Pain, pain, go away.........Come again another day......

Kebaya Riau Cik Qon…..(Japanese cotton in deep green)…..

Welcoming the month of Ramadhan today (local time 10.08 am Monday 1/8/11) which marks the beginning of the holiest month, following by a month long celebration in Shawal…

This is the busiest period in the life of a beader or tailor alike.. I sometimes wish for extra sets of hands to cope with the overwhelming orders. Wouldn’t it be great to be an Octo-woman…my works will be done four times faster and I should be four times richer?  Dream on babe!!!!!

Anyhow……since I have no such luck, I will be sweating it out as usual…applying as much speed possible with what little time I have. To make matters worse, my recurring pain on my right arm is getting severe. It feels at times like it is about to fall off of me. Pain, pain….. Go away… Come again another day………

Back to business…Today’s posting is about beading works I did on Kebaya Riau on the sleeves and in front belonging to my little sister. It is dark green Japanese cotton paired with a printed brochette as bottom..

What will be, will be, sublimely pink Kurung Moden crepe.....

Sublime beauty of pink crepe….what was meant to be, to be……..

I was eager to start work on this awesome pink crepe as soon as the baju kurung moden is ready. Everything about the fabric, the pink palette and the design on the fabric is just spot on, like it was meant to be…….

First thing I did was emphasized on the neck area, the whole two and a half inches of its width with a elaborate floral arrangement, finishing it with the matching pearls, sequins, crystals and beads. This time I did use a lot of floral cup sequins accompanied with white pearls. Once that is accomplished, I went on to the sleeves elatedly. Last but not least, I did the existing pattern on the fabric to merge the two.

A week and a half passed, I stitched the last pearl and seconds later have it sent via Poslaju. On the following day I received a call from Shin, wanting to make another piece but this time I am facing a very tight schedule that cannot be compromised. We are talking about three days to turn a fabric into a baju kurung, embroidery and beads are merely impossible in slow season, let alone in Raya season. So sadly to say, I politely had to turn down the offer and apologized profusely but agreed to so if time is on my side. The Raya countdown has started you see and I am torn between my loyal customer and my Raya customers. I chose the latter…. What can I do, especially when both my hands are tied behind my back.  Win some.. lose some… that’s the philosophy I am holding on to.

Fantastic floral arrangement, one bead at a time................

Fantastic pale green crepe ………..

When presented with such fantastic pale green colour like this, I was immediately hypnotised by the sheer simplicity and the lack of unnecessary confusing designs that usually crowd most batik fabrics. A big plus when undertaking beading works you see. So the moment I laid my eyes on the baju kurung, I automatically knew exactly what to do with it.  I love it when I don’t have to struggle much, well on the other hand who wouldn’t. Beads by beads and sequins by sequins were later translated into this demure 3D floral arrangement. Feast your eyes on Shin’s pale green Terengganu crepe silk…… I am letting the pictures do the talking this time….Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!

The Humble Sequins.......(Pn Zila of TLDM)

Sensational sequins for Pn Zila of TLDM Tanjung Gelang……..

The humble sequins have been found in early Egyptian civilization in early twenties. And ever since that time one gentleman by the name of Herbert Lieberman from New York had manufactured sequins in a large scale. Today, we used sequins for decorating clothes (jeans, shirt, and fabrics), shoes, belts and just about anything that can be stitched.

Have a look at Pn Zila’s batik baju kurung .. I haven’t seen her in a while but now she is back with loads of new fabrics that she acquired abroad. I will be sharing them with you in due time.. But for now, I am posting her batik baju kurung done some time ago that I finally able to publish today… Truth be told, I just found the pictures that were kept in my old file...

To bead...... or not to bead? Shin's stunning vanity fair.........

To bead or not to bead?……. That is the question….

Days like these are constant companion to me. It is a reminder that you cannot escape from the unfortunate state of emptiness, plain laziness and nothingness…It is what it is. Anyway, what I normally do is just let nature runs its course, which usually won’t last very long, thank God. In the mean time I usually reach for the t.v remote control for some couch potatoes session.. No worries.

But when that beading karma is in the air, with torrents of possibilities, then I am back in business baby…. I would start ransacking bottles upon bottles of beads from my cupboard full of them, spread them on the entire table and begin the eliminating process. Choosing the right colours for a specific pattern to compliment the end result can be tricky at times. That is why I take longer time in reaching that goal than accomplishing it. Patience is the virtue of course, don’t second guess yourself, just listen to your instinct, stay focus and always, always be willing to change course should you feel unhappy with the outcome of your design.

Now take a look at my latest bead works, which took twice the time needed just because I was in that state of to bead or not to bead, what a limbo........... I do hope Shin will love it, fingers crossed. Subsequently, I am on to her 7^th piece now, which is due 14^th of July, for the upcoming Sultan of Terengganu’s birthday. What is installed for me next, I wonder…….

what a beauty.....

so luscious.....

can't take my eyes off you...