About this website

Please use the menu bar above to read about me, services I offer, client's voices, and so on. What I made or repaired in the past are showcased in the blog entries. I believe in making quality handmade items, mending/repairing and upcycling/remaking previously loved fabric items as much as possible. (I'm sorry, but I no longer accept translation/interpreting orders from new clients.)

Sunday, March 23, 2025

Bobbing winding accident

What a surprise! When I was winding a bobbing, it broke and kind of jammed my winder, too! It was a pain to remove all the thread off the winder, but I did it with patience. 

Come to think of it, this bobbin could have been as old as 30 years old... I kind of thought the clear plastic was yellowing a bit. 

So, I learned my lesson. 

If a clear plastic bobbin looks slightly yellow, it's time to thank it and say good bye to it. I kind of wish they kept on using the metal kind for all new plastic sewing machines, too. Oh well. 

Sunday, March 16, 2025

Another top

Another top made with the same peasant's shirt pattern:


I seem to receive complements when I am wearing a top made with this pattern, so I decided to make another top for the warmer weather that I am hoping for soon. 

This cotton fabric was given to me by a friend who received it from her friend. The fabric was already cut into pieces to make a simple dress. However, the size was not the same as mine, so I decided to recut it to make this top. I believe my friend's friend must have given up on finishing the dress midway... It is a nice fabric from Madagascar (based on what I was told) with very interesting print. 

If you get stuck in the middle of a sewing project, please let me help. I have knowledge and skills to help you finish your sewing project to pass onto you so that you can finish it yourself in one of my sewing lessons. Making a garment yourself gives you a special feeling, so I hope you don't give up. (Or I can finish it for you, too.) 

Sunday, March 9, 2025

Hair accessories

One day, I decided to make some headband and scrunchies with some fabrics I had in my stash. 

Here they are:

The top set is made of leftover fabric after I made myself a raglan-sleeve shirt. (The fabrics above and the one immediately below were donated by a good friend of mine.)

I have not decided which style of headbands I like better - the one with a flat piece eon the top and the elastic in the back, or the scrunched up wide band that goes all the way around? I am using them both and decide. 

The last set was made of a Japanese cotton fabric called Kasuri. Since it's a combination of black, white, and some light blue, this set may be easier to wear than the colourful ones like the above. 

Sunday, March 2, 2025

Pen holder - leather craft

Before I forget how to sew leather by hand, I made another thing. Here it is. 

It is a pen holder to keep a pen. I think I will put it on my purse. Or, I may put on my lanyard and hang it from my neck. 

Again, I used a donated piece of leather to make this. 

* I cannot offer custom orders for leather craft with hand stitching because I am too much of a beginner. 

Saturday, February 22, 2025

Passport case - leather craft

This is the first time I have sewn leather by hand! 

My aunt taught me how to stitch leather by hand (online lessons). It was, well, my very first time trying hand stitching, so if you zoom in on the photos, you can definitely see there's room for improvement. As with any other craft, I am sure I just have to keep on practicing to make my stitches nice and uniform.  

What can I say, it's perfectly imperfect! For now, in any case. 

Here is the finished passport case. I didn't want card slots like many other passport cases as I saw on the internet. So, I made the left pocket an accessible pocket like shown below. I can slide in some printed sheets of paper (like baggage claim tags) in there. 

With the passport inside (below). This whole case nicely fits in my pocket. 

As you can see, the inside pockets are brown, and the outer colour is black. This is because I am using donated lather pieces which might have been in garbage otherwise. I am glad I can make something useful like this with rescue materials. 

I found leather crafting interesting. It's like a combination of another craft (because you use glue to hold the pieces together) and sewing. This is a very simple thing I made, but I hope to try making other things, too. 

* I cannot offer custom orders for leather craft with hand stitching because I am too much of a beginner.