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The Making of "Pao" the Mascot

13/3/2016

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Pao Mascot at Liang Court.
Pao Mascot pointing the way at Liang Court for HYPERDIMENSION exhibit.
Hand stitching mascot face
Hand stitching the face.
Clothing a Mascot
Carefully wrapping the body up with orange fleece and making sure there are no folds and wrinkles.
mascot inner body
Pao's angular body section prior to making it round.
Mascot cocoon
A coocoon. Pao's body after making it round with layers of batting.
Mascot hand skeleton
Close up of the hand skeleton, to be filled in and fleshed out.
Mascot Sekelton Cardboard
Pao's bare skeleton made of double layer cardboard hand cut by Linford Choo of @reality_crafts (InstaGram).
Nylon Fleece at Brighton Chinatown
Nylon Fleece at Brighton, People's Park Centre, Chinatown. About $15/yard.
Hello there!

Here's a sewing project of a different kind I did which is to create a mascot! It's a refreshing change to clothe "Pao", instead of people, and obviously he doesn't have much of a say and turned out pretty cute!

​It took me about 3 or 4 days to complete Pao from fabric hunting to hand stitching. I guess the photos above are self-explanatory as to how I went about softening the angular body edges of the mascot by using layers of batting. Nylon fleece is the perfect material for soft-toys and mascots as it is a bit furry and stretchy. The fabrics were from Brighton at People's Park Centre and we were in luck as they were having a good 40% off sale. All the parts were covered in a thick layer of batting and hot-glued to the cardboard skeleton. After a couple of burnt fingers and pinkies later, this provided a good strong base for me to pin on the nylon fleece onto, smoothening out any wrinkles, and hand stitched the nylon fleece onto the batting. After all the parts were covered in fabulous furry fleece, they were inserted into the body, and hand-stitched together around the joints to secure it.

Pao's inner skeleton is made up of different separated body parts of double layered cardboard mapped out in 3D software and then hand cut by @reality_crafts. Hence that's how you get a real, life-sized, 1.4metre tall proportionate Pao.

It was such a privilege to finally be at XPC.sg in person as I was recommended it before while researching for craftsmen workspaces in Singapore. They provide all kinds of DIY heavy duty woodworking tools and the people there are working on really interesting crafts ranging from carpentry and metalworks to the finer jewellery making art. It's an interesting shared space community comprising of craftsmen with amazing skills.

Pao is @aheeoee's mascot for an exhibition, HYPERDIMENSION, organised by @assemblysite team for Liang Court shopping mall in conjunction with Singapore Design Week 2016. The exhibit will be on til 20 March 2016 with contests running so go participate if you are in the area!

Pao would love for you to visit him.

Love,
Sarah Zainal
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The Making of My Own Engagement Outfit

11/2/2016

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Turquoise White Lace Peplum Top
This is the turquoise Outfit I made for my engagement last December 2015.
Turquoise White Lace Peplum Top
Back details: Authentic Swarovski crystals, pearl buttons and fine off-white ribbon along the waistline.
Turquoise White Lace Peplum TopPicture
Side view: Some hand sewn pearl beading along the wrists.
Turquoise White Lace Peplum Top Swarovski
Close up details.
Hi and Happy 2016!

​I's been ages since I've blogged and I missed doing updating this space so much pretty much because I was occupied with work and, well, any spare time left was spent with loved ones. Things have progressed so much since my last post- from getting a new job at a bridal boutique to finally meeting that special person who means so much to me now and is now my fiance.

So I'll start off with sharing one major life event recently, well not really about the event, but about the outfit I made for my engagement recently in December 2015.
​
I used a light turquoise Duchess/Bridal Satin to make a multi-layered peplum top and I wore it with a turquoise skirt which I already have. It was a good coincidence because I was working and probably could only spare one day per week to work on this piece.

This piece probably took me less than 2-3 whole days from scratch including pattern drafting, and hand sewing of the embellishments such as the lace along the boatneck neckline, wrist beadings, pearl buttons and attaching the Swarovski crystals.

The multi-layered peplum bottom came about because I wanted to fully utilise the remaining fabrics and give it fullness and structure at the bottom.

