Hand Embroidery

We saw embroidery in trends right now, every piece of clothing even shoes and bags have been decorated with all kinds of embroidery.

No need to rush to the stores to get one! make one instead! 😊 Hand embroidery is an affordable and the easiest way to update (personalized) your old plain wardrobe to the latest trend! 

I wanted to try hand embroidery like what my late mom made when we're growing up. Back then when I was a teenager, I admit, maybe it felt not so cool wearing clothes that mom made. Every cool kids in school had this "cool outfits", you know like those we saw in teens magazines .. I remember Esprit and Benetton were some of the cool outfits that I never could afford to buy (and never had the courage to ask my parents, either) .. it seemed like their answers would be NO 😝

Now I regret I didn't keep those handmade clothing that mom put beautiful embroidery on it. If only I could find the photo album from my days back in junior high, I could show you some of them ...

Mom was a very creative person. Her background was a BA in English Literature from Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta. After she was married to my dad, mom moved to the Jakarta because dad found a promising job in Indonesian Central Bank in the capital. Before they had children (about 4 years) mom worked in The British Council, and left after she gave birth to her first child. She decided to stay home to look after her 4 kids (us), but she always find time to do things she loved and inspired her.

So, as a tribute to her, I decided I'll try to do it myself. How to do basic embroidery stitches you could easily find in YouTube, the rest is your imaginations! .. If you could draw just a little .. no need to have an artist skills, you could do it, I guarantee .. embroidery is easier that cross stitch (at least what I see) because we could make anything we want without any pattern to follow .. feel free to try.

As a start and a trial, I used my old plain white shirt. I tried 3 types of stitches: french knot, daisy and satin stitch .. and here's the result .. (I guess it's not too bad for a complete beginner) 😉   

I😉

Another boutique collaboration

I can't tell my self enough: "Wati, Believe in yourself!"

I just signed a new contract with another boutique at the end of March (Friday 30th). So now I have 2 boutiques to supply my couture creations - which I think is awesome. That means I get the chance to continue doing what I love to do (creating) and I could get busier, and closer to what I'd dreamed of.

I have some doubts before, because, well, it's outside Swiss, it's in another country, although it only take approximately an hour's drive (not in rush hours), another term & conditions of contract, etc ... and it made me a bit nervous, I want to go for it, but I'm not sure, but I have a feeling that I could collaborate with them as I knew one of the founder, I've met her when we were doing exhibition together in Unicrea on April/May 2013, her stand was just in front of me, she's a textile jewelry maker.

The fighting inside my head whether I'll do it or I don't got me a bit tense and headache .. but finally I decided to go for it.

I feel good. I guess I must loose the fear of being wrong (it haunted me for so many years, I have to be honest). Anyway, what could possibly be wrong in being creative? there are no right or wrong in creativity. Just stop critisized yourself and put a ridiculously high goals you've set yourself in your head. Don't compare your start with someone else's middle. Comparison is a thief of joy!

Working with boutiques will only opening a new horizon, jump into this creative adventure will only enriching my souls, inventing myself ; becoming a new me makes me happier than I've ever imagined.

Ditched your negative feelings, negative thinking and negative comments, spaced out from negative people. Your life will be much better and lighter. Now you can be focused on what to reach next, making plans, create more - as I have to make sure I have enough ready stocks for whatever events or collaborations I might have in the future ... and I want my creation to be better and neater every time, so I can achieve a higher level of skills.

Efforts won't betray you.

The first time I saw the quote, I thought it has a deep meaning. Then I read someone posted about it and I was absolutely agreed.

“Effort won’t betray you”  

is a beautiful quote that embodies everything about doing the work. 
Making the effort, putting in energy in things that matter to you will always bring you good things, and only good things. 

There are no downsides to putting effort into the things you love. Whether it’s your job, your relationship, your family, your projects .. 

When you make the effort, give yourself what you want, and know that, when things don’t go as planned, it won’t be for a lack of trying and you won’t have yourself to blame. You can use your experience and learned lesson next time.

We just came back from Germany. We've visited my sister and her hubby. During the visit she gave me some fabrics, which I took with a pleasure. I turned the fabric into women clothing and here are some of the finished items.

Visiting a family member, although sometimes we resented, maybe because of the distance (both place and relationship), but we made an effort anyway. So it's true I think that making an effort, whether it's for your job, family, or projects will only bring you good things :) 

Have a happy midweek!