Well.. as usual, I have 1 or 2 pairs of Baju Kurung for Hari Raya. This year, my mom decided to just get 1 pair since we don't really go anywhere these days. We can finish visiting relatives in 1 day anyway :D.
At first mom told me to get ready-made Baju Kurung, I wondered if I could find my size but then she told me she bought 2 piece of cloth for my sister and herself for Hari Raya. She then told me to buy a length of cloth for myself for Hari Raya too. Lo and behold, when I bought the cloth the tailor already stopped taking orders. They managed to send theirs and so I am stuck to make my own. It's a beautiful white chiffon with pink roses with black border at the bottom. It came in 2 type of cloth, chiffon and satin. I decided to make the satin as the skirt (or the "kain" as we usually say it) and the chiffon as the top. Though it is very transparent, I guess I will need to make a camisole to match it.
Knowing the basic of sewing makes it easier, I drew the pattern from last year's Baju Kurung carefully and the align each pieces so it will fit nicely. Then I proceed to cut it carefully. I left 1/2" to 3/4" as the seam allowance since I'm worried I didn't cut it properly. There is also an issue of Serger stitching (some tailor cut a chunk of the cloth through the Serger machine). The tailoring shop I went cut just a bit of the cloth.
Next, the construction of the Baju Kurung. Which goes where and so forth. I starts with the "pesak" and the "kekek". Combine those two and then iron it out and keep it aside. Next is the main body. I had to join at the shoulder to have the beautiful border at the bottom. Then comes the tricky part of cutting out the neckline. It's quite tricky for an amateur like me because the chiffon is so soft and thin. I had to use a lot of pin needles and patience *laughs*. I decided to mark out the neckline and sew it first before cutting it out. The I turn it around and voila, the neckline. I decided to go the lazy way and use bias tape instead. The traditional way is to hand-sewn the neckline. Bahh.. I wear tudung anyway, who sees the intricate needlework anyway :P.
As I was finishing basting the neckline, I realized I had sewn the back part of the main body wrong side. Arghh.. the horror!!! I had to undo all the stitching and re-construct the main body. I was crying silently inside and calling myself all kind of idiot. After that, it was smooth sailing. I did mention I went the lazy way and machine stitch everything (the hem and whatnot). Voila, finally.. the finished product. Granted the picture is a bit dark and not very sharp (I took it on my mobile). But...here it is. It'll do for now. ;)
P/S : Oh my, how very transparent and huge. I need to diet.. ughhh..
Ahh, beautiful.. so beautiful. I can only imagine the projects I will do soon enough..
Can't wait to see what mix and match I will do in future. Though for the next project I'm eying the plain green and the polka-dots. I hope it will be fabulous! Just fabulous!
