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

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.

La robe de demoiselles d'honneur

Our close neighbor is getting married in August this year. They are preparing for the big day. This included looking for the perfect dress for the bridesmaid. There will be 2 dresses for her daughters (age 10 and 14). The 10 yo girl had already found her dress, a white with marine blue bows and trimmings. The 14 yo teenage girl had tried many dresses, had gone from boutique to boutique and online websites too, but she didn't find anything to her liking. So her mom asked me if I could come up with something that she probably likes.

I quickly thought about my last white cotton-silk fabric with black embroidery that I had purchased quite many (but only had the rest about 2 m long). The fabric was my favorite delights, I already made them into so many creations before. So I proposed a sketch of the dress and showed them the fabric and they were happy with it. 

Carry on, I made an appointment for the girl to come and tried on some of my dresses, just to know roughly her size, and moved on to make the dress.

Today the dress is ready and I already handed it to my client. Hopefully the dress will make her happy and make her mom at ease, so she could continue with other important wedding preparations :)

This is my first time sewing for a formal event like a wedding. I made many party dresses, but I never made for any special occasion like this.

bridesmaid dress

Tired but happy.

Ever since I made those two kebayas that my client ordered, I have a non-stop orders. I am grateful for all of these things. That all of my efforts and hard work started to show its outcome. That my Petits Pas is actually working.

I also got a new contract with the boutique too (they put my creations in one of their 4 boutiques in Swiss Romande, mine will be in Vevey) following our meeting on April.

I think with the summer vacation's getting closer, I can't wait any to start planning our trip and start packing! .. I need a vacation soon!! :)

My First Kebaya

I have a client from Luzern, CH, she asked me to make kebaya for her. She got these gorgeous fabrics (I think it's a silk shantung embroidery - not an ordinary satin, I thought it was satin but it's more like silk shantung). I told her that I've never made any kebaya before, but I'll try .. she said okay. One thing I had in my mind: ask someone who've already done kebaya! and BANG! I got few names, one of them was a friend I knew briefly in Singapore who's now also take people's sewing orders at home. I was lucky she accepted to help.

Actually, she said: "you know how to make dresses, so basically it's the same" .. alright, but I was still puzzled and overwhelmed by the fabric and embroidery positions. I asked her once again, and she said: "open your fabric so I can see clearly" -- then, I took pictures of the fabrics and by a short text messages and pictures discussion, I thought okay, now I got it.  

I started by making sketches, showed them to my clients. She approved, and I could carry on to the next step: pattern making, cutting and assembling.

I didn't forget to take pictures for each steps I've done and completed. So my client (and my teacher) knew the status of the project :)

At 90% completed I showed my client the result of her kebayas and she was delighted. I guess mission accomplished. The rest is finishing (zipper for the orange one, and buttons for the green) then I could wrap them up to be sent back to Luzern.

client's orders - April 2016.

Happy Ending

As we're finally come to the end of 2015 very soon, I'd like to note some of best moments, accomplishments or whatever you call it ...

 

§ My last "Marché" of this year.

 

It was at Marché des créateurs de l'Usine in Geneva.

 

Only one day (Sunday Dec 13th), one afternoon precisely, we're opened from 1-7 pm, but it was a huge success! for the organizers and for the participants, as the visitors were coming in non-stop and take advantage to purchase their last-minute Christmas shopping for gifts or for themselves. Petits Pas - handmade creations made a good selling day too.

 

When people told me to bring as many creations as possible, they're absolutely right! I sold all my capes (animal themed, for kids) within just 30 minutes after opening hours. I sold other creations too for women and children. I made a break even and profits just in one day. The place I reserved (the bigger) was only 2,5 m linear - which was just a tiny space, the price for that space was 30 CHF (waaaaay much cheaper than other exhibition/market space) and I pocketed more than 500 CHF in an afternoon (minus 5 CHF lunch - a sandwich).

 

This creative market was organized every December in the l'Usine de Genève (a place famously known as an alternative culture in Geneva) where the participants (the artists, designers, etc) got picked by two of the girls who's organized the event from their applications - which was opened in October. The chosen participants got a notification by email in the early November. Meaning, roughly a month to get prepared.

 

Some of the participants were designers (leather, jewellery, clothes, tshirts, graphics, accessories - bags, hats, babies bibs, decorations, toys, etc from local artisans). The ambience is alive and packed, there were 2 bars and coffee shops in their 3 storeys building, music was loud in any genre - mostly "alternative".

 

The downside was only when a headache hit me (maybe because I didn't get the time to eat lunch until around 3 pm) :)

 

§ With Ateapic.

 

The boutique moved to Flon, a hype area in Lausanne starting next year. They found a place there and the manager will get in touch again with me around mid-January. It sounds promising to me, new place, new adventures, hopefully a good one, although the manager sounds a little bit worried. Well, who could predict what's going to happen? no one. But, as I learned, life is like that, we could only try and hope for the best. Try the best we could and see what happens.

 

We did a stock taking in the old boutique in Geneva before holiday, and found out one of my dress was missing. Looks like it's stolen. The manager decided to make a payment for that missing dress in the end. I got mixed feelings though, well, I received a payment but to know that there's a thief in the boutique which mostly carry indie creators/designers/artisan who's working mostly for their passions and to help the unemployed to be active during their unemployed times ... it's just sad. Anyway .. life still continues and the creations too.

 

§ With customers.

