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









 

LIEBSTER AWARD

Last spring my good friend Asmita from Elephant in the Study surprised me with the Liebster Award. I was so surprised! Thank you so much Asmita!

 

If you have never heard of the Liebster Award, let me try to explain what it is about… It is a virtual award passed from one blogger to another with the aim of promoting blogs with less than 200 followers. It’s kind of a chain thing where the awardee has to answer five questions and provide five facts about himself or herself and then chose five other bloggers and pass the award. And so on, and so on…

So here are my answers to Asmita’s questions:

A. What’s the one thing that you have been really wanting to make but hesitate when it’s time to actually do it (I mean in terms of sewing, but feel free to interpret it as liberally as you like!)

I would love to start quilting! I never did because I know I am not good with long and repetitive projects. But I just love quilts and I would be thrilled if I could ever make one from start to finish. Plus, my home needs handmade things. (Well, that’s the other way I could interpret your question, Asmita!) I’ve actually been postponing properly decorating my home since we’ve moved…

B. How do you get out of a sewing rut?

I actually don’t have a planned sewing routine so I think I never get actually tired of sewing. During the weekdays I mix sewing with architecture (my daytime job), gardening, surfing, windsurfing and playing or studying with the kids when they arrive from school. I am really lucky to be able to work at home so I can manage my time and that gives me a lot of freedom to do what I really love at my own pace.

C. Favorite summertime activity?

Definitely going to the beach! We live just a steep away from one of Europe’s best beaches so we go to the beach all the time. I’ve been windsurfing for several years now and I just started surfing. These sports, like sewing, are really addictive!

D. What’s the one thing you cannot go to bed without doing?

Checking out the girls sleeping is something I always like to do before going to sleep. (And pee and brush my teeth, of course!)

E. Five random facts about yourself.

1. Besides Portugal, I´ve lived in Italy (Venice) and Spain (Barcelona) while I was studying architecture.

2. I sleep like a stone! During the night, once I get to sleep there is now way anyone will be able to wake me up.

3. I used to drive a big bright yellow wv transporter van and I had all my windsurfing gear inside all the time. When Ines was born I sadly had to sell it as there where only three seating places on that van.

4. I’ve been a vegetarian most of my adult life. I restarted eating meat when I got pregnant but I still prefer vegetables and fruits to any kind of meat or fish.

5. Right now I have three sewing machines (and I sew with all of them all the time): an old Pfaf from the ´50 that used to belong to my grandmother, a Singer Tradition I bought last summer to sew knits (because the vintage Pfaf doesn’t like modern stretchy fabrics at all!) and a brand new Singer Serger I am completely in love with!

And here are five of my favorite blogs. (It was hard to pick only five!) So the award goes to…

1. La Folie

2. Needle and Ted

3. Nutta!

4. Sew Pony

5. Stitched Together

And finally here are my questions:

A. What is your favorite and less favorite part of the sewing process?

B. Do you have any real life sewing friends?

C. Where would you like to go on your next summer vacation?

D. What is your family’s favorite meal or dish?

E. Five random facts about yourself.

And, because a blogpopst without photos is not a blog post, I’ve got a couple of skirts to show you. They were made with one of the wonderful fabrics my dear friend Asmita has sent me a couple of months ago so this is the perfect timing!

Isn’t this block printed / quilted fabric amazing (and gorgeous and special and unique...)?! I was completely in love with it since I opened the package my parents brought me from India. Yes, they were lucky enough to visit India and meet Asmita!  I wish I could have been there too…

Pattern: Self drafted (inspired by the wonderful Spin Skirt by Elegance and Elephants). For such a unique and busy fabric I wanted a very simple design so these skirts are not much more than a couple of simple rectangles sewn together. I’ve made a couple of skirts just like these last year and they have been worn again and again so I knew I could go wrong with this pattern.

Fabric: quilted /block printed cotton that came all the way from India and polka dot cotton from my local store. The skirts are reversible because the quilted fabric has lots of raw edges on the wrong side and I didn’t want that to show. I think the quilted cotton side will be worn most of the time but I might go for the polka dot side once or twice too. Reversible clothes are really fun!

Thank you so much Asmita for the Award and for the wonderful fabric you have sent me! (By the way, you can see all fabrics Asmita has sent me on my Instagram. Look for “martadoguincho”.)

 

MAILBOX SURPRISE . MARTE’S PACKAGE ARRIVAL

Na semana passada recebi uma mensagem da Marte a dizer-me que o meu pacote com a Mailbox Surprise tinha acabado de chegar. Ao sair de casa, resolvi passar na minha caixa do correio, sem grandes esperanças, e ver se o dela também já cá estava. E não é que estava mesmo?!

