Happy New Year 2018!

Happy New Year 2018!

I know that I rarely update my blogs (this blog especially) not that I don't have any stories to tell, in contrary I have so much to tell that I get lost where to start.

Well, to make story short, I came a long way from my last post. I did some collaborations and exhibitions for my creations and completed some orders too. Right now I'm preparing for another event to showcase my works next month on Feb 6th. Then in Spring I plan to start a sewing club at my place, just for a bunch of friends who wanted to learn to sew for the first time. Then Summer we plan to visit our home country.

Some things also changed. I no longer work with the publisher. My contract will end this spring I think, and I no longer put my creations in Ateapic. The story is a bit long to write and I don't feel like writing it down either.
New year, new resolutions? .. yeah, I guess I have some. I want to teach others and teach my self more in this domain (sewing, couture, creations), because that what makes me a happier and better person. Sewing has changed my life for the better and I don't think I'll quit until I get enough :)

Now, many people discourage or underestimate me trying to reach my dreams. They don't know or refused to understand that most dreams need hard work. Almost nobody can reach a success overnight. It all need time and process, and that's the part that people don't (want) to see or do for themselves. I read this article somewhere,

 “Dreams don’t work unless you do“

What did John C. Maxwell mean when he said, “Dreams don’t work unless you do“? This lesson needs to be learned by every entrepreneur thinking of taking that giant leap to pursue their dreams.

Being an entrepreneur will be hard. There, I said it. All of us who have done it know that. If you are looking to start a business, don’t think it will be easy. If it were easy, everyone would be entrepreneurs and there would be no people to run the day-to-day jobs that keep our world going. It isn’t for everybody, but it is worth it if you don’t quit.
Many people say they’ll start a business and start assuming it will all go according to plan.Then, they quit at the first sign of trouble and complain about how hard it is or blame their failure on the economy or their government or their parents or their past, or just blame them on anyone who has nothing to do with their dreams! 
Most people tend to give up on their dreams. Many will throw away their talents and live their lives from weekend to weekend, dreading everyday in between. Is this the way I want to live? I decided it wasn’t and so have countless others. But, those first few years of pursuing dreams as an entrepreneur are brutal.
Lucky for me, at least for now, I have support from a responsible husband. Because if not, I may not be able to support this family, myself and our 2 kids and how on earth we can live in this overpriced country? ...
But, if I give up, failure is 100% and I can kiss my dreams goodbye. That’s not what we want, is it? so I need to stick with my goals for as long as it takes and who knows what the future holds? nobody knows. I know that my husband will retire one day and we may be return to our homecountry.
By taking this steps right now, I know I will thank myself later for trying, for having guts to take action and reach out what I want, what I've missed in my younger years, what has always been in my dreams ...

Happy New Year!

Custom made graduation dresses

Hi, I'm back 😊

I wanted to share what I've been doing the whole month, I rarely have time to blog .. 

I got orders to make custom made graduation dresses (robes de la promotions) for 4 adolescence who's going to receive their middle school's diplomas end of June.

These are my creations based on their requests. These 14-15 yo girls demands were not so easy to do to be honest .. but I'm glad that all dresses matched their expectations. When clients happy, I'm happier ...

client's graduation dresses

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!

Creation for Spring-Summer 2017

Holiday isn't over yet and winter is just getting colder .. but I already started to make spring/summer creations. New year is time for a new start, making new plans or "resolutions" .. although I prefer not to call it as a resolutions, just a plan, something to look forward to, something to get excited for .. we all need this, right?.

Well, sorry to disappoint you, but my resolutions, emm .. my plans .. I prefer to keep the list in my agenda, not in my blogs or social media. I did some reflections during the last month of 2016 and decided to be more quiet in cyberspace .. I just want to keep personal plans, personal. I shared enough, too much maybe, so this year I'll try to be more thoughtful, and pull my self away from negative thoughts and negative affects of social media. Something like a brief "hiatus" and concentrate more on learning new skills and tricks for my creations (both sewing and writing) ..

To open this new year with simplicity and colors, I made this top (blouses). I got the fabric from a friend as a gift, the color wasn't what I usually pick myself, but that's the interesting part! .. it's more challenging, I think. 

As the fabric has dragonflies and butterflies print all over it, I thought it would be fun for children clothing, but it could be something else, too .. so, I keep in mind: simple design (as the print already so busy and colorful) but neat finishing and a well-thought details when using/cutting the restricted (around 2 m long) fabric.

It came out quite satisfying ... 

I managed to use the 2 m long batik dobby fabric into 2 blouses (a matching blouse for mom & daughter). I was very happy to be able to finish the two of them in one day :)

Happy New Year 2017!

Every closing year was the time for us to reflect and begin the new year with plans.

Like a good book, we closed one chapter and open another chapter with enthusiasm and anticipation. With hope and excitement.

We made a usual New Year trip to Paris this year. Last year we stayed put in our home, but this year we've planned to go to Paris again.

I took this opportunity to go fabric purchase and restock. We went to Saint Pierre again just a couple of footsteps from Sacré Coeur, Montmarte. I knew the place so well, and I've missed this place so much.

The Marché Saint Pierre isn't the most glamorous part of Paris, as you could see. If you're not sure where it's situated and If you go there by Métro, just get down in Anvers station, walked up a bit to the direction of Montmarte (or just follow the tourist crowds) until you see bellow Sacré Coeur monument there are fabrics shops.

While in there, just keep vigilant. It's also one of the most hostile place in Paris, Barbes and Clignancourt just a couple of Métro stations away, and for some people it's the place to better be avoided.

But for me, Saint Pierre is the best place to find fabrics and sewing bits with unbeatable prices. This time I managed to find fabrics and sewing notions in 4 shops visits. Tissus Reine, Les Coupons de Saint-Pierre, Marché Saint-Pierre (Dreyfus) and one little "mércerie" (sewing notions) shop.

My girls helped me choosing fabrics. They both said "tu as trouvé ton bonheur ici, mong" (looks like you've found your happiness here, mom). Oh, yes, I did :)