Materials needed:
1. Sewing machine
2. Dressmakers’ pins
3. Measuring tape
4. 3 yards of 45″ width fabric ( Depending on the desired length of your
kaftan)
5. A pencil
6. Your fave top or dress
To determine the amount of fabric needed, take your favourite dress and measure the length using the method shown below. Then double the measurement.
Awlya is one of my most successful collaborations to date. Alhamdulillah this collaboration has always, always sell out well and sell out fast! The idea came to me as I was just thinking of making travel prayer wear. It has been quite a trial and error process in the quest of finding the best material for a travel telekung. So with this idea, I approached a friend over @ sewpurseticated to ask whether she would like to do a collab on this idea. She agreed and we proceed. Our first version of Awlya sold out within a day, with plain top and cute printed skirts. We really sought out for the cutest prints that we could find took us days to decide. What sets Awlya apart from the rest of prayer wear is its superb coverage, it doesn’t matter your size, big , small, tall or short … Awlya definitely gets you covered. Right now, we are in the midst of making the 4th batch of Awlya, quite excited for this one as the theme is Noir. The french word for black. Because you ladies have asked for it, you got it. The fabric we use this time around is really, really light and best part is it doesn’t wrinkle easily 🙂 I know, how people thinks that its okay cause we stuff it in the bag anyways but ladies… we are facing our eternal lover, our creator let’s always try to look our best to face Allah s.w.t. Okay apart from being all black, it comes in 2 different designs. I am so excited for this! But have to wait… awhile for it to arrive. Insyaa allah our Noir collection will be released end of January.
To date, I have completed 3 dresses and I have 3 more to go. The struggle is real, especially when this isn’t my full-time job. My dream, and hopefully by 2022 I will be able to do my hobby full time. I also need to invest in a heavy duty sewing machine plus an overlock machine preferably. If not, just a heavy duty sewing machine will be able to do wonders.
When I saw our pretty December girl wearing a dress that I have sewn, I felt so happy, proud and satisfied. She really loves the dress and that it fits her beautifully. To be honest, I still have a lot to learn when it comes to sewing. I am just glad that i get to make something to make someone look extra pretty and confident 🙂
This is another project that I have embarked on alone. These pair of pants were made with the concept of comfort and modest in mind.
1) This is also the perfect traveling pants! Made of light Balotelli material that doesn’t weigh as much as most pants and can be packed in the luggage easily, easy to iron, doesn’t wrinkle easily and it dries easily due to its lightness!
2) It comes in 2 basic colours of black & grey. Nothing comes simpler than our Carly pants.
3) Also secretly, you can actually take Carly for a jog with ease as movements will never ever feel constricted in them!Loose fitting also means modest fitting!
4) Perfect for office wear too! Pair it with a simple blouse
The very, very special thing about this Carly pants is that… it has not 2 but 4 pockets! To a girl like me this is a total dream, it also means there are days I can go out without a bag. Imagine that! We have also made these in really limited pieces. Get your hands on them before it goes poof.
Salam all! As promised!!!
This post is to basically help those who want to travel to Seoul, Korea but don’t wish to follow any tour groups or tour guide. Seoul is very,very easy to navigate. Now more Koreans can speak English and there are signage in English too. It is definitely a lot easier compared to my first trip to Korea back in 2010. Korea as you know is a country with 4 seasons, and all of its season has its own charm and attractive points. I have experienced 3 out of 4 seasons in Korea and I will tell you which is my favourite!
Everland is no.1 because it is one of my most favourite place to visit in Korea. I have been here in 2010,2012,2014,2018 and 2019. LOL 5 times. Why??? Simply because it’s a whole lot better and bigger than our Universal Studios Singapore.
Personally, the best time to visit Everland is during winter. I have experienced magical moments here. Moments that will never be forgotten. In 2014, during my trip with the AYgirls LOL. yes, we gave ourselves a girl group name. It was an all girls trip and it was the bomb. My job was to guide all of them. I guided them in Seoul, Busan and Gyeong Ju(with the help of my friend, he has a car so we all squeezed in!). Yeaps I have guided 2 different groups of people to Korea!
Okay so back to Everland, Everland when it snows….Masyaa allah it is soooo beautiful!!!Especially night time when everything is lit and snowing! It is beyond stunning! Beguiling! That was the most memorable experience for me.
What does Everland has to offer??? Rides, rides, zoo and more rides! It has that 74 degree drop of a wooden roller coaster, it has a wonderful safari where animals roam freely outside your bus! Imagine bears, lions and other wildlife you can imagine along your side. Just the atmosphere will make you feel only happy vibes!
How do you get there? By train & bus is the best option. I have tried the everline… and I tell you it totally wasted my time as it took almost a whopping 2 hours to get there. If you take the train to Gangnam station on line 2 > exit 10 and take bus no. 5002 to the Everland station(it takes only about 30-40 mins a lot lesser time compared to the Everline). Once you alight, there will be free shuttle buses that will bring you right down to Everland main entrance itself.
The best way to get your tickets ,would be via online. Please buy the tickets beforehand to enjoy fuss-free entrance and great deals. I would recommend buying them from klook.com. The tickets cost a lot less than our USS and totally worth it 🙂
In Seoul, there are a couple of palaces , this one is definitely a must-visit! Because it is smacked right in the middle of a metropolitan city. Seoul is where a modern city and historical sites coexist. If you want to learn more about history and how Korea is like in the past. To learn about Korean’s monarchy, then this is the place to go. Or if you just simply love watching those period dramas and take lots of instagram worthy photos this is definitely it!
