PARIS SEW SOCIAL (AND A GIVEAWAY!)

I still can’t believe I actually went to Paris in April to meet some amazing sewing bloggers I only knew before through their blogs or emails. It was the most incredible weekend and I already miss all the chatting about sewing, fabric, patterns and blogging....

But that’s not all! We also had the support of many wonderful sponsors how were kind enough to give us the most amazing pack of sewing supplies: from fabric to thread, from patterns to books and magazines, from pins (great pins from Snaply!) to zippers. I was truly amazed with their generosity and the quality of the products we got.

 So today I am sharing an outfit for Teresa I made (almost) exclusively with my Paris Sew Social goodies... These are the kind of clothes she likes to wear now and though she was not in the mood for photos she really did like her new tee and shorts and has been wearing them non stop.

PATTERN: Dear Prudence by Sew Pony and City Gym Sorts by The Purl Bee.


Dear Prudence is the newest pattern by Sew Pony and it is actually a pattern for a woven dress. Since I had already made the dress for next month’s pattern tour and I though the design would be great for a tee (and actually Teresa was in need of new tees), I modified slightly the bodice pattern and turned it into a tee. I must admit am kind of obsessed with the design of the collar. I love every single detail in it: the fact that it is an open collar, the piping, the little buttons… Love it!

The City Gym Shorts is a free pattern from the NY shop Purl Soho. Not only it is a free pattern but it is also a great pattern! And it comes in children and women sizes. Perfect for matching mother and daughter outfits, if you are into it! These shorts are a must have for summer time. The fitting is great and the design is simple but cool. I must admit I have changed slightly the shorts construction because I didn’t have enough bias tape… But I think the overall result is still pretty nice and I am sure I will make many more City Gym Shorts in the near future. Actually I have already made a couple more using a wonderful cotton chambray from Merchant and Mills and some Liberty bias tape. There is a sneak peek on those shorts on my Instagram. Check it out!

FABRIC: Solid dark blue organic cotton knit from Lillestoff and plaid woven cotton from MonDepot.

These too fabrics are such good quality! And I think they go together so nicely… The dark blue knit from Lilletsoff has the perfect weight for tees and, since it has a little bit of spandex, it is super stretchy and comfortable. Plus it is organic. Great fabric!

The plaid fabric from MonDepot is super soft and it was a pleasure to work with. I was kind of scared about making bias tape and piping with it but the fabric was so easy to sew… I really like the contrasting bias plaid on the shorts and I am so proud of the plaid piping and buttons on the tee. I think Teresa will not wear this two pieces of clothing together very often as they are kind of too matchy-matchy for her taste but I am sure she will wear them separately all the time as she thinks the plaid is really cool.

 

So, are you ready for the giveaway now? Well, I’ve got a pattern from Sew Pony to give in the rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

But that’s not all… Actually all sewing bloggers that went to Paris have a different pattern from one of our sponsors to give on their blogs. Here they are! Do check them out!

SEWING FOR BABIES

I’ve sewn baby clothes for the first time! And it was fun. Really fun!

My blogging friend Patricia is expecting a baby girl and some Portuguese bloggers/seamstress decided to put together a baby shower for her with some handmade gifts. A fun idea, right? And the perfect excuse to sew sweet little clothes…

I’ve made a jumper for her (very) soon to be born daughter and a dress for her oldest girl, the adorable Miss Caracolinhos. I’ve also made a softie for them to share (or fight about… How knows!)

PATTERNS: Romper: selft drafted, Dress: View A nº4 from the book Vêtements Amples à Superposer by Mayuko Murata, Softie: Henry & Helga Elephant Plushies free pattern by Christina McKinney for Birch Fabrics Blog

FABRICS: Main fabric is a right flowered red cotton from a baby bed sheet I found on a Zara Home sale. Zara Home has some wonderful prints and I always visit the store at the end of each season hopping to find great bargains. For the romper’s lining I’ve used a white and red pocka dot fabric I had on my stash. The snaps are from Kam. (Oh! I love my kam pliers!)

The romper. I’ve only started sewing when my kids were toddlers so I didn’t have any baby clothes pattern I could use. So I went to my basement, picked one of my daughters’ baby rompers and drafted the pattern myself. I just hope the fitting is right as I have no one at home that will ever fit into such a small piece of clothing. The romper if fully lined with contrasting polka dot cotton fabric and has snaps both in the back and between the leg openings so it is easy to dress and undress as well as to change diapers. This was such an easy and fun garment to sew…

The dress. I love to dress my daughters in matching outfits so I had to make a matching dress for Miss Caracolinhos. I also love to see little girls dressed in simple girly dresses. So I made a spring dress with puff sleeves and gathered skirt. Simple as that! The book is a French version of a Japanese sewing book and I have to say I am in love with all patterns in this book. All clothes are stylish and wearable at the same time. Unlike the romper, the dress is not lined so I’ve finished the neckline with blue bias tape. But, like the romper, the back closes with bright red snaps.

