F for Fashion reconstruction #16

In my Fashion reconstruction #7 post, I mentioned about linings for clothing and why I thought it was unnecessary for me, since I am living in a tropical climate.

Following up on that subject, for this Fashion reconstruction project, I am going to showcase a long dress I made by pairing a lining of an old winter coat which I no longer wear, with one of my favourite blouses.

Initially, I was just going to discard the winter coat because of a stubborn-stain-that-never-goes-away on its right hand shoulder.

But ever since I started on my fashion reconstruction projects, every single clothing material has become an invaluable asset to me and I held back on the thought of discarding the winter coat because it would have been a waste for me if I had not salvaged the winter coat and the lining that came with it.

So, after I had carefully removed the chequered polyester lining (because the ends were not serged and frayed like crazy), I realised that the whole lining material was enough to make a skirt. But I didn't need another skirt, I needed a long dress.

After going through my closet and mix-matching of garments, I found the perfect top - a red long-sleeved cotton blouse (which I bought in Hong Kong sometime in 2011, in 3 different colours altogether), to complete the look I was after.

And the saga continued with another seams-and-hems ripping session for this blouse but unfortunately, even with all the material I had in hand, it was still not enough for me to achieve a comfy fit for my intended dress.


The existing sleeves were a little too snug for comfort and the skirt was not flare enough. Fortunately for me, I recalled keeping a black polyester lining of a maxi skirt and these problems were solved, rather easily!

I must say, this one was really a tricky cut-and-paste project because I had to make sure that the patterns aligned properly.


But even so, upon completion of the dress, I noticed that some parts were misaligned by a tiny bit. Argh well, nothing is perfect, no? It's not as if this one was a runway project?

All that mattered to me was that I managed to complete this project to my satisfaction, in less than a week. Also, I have already worn this dress a couple of times because I liked it so much!

Who could tell that this was a cut-and-paste project, if I had not disclosed the facts?


I can proudly say that you cannot find this item anywhere. 💃🐒👌🙋

B for Baking #8

Wonder what you could do with all those cookies that were once crunchy and crispy but have now turned soft?


Well, we could always store them in the fridge or rebake them (like my mom would suggest), to regain their crunchiness and crispiness. Or, like I did the other day, we could turn them into something else - crepes!


Crepe is basically a type of very thin pastry, usually made from wheat flour or buckwheat flour. The ancient Greeks derived it from "tiganos", which is, frying pan, which is, pancakes in English and the French derived it from the Latin "crispa", which is, pancakes with creases.

The idea of crepes came about when my sister and I were talking about making durian crepes but since durians are still not in season, I decided to make crepes anyway.


Instead of making crepes from scratch, I thought to myself, since the basic ingredients are flour, eggs, milk, a little bit of salt and a little bit of sugar (for dessert crepes), why couldn't I do it differently, but still achieved the same results?


Anyway, I am not French, and I am not going to call it French crepes, so I could always do it my way...

Because I still had some homemade non-wheat cookies leftover from Eid that had turned soft, instead of keeping them in the fridge or rebake them, I challenged myself to make crepes out of them.

clockwise from top: chocolate sesame cookies,
almond cookies,  coconut cookies,
dark chocolate meringue cookies

These cookies had all the basic ingredients in them already and all I had to do was to thin them down with some liquid and fry them in a pan instead of turning on the oven, being the lazy baker that I am (because, unlike your usual kitchen, my oven-on-wheels is stored in our store room!).


Enough talk already... Let's move on...


Crepes (makes 12)


What you need to have:

Ingredients

175g cookies
1 cup soya milk
1 cup water
2 medium-sized eggs
1 Tbsp oil
1/2 tsp salt
butter for frying (optional)

Apparatus
a large bowl
measuring cups and spoons
a kitchen scale
a fork
a griddle or non-stick pan
stove
a spatula
a medium-sized plate
a zipper bag


What you need to do:

1. Place cookies in a large bowl.

2. Pour soya milk and let soak for 5 minutes. Mash the soaked cookies with a fork. (For a smooth batter, pulse the cookies in a blender or food processor before soaking them in milk. I liked mine with a little bit of character.)

3. Add water, eggs, oil and salt. Beat gently and mix well until it forms a thin batter. (For thinner batter, add more milk or water.)