Estava cheia de pressa para apanhar as miúdas nas escolas e por isso tive que esperar, morta de curiosidade, por chegar a casa para ver o que estava lá dentro. Quando abri o pacote tive a sensação de estar no Natal!

O tecido era, como eu já esperava, lindo!

Last week I received a message from Marte telling me that my Mailbox Surprise package had just arrived. Later in the afternoon when I was leaving home to pick my daughters at school I decided - without high hopes - to check my mailbox. And, what a surprise, there it was! I was really in a hurry (as usually!) so I had to wait, dying of curiosity, to pick up the girls and get home to see what was inside. When I opened the package I had the feeling of Christmas before Christmas!The fabric was, as I already expected, gorgeous and special!

 

 

Mas, além do tecido, a Marte tinha-me enviado um vivo e uns botões a condizer, um bloco de desenho e umas estrelas origami!

Devo confessar que adorei este vivo quando vi as fotografias da loja Peter Pan e pensei imediatamente: “Era giro se a Marte mo enviasse…” Mas nunca me passou pela cabeça que me pudesse enviar não só o vivo mas também os botões a condizer. Que sorte!

A Marte provavelmente não sabe mas, antes de começar a costurar, costumo sempre desenhar os modelos num bloco. Por vezes, quando vejo alguma roupa que me inspira numa miúda na rua, numa revista ou loja também a desenho para não me esquecer. O meu bloco é uma espécie de Pinterest à antiga! Por isso este bloco de desenho não poderia vir mais a calhar.

A Teresa, quando viu as estrelas de origami, tentou logo ver se conseguia ficar com elas. Mas não, estas são para mim!

But besides the fabric, Marte had also sent me a piece of piping with matching buttons, a sketchbook and some origami stars! (Before every item I sould have written: “lovely”, “gorgeous”, “incredible”, “awesome”, “beautiful”...)I must confess I loved this exact piping when I saw Peter Pan Store photos at Compagnie M. and I immediately thought: "I wish Marte would get me some of this piping..." But it never crossed my mind that she would send me not only the piping bit also the matching buttons. Lucky me!Marte (and all of you) probably does not know but, before I start sewing, I always draw all models in a sketchbook. Also, when I see a nice piece of clothing in a girl on the street or at a magazine or a store, I usually draw it on my sketchbook. It is kind of an old-fashioned Pinterest ! So this lovely sketchbook could not come more in handy.When Teresa saw the origami stars she immediately tried to persuade me into giving them to her! But no Teresa, these are for mine!

Muito obrigada Marte! Agora tenho que pôr mãos à obra e ganhar coragem para cortar um tecido tão especial. Não vai ser fácil!

Thank you so much Marte! Now I have to get to work and find courage to cut such a special fabric. It will not be easy!

Agora só falta anunciar, das 5 pessoas que acertaram na cor do tecido que enviei para a Marte, a vencedora do sorteio:

A vencedora é Branca Lisboa!
Muitos parabéns! (Por favor envie-me a sua morada para eu poder enviar o tecido.)
Não se esqueçam de passer pelo blog da Marte para verem o que lhe enviei!

And finally, I have to announce the winner of my fabric giveaway. Five persons guessed the mail color of the fabric I sent to Marte.

But the winner is: Branca Lisboa

Congratulations!
Check out Marte's blog to see what I've send her!

COMPAGNIE M. SWING SKIRT

 

Hoje começa o blog tour da nova pattern lançada pela Marte do blog Compagnie M. , a SWING SKIRT.

Desta vez não fui pattern tester mas a Marte ofereceu-me uma saia feita por ela que assentou como uma luva à Teresa. Que sorte a nossa!

The SWING SKIRT by Compagnie M. blog tour starts today! This time I didn’t have the chance to be a pattern tester but I was even luckier as Marte actually offered me the skirt she made with her new pattern! And it fitted perfectly Teresa.

 

Adorei a experiencia de receber pelo correio uma (neste caso até foram duas…) peça de roupa feita por outra blogger. É fantástico ter a saia na mão e perceber verdadeiramente todos os pormenores, a textura dos tecidos, a forma como foi feita… Incrível!

I absolutely loved the experience of receiving on my mailbox one garment (actually I’ve received two because Marte also send me a pair of culottes...) made ​​by a foreign blogger. It is incredible to have the skirt in my hands and truly understand all the details, the texture of fabrics, the way it was sewn... Amazing!

A Teresa já usou esta saia várias vezes e adora-a porque sabe que foi feita por uma amiga da mãe que mora muito longe. Já tínhamos até feito uma rápida sessão I-fotográfica. As fotografias estão aqui. Agora fizemos a sessão oficial, com direito a produção e tudo (obrigada Catarina por emprestares os adereços!).

