Monday, September 22, 2008

Tudung Bawal Hand Sewn and Embroidered (TBHSE)

Hi embroidery fans.

I'm working on my first line of tudung bawal Hand Sewn and Embroidered (HSE). The collection will be in pastel colors - warm pink, lilac, sand brown and light yellow.
The decorative embroidery will be small flower motif at borders. The flower motifs will be rose buds, lavender, tinkerbells and other small flower motifs along border from front to back.


As the collection is Hand Sewn and Embroidered, the edging will be the traditional pull and tied with slip stich inside edging.

The collection will use Full Japanese Voille, very fine bawal with beautiful soft colors.

The collection is open for grabs. It is priced at RM55 a piece (not including postage.) Interested in owning one of these exclusive Tudung Bawal by Sulam Sayang order now. Call 019-9846026 or email norazihan@yahoo.com now.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Tudung Bawal Bling-Bling

Alhamdulllillah siap tiga tudung. I'm getting better and faster at doing this. I wonder how fast people that produce these tudung to sell do it. Now a days kat pasar malam people are offering 25 ringgit for a tudung (not sure of bawal and belian kualiti.) How much can they make.

Puas hati tengok hasil tangan 100%.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Down Memory Lane

Hari ini ada email bertanyakan how i started with embroidery work from "cempaka rindu":

"Assalamualaikum! Salam perkenalan dihulurkan sempena ramadhan almubarak ini,boleh sy panggil akak as K.G? or any nickname to get close to u?sebenarnya sy amat berminat tentang embroidery work tak kiralah apepun,jahitan all kind of jahitan ,pakaian,langsir,hiasan and byk lg lah kalau nk dicrite,sulaman tangan,manik and so on...... Sy berminat nak tanya yr experience about getting involved with embroidery...can u tell me how and when u start....saje la nak tau...ok ..jumpa lagi"

K.G, that's a new one for me. Short for Kak Gi lah tu from Zihan? Boleh lah tu. Dalam penulisan kat internet ni, die macam SMS jugak. Nak cepat guna pependek je. Ok, KG is fine.

So Feb '08 is when i started with bead embroidery. Tapi yang i ingat the first hand craft yang i buat is tie and die, i must have been 15. (Teknik from kelas melukis kat sekolah, APGS, Air Panas Girls School, KL) I even made sepasang baju, a simple blouse and a qeulotte from the finished fabric. I was so happy with the outcome dan selalu pakai blouse and seluar kembang ni (paras lutut.) I've also done tie and knot buat beg. Then cross stich, crochet - ni ikut kakak sulong i yang at that time suke kait stocking first baby die etc.

My arwah mom, minat, rajin dan pandai menjahit. Tiap2 tahun, she will jahitkan baju kurung utk anak2nye (there's 5 of us girls and 2 boys) for raye. She also jahit langsir and sarung kushen. I yang selalu tolong masukkan benang dalam jarum kat mesin singer die (hitam, bermeja, yang kene pusing dgn tangan bila nak start and guna pedal kaki utk gerakkan mesin.) Bile dah besar sikit we have to help her with the kurung - jahit sendiri kelim tepi, tulang belut and kainnye. Siapa nak pakai kain getah kene jahit sendiri. Kalau tidak pakai tali pinggang besi utk ikat kipas.

Masa kat U (early 80's) i masih lagi pursue my minat in stitching. I buat selimut (mcm comforter) chicken scratch belajar dari buku. Beli template try buat blouse, jadi tapi potongan tak cantik. Buat jubah, tak cantik pun pakai aje. Buat embroidery poster gambar kerang from template and kit. Yang ni siap dan cantik tapi i must have left it kat US masa balik, tak muat beg. Buat quilting utk bed spread size queen (tgk buku.) Berhajat tapi tak siap sampai ke la ni.

Masa kerje (late 80's) i beli mesin jahit elektrik singer. I try jahit baju kurung sendiri, potongannya tak cantik.

Lepas kahwin (early 90's), I jahitkan baju melayu (top) utk new hubby. Dia pakai - I was so proud. Masa kahwin banyak jugak projek menjahit yang jadi, alas meja; dan yang tak siap, sarung sofa, sarung kerusi makan. Lepas tu lama tak jahit. anak pun dah empat and growing up.