4. Place a griddle or non-stick pan with a thin layer of butter over medium-high heat. (I only needed to butter my non-stick pan once.)

5. Scoop or pour, approximately 1/4 cup of batter onto the griddle or pan and QUICKLY tilt the pan in a circular motion so that the batter coats the pan evenly. (If your cup is heat-proof, without tilting the pan, coat the pan quickly and evenly using the base of the cup because the batter is so thin that it sticks very quickly to the hot pan, even before the batter coats the whole pan.)

6. Cook for 2 minutes. When the edges pull away from the sides of the pan and the bottom is light brown, loosen with a spatula and turn it over to cook the other side for another 2 minutes or so.

7. When ready, leave it as a whole, fold in half or quarters and place on a medium-sized plate.

8. Repeat until all the batter is finished.

9. Let cool completely before freezing the leftovers in a zipper bag.

Best served warm with your favourite jam or ice-cream.


Enjoy!

They may look scary to some, but judge a book not by its cover, because these crepes smelled really nice and tasted really good to me and they froze very well too. When I reheated them, they still maintained their softness.


Because mine is soft and pliable, I could easily unfold them, fill them up and fold them back and top them with my favourite jam. They're also good to eat on their own.

my crepe-ed homemade cookies
filled with my homemade plum sauce and
topped with more sauce and
frozen raspberry

E for Embellishment #7

When it comes to embellishing clothes, I prefer to work on garments that are plain like a blank canvas because I can let my imagination run free.

Usually, I would refer to the clothes I already owned and draw my inspiration from there.

For this embellishment project, I have chosen a plain turquoise long dress I recently bought from our usual flea market stall. Because it was stock clearance day, the lady offered us pre-loved clothes at 1 for 1 i.e. buy 1 get 1 free. Who could resist such an offer? In the end, I bought 3 pieces of clothes and got not 3 but 5 pieces free.

Inspired by the embroidery on one of my long dresses, I decided to follow the same patterns but used sequins and beads for this dress instead.

The overall design is simple yet elegant and resembles that of songket, a traditional Malay fabric of the brocade family.

It took me a couple of days to finish this project and I could not be happier with the outcome.

Although this dress was a pre-loved item, given the proper care and attention, it turned out looking as good as new.

bodice

bottom of dress

end of sleeve (left, right and back)

F for Fashion reconstruction #15

The bright, the bold and the beautiful.


That's the theme for this fashion reconstruction project.


I was not sure if the whole concept would work out but I just went ahead with my instincts anyway.

This blouse was actually my mom's but ever since she started wearing the hijab, she thought I could wear it instead. (hmmm that was some time in the early 90s)


I really liked the bright and vibrant colours and the abstract design. However, I didn't really wear it much because of its oversized neckline that made it rather uncomfortable unless I wore something underneath. Also, it's a little bit big for my frame.


Because it has been idle for a long time, I thought I should give it a new look.


To complement the colour scheme, I decided to sacrifice one of my favourite blouses. Even though it has gone through many washes in the washing machine, it still maintained its colour and shape.

This blouse was also bought at about the same time and together, they should be able to last at least another decade or two.


To complete the ensemble, I had to return to my sister's stock once again and sure enough, I found the perfect match - a plain but bold, yellow fabric.


Once I finished conceptualising the design in my head, I went on with my work.


Even though the sewing machine was acting up, it took me just a week to complete the project and I am lost for words because the dress is really beautiful.


When it was time for a fitting, I could not stop dancing in it. It fits me really well and I could easily slip in and out of it even without any zipper or fastener.


And as usual, the dress is never complete without embellishment. So I headed down to my favourite shop at the textile centre to look for a suitable button and found one I really liked.

This could be another one of my favourite new dresses yet.


Who could tell that this was a cut-and-paste project, if I had not disclosed the facts?


I can proudly say that you cannot find this item anywhere. 💃🐒👌🙋

B for Baking #7

Still in the mood for microwave oven baking, I decided this morning to bake banana cupcakes instead.


Also since the only nut available in the pantry was chestnuts, I thought it would make a pleasant surprise when I bite into one of the cupcakes.


The ingredients are fairly the same as the other day's so it makes this just another of my whip-ups, off the top of my head.


