Zaynab's Eid Adha Wintermint Princess Frock Completed

Zaynab’s Eid Adha Wintermint Princess Frock was a success. The colors were great, the fitting was good and the Thread’s seam-and-bound finishing technique I picked up was a hit. It is an awesome dress.

I combined leftover fabrics: sea-green denim for the pinafore, pink-striped cotton (binding strips & ruffles) and cream broadcloth for the underskirt to produce this wonderful frock. I combined my Neapolitan Feliz dress pattern with McCall's M6389.

Instead of finishing the princess seams with regular seams, I used the seam-and-bound finishing technique shown in an old Thread’s Technique book. It’s an easy, strong finish for bulky fabrics plus it can add alittle spice to regular seams.

The bound-and-stitched seam

And all of us who sew knows what happens to an terrific dress: It seems to never get worn to the intended event.
Well, it’s probably just happens to me but oh well.
Zaynab was supposed to wear this dress to Eid Adha back in the Fall but I was too exhausted & sick to go to the Eid so the dress had to wait.
Then my friend recently got married and I was invited to her walima (wedding reception or wedding banquet). I had the pleasure of seeing another one of my dresses on display in all it’s beauty for a client. I got Miss Little-Bit all dolled up just so she could show her evil side in a store three blocks from the party. Unfortunately, we gave her every opportunity to improve her behavior and we could not reward her bad behavior with the benefits of the party (there was cake, ice cream plus her classmates), so Miss Little-Bit and her dress was sent to her aunt’s house.
So I’m posting the after party pics for friends and family.

     

I got more completed projects on the way, so stay tuned.

Blast From the Past: Neapolitan Eid

The  Eid Neapolitan Dress.
This ice-cream inspired delight won my family and friends over. 
And people loved it. 
And I was very tired after this project. 

One Eid ago...

The Eid Neapolitan Feliz Dress today.

Since Zaynab's this dress, it has seen alot of wear yet no tear. I hope to keep it that way. On her first Eid debut, she played with some other children near an escaltor (they were not running) and rubbed mechnical grease into the pinafore of the dress. After the Eid Prayer, we made a bee line for the local Big Lots and brought Fast Orange Hand Cleaner. This stuff is designed to clean grease and motor oil and it cost only one dollar. 

Get's the job done with a lovely citrus fragance.

I was very skeptical about using it however I needed to get the grease out. 

After vigorious hand-washing, the ALL the grease was gone from her dress. 

I'm not kidding, ALL the grease, not a single smear or stain was left. 

Zaynab was able to wear her new dress to an Eid Party and Fast Orange became a favorite in my household.

More pictures of the dress:

Pretty bow. 

Cascading ruffles.

My favorite: knife pleats trimming the pinafore

Embroidery on the hem of the pinafore.

Now I want to create a dress similar to the Neapolitan Dress however I want sleeves. I could just do separate dress and pinafore yet I was thinking the attached pinafore is what makes the combination great. 

Like peanut butter & jelly or something. 

Also I like a good sewing challenge. 

Today I'm aiming to draft the pattern and pick out the fabric. 

Insha'allah I'll keep you posted on this project. 

Mini Jubah Update

Remeber this number: Rewind: Mini Jubah

Well, here is the finished garment.

I was very proud of my mini jubah until I tried it on. Now I'm angry. The fit is VERY poor especially in the bodice. I'm swimming in it. Plus the back is long and graceful but when I move it bunches up on top of my butt. 

I wanted bishop sleeve like this:

See the beautiful puffiness. 

However due to my lack of pattern making skills, I messed up. The sleeve sags over my wrist instead of graceful puffing out at the cuffs. Yet I did a stunning job on the cuffs and the plackets. 

On the good note, I now have a decent idea of what I want my mini jubah to look like. I have another jubah mini on the way. As for this garment, insha'allah, it will be up-cycled into a dress. I'm totally saving the front for the ruffles. Keep posted. 

Mini Jubah

It's time to stitch myself some new threads.
Again. 
And I have not forgotten about my daughter and husband.
My plan is to make a mini jubah outfit for myself. A mini jubah is a garment worn by Malaysian Muslim women. They are usually knee length and come in an array of colors, fabrics and styles.

    
                                           

Formal or Work
(photo from Kakchik's Wardrobe)

Casual (photo from Into Cheqta's Closet) 

My casual mini jubah is inspired from a maternity blouse with an empire waist and ruffles. I have sketch out some basic ideas. Empire waisted tunics and dresses are my best friends. They are comfortable and suitable for hijab because the waist falls under the breast which is covered by the hijab then the skirt conceals the hips. Some people say that the empire waist makes women look like they are pregnant but that's because the lady choose an empire waisted garment that had too much gathering in the front. An empire-waisted garment with alot of gathering in front is cool for maternity wear whereas pleats look much better for the front for non-pregnant ladies. 

I also wanted to try out this great little DIY back in the 70's book: The Illustrated Hassle-Free Make Your Own Clothes Book by Sharon Rosenberg & Joan Wiener. I found it at a local bookstore for $3 and it's simple & sweet to follow. The author is very laid back in explaining her projects. Terms like groovy, cat and funky are used. So insha'allah, you get this book, please read it before starting any project. 

My friend gave the fabric years ago and I have now figured out what to do with it. 

I love me some ruffles, so I'm adding some to my tunic. 

Here is a very long strip (about 80" inches) of black fabric that I have prepared for ruffling. I used my serger to narrow hem the raw edges. What I like about the narrow hemming is that it gives the strip more texture and body. Ruffles are a good way to use up your fabric scraps and a simple method to personalize almost anything.

Insha'allah more updates soon.