Teresa already wore her new skirt several times (she gets really excited about it because she knows the skirt was made by a friend that lives very far way) and we had already made some quick I-photos. Check them out here! But, this weekend, we finally had time for the official photo session with these nice props genteelly borrowed from a friend and neighbor. (Thanks Catarina!)

 

Entretanto recebi também uma cópia em PDF da pattern. Mal posso esperar por experimentar por, também eu, fazer uma saia destas. As instruções e os moldes da Compagnie M. são sempre impecáveis e já sei que vai ser um prazer costurar e ver o resultado.
Gostavam de receber uma cópia também? É fácil! Basta participarem no sorteio que a Marte está a organizar através do quadro em baixo. Boa Sorte!

 In the meantime I also received a PDF copy of the pattern. I can’t wait to try it! Marte’s instructions and templates are always spotless and I know it will be a pleasure to sew with her new pattern. And, of course, I know I will be making stylish and comfortable garments for my kids!
Would you like to receive a copy too? It's easy! Just participate in the giveaway Marte has put together for you... Good luck!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

EMBRULHAR . WRAP UP

A primeira vez que vi alguém a coser papel achei que era uma ideia incrível!
Resolvi experimentar e fiquei fã.
Já cozi colares com as cores do arco-íris para a festa de anos da Teresa e cadernos de desenho com letras para oferecer às suas amigas. Desta vez usei esta técnica para embrulhar mais uma gola (parecida com esta que já mostrei aqui) que fiz para oferecer a uma amiga.

Comecei por cortar o pedaço de papel necessário para embrulhar. Cosi várias linhas em ponto corrido sem a preocupação de ficarem muito direitinhas. Envolvi a gola nesse papel e cosi as duas pontas para fechar o presente.

E, quando ofereci o presente à minha amiga, ela não o queria abrir para não estragar o embrulho!

The first time I saw someone machine sewing on paper I thought it was an amazing idea!
I decided to try it and immediately became addicted.
I’ve already sewn rainbow colored necklaces for Teresa’s birthday party and alphabet activity books to give to her friends.
This time I’ve used this technique to wrap a collar (similar to the one I’ve shown you her) I’ve made for a friend.
I started by cutting a rectangular piece of paper. Then, with my sewing machine, I made some lines across the paper not worrying if they were perfectly straight. To finish it, I wrapped the collar in the paper and machine sewed its two ends to close it.
And when I offered the gift to my friend, she did not want to open the package not to spoil it!

MAIS PRESENTES . MORE GIFTS

Mas não foram só as miúdas que tiveram a festas de anos este fim-de-semana…

Para uma amiga minha que comemorou o seu aniversário com um almoço no sábado passado fiz uma gola em fazenda.

 

O processo de conceção foi um pouco atribulado! A ideia era fazer uma gola parecida com esta (fantástica, não é?) mas em tecido. Como queria algo simples comecei por apenas debruar o tecido com fita de viés contrastante. Mas não ficou bem!

Então resolvi dar uma vista de olhos nos meus livros de costura… Um dos projetos do livro “The Perfect Handmade Bag” usava um “nó francês” que me pareceu perfeito para desenhar algo na gola.
Lembrei-me que tinha visto lã de arraiolos com cores lindíssimas à venda numa loja em Cascais e passei por lá para comprar um novelo.

 

Perceber como se faz um “nó francês” não foi fácil! Os primeiros não ficavam formados. Com a ajuda deste vídeo lá consegui dar a pequena volta final que faz com que o nó pareça um borboto.
Qualquer dia faço uma gola destas para mim também!

 

Last weekend I also had a friend’s birthday party! So I thought it would be nice to give her something homemade. I had this small piece of grey wool fabric that was perfect for a winter collar.
My idea was to make, with fabric, a collar like this (lovely, isn’t it?). As wanted it to have a kind of a minimal look, I began by simply hemming the fabric with contrasting bias tape. But it didn’t work!
So I decided to take a look at my sewing books for some inspiration... One project in the "The Perfect Handmade Bag" book by Clare Youngs used a "French knot" that seemed perfect to draw something on the collar.
Then I remembered that I had seen some wool yarns used on the typical Portuguese Arraiolos rugs with gorgeous colors for sale at a shop nearby and went there to buy one.
Learning how to make a French knot was not easy! The first ones I made didn’t turn out the way they were supposed to. But, with the some help from this video, I finally figured out the twist that I had to do to finish it the proper way.
I thing have to make a collar like this for me too!

PRESENTES . GIFTS

As miúdas tiveram várias festas de anos este fim-de-semana e eu achei que seria uma boa oportunidade para dar às suas amigas presentes feitos em casa. Depois de folhear os meus livros de costura optei por fazer “saias ciganas”. (Não gosto nada deste nome! Tenho que arranjar outro. Alguma sugestão?).