Then I got retrenched (May '06). I started blogging sambil2 cari kerje. Konon2 nak make money from on line marketing.

Then I got a job (Apr '07) then I quit my job (Oct '07), then Feb '08, I started bead embroidery and this blog Sulam Sayang. Blogging and beading are such good theraphy apart from spiritual theraphy from solat, zakat and zikrillah.

I will add photos as relate to this post when available. So check it out sekali sekala.

Love, KG :)

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

My First 100% Handsewn and Embroidered Bawal Head Scarf

I've finally finished the edging for my tudung bawal from my embroidery class last week. It really takes patience and preserverance to finish one of these. No wonder they sell at such a high price.

Well, the scarf I worked on at the class was of a Bawal No. 1 A in dark pink color. Datin yang also present at the workshop said my scarf is the color of Belacan (prawn paste!) "Nice but rarely chosen." Memang I ni jenis yang tak suka kepada warna-warna yang terang. In picking up clothes or fabrics mesti color yang gelap-gelap.

Anyways, I proceed to do this flower using technique pusing benang kat jarum. I call these daisies. I also learnt to do rose bud, full blown rose, sunflower, flat side rose (like picture from earlier post), and other stiches for leaves and branches. Bah is great at doing this. You would think the stiching is done delicately, you should see Bah pulling the threads strong to form the flowers.

For the front edging, Datin ajar how to the traditional way i.e. technique pick and pull as I call it. This edging reminds me of those seprah (alas makan) from those days. But I still use seprah on my dining table as they are small and easily replaced and washed - very convenient. For the inside edging the finishing is just slip stitch.


Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Rustic Brown

Baju kurung Kak Na ni quite dark untuk a young mom like her. Yang penting she likes it.

Na wanted this pattern and I couldn't agree more. For a career woman, she can wear this to the office with a plain tudung bawal with embroidery and still look glamorous if she wears it to a special event with crystal lined tudung bawal - very elegant.

When working this design its quite difficult to get the squares to exactly match up. The reason is the beads, of the two colors, are not the same size. These rustic coperrish brown and bluish grey are new colors I found from my regular bead supplier. I had to choose them to match the colors of the kurung. For any beading only the perfect color match will give the best results of the finished work. Of course then there's the workmanship.

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Baju Kak Long

First thanks Sis Zima for the fabric (mine is still with the taylor for a kurung riau.. ya 'a 'auu. he.. he.. lawak pagi Sabtu.)

Secondly, thanks Kak Ani for taking the fabric coz orang lain tak terima tempahan baju dah. Also nice job in finishing the kurung early so I can start with the bead work. Love the jahitan kat leher. (Not sure what it's called, bukan tulang belut, mata lalat. Ape ek? Nanti chek degan Kak Ani.)

So Kak Long decided for this basic chain with sequin padding for her kurung raya. Although most of the time we share the same taste in fashion however in details there'd always be conflicting ideas and view. So we had quite a long discussion on what bead color and type to use. We settled with green (her preference), light pink (to highlight) and lavender (to tone with the flowers on the fabric). We wanted to use two types of sequins; emerald green and transparent pink flower shape; but found too flashy after few centimeters. So we lessen the pink sequin and the resulting color combination is just beautiful.

Can't wait for Raye padahal baru 6 Ramadhan.
Selamat berpuasa Ramadhan Mubarak.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Icy Blue

Siap pun baju Na yang nak kan pattern triple bracelet ni kat sleeve baju kurung nye.


"Selamat menjalankan ibadah puasa di bulan Ramadhan yang mulia!"


Follow this link to earlier triple bracelet chain with duo color.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Kursus Sulaman Kain Tudung

Hi everyone! I'm back from attending an embroidery course for head scarf in Kota Bharu, Kelantan.

The seven days workshop was sponsored by the Sultanah Kelantan, held at the Muzeum Kelantan. More than twenty participants from all districts of Kelantan were happy to attend and learn embroidery from a young embroider brought all the way from Southern Thailand Ms Habibah. I attended only three classes due to other commitment.

Thank you Ros of Pejabat Tanah Tumpat for including myself in the wonderful course.