And in just half an hour, I was already devouring it. The cupcake just melted in my mouth. If heaven could be this good.


Banana Chestnut Cupcakes (makes 6)


What you need to have:

Ingredients
2 Tsp unsalted butter
1 Tsp semi-sweet chocolate
1 Tsp raw sugar
1 medium-sized egg
1 medium-sized ripe banana
1 Tsp soya milk
4 Tsp all purpose non-wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking powder

Apparatus
microwave oven safe bowl
measuring spoons
sieve
hand whisk
spatula
silicone moulds
microwave oven
wire rack


What you need to do:

1. Melt butter and chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Let the mixture cool slightly.

2. Add sugar and egg to the mixture. Whisk until sugar is dissolved.

3. Add soya milk and banana. Mix well.

4. Sift flour and baking powder. Fold into the mixture.

5. Fill silicone moulds with the batter, 3/4 full.

6. Place in the middle of microwave oven, one at a time, and bake for 20 secs, at 10 secs intervals.

7. Let cool completely on wire rack.

8. Decorate with your favourite toppings.


Enjoy!

My banana chestnut cupcakes topped with
homemade creme fraiche,
homemade plum sauce and
frozen raspberries

F for Fashion reconstruction #14

Do what's simple first, followed by the difficult ones.


That's what I've been told and I still keep to that principle even today.


And the same goes for all my fashion reconstruction projects.


I could have started on this project much earlier but since this fashion reconstruction project is not a simple project to handle I decided to put it on hold so that I could finish the easier projects first.


This cocktail dress caught my eyes when I was on my way home after a visit to the doctor's, back in Hong Kong in 2011. I'm an impulsive shopper whenever I'm feeling under the weather.

Thankfully, this is the only dress in my possession that is made of Thai silk. The reason it is not a simple project to handle is because its edges fray easily. I would not repeat the same thing unless someone were to pay me a handsome price.


To complete the ensemble, I paired the dress with a pleated hockey skirt and sleeves taken from a kimono cardigan which I no longer wear (both were bought in the early 90s).

Regardless of the difficulty, I managed to finish the project within 2 weeks.


The finished dress is simple yet elegant and I like it because it fits comfortably, has no zipper or fastener which made it easy for me to slip in and out of it.

Who could tell that this was a cut-and-paste project, if I had not disclosed the facts?


I can proudly say that you cannot find this item anywhere. 💃🐒👌🙋

E for Embellishment #6

The item chosen for this embellishment project is one of the items I bought from my sister's leftover stock.


It was a long black dress with embroidered flowers below the knee and end of sleeves. The dress came with an inner pants. At a glance, it looked like a dress suitable for funerals.


Since the outfit looked a little bit dull, I decided to add some colours to the embroidered flowers so that I could also wear it on festive seasons.


After making some adjustments to the shoulders and body, I looked through my treasure box and found the perfect embellishments. I chose white diamantes and iron-on coloured rhinestones for this project.


This would be my first project using iron-ons on garments and it was not an easy task because the rhinestones refused to stick. I thought of using hot glue but because I did not want to damage the embroidered flowers just in case all the rhinestones wear off, I decided to use gem glue instead.


Unfortunately, I didn't have any. So, off to Spotlight I went.


After getting the hang of it, I managed to complete the embellishments in a couple of days.


As usual, after each project is finished, I just had to try on the outfit and it was pretty. My mom was passing by as I was posing in front of the mirror and she too liked it. I just asked her casually if she wanted to try it on and so she did. I thought it fit better on her and offered her the dress instead of keeping it for myself.

end of sleeve (left and right)

bottom of dress

This would also be the first embellishment project that was not meant to be mine. Arh well. There's always a first to anything, right?


Even if I don't get to wear it, at least I am happy because someone else likes it. Mom wears it often to her religious classes.

B for Baking #6

You can bake cakes not only in the oven, but also in the microwave oven.


I know so because I have baked some cakes and cupcakes with much success.


My latest baking adventure is something which I just whipped up, off the top of my head, without any recipe whatsoever.


Last night, I had a craving for something chocolatey but it was too late for me to do anything. So, when morning came, I decided I should whip up something right away before the craving wears off.


It didn't take long before I settled down and savoured the fruits of my labour (no sweat at all) with my usual cup of black coffee. And it turned out just the way I imagined. Even my mom liked it. The taste and texture reminded her of rum balls.