Picture
Wore the outfit on that special day. Got my friend @vainbrained to do my makeup and loved it.
It was a small and intimate event between our families and so thankful it went well. Alhamdullilah.

My makeup was done by my quirky and talented MUA friend, @vainbrained, and I'm so glad I engaged her to doll me up that day.

​Makes the day feel even more special to have someone around you can entrust to make you look good.

More updates on upcoming works to come, In Syaa Allah.

Love,
Sarah Zainal
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Bandage Marsala Gown with Swarovski

14/2/2015

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Bandage Marsala Gown with Swarovski
The Bandage Marsala Gown- still a work in progress but it's turning out better than I'd imagined.
Authentic Swarovski crystals packaging.
Authentic Swarovski crystals packaging with silver foil.
Swarovski crystals
1440 pieces of crystals!
Hey there :)

Working on this one was really quite a journey- initially the doubts were there but it became clearer yesterday and today on how I wanted this to be. 

This piece means so much to me in so many ways, to be in line with my goals and the values I believe in.

I wanted it to be modest, all covered up, but still look stunning for a special occasion. 

Eventually, I'll be responsible for the modesty of the wearer. It is easy to fall into creating something revealing which will turn heads and get the attention but I don't want to be held responsible for the wrong kind of gazes.

I'd just like to keep working on in this direction- to come up with creations that are sophisticated, classy, elegant, respectable- and it can easily be worn with a headscarf or hijab if the wearer wants to :)

Pretty much had put my heart and soul into this one.

And I'm still going to add more Swarovski crystals to the gown! Love how it sparkles and have a rainbow effect.

Love,
Sarah Zainal
Edit (16/2/15):

Below are the latest result with added Swarovski on the sleeves and back as well!
Swarovski Gown
Tip-Toe-ing! The Gown is meant to be worn with heels! This is how it looks like hanging.
Swarovski Gown
A little long so the bottom of the gown is standing upright on its own cos of the additional support sewn inside to enable it to flare out fully.
Swarovski Gown
Side view! And lastly... below is an IG video for the back view. Didn't manage to get a decent shot of the back because of poor lighting. Play the vid to see how it looks like :)

Still fascinated by the slow-mo video effect @ 120fps !

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Marsala Draped Gown

5/2/2015

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Hi everyone!

This is what turned out when I was experimenting with draping the chiffon. A little bit of Grecian feel because of the draping and played around with the translucence of the sleeves.

Technique wise, it's very different from how I worked on other dresses. Just tried to drape a flow around the mannequin itself rather than drafting a paper pattern first because it just turns out so differently in this case.

I love how the satin fabric falls nicely so I kept the skirt simple and flared and it just cascades naturally.

To be honest, it was really hard to work on something which I don't know how it will turn out in the end because it's unlike anything out there and in the process there were lots of times I doubted myself and considered starting over with a safer design because I have no idea if it was going to work out or not. But thankfully, I just told myself to at least finish it so to the point where it can be worn for a formal event. It took longer than expected but I think it does work in the end! So persevering through the challenges paid off eventually.

Below are some of the shots.
Marsala draped gown selfie
Preview of how it looks like when worn.
Marsala draped gown
Full front view.
Marsala Draped gown back view
Full back view.
Marsala Gown Blake Lively
Inspiration colours. The colour of the chiffon is quite close to this gorgeous gown worn by Blake Lively.
Satin and chiffon beaded flowers
Made these Habotae and Chiffon beaded flowers.
Satin and chiffon beaded flowers cuffs
The flowers are for the cuffs! They fit nicely in between the Chinese ball buttons.
Marsala Fashion Illustration
An illustration of how I could use the fabrics to play around with the flow and translucence. It deviated quite a bit from this but the main idea is to experiment with draping :)
That's all for now! Thanks for dropping by! :)

Love,
Sarah Zainal
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Contemplation: Fabric Choices!

26/1/2015

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Good day everyone!

Wanted to plan all my designs first before actually making them in real life, but there is this floral fabric stashed in my closet for a really long time that I should make use of, so I got distracted by it. I remembered it because of the red rose prints that will match my plan red fabrics I've been working on.

