THE outfit

All of you already figured out that our Belgium's Got Talent outfit was homemade.

The white lycra came from -where else- Tahir, but the special stretch fabrics, namely the stretch opaque mat skin color lycra and stretch knit flower fabric was bought online.

The Belgian colors were added on the white fabric with a zigzag stitch, at the back it is finished with a blind zipper. We did not use vlieseline as the stretchversion was out of stock in the UAE and there was no time left to order online.

Last but not least thank you for all your amazing messages on several social media about our performance! We will know this weekend if we go to the liveshows. Although we got 4 'yesses' from the judges we have to wait for the final decision they will make in the call back round.

We will keep you posted...

The smallest gift

When I saw these pictures, I knew the perfect Xmas gift for our smallest cousin. It was the smallest by also by far the cutest gift we made this Xmas.

The bonnet is easy to make and as I did not know which colors I preferred, I just made a small series of them.

For cold days a thick lining: teddy fabric, nicky-velour, and toweling.

For warmer days a thinner lining: interlock fabric.

We found just enough dolls to present every bonnet. Nevertheless not every doll’s head was as suitable as the other, and not every doll was as voluntary as the other to pose. The doll’s mommy helped out by telling a story or comforting with a dummy.

Eventually we gave cousin A 3 bonnets –he got the most boyish looking ones- one for every weather condition.  

Pattern: You can download the pattern here.

Fabric: The pink and teal flower fabric was purchased at the online Petit Pan shop, the blue stars and the red retro fabric was bought overseas but I don’t exactly reminder in which shop. I received the brown fabric with the retro design from her and the lining fabrics were purchased at Tahir. The brown teddy fabric was purchased at Sammtex in Saint-Sauveur in Belgium.

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 2

Internet let us down again so it took us a while to post the gymnastics outfit, but here we go....

Louka asked for a gymnastics costume with a dragon, or … maybe she preferred stars, but then again flowers can be nice as well, …? A difficult decision; so we decided to make a series of costumes and so avoid deciding.

All three the outfits went down well with Louka en she enjoyed even more than usual while taking the shots for the blog. We both show a preference for the pictures taken at ‘aerial skills’ training.

As proud as punch and with a big smile she shows off her ‘tricks’ and off course also a little the gymnastics outfits.

The aerial skills classes take place in fantastic surroundings. The girls are performing on the satin fabric in between the paintings and sculptures in a local art gallery, ArtSawa.

This green outfit was made from swim costume fabric, we bought at Tahir. We embroidered neon pink flowers to decorate the outfit.

The outfit with the fire-breathing dragon …

And finally her absolute favorite: The stars! The color combination makes it look like we want to advertise for America en that was not the purpose, but Louka doesn’t care a toss and cheerfully swings around with it.

I designed the pattern based on the shape of her swim costume and some old gymnastics costumes. The nicky velvet fabric was less rigid than the swim costume fabric so the pattern was cut a little larger when using the swim costume fabric.

Exhausted after class. 

The outfits we made for Jade will be presented later. I do not inform you in advance when, as internet is not as reliable at the moment as I wish for.

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.