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Oh, Sew Simple! Casual Kaftan Top

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.

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Collaboration Story: Awlya

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 πŸ™‚ 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.

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#Dear12creates project: Pleated Dress

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 πŸ™‚

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Basic Carly Lite Wide Legged Pants

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.

Carly pants in black, looks good when paired with a simple tunic~
Carly Pants in Grey paired with a long knitted top
Carly pants in a more formal look, together with a baby it can never go wrong!
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Ms. Teacup’s Top 5 Recommended Places to Visit in Seoul!

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!

With all the x’mas lighting it looks oh-so-pretty

1. EVERLAND (In Yongin)

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!

Look carefully and you’ll be able to spot my friend & I. LOL. We conquered this.

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 πŸ™‚

2. GYEONGBOKGUNG PALACE

With ladies from Denmark who became my friends πŸ™‚

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!

Pretty in Pink but i was busy doing boxing moves for boomerang. LOL

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

With my sister from another mother *hugs*

3. NAMSAN TOWER

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.

From the observatory deck
Looking for home

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.

Lock your love

4. MYEONGDONG

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.

Myeong Dong Street

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.

Seolbing! My favourite flavour of seolbing and i had this one in Myeongdong

5. HONGDAE

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.

Thanks Nature Cafe
Upclose and personal time with sheep baa da beep
Ice cold Milk Tea in the middle of summer
So pinky pinky
Our happy place
Smile, cat.
Sphynx cat is particularly very affectionate

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.

Sing your hearts out
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#thebbproject design process

Hi everyone!
Hope your Thursday has been great. Mine wasn’t fantastic but I shall not harp on it. I am more excited to share with you the design process.
I have been scrolling through pinterest and google search for ideas especially for plus size ladies. Mind you, designing plus size clothes is quite the challenge as you don’t only want to design for her something beautiful but the most important thing here is that, it has got to be flattering!
So after collating your responses on instagram and with much research so here is what it boils down to.

The basic structure of the dress:
1)Maxi dress
2) Empire waistline
3) Wrap dress (THIS! Is probably one of the most popular pattern for plus size dresses) I have seen this a lot apart from an empire waistline. Just look at the screenshot below

So I have sketched the first design to be as such… However I am yet to be satisfied because I want to design something that is not only flattering! Something that is different and unique for semi-formal dress.So yeap! Here’s the first sketch

So yeah do drop me your inputs if you wish, I am all ears πŸ™‚

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How I met my photographer

Beginning of cherry blossoms

The story of how I met my photographer is one of the strangest thing ever. We actually met on a language exchange application. Actually I have many Korean friends, however they are so busy that it is really hard to talk to them or to practise the language with them. So at that moment in time, I just thought of finding a new friend to talk to, to practise the Korean language.

To be honest, I have been studying Korean language for about 10 years now. However, I am too busy to focus on studying of the language so my progress has been pretty stagnant or growth is a little slow. In 2017, when I quit my full-time job I flew off to Korea and stayed there for 3 months (the reason was I wanted to experience living on my own and also a chance for me to improve my Korean). Then, my Korean language did develop or grew in a way because I was thrown into a situation that forced me to speak the language, do or die. Mind you, this point of time I have yet to meet this person.

So when I came back, I did not practise the language and my skills were slipping away. So I decided to download a language exchange application and he was actually the one who messaged me first. To be honest, it is not easy to find a proper friendship online. Usually when you chat with a person online, it only lasts for a few days the longest weeks. I have quite a few Korean friends who are more than friends to me now. More like family. These kinds of friendship are hard to come by.

*Busy as always*

For this man here, even though I have known him for less than 2 years. We are very close. He has helped me a lot and I’d like to think that I have helped him a lot too. He is truly a talented person, even though he can be quite quick tempered LOL. Here’s to more photography sessions with him ^^ 헀이~ μ§€κΈˆκΉŒμ§€ 정말 κ³ λ§ˆμ›Œμš©. 많이 λ„μ™€μ€˜μ„œλ„ κ³ λ§ˆμ›Œμš©. 사싀 λ‚œ λ‹ˆμ‹€λ ₯ ν•„μš”ν•΄…ㅋㅋㅋ빨리 여기와~ 그리ꡬ…λ‚˜ 사싀 μ—΄μ‹¬νžˆν•˜κ³  μžˆμ–΄μ„œ λ‚  ν¬κΈ°ν•˜μ§€λ§ˆ . κ·Έλƒ₯ μ‹œκ°„ μ’€ ν•„μš”ν•΄ to improve my skill. λ―Έμ•ˆν•΄λ‚΄ μ‹€λ ₯ 아직 많이 λΆ€μ‘±ν•΄μ„œ λ„ˆ ν•„μš”ν•΄. μ•”νŠΌ 우리 ν™”μ΄νŒ…!!!

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#thebbproject


Work with us,
Participate in #thebbproject
Be involved in the making of the dress.

Calling all our #plussized ladies! We are inviting you for a discussion on our next project. We are focusing on making a dream dress for all plus sized ladies. Based on the poll that was done on our instagram @dear.december_ dress won! So let’s create a dream dress together. We will produce very limited pieces for this design πŸ™‚ So throw us your ideas! Comment away^^