I did a watercolour sketch of the intended design to incorporate both fabrics. The front bow section is inspired by one of Zuhair Murad designs which I love.

I'm still contemplating whether to use the floral fabric or just make the entire dress in plain red? What do you think?
Watercolour floral fashion fashion illustration
Illustration of the planned design. (Haven't done a watercolour work in ages!)
Floral red rose fabric print
The rose and red fabrics. Should I use the rose one too? Or just the red?
I should just go for it, shouldn't I?

Just to get it over and done with quick!

Love,
Sarah Zainal
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Secrets of Sewing a Twisted-Front Dress

25/1/2015

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Twisted Draped Neckline Dress
Front details of my completed draped dress.
Hi Lovelies!

This is a full-length dress with a twisted neckline, a commissioned piece, made to measure for the client. When she first showed me the reference photo I just loved the design of the front. It uses a draping method to create the folds and I wanted to try and achieve the same effect. It's something I've never attempted before.
Dior Twist Dress
The reference image given to me seen in an Estee Lauder advert.
I figured there are two ways to achieve the same effect- either by using a real twist connection in the front or a "faux" twist i.e. by creating separate pieces gathered at the edges to get the same effect. I used the real twist method instead. It does need drafting of pattern pieces even though it looks as though you could just take two pieces of cloth and just wind it about at the front. But as you can see the waist line is smooth without any darts, so that's where the exact measurements will be needed so that it merges smoothly with the skirt.
Draping pattern pieces
Drafting the estimated shape of the front on paper first.
Patternmaking
Pattern-making: A rough estimate of the size and length of the pieces I'll need.
Basically the front bodice is broken to 3 main sections- the neck attachment, left bodice and right bodice. So these 3 will make up the front.
Picture
How the pattern pieces are laid out before cutting them out. 3" allowance was given for the 'twist'.
Just my luck that the amount of allowance I estimated for the 'twist' was just about right and it falls nicely on the mannequin.
draping dress
An estimate of how the front will fall on the body.
What I found tricky was figuring out the length, width and shape of the 'neck ribbon'. That was done last after all the other pieces were attached together and I used a long piece of fabric to just drape it and pin it on the mannequin before sewing it onto the garment.
draping preview
Previewing the entire garment.
Picture
Front & Back views.
Full length draped dress
Full Length view of the completed dress. A little tight on the mannequin because the client is slimmer than this!
I'm pretty much inspired by this draping technique and thankful that someone requested for it so that I could take up the challenge to try creating it.

If you have any draped dress designs that you think might inspire me, do let me know :)

Love,
Sarah Zainal
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The Making of Grey Off-Shoulder Skater Dress

23/1/2015

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Skater dress off shoulder with lining and boning
Completed Grey Off-Shoulder Skater Dress, with lining and boning.
Hello there!

This is another commissioned dress I just did.

But first... I think I'll need to cut down on the number of trips I take to get my supplies such as zippers and threads that match the fabrics commissioned to me. It takes up a lot of time and energy so I'll limit it to one trip per week which means I'll have to plan my shopping list more effectively and I sometimes over-used things which was reserved for other projects and I'll have to go down to replenish them again. I'll usually need to go to at least 2 separate locations per trip to get everything needed for a project.
fabric swatches
A notebook of my fabric swatches. Usually to get matching zippers and threads and lining fabric. You can see lots of red from my personal projects and commissioned ones. In close up they are in different shades and textures. Some are abit on the orange-ish shade and some are deeper red. So I'll get zippers as close to their shades as possible.
I was commissioned to make an off-shoulder dress from a grey tweed fabric 2 metres in length and probably 60 inches width. She requested for a flared skirt knowing that there is not much fabric to create a full circle skirt. It was a bit risky but I decided to create a full circle skirt by carefully laying out ALL of the paper patterns on the fabric before cutting them out, ensuring everything was sufficient. And it was just about enough, with only scraps of tiny pieces of leftovers you can't do much with. So basically there was no room for mistakes thereafter since there are no more extra fabric to redo any sections.
paper pattern cutouts
Cut outs of the upper bodice section of the back.
Making a Circle Skirt
Letting the circle skirt hang and set before working on them. They'll stretch a little and lengthen along the bias so thats where the hemlines will be longer and stretched.
Sometimes people will leave their circle skirts to hang and set overnight but I've read somewhere that 2.5hrs is probably enough. 

