and even do a tutorial on this so sisters can make their husbands izars from old worn pants and left over material. It's great way of re-using what you got in your sewing scratches and giving those worn garments more use. This project was fun too, I discovered that pants are very versatile garments and how much fun it was to do your thing.

"Kurayami nara kocchi no mon da"

(The darkness is my advantage.)

I often like to play a movie while Im sewing. Some may found this funny, but it helps break the mundaneness of sewing and naturally helps you take a break. I still be listening to the movie without watching it. I find an excellent samurai/yakuza movie series call: Zatoichi.

The main character, Ichi-san, is a blind swordsman and masseur with a good, kind nature. He wonders the land in search of work and helping people along the way. Often for some reason, Ichi-san winds up in some situation that ends with alot of dead henchmen and their bosses regretting that they never crossed his path. Insha'allah you like samurai movies: this badboy would be great.

Anyhow, I do have a Japanese clothing project coming up soon and this movie have some great, realistic costumes. I'm positive that my husband would not be too comfortable in a hakama, he sticks to his pants and izars. Me, on the other hand, would like a kimono & a michiyuki.

Back to the izar, after I cut the legs & crotch off the pants, I simply pinned the skirt material in place then when I got the look I wanted, stitched it in place. I added a flap over the front and it fastens down with heavy duty snaps covered in the same fabric as the skirt.

I stitched faux pockets over the real pockets to balance the back with the front. He can still use the real back pockets too.

New Pattern

I got my Sense & Sensibility pattern today. I havent sewn anything yet, I'm still reading the wonderful instructions (a habit I developed). I'm looking forward to sewing my first from this pattern and I have seen some of the gowns. They are very beautifully made.

To check out this pattern, go here: Sense & Sensibility Patterns

Hubby's New DIY Izar Update

It's Fajr and I have been up ALL NIGHT LONG.

Yeah, Im a night owl and I do my best at night.

Anyhow about the DIY Izar.

This project looked great on paper however almost hard to execute. This is just a mock, so Im learning & taking alot notes as I go along. Insha'allah the mock holds up and looks good, it will became a garment worthy of wearing.

Im having a field with pleats because when pleats are soft they tend to look feminine. And I hate that, so I had press and zigzag stitch over the pleats. There are also some design planning for the back, Im planning to add a panel over the front. I got the izar over my dress form for now until hubby gets home for the fitting.

The next time I choosing pants with just pockets. The current pants shown in the picture are a pleasant warm dark grey but the flash on my camera brighten the pic, so they look medium grey. The material feels very good and handles great; smooth to the touch yet not too slippery to sew. These were very nice pants to cut up and experiment on. They had hand-stitching on the inside. Shareef (hubby) said he found them at a thrift store in New York City.

I'm like: Hella sweet. Only in New York City you can found fine tailored slacks in thrift stores.

In the South, it's really ugly stuff that smells horrible.

Oh well...(Gail does the Threadbanger gesture)

Hubby's New DIY Izar

Today I started a DIY Tailored Izar for my husband. I got the inspiration from the utilikilt. The utilikilt/kilt was great for design but too short for my husband's Islamic dress code needs.

Yes, Muslim men do have a dress code in Islam, they have to cover themselves from their navel to their ankles. One of the dress codes for Muslim men is that their garments must not drag the ground or end above the knee. Also they cannot wear silk or gold.

I wanted an izar that looked tailored yet simple make & could be made with old garments. An izar, from my understanding, is basically a simple length of cloth that is pleated and tied around the midsection. Islamically, the izar was worn by men and women however today it's more of a men's garment. The izar can be a simple tube skirt with elastic or drawstring waistband to a tailored garment with pockets and studs. The skies's the limit on this garment.

Im still working on the izar and will be more than happy to update this as soon as Im finished, insha'allah

****Islamic correction as of October 30, 2013: The original ruling on the Muslim men's dress code is from their navels to their knees. ****

A Peppermint Pink Gal

Two weeks ago, I finished a toddler outfit for my daughter, Zaynab. I took my inspiration from a toddler dress made in the Regency period. The measurements of the dress fit Zaynab's measurements. If you want to find out more on this little treasure, go here: Vintage Textiles

It was perfect: simple yet chic. The front was flat while back was gathered by drawstings and a sash. Zaynab plays hard so I could not make her dress long and the drawstring that gathered the back was out of the question. I was fighting the urge to make Zaynab an historic dress that she would not be too comfortable and my work would be ruin. I wanted all the makings of the historic dress but without the historic issues like drawstrings.

Then it dawned on me to replace the drawstrings with narrow elastic so the back can still be gathered while allowing her to play without snagging anything.

Then I turned the very broad neckline into a simple square neckline. After much thought and sketching, I made the pattern from an old blouse and I pulled this off:

I was happy, Zaynab was ecstatic. After twirling and bouncing about the apartment in the mock, she fought me off when I tried to take it. She didnt want to take the dress off and she cried.

I promised her another dress just like it but better. Then she agreed and took off the dress.

Isn't that just the smartest thing that a toddler can do: make a deal with the parents.

From there came a beautiful little minty creation called: Peppermint Gal.

I found the fabric at the local Walmart and I loved it. I didn't like stripes however I loved this one. It had an "antique look" to it. The colors very lively without being gaudy. It was just what I wanted for Zaynab. I brought four yards and produced a tunic top, bloomers and a chic little fichu.

I let Zaynab wore the outfit outside. She dirtied it within five minutes of playing. I let her play in the outfit to see how she moved in the garment, how garment reacted to motion and to see what I needed to fix. Also I have developed a bad habit of making dresses for Zaynab and as soon as she got them dirtied, I clean them and pack them away somewhere. So Zaynab has three great dresses that have been worn just a few times.

Then it dawned on me that I was wasting my time sewing all these clothes, then locking them away just because I could not bear seeing them on dirty. This could also explain her fighting over the mock. She loved and enjoyed her handmade clothes...and I was depriving her of them. I had to come to the conclusion that Zaynab was a toddler and she was going to mess up her clothes. I wanted to make pretty clothes for her but I had to deal with the stains, the rips and other dismays that were inflicted on my creations. Insha'allah (Allah willing) I kept putting away her handmade clothes every time they got ruined then my effort and time would be wasted. So I simply smiled at Zaynab as she played in the dirt then proceeded to sit down on the ground.

My First Entry

Assalaam waliekum and hello, everyone. My name is Gail.

And this is my first blog.

I wanted to do a blog on sewing Islamic clothing and exchange ideas on sewing and possibly other cool things I come across.

I dont have much to say now b/c Im not use to blogging on a regular basis.