Chocolate Cupcakes (makes 5)

What you need to have:

Ingredients
1 Tsp unsalted butter
2 Tsp semi-sweet chocolate
1 Tsp unsweetened soya milk
1 Tsp raw sugar
1 medium-sized egg
4 Tsp all-purpose non-wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking powder

Apparatus
microwave safe bowl
measuring spoons
sieve
hand whisk
spatula
silicone moulds
microwave oven
wire rack


What you need to do:

1. Melt butter and chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Let the mixture cool slightly.

2. Add sugar and egg to the mixture. Whisk until sugar is dissolved.

3. Add soya milk and mix well.

4. Sift flour and baking powder. Fold into the chocolate mixture.

5. Fill silicone moulds with the batter, 3/4 full.

6. Place in the middle of microwave oven, one at a time, and bake for 20 secs, at 10 secs intervals.

7. Let cool completely on wire rack.

8. Decorate with your favourite toppings.


Enjoy!

My chocolate cupcakes topped with
homemade creme fraiche,
maraschino cherries and
mini chocolate chips

E for Embellishment #5

Sometime last year, my sister requested my help to do an inventory of her unused clothings, leftover from her former tailoring business.

As I was going through the stock, a few interesting pieces caught my eyes. The idea of using them for my projects came to mind instantly and I simply could not resist the temptation that I just had to have them. So, I quickly grabbed them and asked my sister to name her price.

One of the pieces was a plain peach-coloured traditional Malay outfit or baju kurung pesak (the top only), which was like a piece of blank canvas to a painter, ready for me to start on my embellishment project.

It did not take me long to decide on the concept and idea for the design. Since it was made of satin, I was not confident enough to choose an elaborate design. Therefore, I settled for a much simpler one.

For this embellishment project, I have chosen coloured beads that matched very well with the colour of the baju kurung.

Unfortunately, after completing the front of the baju kurung, I ran out of beads. Arh well! Guess I just had to contend with what I have already achieved thus far.

bodice (left and right)

end of sleeve (left and right)

bottom of baju kurung (left and right)

F for Fashion reconstruction #13

Of all the fashion reconstruction projects, I think this one deserves an award for the most detailed design, because it comprised of gathers, pleats, puffs, cuffs, trimmings and bias bindings.


All of the above details are time consuming which even my masterful sister would not have the patience to work on. But because I am one who is particular about details, this kind of project is something I enjoy doing because at the end of the day, I know that the satisfaction is always guaranteed.

My initial idea was to just make a simple dress out of a sleeveless top and long skirt linen suit to add to my casual collection.

This suit was bought in mid 1990s and was still in very good condition. Unfortunately, I no longer wear them because I have outgrown the skirt.

In order to achieve a comfy fit, I realised that the new dress would require more fabric. So, instead of rushing to the textile centre, I decided to look through my closet first. There, I found a pair of khaki pants that matched. Since I seldom wear this pants, I thought that it could not be more apt for me to sacrifice it for this project.

After setting aside the material needed for the dress, I still had excess fabric from the pants. So, I decided to challenge myself further by adding sleeves to the picture.


This crafty monkey was working hard on this project, particularly, on the minute details and finishings that she sometimes forgot to break for lunch.


Nevertheless, perseverance always pays in the end. On the second week, the dress was finally ready for unveiling.


To complete the look, I did eventually go to the textiles centre to get the buttons that I want.

Who could tell that this was a cut-and-paste project, if I had not disclosed the facts?


I can proudly say that you cannot find this item anywhere. 💃🐒👌🙋

E for Embellishment #4

Besides beads and sequins, there are other materials we can use to embellish our clothes e.g. stones, lace and embroidery.

So, for my next embellishment project, I have chosen coloured stones which my sister gave me. The stones resemble green emerald, red ruby, yellow sapphire and white diamond.

And the dress to be embellished was a floral number bought together with the previous red-fuschia dress.

Even though the concept was simple, I am pleased by the result because the stones gave more character to the floral motifs and made them look life-like.

bodice

middle of dress

bottom of skirt

F for Fashion reconstruction #12

The previous fashion reconstruction projects have been sourced either from my own pre-loved clothes or from my masterful sister's collection.