Don’t forget to rent a hanbok! If you show up in a hanbok, your entrance to the palace is free~~~ But if you don’t no worries, it will not burn any hole in your pockets. Entrance fee costs around 3.50 SGD
This is another place that I love to visit. Usually if you want to get to the top, you’d take a cable car up to the tower. However if you have the time , I’d recommend walking up to this place. It’s quite an uphill journey, if you have older folks or you lack stamina walking up is not recommended.
Namsan Tower is also known for those love locks where you buy a lock, write your wishes or message and then you lock it on the railings or fence. I must admit, I read through a couple of messages on the lock especially the ones in Korean. They gave me either warm fuzzy feeling or goosebumps cause they are too cheesy. I’ve experienced Namsan Tower in both winter and summer. During the night, Namsan Tower also has a light show display. Definitely fond of this place, too many precious memories.
Myeongdong is a shopping paradise for tourists. Shopping for Korean make-up products are best done here and Myeongdong is very near to the Namsan Tower. Clothes wise, I’d recommend another place where most locals go to shop. Myeong dong street is often filled with pop up booths or push carts where they sell street food, snacks, sweet stuffs or clothes and accessories. This is also a place where you can get $1.20 socks as gifts for people at home. Many tourists that I know love Myeong Dong, I am not exactly sure why. Perhaps it’s the very hyped and lively atmosphere. Usually people come here repeatedly on one trip. In Myeong Dong, there are a couple of halal restaurants. I’d recommend Kampungku Restaurant and Busan Jib.
To buy Kpop CDs or albums, I’d recommend this place because often it is hard to find a CD shop in Seoul. There are a couple but not as many because in Korea online shopping is a huge thing. Imagine buying something online and getting the item on the same day or the next! How convenient is that? So many locals do shop online a lot.
Hongdae is known for its cafe culture, busking and clubbing of course for youngsters in Korea! If you are crazy about cafes, Hongdae has a lot of themed cafes too. I love the Hello Kitty cafe where it is all pinky pinky and picturesque. The sheep cafe… yeap where you can touch and mingle with sheep. LOL. Cat cafes, actually in Seoul there are a number of cat cafes here and there. Try to find one that’s less crowded if you want more interaction with the cats. The breed of cats they have in the cat cafes are quite interesting.
If you want to sing your hearts out, in Hongdae they have a glass karaoke. Basically it’s like an open concept of karaoke rooms, where people walking down the street could watch you from the outside. One particular down side about Hongdae is it is always,always super crowded. If you are claustrophobic and hate crowds, don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Congratulations to @you_bitemylips!!! We will contact you shortly on how you can leave us your information and receive your blouse 🙂
It was interesting to look at all of your guesses. For those who guessed me a lot younger than I am, thank you berry much. I feel flattered. Those who have guessed older. I guess it’s time to up the collagen game! LOL. Anyways, alhamdulillah for another year of good health and to be able to do what I want to do in life. I just pray for abundance of rizq in all forms and also for HIM to protect all my loved ones grant them happiness, good health and wealth too. In this post, you will be able to see more photos of the teaparty blouses.
This project has a lot of firsts. This is definitely a first for a solo project, a first for using a different fabric! A first for going with prints too! Design wise is also slightly fancy and bolder than our previous designs. This project made me learn a couple of things about work, life and people too. But hey, they say what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger right? I hope to emerge even stronger this time than before. Usually after my business “breakups”. I got you there didn’t I? LOL. I usually leave everything and I find it hard to carry on but this time around, I have motivation and I have cause.
I have always had passion for clothing since young. I have always felt the sense of satisfaction putting on something I designed or something I sewed. When I did Dear, December the biggest gratification I get is from seeing people wearing clothes that I have designed. How it looked on them and I have always love making people look good!
Sales might not always be good, but there is always something to learn and something to improve on from every project. I have always been a big dreamer, chasing my dreams even though at times they may be far fetched. If I have tried and I failed, at least I know I have tried rather than not try at all. BUT THIS TIME I WILL TRY A LOT HARDER THAN BEFORE.
I have always been glad that I have always had the courage to do things and take risks some people wouldn’t . My late bestie , once told me that I was always a source of motivation for her to work hard in school. Honestly, that touched my heart and I have always wondered if I could look at myself from a third person’s perspective, would I have been inspired?
Anyways, I guess that’s all for now girls! A little peep into what goes on in Dear,December’s mind. Oh before I forget, do remember for our Tea Party blouses the early bird catches the worm!!!! Till this weekend girls 🙂
Releasing tonight! Stay with us 🙂
Hi everyone,
So it’s been awhile since I have been working alone on Dear December. The challenges of working alone is huge as you need to do a lot of things on your own. Dear December is still very, very small and my wish is to make it grow but it has been quite a ride, I would say especially emotional wise. However don’t all successful businesses start slow and difficult?
The biggest challenge for me is to take photographs as I have yet to have the luxury to pay for a professional photographer or models just yet. So you can imagine the amount of work that goes into this. That’s why I am really proud of the next clothing design because it is my first time going solo. So I hope you girls are looking forward to it as much as I do 🙂
My mind has been in drought season lately . So last night, i was able to pump out 2 new designs! So yeap, for this project we will be producing 5 to 10 pcs of dresses only. It will be for only one size and one of these 4 designs. Let’s pick the final design that will be made. That will be for the plus sized ladies. So the next and almost final stage will be choosing the size. We are offering to make for either one of these sizes : 2XL, 3XL, or 4 XL. So if you are interested, cast your votes on our instagram post or story:)