With regards to the measurements for the circle skirt and to calculate the amount of fabric needed, if you're making a maxi, midi or mini length skirt for varying fullness, this CIRCLE SKIRT APP is extremely useful as it calculates the radius for the pattern, leaving out the need for doing some math calculations. It's such a useful resource I use frequently. 
Circle Skirt App
Circle Skirt App
Sewing of concealed zipper
Sewing of a concealed zipper. Pin, tack and then sew!
Picture
How the concealed zipper looks like when finished. The waist seams have to be perfectly aligned together.
Picture
This is how the outer shell looks like after being put together. This is BEFORE ironing and adding the supportive inner lining.
Next I worked on cutting out and preparing the lining. Used a lightweight black fabric since the tweed is quite heavy and moderately thick.
Picture
Corselet Boning and horsehair
Did the similar inner support systems I usually do for the lining to keep the dress looking smooth and well-structured.
Dress underlining
A view of the inside after the lining is attached. I like the inside to be looking neat and clean as well, hence, I prefer that lining is used despite the double work needed. But the finishing will be much more professional looking and it'll make the dress more durable and last longer too.
Hemming a circle skirt
Hemming the skirt.
The reason of letting the circle skirt hang and set is because some parts will definitely stretch and become longer. So I use a height marking, in this case a thread and tape on a chair to mark the height of the hemline I want. Then I proceeded to trim away any excess so that the bottom are all nicely even.
Picture
Sewing a narrow hem for the skirt's edge.
Picture
The finished hem stitching is hardly visible.
Off Shoulder Dress
I guess this dress took a lot of effort to incorporate everything to make it an exceptionally good quality piece of garment that can be worn comfortably and will last a long time. It's one of those dresses you'll feel and look great in.

Hope you enjoyed this post!

Love,
Sarah Zainal
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The Making of Red Mermaid Dress

20/1/2015

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This was inspired by the mermaid shape bridal silhouette. I wanted something elegant, timeless and suitable for evening wear. Something well-fitted and with clean lines. Perhaps my entire collection will be based on this as a guideline. I love the off-shoulder look. And to play around with circular elements such as ruffles as well.

But first... can you believe this scissors costs $25.90? Bought it anyway cos mine broke at the handle and the other one was losing its sharpness. They didn't even cost beyond $5 I suppose.
Tailoring Scissors
But... It really does make cutting a breeze! Razor sharp and cuts fabric like knife through butter! The long length also helped a lot to cut down on the number of snips needed, saving time.
Corselet
Sneak peak of the inside construction. Some support systems going on to keep the shape structured. This will be hidden and unseen in the underlining. Italian satin lining was used which feels and looks really luxurious.
Sewing Mermaid Dress Preview
BEFORE ironing and attaching the structured lining. Notice how flimsier the bodice was and how the skirt does not flare out as much?
Red Mermaid Dress
The completed dress with lining and supposed attached, without embellishments, for now.
Mermaid Dress Back
The back view.
I took about a week of break before completing this dress due to my commissioned works of the wedding gown and 7 sets of costumes. Still have a few commissions in queue so I'm going to get back on completing those first before starting on my next dress!

Love,
Sarah Zainal
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Bridal Gown Makeover!

18/1/2015

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Just a day after moving in to my very own 'sewing studio', I'd received a request from a friend's friend who needed to get her wedding dress altered and her big day was just 2 weeks away! It was a pretty exciting project for me and I'm appreciative of the trust given to alter the dress as desired. It was such an honor for me!

Let's begin with the background of the wedding dress. It was purchased from an online website which appears to be more on the reputable and trustworthy side and the dress was very close to the pictures online. Quality was good in terms of the Chantilly lace they used, good chiffon, lined well, neat sewing, French seams and some nice beadwork. So I'd say it delivered what was promised.

