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Destash #3: More Sewing books/magazines

Thanks for your interest! There are only 2 books left from last posting. I have added a few more to the list 😉

Book #7: Quilts and more: Winter 2011 $3.00 (Magazine) SGD$3.00 – SOLD

Book #8: Quilts and more: Spring 2010 $3.00 (Magazine) SGD$3.00 – SOLD

Book #9: Made with natural fabrics (in traditional Chinese) SGD$5.00 – SOLD

Book #10: I love handmade zakka 8 (in traditional Chinese) SGD$5.00 – SOLD

Book #11: I love handmade zakka 5 (in traditional Chinese) SGD$5.00 – SOLD

Book #12: I love handmade zakka 3 (in traditional Chinese) SGD$5.00 – SOLD

From previous post:

Book #1: Last-Minute Fabric Gifts: 30 Hand-Sew, Machine-Sew, and No-Sew Projects (Hardcover with Sleeve Jacket) SGD$15.00

Book #6: Stitchable Stationery (Sublime Stitching) (Stitchable stationery kit) SGD$15.00

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Book #7: Quilts and more: Winter 2011

It is a:

Quarterly magazine that I subscribe to. It has very clear instructions, basic sewing techniques (which I still refer to!), and also very good photos.

I like Quilts and more because it is exactly what it says in the title. It has more than just quilts, to bags, home dec etc…

Buy it because:

it is great regardless of your sewing skill. The magazines also features projects made with latest fabrics for all you fabric-holics out there! 😉

I am selling because:

Making space in my bookshelves!

The condition:

is like brand new! No marks, no creases inside pages. All patterns are intact and never used.

I am asking for:

SGD$3 + SGD$3.50 (incl. local registered post). Local buyers can pay via local bank transfer or cash upon collection.

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Book #8: Quilts and more: Spring 2010

It is a:

Quarterly magazine that I subscribe to. It has very clear instructions, basic sewing techniques (which I still refer to!), and also very good photos.

I like Quilts and more because it is exactly what it says in the title. It has more than just quilts, to bags, home dec etc…

Buy it because:

it is great regardless of your sewing skill. The magazines also features projects made with latest fabrics for all you fabric-holics out there! 😉

I am selling because:

Making space in my bookshelves!

The condition:

is like brand new! No marks, no creases inside pages. All patterns are intact and never used.

I am asking for:

SGD$3 + SGD$3.50 (incl. local registered post). Local buyers can pay via local bank transfer or cash upon collection.

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Book #9: Made with natural fabrics (in traditional Chinese)

It is a:

Taiwanese publication in Traditional Chinese, translated from a Japanese craft book/magazine. Includes full size pattern sheet (intact, never used). Great for zakka fans!

Buy it because:

It has many inspiring projects that you make you want to go out and buy tons of linen! It has step by step instructions, with pictures, so you can follow the steps rather easily if you are not good at reading Chinese like me!

I am selling because:

I have waaaayyy too many of similar books to this copy 😉

The condition:

is like very good! Very gently browsed and there are no markings or creases.

I am asking for:

SGD$5 + SGD$4.00 (incl. local registered post). Local buyers can pay via local bank transfer or cash upon collection.

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Book #10: I love handmade zakka 8

It is a:

Zakka publication originally in Japanese but translated by a Taiwanese publication house into traditional Chinese.

Buy it because:

Many many kawaii projects for you to try or be inspired by!

I am selling because:

Making space in my bookshelves!

The condition:

is like brand new! No marks, no creases inside pages. All patterns are intact and never used.

I am asking for:

SGD$5 + SGD$4 (incl. local registered post). Local buyers can pay via local bank transfer or cash upon collection.

============================================

Book #11: I love handmade zakka 5

It is a:

Zakka publication originally in Japanese but translated by a Taiwanese publication house into traditional Chinese.

Buy it because:

Many many kawaii projects for you to try or be inspired by!

I am selling because:

Making space in my bookshelves!

The condition:

is like brand new! No marks, no creases inside pages. All patterns are intact and never used.

I am asking for:

SGD$5 + SGD$4 (incl. local registered post). Local buyers can pay via local bank transfer or cash upon collection.

============================================

Book #12: I love handmade zakka 3

It is a:

Zakka publication originally in Japanese but translated by a Taiwanese publication house into traditional Chinese.

Buy it because:

Many many kawaii projects for you to try or be inspired by!

I am selling because:

Making space in my bookshelves!

The condition:

is like brand new! No marks, no creases inside pages. All patterns are intact and never used.

I am asking for:

SGD$5 + SGD$4 (incl. local registered post). Local buyers can pay via local bank transfer or cash upon collection.

============================================

Book #1: Last-Minute Fabric Gifts: 30 Hand-Sew, Machine-Sew, and No-Sew Projects (Hardcover with Sleeve Jacket) by Cynthia Treen

It is a:

a great craft book, regardless of sewing skills (or lack of).

From amazon.com: “This inspiring book comes with 30 easy projects for quick-to-make gifts ranging from fabric-covered notepads to a tea-dyed sequined scarf to a baby quilt. Arranged by how long it takes to complete each project, the book focuses on gifts that generally require less than three hours of time. Whats more, Treen clearly details the knowledge and skills you need to improvise on these projects, allowing you to customize the color, pattern, and texture to suit the occasion. Complete with 70 full-color photographs and a final chapter on innovative ways to wrap gifts with fabric, Last-Minute Fabric Gifts is brimming with creative ideas sure to appeal to novice and experienced sewers alike”

Buy it because:

loads of ideas of what and how to make gifts out of your fabric stash!

