Updated: Family Hands Portrait

With addition of the littlest to our family, the Family Hands Portrait was due for an update. While I procrastinated, everyone who saw the portrait hanging on the our bedroom wall, commented how it was missing a hand. So, I finally went to work and got the latest hand prints from the family members, last August. Since then, I have been slowly embroidering and have finally managed to finish it last month.The smaller hands have already grown a bit since then, mashaAllah.

The new version (right) with the old one.

 Now that the new one is mounted in place of the old one, I do not know what to do with the old one. I do not have the heart to throw it away. Maybe I could incorporate it into some other project, any suggestions?

Spring/Summer Sewing 2014 - Part 2

Our DSL connection has been out of order for a week now and shows no signs of getting in order despite repeated complaints. So I have had to borrow my husband's laptop and WiFi to write this post.
Today, I will show you the two dresses I made for my three year old.

 

First up is a dress with tiered skirt and fabric flowers at the waist. The bodice is lined. the fabric is cotton. Again the pattern is self-drafted. I made it a bit larger so she can grow into it over the summer.

The second one is the one which has the chicken scratch embroidery I mentioned in a previous post.

 Again, it is self-drafted with a lined bodice and a contrasting ruffle at the hem. The fabric is cotton. 

 This one is my favorite of this year's sewing.

 

Part 3 of Spring/Summer Sewing  2014 is under progress. I have just started on a couple of outfits for the baby. InshaAllah, I plan to have them done and blogged about, before the start of Ramadan. (Ramadan starts at the end of June.)

A Little Of Everything

First, an update on my neck strain: It got well in eight days with the help of medicines and rest. As promised, I ripped open the pillow and took out more that a third of its filling. I am happy to report that it is comfortable now and is in regular use without any problems.

Since the last post, I have been dabbling in a range of craft activities but have not progressed much with any. Hot weather with ten hours of loadshedding makes one so lethargic. Still a glimpse of what I have been up to... a bit of knitting, it is going to be a sweater for my son, who is now into teen sizes, mashaAllah.

Then there was a bit of spinning:

And a bit of chicken-scratch:

And some sewing. During my spring cleaning, I got hold of my husband's old shirt and had to upcyle it into a girl's top. (Tutorial here).

 

 A few new summer dresses for my daughters are also in progress. I hope to finish them soon and take some pictures. Sewingis getting so much more enjoying as I am getting better at it.

More Embroidery

We have been experiencing a heat wave and even though brief rain and thunder brought some respite, the temperatures are rising again. All this heat has slowed me down considerably, all I want to do is drink plenty of fluids and rest. This lethargy meant it took me nearly a month to complete this embroidery project. I have used buttonhole st in single color to embroider this lawn kameez (shirt) of mine.

Love the fabric and the sewing part went well too, so this kameez will get a lot of happy wear.

Embroidered Spring Dresses

My daughters' dresses, the ones I did embroidery for, are all done. Done, down to the last button. The girls love them and can't wait to wear them.

 

I am really happy with are my improving sewing skills. I feel confidant to tackle newer things in sewing. I am already working on another dress now.

 

Spring-inspired Embroidery

 Recently, I was bitten by the embroidery bug and embroidered this for my older daughter's dress.

 It was so much fun and I had a hard time putting it down. I got it done in two days, and clearly I had not had enough, because I started a similar one for my toddler. That too was done in two days. Now, all that is left is the sewing of the dress ( I finished sewing the first dress). Sadly, it has been put on hold by a respiratory tract infection that I have contracted. Can not wait to be fever free and resume the sewing.

Family Hands Portrait

I saw this on Pinterest a while back. It seemed so simple and just right for our family, as we have hands of all sizes right now, mashaAllah! So, here is ours.

 I stacked the hands in a more regular fashion. Boys of the family get to have blue hand outlines and girls get pink. It had been a long while since I last did embroidery and I enjoyed it very much. It was so very relaxing and fun way to unwind. I already have some ideas for another embroidery project in the near future.