 

I received a last minute order to deliver before Christmas. It was a dress for a girl size 140 cm (I guess 10-11 yrs) but actually the client said she bought it for her 8 yo niece. The client happens to live not too far from my place, still in Nyon area. I handed her order in person at Nyon train station before Christmas school holiday started.

 

So I guess, I'm done with this year. I guess, 2015 was a good year :)

Capes for Boys

I made capes mostly for girls before, and now for boys too. Actually someone ordered as a birthday gift for twin boys (around 4 yo), and I proposed Batman & The Boy Wonder (Robin).

 

My clients loved them and hope the twin boys will love them too :)

Special request from a client in the boutique

I started sewing not so long time ago, it was in 2010 if I remember well. You may also see the beginning of this blog, that was also the beginning of my sewing adventures. A good friend posted a comment in one of my FB picture about sewing (I remember I made a blouse for my daughter without pattern, I used a round plate to draw a neckline) and it turned out quite nice and wearable for my daughter, that's when my friend said "why don't you blog about your sewing experiments?" .. and I'm glad I did.

Fast forward to 2014, I've done many things with sewing. I can say I sew almost everyday. Specially during preps for an exhibitions, craft fairs or a bazaar (which I've done quite many in the last couple of years), and an opportunity to do a fashion show last year, and a contract with a boutique here in Geneva, Switzerland. I have the right to feel happy and proud of my own achievements, yes? .. but couple of weeks ago someone shook my happiness and I almost let my self down and doubted my capabilities. 

It was one fine Saturday morning and we're planned to go to Lyon to visit weekend textiles market, then hubby decided he need a haircut first. He went to a local hair salon which just 5 minutes away from our place and owned by Indonesian woman that we happened to know briefly. 

To make this story short (I really don't feel like telling the whole story because my heart still aches and I'm still angry when I remember what she did to ruin my reputation by talking about how awful my work is), this woman asked to lend money from my husband without having a word with me first. If her life is so bitter, why should she have to bother anyone too. I felt that I personally didn't agree husband lend her any money, I didn't trust her, but he already came home with a land certificate as a guarantee of the money he lend to her. That day, I didn't know if I could forgive what she did to me. I felt like she trapped us and took advantage of my husband's generosity.

Slowly, I get up and doing what I always did, sewing and writing a new book project as requested from my editor in Jakarta, but I couldn't 100% concentrate in what I was doing. I fell sick eventually. Flu bugs. I guess when I'm psychologically unhealthy, I get sick easily. 

client's request

Until one day I received an email from the boutique assistant that they have a client who's interested in one dress I've made using denim and lace collar but asked if I could make 2 sizes bigger. Then I thought, this must be God's way to lift me up from my recent fall and frustration. So I won't let God disappointed. He gave me this abilities as a gift and it somehow made me realize that I should continue to appreciate His given skills, I should meet His call, I should NOT give up and feeling low too long.

So I replied the email and said that I could make bigger size but with a different fabric, I also proposed to bring fabrics sample for the client approval. And today I finished the dress and brought it to the boutique. The client will try and hopefully happy with the dress. She'll go there next Friday as the boutique manager said to me. I also told the manager that if there's anything that the client unhappy with the dress, she could return it to me to have it fixed or if she decided that she won't take it, she could as well return it with no charge, no problem. 

I'm trying my best but I also know I have limits. I seriously plan to find a workshop, a dressmaker, a sewing professionals if I want to go further. I can't force my self to do everything by my self anymore. I have many other things I need to take care of, my sanity and my family are my first priority. 

A moment of pure joy ..

"To me, true success is happiness. From that has come two key things: passion and persistence. When I have done things only because it was what others highly valued, I did a few good things. When I have pursued the things that make my heart sing, I have done something great. And not because it was easy or I got it right from the start, but simply because I loved it enough and believed in it enough to keep at it."

—Jessica Herrin, CEO/founder of Stella & Dot jewelry and accessories company.

I am blessed, I should not forget to feel blessed and grateful whenever possible. God has given me so many good things : my health, my bright daughters, my hard-working and caring, loving husband, my talents, my skills, my published books, my clothing creations that people bought with delights, my good friends that truly care for me ... those things are really priceless ...

 

During 1 month after the exhibition I managed to sell enough through online orders just to keep me going. I have enough time to create what people had ordered from me and that I haven't got the time to do it while busy preparing exhibitions.

 

Next month, in July we'll take a summer vacation to our home country, Indonesia. In July (9th) we'll also going to vote for Indonesian next president. It's been a very HOT campaign going on right now, we just hope for the best outcome, none of the 2 candidates are perfect, but we still have to hope for a better leader and a better future for Indonesian people. Our country is a rich country (rich in natural resource and in human resource) but unlucky to have a rotten corruption government. I think our people must change their mental attitude. The system, the justice, must work and clean from bribes, so people could really believe and have faith in their government again. 

 

During our vacation, I had planned to visit some places (also to look for a small garment factory-workshop) to help me assemble my designs. Planned to make a small sewing & craft selling event (and also books signing) with a bunch of friends in one small coffee shop near my best friend's place, just to invite friends and relatives who also like to buy my creations but can't get them due to the long distance shipping. So yes, I'm going to take some of my stock and of course my new creations as well. It's so exciting just to imagine it all right now ...

Meanwhile, I love - I live .. and in between, I create.

The Clients

Some of my customers send me pictures of them wearing clothes made by me. It made me feel very happy and appreciated. I guess that's how we all feel when we see our work on display. And the most important thing for me is when the customers are happy, it makes me feel happier (and accomplished) ... I guess it's true what YSL said: 

-- Yves Saint Laurent