Probably a few minor alterations needed and it'll fit much better for her. The sleeves were a little to wide and not long enough for her. And the placement of the belt looked a little off because it positioned a little too high in the front. So it was an issue with proportions and measurements. I also noticed a missing hook closure for the back and I found it odd that they have the material tag label sewn at the side where u can see it from outside since its sheer netting- the kind of label that says like 100% polyester, hand wash, etc. Also noticed that the button hoops stretches a lot revealing gaps at the back when worn.

I tackled the main issue first- the I'll fitting sleeve that is too wide and wrinkles a lot! The reason it appeared so wrinkled was because the entire sleeve was made up of two layers of netting so they did not seem to sit well together or was not flushed well to each other, hence, the wrinkly appearance. I removed one of the layers, and it look much better when the lace is placed on a single layer base so that the lace will stand out a bit more. I also shortened it to become 3/4 sleeves which is more flattering for her and finished the edges with lace borders instead of the usual straight hem.
Bridal Gown Sleeve Chantilly Lace Borders Alteration
Left: after removing an extra layer of netting and finishing off the edge with lace borders. Right: the original sleeve. Notice how much the lace stands out more after removing the extra layer of netting?
Next I proceeded to adjust the belt position. It required an intricacy of delicate handwork to carefully unpick the lace that was holding down the satin belt, being very careful not to fray or pucker anything. Spent a lot of time just to unpick the lace pieces. Moved the belt an inch lower at the sides and front to flatter her narrow waistline better. Previously it sat above the waist level and the proportion looked off.
Bridal gown satin belt
Repositioned the belt lower and secured it down so that it will not get misshapen or droop down like how it did.
The next issue was the back. It looked a little unpolished originally with some straggly extended lace beyond the netting. I agreed with the bride that a V-back design will be nicer so that's what I did. Added on additional lace, made of the same material to extend the width of the back panels. This made a major improvement to how it looked from the back. It has a more professional looking finish with this scalloped shaped lace bordering.
Bridal gown alteration
Before/After of adding additional lace. Transformed into a scalloped lace edge V-back design.
hook and hoop closure of bridal gown
The missing hook partner. Had to fix this and also added on a white piece of fabric for the backing of the buttons so that it does not look like it's gaping and stretching the button loops too much.
back of bridal gown design details
Close up of how it looks like BEFORE alteration.
V back bridal gown alteration design
AFTER: Close up of the final finishing. Added the hook closure and a piece of white fabric as backing for the buttons.
I'm sure the bride will look ethereally beautiful on her big day. My buddy Dan Yao (http://www.daniellezhao.com) will be her makeup artist! Thanks to her for getting me connected with the bride-to-be as well. Can't wait to see the photos of the actual wedding! 

Love,

Sarah Zainal
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Red Dress With Full Skirt

3/1/2015

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Red Tulle Dress with Flared Skirt
Can't help but twirl! The bottom will flare out because it's a full circle skirt.
Red Tulle Dress With Full Skirt
Latest sewn project : Red dress with full circle skirt overlayed with layers and tiers of tulle. The lower tulle and shoulder area has polka-dot details.
Red tulle dress close-up detail.
Close-up details of the lace trimmings along the neckline.
This is a really fun piece to wear! The skirt is really fluffy and big and moves about with each step in a dreamy way.

It's a pretty striking dress, best worn for special occasions, photoshoots and could fit a day and night event.

Once I bedazzle it with some Swarovski crystals, it'll be fit for an unconventional bride. But I'll probably reserve those for now since they are real Swarovski (read: very expensive) I'll reserve them until the need to use them arises.

I used a lot of 'hidden' structures that I know of such as boning along the seams of the upper bodice, horsehair braid (really makes a lot of difference!) and paddings so there is no need to wear a bra underneath, which gives it so much more freedom for movements. It's also fully lined with satin so it's pretty much tidy-looking on the underside too.

Tulle seems to be the 'in' fabric this season as opposed to lace especially seen in the prevalence of ballerina-inspired skirts recently. I'm imagining a mix of both lace and tulle could have a lovely effect too.

I had a look around at Arab Street for fabrics for my next project and the choices were overwhelming! I already had a design in mind prior to going there but there were so many lovely fabrics that could easily sway me to changing my ideas. 

I'd rather follow through with my vision though.

It's passed by 3 days, but, have a happy new year everyone! 


Love,
Sarah Zainal
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