Forgotten Jewels #5

Do not ask me why I didn’t post these pictures earlier! 

I should at least have posted them before this book was published as now it looks like I used her pattern without mentioning it.

Nevertheless we based us on a bag seen on her blog.

We made four different pieces, because for our of five are going almost everyday to gymnastics classes.

The picture look really 'vintage' to us, as meanwhile we even changed gymnastics club.

They all choose their preferred fabrics. I personally prefer the lion fabric combination and the flowery fabric.

Luckily all the kids think their own choice is the best, although.... Jade told me next time she will choose the same fabric as Louka!

Double trouble

Gymnastics competition season is on. I planned to show the gymnastics bags we made for the kids to motivate them for the competitions but I will do that later. I first want to raise a concern.

We do not tend to dress the twins identical, their hair is cut differently and we do not usually refer to them as ‘The Twins’. Nevertheless it is inevitable to compare some of their actions especially as they both participate in gymnastics competitions. They are in separate classes at school, but in gymnastics they evidently have to compete in the same level and the same age category.

At the prize-giving ceremony Omar usually ends up lower than his brother on the individual apparatus and so in the overall ranking. Most children don’t like losing but it is even harder when your brother carries the medals home and you can only look and crave to have some too.

On top of that Elias cannot enjoy his wins as he feels bad that his brother misses out on the medals and he feels bad beating his brother. So either way I end up with two sad boys. Even for us as parents and their sisters it results in ambivalent feelings as on the one hand you are happy Elias won something, and at the same time you do not want to praise him too much as that is rubbing it in for the other one.

Luckily they had their last competition today and we can go back to regular training without worrying about this double trouble.

And now ... part 2

Cousin J received a gymnastics bag. 

I can’t get enough of this pattern; it is such a pleasure to make this cute bag.

His sister, niece M, got the same thing … 

… but different, as it is made with a different fabric and off course we printed her own name and not her brother’s.

The BBF of Louka, where she spent a couple of nights during her stay in Belgium, also got a little gymnastics bag.

She is somewhat older than the two others so we choose a slightly more sophisticated fabric, but the fluorescent pink details make it girly enough.

Pattern: Stof voor Durf-het-Zelvers again!

Fabric: The lion fabric I bought at Noeks, ages ago. Some nostalgia, I think it must have been more or less my first online item I ever bought!

The red retro fabric I purchased online at Fifi Jolipois.

The grey fabric with the geometric print was bought overseas at HawthorneThreads.

Pattern reinstatement

The pattern of this ugly duckling got reinstated by the latest version that we made.

The bag is made with Chinese Blue –hand dyed fabric I bought in Shanghai- the details are in red to contrast with the blue of the main fabric.

A little treasure I made for myself and in which I proudly sew my label.

The bag got finished just in time to take to Pune, India, where I, together with the other girls of the National Rugby Team will represent the United Arab Emirates at the Asian Championships.

The luggage is ready, I need another hour to study the National anthem and then we can take off to play against Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, the Philippines, and Iran.

Wish us good luck!

Un ugly duckling

We introduce you our ugly duckling. We used the same pattern to make a gymnastics bag a couple of times before, but this is the first one I really don’t like! Surely if you compare it with my favorite one, the current one is not pleasing to the eye. We still can’t blame the pattern but all the more the choice of fabric. But as the saying goes ‘des goûts et des couleurs ne disputent pas’, and our -meanwhile– five year old daughter was delirious with joy when she finally got her personal gymnastics bag! 

The bag is entirely made of fabric and colors of her own choice. Her name on the top is flocked in her handwriting and my sole input is the stars on either side of her name.

During the photo shoot she is showing off her new bag by putting it on her head, around her neck and in many more funny positions. 

When I ask her to hold it in a ‘normal’ way for a couple of pictures she immediately turns into a ‘not happy’ mood.

I honestly doubted strongly if I wanted to sew my label in, but I ended up adding it; nice or not nice it at the end it is a Curl Up creation!

Pink flower fabric: Bought at NaNaKid Boutique in Abu Dhabi.

Hello Kitty fabric: Bought at our dear friend Tahir in Satwa.

Pattern: ‘Stof voor Durf-het-Zelvers’

Gymnastics outfit: part I

Our four eldest children do gymnastics. So they have to wear a gymnastics leotard; an item that is not easily purchased around here.

As Tahir imported perfect leotard fabric I decided to make their gymnastics outfit myself.

I will not disclose the results just yet, the leotard pictures are for later this week...

First I present you the gymnastics bag that goes with it.

A cute little bag for our ‘star’ gymnasts. Just the right size to store two small bottles of water and a snack for during the break.

I prefer a round gymnastics bag instead of a flat one; besides following the guidelines of THE book it was very easy to make. We chose to make the version with the pocket on the inside, to tuck money aside.

This macho bronze fellow (A Askalany) could wrap it around its neck before the kids got hold of it.

The beautiful blue fabric (Melody Sketch – Nani Iro) was bought at Mondaysmilk, an online fabric shop with a superefficient and friendly service.

The website noted that the fabric is DOUBLE GAUZED, I did not notice this mention when I ordered the fabric and anyway I would not have known what it meant. I do now!

Double gauzed means that the fabric consists of two different layers attached to each other by means of small invisible stitches. It might seem difficult to stitch with, the way I describe the fabric. Nothing is further from the truth, I did not hamper me in any way, long life Japanese perfection.

I bought the cotton yellow biais binding at Vermiljoenshop.

The pictures are made in ArtSawa Gallery in Al Quoz.

Do not forget to join this blog if you want to give it a try to win this fabric.