Sunday happy Sunday ...

Sunday afternoon usually we drove around Vaud area, today we wanted to find that address for our next rendez-vous with a Kitchen (interior) company. After we knew where it situated, we usually visit our future apartment, but today we decided to get some ice creams in our fave ice cream parlor in Nyon, which is close to a boutique that I really wanted to visit.

The boutique owned (and/or taken care by) a woman, a bag designer-maker that I talked on the phone couple of months ago. I saw her creations at Globus department store here in Geneva, and I fell in love with her works. Her bags were carefully neatly made by hand, and she really have a wonderful handmade pieces. I promised to visit her one day, and that day is today!.

The shop was open on 1st Sunday of the month (not every Sunday shops are open here in Swiss), so I was very lucky that the shop was open and she was there in person! what a lovely coincidence as we wanted only to buy ice cream at first .. and turned out we bought ice creams and two of her handmade bags!! .. I don't go to Nyon everyday, I don't buy bags everyday either .. (that's my excuse) .. hehe .. and I'm not regretting following my instant temptation to buy them, as we talked about our activities, exhibitions and .. why not a collaborations! as she said "on peut faire quelque choses ensemble" .. oh, oui, madame, pourquoi pas .. in fact I'll be very happy to collaborate with such a talented, skillful, creative and kind woman like her ...

Once again, I feel God's hand guided me to meet her .. God's help that moved her heart to be so kind to me today. I'm looking forward for our next meeting .. and our future collaboration.

HERE'S MY SKIRTS AND HER BAGS TOGETHER

If God's willing to lend you a hand ..

I'm a believer. I believe in God. I believe that everything that happened to me whether it's bad or good it's His arrangements. If He's willing to help you, you won't know where it's from and how He would help you. That's when we (if we believe in His existence) could feel and figure it out. Our heart knows, our head think, and our body moves. That's what happened to me these couple of months. I let you know ....

A couple of post below, I already talked about it a little bit. Now I want to share why I shouldn't stop believing in miracles. I shouldn't stop asking Him for a guidance and help. "You win some, you lose some", I guess that's what He'd taught me. 

I lose some of my savings to prepare for my last two exhibitions. I used my savings to prepare for my own stands, pay rental space, buying fabrics and all of stand equipment, decoration, etc ... well, I think I need to start somewhere and it's just a step for a start up (I mean, a beginner .. hehe). But from there I gained experience, I gained confidence, I gained contacts and I gained contracts! .. that's important.

I didn't make fortune by selling my own handmade creation, but I try to built trust from the boutique, the clients and my customers. Slowly, people trust me to make them things. Slowly, I'm more confident to try new techniques, to make (and modify) patterns. The last couple of weeks I made a challenging orders, one is for an ice skating costume, and other is an extra large dress for XXL size woman. 

And when I was sitting in my usual lunch cafeteria I got a good news from the boutique. They secure a place (an arcade in MParc Carouge -- where I was having my lunch, actually) to have a common exhibition from the boutique together with the art shop for THREE MONTHS!!! .. they will showcasing their artists and designers, and change the stocks periodically. Petits Pas is one of them, as I put some of my creations in their boutique too. Let's hope for the better. One thing I should consider seriously is hiring someone to help me with assembling (sewing) if their request is getting more than I could handle by my self.

I see all these like a miracle, I believe so. While I was sitting in a cafeteria in MParc, suddenly I got this news that they will have their exhibition in the same place! .. I think God's helping me out .. in shaa Allah ..

Ice skating costume

One of the mom from daughter's school asked if I could propose a design and make a costume for her daughter's ice skating championship on mid-October. I said I'd try, I never make any costume before, although I designed (drew) her one costume last year (free of charge). 

She said the theme will be about "jungle", so we discussed through texting in whatsapp messenger, exchanged pictures to show what kind of costume dress she'd like (and her daughter's would like to wear). Also, we need the coach approval too. Finally we settled with "Jane" dress in leopard print. 

Last weekend I went to fabric shop in Annemase (FR) and found a leopard print fleece. It's quite stretchy although it's not a stretch fabric, and it also quite warm for the girl's costume in skating rink. The fleece fabric is large enough (about 150 cm large) so I guess a meter would be enough for an 8-9 yo girl costume.

Then I asked the mom to bring her daughter's tank top to be able to draw a pattern and I did the top today and told the mom to let her daughter try it on first to see if it fits her and could go through (because if it couldn't, I could put an invisible zip on the side of the dress). I guess it's quite fun to do a costume, actually :)  

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. 

where have you been up to? ...

Hi, it's been a while since my last posting here, yeah? ...

Well, blame it on the summer holiday, to the kids back to school's changing routines (one kid goes to junior high now) so, all activities have also changed schedules ... and mostly blame it on the flu bugs! I caught a cold couple of days ago, sneezing, runny nose, coughing, eye itching ... you name it! ... I had it all ... still having it right now (the bad cough, won't go away so soon, I hate it) ...

So, that's about all for the updates. But I made some lovely things too in between those crazy times. I managed to host one day bazar and book signing with my good friends in Jakarta during our summer holiday (yes, I write children books and they get published, so I kind of make an effort to help the publisher in promoting and selling the books series).

I managed to make some new creations (which some of them already booked online) and still in a creation phase to complete my new supplies for Ateapic boutique. 

Okay, I better get going now, gotta fetch my little one ...

See you next post :)

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