However, this fashion reconstruction project differs from the usual stuff in the sense that the item I have chosen is something which I bought recently from a flea market.

It was a pre-loved 2-piece baju kurung moden or modern Malay outfit which was still in good condition and cost me only $5.

When I first put it on, it looked rather old on me and made me look short. So I thought I should give it a fresh new look. With some adjustments, I believe I should be able to turn this dreadful thing into something cheerful for me to wear on the next festive season.

I had an idea of how the new dress would look like and made a rough sketch of it.

But after examining the pieces of material available, I realised that I could do more. So I made a slight modification to the design.

Because I was down with flu, it took me a week and half to complete this project and another couple of days to complete the embellishments. 

I am very pleased that the new dress turned out to be better than I had expected. When I put on this dress, it made me look slim and taller.


Even my mom was impressed. She even said that a dress like this would fetch at least $100 at one of our local boutiques. hmmm Coming from her, an experienced dressmaker, I took that as a compliment, because a feedback such as this, rarely comes my way.

Who could tell that this was a cut-and-paste project, if I had not disclosed the facts?


I can proudly say that you cannot find this item anywhere. 💃🐒👌🙋

E for Embellishment #3

Embellishing clothes can be a tricky process especially if the material to be embellished is not tightly woven.


This is the case for my next embellishment project.


When I bought this dress, I was only attracted by the design and motifs and did not realise that the material is loosely woven.

So when I decided to embellish this dress, it was rather difficult for me to conceal the knots of the thread. Fortunately, I found a way to solve this issue by double looping the thread instead. By doing so, I didn't need to make knots at the beginning or ending.


Also when I bought the beads, I did not realise that they were spray painted beads because after only 1 wash, the gold on some of the beads disappeared. What's left was a clear plastic bead. Boy, don't I feel cheated? I guess that was the reason they sold the beads cheap.


Ah well, I could always change the beads when all of the paint have worn out. Until then, I am happy with the outcome of my efforts.

beads around motif

end of sleeve (left and right)

bottom of skirt

bottom of skirt (back)

E for Embellishment #2

While I was embellishing my clothes, I began to wonder where I got this passion or talent from because although both my parents were dressmakers, I have never seen them work on embellishments before.


So, one day, I casually asked my mom if she knew anyone in her family who shared the same passion as I. It turned out that my grandmother, her mother, used to earn extra income by embellishing clothes and souvenirs for weddings. I also found out that my grandmother also liked making paper flowers.


So, the saying "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree" is false because when it comes to my family, it skipped one generation.


Now that the mystery is solved, I am grateful that I have been given this crafty gift of art.


For this episode, I will showcase an item I bought on the same day as my first embellished dress and the concept is the same ~ I used sequins and beads.

bodice

middle of skirt

bottom of skirt (front & back)

F for Fashion reconstruction #11

Ten fashion reconstruction projects have been completed with much success but I am sad to say that my one and only masterful sister, who has been helping me put the pieces of materials together, has decided to quit.


There is nothing I could do to change that because her decision is final but fret not because as the saying goes "the show must go on" and so will I.

So, this project makes it my first lone project, without help from anyone.


I still have countless projects in the pipeline and since "time waits for no man (or woman)", so do I.

Without further ado, I will showcase my creation which took me about 1 week to complete.

It all came about when I was rummaging through my closet and saw some short blouses which were still in very good condition but just needed an updated look because I was bored pairing them with jeans.

This idea also came at an opportuned time because I wanted more long dresses that I can wear for my casual outings.

After mixing and matching, I found the perfect items for the look that I was after. The whole process was a work-in-progress, all the way from start to finish. I even used up every piece of the material except for a few unusable remnants which I had to cut off anyway.

Mind you, these pieces are really old. The cap-sleeved cotton blouse I bought in early 2000s and the cotton jumpsuit in mid 1990s but because I take good care of my clothes, they still look as good as new.

And the outcome was simply amazing. Even my sister was impressed.

When I wore it to dinner on the eve of National Day, a lady who sat next to our table did not stop looking at my dress once but twice. She even looked me top to toe when I stood to leave my table.

Who could tell that this was a cut-and-paste project, if I had not disclosed the facts?


I can proudly say that you cannot find this item anywhere. 💃🐒👌🙋