The softie. I had already made a softie like this for my friend Asmita. This is such a great free pattern! It comes in two sizes but I have sewn the largest one both times and it is perfect. The elephant body is made with the polka dot fabric and its ears are made with the flowered fabric as I didn’t have much left after making the clothes…

And why didn’t I have any fabric left? Because Ines begged me to sew a dress for her too! And she also made me sew another romper and elephant to give to her school teacher that just had a baby girl, I must add…

 

Don't Forget to visit my friends' blogs and check all amazings things they have sewn for Patricias's baby shower:

Ana Sofia

Carla

Constança

Inês

Magda

Maria João

Rita

Sara

Soraia

INFITINY SCARFS FOR MUM'S AND KIDS

Last December, Patricia from the blog Pequeno Mundo a 3 had the greatest idea ever: she decided to ask several Portuguese bloggers if they would like to make a Christmas gifts for the kids living in a Charity named Mum's & Kids , a nonprofit association that helps and shelters mothers and their kids. This was the kind of thing I was willing to do for long time so I immediately said yes.

Patricia created a spreadsheet for us to choose the kid we were going to sew for but, as usually, I was late signing in and all children were already taken. So I thought their mothers would also be glad to receive a Christmas gift and I made infinity scarf. Who doesn't like a soft and colorful infinity scarf?!

PATTERN: Infinity Scarf by Imagine Gnats. I love infinity scarfs! And Rachel has put together such a great tutorial with all the tips there is to easily make them. I love that these scarfs are all sewn from the wrong side so there are no raw edges showing on the finished garment. Perfect easy and fast project to sew and perfect piece of garment to wear!

(I had lost my dummy's "neck cover" when I took the photos but I am glad I have already found it. So sorry for the photos!)

FABRIC: Solid knits from my local shop (Feira dos Tecidos). I went fabric shopping with my blogging friends Ines and Rita and we all thought these fabrics were perfect for infinity scarfs. They are soft and have a beautiful drape. Plus, I had lots of fun matching the colors…

The Christmas cards were made with a helpful hand from my daughter Teresa. She was really fund of this project! And so was I!

 And don't forget to check all gorgeous clothes my blogging friends made:
Ana Sofia
Carla
Magda
Maria João
Patrícia
Rita
Sara
Soraia









 

OLIVER AND S SUNNY DAYS SHORTS AS PAJAMA PANTS

So, as promised on my last post, I have another free pattern to share with you today. This time I have flipped it a bit so it could be worn in cooler winter days.

PATTERN: Sunny Days Shorts by Oliver and S. I love Oliver and S patterns! Even their free patterns are exceptional and this one is no exception. Super clear instructions that actually look like a sewing lesson! Though I think I would make a couple of adjustments at the crotch if I would sew pants or shorts with this pattern, its loose fit is perfect for pajamas.

FABRIC: Flower printed flannel from my local shop (Park dos Tecidos). I had this flannel on my stash for years! It is really soft and I love the print. I just hope it ages nicely and doesn’t peal much…

(This last photo as nothing to do with the pajama pants but I thought it was so cute!)

 

All this photos were edit with PicMonkey (thanks for the advise Ines!) and, as I am just starting to learn how to work with this softwear, if you have any advise please let me know!

 



FLIP THIS PATTERN . FREE FOR ALL!

I am so happy to be, once again, part of Flip this Pattern! This is such a fun and inspirational series and Emily and Ashley are making such a great job by adding new challenges all the time...

So this month's challenge is to use free patterns. Great challenge, right? There are so many fantastic free patterns out there that, for me, the biggest challenge was actually choosing just one or two. So today I am showing you a tunic and a skirt but I must admit I have sewn also a pair of pajama trousers, a tee and an infinity scarf. I will try to photograph and blog about these projects next week so stay tuned!
But now let's get back to what I have to share with you today...

PATTERN: Simple Skirt by MADE for the skirt. Dana's simple elastic band skirt was my first ever sewing project so I had to make a skirt like this for Flip this Pattern! Though I wanted to keep it simple, I did add a couple of details to the original pattern for a little bit of extra fun factor. So not only the skirt is lined but also has deep side pockets. Never the less it was an easy and fast project.
Sweet Tea Tunic by Shwin & Shwin for the tunic. As soon as I saw the pattern for this tunic I felt in love! Such a simple but great design! The deep neckline at the back is so lovely... Though I haven't actually flipped this pattern I did change a bit the construction of the tunic, omitting the lining on the yoke, as I wanted the neckline and armhole to be finished with piping. I love the loose fitting of this tunic and I can't wait for warmer days to arrive so Ines can wear it without the turtle neck.

FABRIC: The skirt is made of bright red corduroy and lined with white and red polka dot chambray. I had just a little bit left of this corduroy so, to make it work, I had to cut it cross grain for the pockets. Sometimes these "challanges" make the garments look even more special (though you can not tell from the photos as it is such a small detail. Sorry! Better photos next time, maybe...)
For the tunic I mixed a bit of very lightweight denim with a beautiful printed linen from MissMatatabi (leftover from this project I made last September.) I love these two fabrics together! The piping was bought in Lisbon and it is vintage. I was going to buy simple red piping but them I spotted this one and knew I had to change my idea.

Thank you so much Emily and Ashley for this invitation!
And, I almost forgot, I have a couple of free tutorials too. Don't forget to check them out!