Fujiko and tales of fancy bedlinen

I am no textbook romantic,however I do appreciate the odd romantic gesture every now and then. I enjoy being surprised by a packet of skittles, I also love fresh flowers, but it's hard for me to sit and look longingly into someone's eyes. With cats, now that's a different story. Instead I opt to commission embroidered dowry items my family all but forgot to save up for. In truth, any excuse is a valid excuse to have something made by Sarah of The Secret Rose come my way! These pillowcases were commissioned and finished a while back and my initial plan was to find some contrasting material to create a stiff backing for them. However no material I came across was particularly exciting or even up to par with the embroidered side so I opted for the same light blue linen (yes.. I crossed fingers all the way to the textile shop hoping they hadn't run out!)





I have not yet formally introduced Fujiko to my blog, have I? .. so here goes.. my new dummy Fujiko, a birthday gift from a lovely curly-haired friend in a flattering screen-printed apron by Alexandra of alexandraaquilina.com.. Fujiko is one luck girl.. first week in and she has been showered with gifts!





see what I mean.. she also got to try on this lovely silk dress before me.. Thanks Lara [Hey Birdie-pie!].. you just sorted out my summer wardrobe for good.. this is so light and airy I suspect it'll be difficult for me to go out in anything else come summer.





sun is shining and we're busier than ever!

The dress and chiming bells ...

I'm back with a beautiful thing.. the summation of a long story with the sweetest of endings. I hope you can hear wedding bells too!

Picture this: you're in line for a relatively dodgy restroom in an equally dodgy bar. Someone vaguely familiar approches you and asks you whether you'd be interested in making their wedding dress for them. You of course say 'YES..yay..' and dive into your mess of a bag for a business card worried you might end up forgetting all about this encounter because of those 5 extra gin and tonics.

For something that has started out in a restroom, this is a sweet story indeed!

This is the sketch for the dress. I sat down with the bride-to-be for what must have been a bit less than an hour (fast no?!) and we came up with this. A 1950s inspired dress with a bias cut semi transparent overskirt, a cinched waist, a double layer veil and the all important hand embroidered inserts. Hand embroidered quotes about love in Maltese, English and Latin.. isn't that the most romantic of thoughts!? I'm so happy the bride suggested this idea in time.. what a comparatively commonplace dress this would have turned out to be if we had opted for machine embroidered material. So here enters my go-to friend for everything romantic, swirly and well-executed: embroiderer extraordinaire Sarah of The Secret Rose fame! Contacting her at possibly the busiest time in her life to date (ie. mid-MA course/thesis) she performed awe-inspiring, embroidery acrobatics to finish her work in time for the wedding! I owe you a big Bravo!! and a wishful promise that next time round (hoping and secretly sure there'll be a next time round) it won't be this much hassle for you!



A number of visits to the textile shop and a batch of swatches later; on an ardent quest to find the best material to embroider on and the best backing for it, we settled for this lovely antique white, sturdy enough for our constructed shape and for the embroidery needle. Here are some teasers I simply couldn't help myself releasing mid way through the dress-making process. I had just put the embroidered pieces in and way so happy about the result!





Last Saturday afternoon we were cordially invited to the bride's home just minutes before she was to leave for the church, to take some final pictures of her in the dress. It was a lovely gesture on her and her family's part and it felt as if the whole household was in a 'happy buzz'.. following are some of the said pictures.









some nicely taken closeups by Sarah...





Just like her choice of shoes, the bride's choice of antique gold jewellery couldn't have complemented the dress more. yay!



Here's a commemorative photo of Sarah and myself with the bride-to-be (yes it was pretty chilly last Saturday! *please excuse the piling on of large scarves)



and even though I was half asked not to, I simply had to post this swiftly taken photo of the bride's mother in the lovely purple jacket and dress! I'm so happy we opted for purple in spite of all the lovely colours in the spectrum!



This is a parting gesture blogpost.. I've worked on this dress for such a long time I sometimes expect to find it hung behind me on my wardrobe. If you wish to read a slightly more chronological excerpt about this project I suggest you go to Sarah's blog! If on the other hand you're thinking about getting married and would love to do it in a special dress I suggest you get in touch.. there's little else that pleases one more than to see such a personalized project through. I intend to work with Sarah on customized embroidery pieces well into the future so from that end I can assure you quality standards and all that jazz.

Please come and find me in a restroom near you! :)or else it's babettopolis@gmail.com .. the choice is yours!

Happy Paws indeed - The SPCA*PATCHES saga begins!

I am back, with friends, on the cusp of a good thing!

We'll be applying our crafty hands to a cause close to our hearts.. stray cats and dogs and their general well-being.. but even more particularly, the cats and dogs that fall under the direct care of SPCA. Four of us, five items each.. to be exhibited and hopefully sold from a stall at the 9th edition of Patches Market (Sun, 27th Nov) minded by volunteers from the NGO.

Here's the lowdown: We rummage through the donated stuff at the Sliema outlet of the Happy Paws charity shop, choose some of the perhaps less attractive items as our raw material and transform/embellish as best we can in order to create desirable objects for the visitors at Patches.. all the profits go to the organisation and, hopefully, in the process, more people get to know about the workings of such a charitable establishment.

.. oh and all four of us will be documenting our crafty journey up till the said Sunday.. so keep tuned to our respective ports!

The Patches Market site and facebook page

My Babettopolis blog and facebook page

Sarah Micallef's Secret Rose blog and facebook page

Denise Scicluna's blog and facebook page

and Carla Said's Cholita tumblr

Here's what we selected.. and photos of the selection in process.. we did promise documentation didn't we!?

photo by Denise Scicluna

And here's me talking money and making some personal purchases. By the way.. do find some time to visit the charity shop; it houses a constant and healthy stream of good quality items!

photo by Sarah Micallef

I find hugging straw-covered bead curtains very fulfilling.

photo by Sarah Micallef

photo by Sarah Micallef


photo by Denise Scicluna

Here's my lot.. I've been justly accused of color scheming.. oh well!

I shall leave you with a picture of the 'Keeper of the Mighty Mess' .. all of the selected items I've duly washed, cleaned and disinfected.. The 'real' work will start as from tomorrow!