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Here's a photo of an astonishingly lightweight cotton silk fabric which I found at my usual fabric supplier in SS2. In a few days' time I should have transformed it into a dress shirt.

I think I've done enough sewing projects to realise that there isn't much point in trying to sew clothing which can be found in most stores going for less than RM100 a piece. There are a lot of resources involved in sewing one article of clothing--getting the right fabric, taking the time to identify it, finding a good pattern to work with, transferring the pattern from paper onto fabric, cutting, sewing, adjusting, finishing...

So apart from thinking of what clothing my family needs, what I find myself doing these days is flipping open magazines and being drawn to outfits which

1. look good,
2. are practical for daily wear,
3. I can find similar fabrics and patterns for, and
4. are priced at retail stores at a point where purchasing it off the rack is completely out of the question.

Once I find something like that, then will I consider making that particular outfit. Otherwise it's just too much effort to try and reproduce a shirt which can be bought from H&M at RM70.