Sew Loving it!

Last week my crafter friend mbak Dita of Cemprut who lives in Jakarta, came to Bandung to have a sock doll making workshop at Crayon's.

Of course I eagerly attended it, not only because she's one of my close friend on the net that I haven't meet in person, but also because I've never learn to make a sock doll before, I love to learn something new.

As I expected, at that workshop I met other crafters, I already knew some of them from the net but haven't got a chance to meet in person. I was so happy to find that the crafters are so friendly, down-to-earth and hilariously funny ! We laughed at our own jokes through the workshop session with our hands kept busy on the needles and threads.

The Cemprut's workshop at Crayon's Bandung

Unfortunately I had to go before the workshop's over. Nevertheless, I had fun and I especially loove to have & meet new friends (or old friends but "newly met") . I "sew" loving it!

Speaking of sewing, this month I've finished commissioned orders on "Love to Sew" bags. This time I designed it in form of pochettes. Not only "Love to Sew" actually, there is one pochette embellished with nothing but crewel and beads embroidery. They all have gone now to their new owners (thanks so much customers, I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoy making them ).

"Love to Sew" pochette in pink flowery canvas & brown faux leather

The Jeweller's pochette

I think nobody knows that Fauzia is actually my aunt.
She's a daughter of my grandma's cousin, so family-tree wise, I should call her auntie, but I don't, considering that she's still young, even younger than my self . I call her Jia, her childhood's nickname.

We'd been lost contact for quite a long time (with her relocated and I relocated even more often, lol, etc) and never would any of us thought that the web will someday reunited us (online, because we live in different islands now; I'm in Bandar Lampung, Sumatera and she's in Bogor, Java Island).

I was so overwhelming when one day she send me a pm and asked whether I'm the Andi Lia she knew. I was also happy to know that we both are interested in craft; mine is more about needle works (and bag designing, of course) and she's a jeweller (wireworker, beader, kawater, that's what the craft community address them self; I prefer to call them jeweller, since they create many beautiful pieces of jewelry). Since then, we often do silaturrahim, chatting or just comment on each other's postings .

A couple of months ago (if I'm not mistaken, Jia, cmiiw), she asked about my pochette that she wants to buy. She requested it to be plain, without any embellishment, but with the usual bag handle/necklace (detached from the bag, the handle can be worn as a necklace). Noticing that her birthday's coming, I decided to send it as a gift. And knowing that as a jeweller, she must be planning something special to compliments the plain pochette, I asked her to send me the "after make-over" picture of the pochette.

(INACraft sneak peek) The Return of the Storyteller

So, for the Inacraft Exhibition 2010, I ve been preparing several Calyx products, the new & old ones. Here, I'll show you a few that almost ready.

Calyx Storyteller pochettes will be returned with a little bit of different tweaks.

"Swan Lake", obviously inspired by a composition number with the same title by Tchaikovsky (my favorite composer ;)), which tells a story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer's curse (that's why the swan's bling-blinged, she's a princess afterall ).

Calyx Story Teller Pochette

Why did I name them "Story teller"?
Because each of them based on/inspired by a story. I love children stories & poems, they bring back a sweet memory of childhood.

"The Owl & The Pussy-cat" pochette was inspired by Edward Lear's poem about an owl who marry a cat.
The pochette itself was made from faux croc leather, embellished with polymer clay figures. There were 2 handles provided, one was the ordinary handle made from the same faux leather, the other was a handle which can be worn as a bracelet (unfortunately, not shown here, because it was sold before I got a chance to take the picture of it, hehe)



The "Waltz of the flowers" was inspired by a composition number of Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker" ballet, titled the same.
It was made from corduroy shantung silk, embellished with polymer clay figures (the fairy & butterfly) and ribbon embroidery.
Same thing about the handles, one was the usual wrist let handle, the other was a bracelet handle (not shown for the same reason as the above wrist let :P)