I am selling because:

Making space in my bookshelves!

The condition:

is great! No marks, no creases inside pages. I take very good care of my books. This book’s sleeve jacket is little creased at the front top.

I am asking for:

SGD$15 + SGD$4.00 (incl. local registered post). Local buyers can pay via local bank transfer or cash upon collection.

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Book #6: Stitchable Stationery (Sublime Stitching) by Jenny Hart

It is a:

very very cool kit. Includes 6 ready-to-embroider folded cards, needles and embroidery floss.

Buy it because:

Robe de Mariée 2014These become ‘mini work of art’ when stitched! The cards have simple and clear printed pattern lines for you to follow.

I am selling because

While I had grand plans for these cards, but I think they will be great for someone who loves to give cards to friends or can frame these at home!

The condition:

is brand new! The book store has wrapped the kit up, Robe de bal blanchealthough there’s a hole in the wrapper, everything is intact and in good condition.

I am asking for:

SGD$15 + SGD$4.00 (incl. local registered post). Local buyers can pay via local bank transfer or cash upon collection.

Hope Valley Quilt – Done!

The Hope Valley quilt is finally on my bed! It’s a full size bed quilt and I was happy to ship it off to be quilted on a long arm and save my sanity and achy back. I got it back in Dec 2011 and it kept us cozy on the many rainy nights we had in December/January.

The quilt top is made up of Denyse Schmidt’s Hope Valley fabrics and Kona Linen Cotton blend.

I started this project around May 2010. The block is really quite easy and quick to put together, but I slipped in my calculation and had to stop, cut more, sew more and went back & forth to the design wall. I wanted each row/column of blocks to be unique in print, so it was terribly fussy. The project stayed in my WIP drawer for a long long time before I pulled it out again (when I needed more space!). And I pinned the blocks when joining them so that all (well, most of them did!) points meet just right.

Nice and crinkly after the wash! I have to say that the Essex linen was a little tricky to work with, but after the quilt came out from the wash, the texture is amazing. But if you are looking for super smooth/soft texture, then go for 100% cotton or velveteen. The prints include many geometric designs so it has the ‘manly’ element in there too!

I’m on a quilt making roll right now. I have 1 toddler quilt and 1 faux chenille baby quilt waiting to be basted and another full bed sized quilt for myself cut and waiting to be pieced.

Even though I don’t have the chance to sew EVERYDAY, I just can’t stop thinking about the projects, the stash and what other projects I can start! I’m sure I’m not the only obsessive gal who goes through her day thinking: can’t wait to sew… can’t wait to sew! 😀

Patchwork and Chinese New Year

I went to the bank to run a little errand and there was this nice customer service lady who offered me some packs of Red Packets (Hong Bao). I refused her with a smile – was recalling how the same bank were limiting the number of red packets to each customer just last year. Must be trying to make up for the service lapse during the recent ATM skimming fiasco.

And while waiting to be served, I saw that the boy & girl featured in the design are wearing PATCHWORK costumes! It reminded me of a display at the Peranakan museum some months back. And then I just gotta have this year’s designs! I took 2 packs (10 pcs each, with boy/girl designs in each pack).

There are gold embossing details – with the top stitching (quilting lines) in gold! And check out the little girl carrying a gold-framed purse with a stinking cute chinese knot string.

The 1/2 square triangles in the design really made my day 😀

Investing a little to save a little.

Happy New-ish Year!

While I’ve been away from the blog, the sewing machine was humming, fabrics were pulled off the shelves and more new fabrics were stuffed back into the cupboards over the past 6 weeks or so. And there were a lot of balls in the air – kids, work, house chores, sewing, appointments at the doctors, etc. With the Chinese New Year coming up soon, there are of course more shopping, cleaning and scheduling to do. But I’m finally able to see the light as work and family schedules are falling into their places.

The sewing has not stopped! I started on a faux chenille blanket for a friend’s upcoming new baby and completed that over the weekend. The main fabric is a quilting cotton Oliver & S fabric, layered with 1 x Kona cotton, 1 x cotton/linen blend and 1 x cotton flannel. Binding the blanket became an issue for me – I like to hand sew down binding for the neat/invisible look. But I was short of time and I was not sure I wanted to hand sew down through fiddly layers of cut fabrics.

I decided that I would machine sew the binding down and went with a store-bought bias binding this time. I tried to clip the binding down, but I didn’t feel confident that I would catch the bottom part of the bind when I top-stitch it down. I decided to invest a little more time so that I will get it right and perfect the 1st time. Out came the Japanese basting needle and threads and I took my time to fold the binding over the blanket.

This morning I completed the sewing at the machine and sent it off to the wash.

I cut the chenille part with my Clover slash cutter that I bought from Rosie’s store a few years ago. You can use a pair of regular scissors, but again, its good to spend a little for a nifty little tool that will give you great results and save you lots more time (and also reduce strain on your hands). This cutter comes with 2 guides – one for straight slash cutting (as pictured below) and for shorter guide for curved lines. Minimum width of the ‘channel’ is about 1/4″ (6mm), and for this blanket I sewed my lines about 1/2″ apart.