 

São bastante fáceis e rápidas de executar mas o mais divertido é encontrar tecidos e fitas que conjuguem bem. Gosto de juntar bolas, riscas, flores, xadrez…

O modelo foi tirado do fantástico livro “Costura de palmo e Meio” e desta vez não lhe fiz grandes alterações.

E foi bom voltar a fazer e coser etiquetas das “windygirls” em novas roupas…

Teresa and Ines had several birthday parties this weekend and I thought it would be a good opportunity to give their friends homemade gifts. After flipping through my sewing books I decided to make these simple but cute gipsy skirts.
These skirts are quite fast and easy to sew but the think I like the most is to find the matching fabrics and ribbons to make them. I just love to put together polka dots, stripes, flowers, vichy...
The pattern is from the fantastic book "Making Children’s Clothes" by Emma Hardy and this time I made no major changes to the original design.
And it was so nice to sew my "windygirls" labels in these new clothes...

CARAMELOS DE CHOCOLATE . FUDGE

Este ano, além da Granola, fiz caramelos de chocolate e avelãs para oferecer no Natal.

 

Já é tarde para os fazer e oferecer como presente de Natal mas podem ser ótimos para levar para um jantar de passagem de ano em casa de amigos.
São deliciosos e facílimos de fazer. Aqui fica a receita:

Ingredientes:
350gr de chocolate negro, 1 lata (390gr) de leite condensado, 30gr de manteiga, sal q.b.,150gr de avelãs (ou outro fruto seco)
Preparação:
Coloque o chocolate partido em pedaços, o leite condensado, a manteiga e uma pitada de sal num tacho e leve ao lume. Deixe derreter mexendo de vez em quando até que todos os ingredientes estejam ligados. Retire do lume quando levantar fervura. Misture as avelãs inteiras e envolva bem. Coloque a mistura num pirex previamente forrado com pelicula transparente e alise a superfície. Deixe arrefecer e coloque no frigorífico algumas horas. Quando estiver duro retire do frigorífico e com uma faca corte o chocolate em quadrados. Para guardar envolva-os individualmente em pelicula transparente.

Para oferecer usei de novo sacos de papel pardo e etiquetas coloridas com a receita impressa no verso. Desta vez achei que as molas de roupa não eram apropriadas para fechar os pacotes, preferi uma linha de algodão lindíssima da Antiga Drogaria que comprei na minha última ida a Sintra.

This year, besides Granola, I made ​​hazelnut fudge to offer at Christmas.
It's already too late to make it for Christmas but it’s a great treat for New Year's Eve dinner.
Fudge is delicious and so easy to make... Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
350gr dark chocolate, 1 can (390gr) of condensed milk, 30gr of butter, salt to taste, 150gr of hazelnuts (or any other nut)
Preparation:
Chop the chocolate into small pieces and place it along with the condensed milk, the butter and a pinch of salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Let it melt stirring occasionally until all ingredients are mixed together. Remove from heat before it boils. Add the hazelnuts to the chocolate and stir well. Put the mixture in a baking dish lined with transparent film and smooth the top surface. Let cool and place in refrigerator for several hours. When hard remove from refrigerator and with a knife cut the chocolate into squares. To store wrap them individually in clear plastic wrap.

As I wanted the fudge to look like a gift, I put it into kraft paper bags that had colorful labels with the recipe printed on the back, as I did with the Granola. This time I thought the wooden clothespins were not appropriate to close the packages, so I used a beautiful cotton thread I bought in Antiga Drogaria on my last trip to Sintra.

PRESENTES DE NATAL . CHRISTMAS GIFTS

Nos últimos anos os presentes de Natal para os “crescidos” têm sido comestíveis.

Este ano aproveitei o sucesso que a granola tem feito e fiz uma quantidade grande para oferecer.
Empacotei em sacos de papel pardo comprados na MadeinPaper (uma perdição, esta loja!), fiz etiquetas com a receita no verso em papel para origami da Tiger e fechei com uma normalíssima mola de roupa de madeira.
A ideia inicial era fechar os pacotes cozendo com a máquina de costura mas a minha máquina não tem andado grande coisa (por isso não tenho mostrado projetos de costura ultimamente) e preferi não arriscar… Fica para a próxima!

In recent years my Christmas gifts for "grown ups” have been edible.
This year I went for Granola as it has been such a success since I first made it.
I packed it in kraftpaper bags I found at MadeinPaper, made the tags (that have recipe on the back) with some colorful paper for origami from Tiger and closed it all with wooden clothespins.
The initial idea was to close the packets with some stitches made with my sewing machine but, lately, it hasn’t been working properly (that’s why I haven’t shown any sewing projects in the past weeks) so I went for a safer option... I just love sewing paper so I will do it next time!