Saturday, October 23, 2010

Jilbab Workwear!

Now that I am so comfortable with abayat, I love to wear them to work:) They are so convenient and because I like to sew them usually in solid colours, all of my printed khumar go really well with them. Abayat are so simple to make and they are really very fast. On average, each abaya that I make takes from cutting the fabric to finishing the abaya itself about 2 hours. Further, sometimes I only have about 3 meters of fabric and for a small abaya, about 3.5 meters are needed at a minimum. So, if I don't have enough fabric to make the entire abaya from the fabric I have, I just do the sleeves in a different colour (or white as shown below) with the cuff matching the body of the abaya as a detail. I really like the ones I made and get a lot of comments on the style. It's great to make do with what you have, alhamdollilah!:)



Saturday, October 16, 2010

Sports Jilbabs:)

I like checking out different websites for abayat and such. The clothing from the UK is really great and I like the styles over there. The abayat are fashionable yet understated and that's why I like them so much. Plus, I was looking for some clothing that's less formal than what I wear for work and more casual to hang out with friends on the weekends, go shopping in or for walks etc. So below are a few that I sewed for myself. Each jilbab has a hood with a cord so that it looks like a modified version of a sports hoodie. The jilbabs also feature a panel of lining material that I sewed into place around the knee area. This was because when I wear pants underneath, the fabric has less friction with the lining panel than it does without. The sleeves being wide as they usually are in sports hoodies, are also a great feature bcause the cuffs stretch nicely so when you want to pull up your sleeves up past your elbows for making wudu, it's very convenient. Let me now what you think:)



Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Abaya Doesn't Have to be Black:)

At first, I didn't want to wear an abaya because 1) I'm not from Saudi Arabia:0), 2) they're always black and 3) they're kind of intimidating to people. When I reverted to Islam, Alhamdulillah, I received an abaya as a gift. It was so beautiful with the soft, satiny fabric, red sleeve inserts and matching hijab. I think the style is so beautiful but I only ever seem to wear it when I pray. Because it was too big, I decided to take it in a bit. When I saw how simple it was yet so flattering, I decided to make a pattern from it. I didn't want to take it apart and I'm really glad I didn't because I managed to make an awesome pattern from the existing abaya without so much as ripping a stitch:) I have used this pattern to make 3 so far and I have also modified the pattern to make a long kameez that goes past the knees to wear with my flared jeans. I can't believe it took me so long o come around to wearing abayat! They’re classy and elegant in black - but in different fabrics ad colours, they’re modern, flattering, comfortable and sooo convenient! Just pull it on overtop whatever your wearing, add a hijab and you're out the door:) With my pattern, I have further modified it and I'm also just finishing up a nice and light cotton coat for the summer. Below are pics of 2 of the abayat I made and the long kameez. What do you think?:)



Light Denim Fabric  - Ocean Blue


Polyester Suiting Blend - Raspberry Flower 


Cotton Suiting Material - Embellished Gray

Monday, June 7, 2010

Turn your jeans into a skirt:)


When I first started wearing modest clothing, I definitely needed to update my wardrobe. My clothing was fairly modest to begin with but the styles I wore were pretty fitted. I didn't want to give away all of my clthes, so I began "recycling" them:) Since then, it hasn't just been me who converted! All of my jeans and pants have too, ha, ha, ha:) Here’s one of my favourites that I did - and every time I wear it, my sisters and friends tell me how much they like it - hope you will too:) I've posted direction below if you want to try this out for yourselves:)
•Take a pair of jeans or pants, turn them inside out and mark from the top of the waist, 8 or 9 inches down.
• Cut along the line you measured.
• Measure the bottom edge of the wide waistband you now have. You will use this number later.
• Take apart the pants legs and trim down the edges to make four equally-sized rectangles that taper at the top. They should look like squared wedges, narrower at the top of wider at the bottom. The narrower the top is, the more fabric you’ll need from the other material you’ll be using. The width at the bottom will add to the overall flare of the skirt. Make sure that you have added at least ½ inch for a seam allowance for the top, left and right sides. I usually make sure there’s at least 1½ inches for the bottom to hem later.
• Measure the top of each rectangle and add the numbers up. Subtract this number from the bottom of the waistband you measured. For example, if the bottom edge of the waistband is 42 inches and the tops of the wedges you now have add up to 24 inches (6-inch widths for each one), 42-24=18.
• You will need to make sure the wedges you are cutting from the other material you’re using, will measure no more than 18 inches overall. So, for four wedges, that’s 4½ inches each, at the top.
• The bottom of the wedges can be any width you like as long as they’re equal to the top width or wider. Make sure that you have added at least ½ inch for a seam allowance for the top, left and right sides. I usually make sure there’s at least 1½ inches for the bottom to hem later.
• Once you have your 8 wedges with the seam allowance factored in and they are all cut, sew them together, alternating the materials.
• Measure the top of the sewn-together wedges and make sure the measurement is the same as the bottom edge of the waistband.
• Attach the waistband to the top of the wedges and sew in place. Measure to the desired length and hem.
• From start to finish, this skirt takes about 1½ hours to complete, sew it’s extremely fast, pun intended:)

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

A New Kind of Hijab

Sometimes, when I can't sleep, I like to plan out my outfit for the next day or think about sewing and designing:) So, one night I was lying there trying to sleep and couldn't so I began planning my outfit. I always try to start with which hijab I will wear and then plan the rest of my outfit from there:) I love big square hijabs and the long shaylas are nice but sometimes they get caught around my shoulders when I am trying to ensure my chest is covered. So, I started thinking about what kind of hijab I could design to cover the chest yet remain off the shoulders so that when I'm putting on a coat or putting my purse's shoulder strap on that won't pull at my jihab and move it out of place:) I finally came up with a design I liked and I've been making them ever since:) The trick is a flowy fabric with a nice drape to it and some pins to pin the hijab in place to an amira that will ensure that your neck stays covered:) Hope you like them!:)