Top 5 of 2017 |REFLECTIONS/GOALS|

Scoll down for english, please!

Antes de escrever este post fui ler o semelhante dos anos anteriores (de 2013 a 2015), e é engraçado como a maior parte das decisões que tomei, principalmente em 2015 se enquadram naquilo que pensava escrever este ano também. Aparentemente não foi em 2016 que a minha motivação entrou em queda, e sim a meio do ano anterior. Desde então que tenho tido uns altos e baixos, parece até que essa motivação se tornou bipolar. Enfim... Hoje reflito nisso tudo, e vou deixar por escrito o que espero para 2018 no que toca às minhas costuras e a este blog. 

Before I started writting this post, I went back and read the similar ones from previous years (from 2013 to 2015), and it's funny how most of the decisions I made back then are quite similar to what I was going to write this year as well. Apparently it was not in 2016 that my sewing mojo went on holidays, but in the middle of the previous year. Ever since, I had ups and downs, like my mojo has suddenly turned bipolar. Oh well... I reflict on all that today, and I'll write down what I hope for 2018 as for my sewing and blog is concerned. 

#1. Nada de compras!- Este é um dos meus maiores objetivos para o próximo ano. Em 2013 desafiei-me a não comprar mesmo nada a não ser que fosse mesmo, mesmo, mesmo necessário. Desde então tentei manter o hábito mas mais descontraidamente. Durante 2017, não posso dizer que me tenha portado mal, os tecidos acima foram os únicos que comprei (os que já usei têm um "X"), mais dois outros que usei num pufe que fiz para o meu sobrinho, e renda para o soutien, aos quais não tirei foto, ainda assim, dei por mim a comprar alguns tecidos sem necessidade nenhuma, apenas por impulso.  

#1. No buying / Sew from my stash - This is one of my main goals for the next year. Back in 2013 I challenged myself to stop buying unless I really really really needed to. Ever since I tried to keep the habit but in a more relaxed way. Through 2017, I can't say I didn't behave, the fabrics pictured above were the only ones I bough (the ones with the "X" are the ones I used already), plus two other I bought to make my nephew a puff, and the lace for the bra but failed to picture, still, I know I bought a few of these on an impulse, no real need. 

#2. Reciclar/Transformar mais! - Não tenho reciclado tanto este ano, foquei-me mais em baixar a pilha de tecidos que tenho em stock e as roupas que tenho para reaproveitar foram ficando encostadas. Entraram mais algumas para a pilha que me foram dadas, tirei algumas pelas quais já não sentia conexão nenhuma para doar, e agora mais recentemente ainda comprei mais umas peças que encontrei a 1€ cada. Estão na foto acima, e já usei duas delas. Ah! E com isto gostava de dizer que penso trazer o "Refashion Month" de volta. 

#2. More refashioning! - I haven't done it as much this year, I focused on down sizing my fabric stash so the refashioning pile got a bit to the back of my head. A few more pieces were added to my existing pile, I took a few away to donate because I didn't identify with them anymore, but I also more a few more recently, I found them for 1€ each. They are the ones on the above picture, I used two of them already. Oh! I am planning on bringing the "Refashion Month" back.  

Apenas algumas das coisas que fiz que nunca cheguei a partilhar aqui.
Just a few of the things I made and never got to share here. 

#3. Publicar o que faço! - Tenho deixado imensas coisas que fiz por publicar. Acho sempre que posso fazer no dia a seguir e depois no outro e nunca chegam ao blog. Tentei contá-las e posso dizer-vos que as peças que nunca chegaram a ser publicadas foram praticamente em mesmo número que aquelas que sim. 

#3. Post what I make! - I've been leaving so many things I made unblogged. I always think I can make it the next day, and then the next and they never make it to here. I tried to count them and I can tell you they are nearly asmany as the ones that did make it to the blog. 

Acabei o pufe a 24 de Dezembro, foi prenda de natal do meu sobrinho e não tinha um fundo de jeito para tirar foto. A gata não ajudou. Foi o possível e não vou stressar por isso.
I finished this puff on the 24th of December, it was a christmas gift and I couldn't find a decent background for it. The cat didn't help either. It was the possible thing to get and I am not stressing over it. 

#4. Ser mais realista! - Naquilo que quero e posso fazer. Naquilo que realmente sou eu e não me deixar levar por aqueles/as que acompanho. Isto tem muito a ver com o ponto anterior, por vezes não publico à espera da melhor luz para fotografar a peça, do melhor isto e aquilo, mas sejamos verdadeiros, não pretendo fazer dinheiro com o blog, se a luz está mais fraca num certo dia, acho que preciso de tirar a foto mesmo assim, senão nunca chego a publicar nada. 

#4. Keep it real! - What I want and what I can achieve. What I really am and not get carried away with others I follow do or say. This is largely related to the previous subject, sometimes I might skip posting while waiting for a better light to get photos taken, best thi and that, but let's keep it real, I'm not planning on getting any profit out of this blog, if the light is bad on a certain day, well lei it be and shoot that photo either way, other wise it might never get to the blog. 

#5. Voltar aos videos! - Talvez não em formato podcast como fiz no passado. A ideia já cá está há imenso tempo, cheguei mesmo a gravar um video (há cerca de um ano, sei-o porque nele ainda aparece a 1ª macaca da G. e está quase a fazer um ano que a perdeu), mas nunca cheguei a editar e como tal muito menos a publicar. A ideia tem andado a martelar com mais insistência ultimamente, por isso devo mentalizar-me e voltar a eles.

#5. Back to videos! - This might only matter to my portuguese readers as I only film in portuguese, but anyway, I am planning on getting back, not on a podcast format though. The idea has been bouncing in my head for about a year now, so I guess it's time to get something done\about it. 

Sarah the Starfish Pattern (testing)

Scroll down for english!

Alguém se lembra do jogo de bowling, cujo molde, de Mignon Prider testei o ano passado? Gostei desse teste, e da ideia de fazer algo diferente do habitual. Por isso, quando a Mignon me contactou com um novo molde por testar, fiquei feliz pela oportunidade. Desta vez, testei um peluche, em forma de uma estrela do mar (com guiso, ou não dentro), a Sarah Starfish. tão fofa, não é? E, testar para esta designer é tão fácil. O molde é super simples, e as instruções já estavam perfeitas, só um erro ou dois ortográficos (no teste, já foi corrigido, claro!).

Can you remember the fabric bowling game pattern by Mignon Prider, I've tested last year? That was a fun test, I loved to do something different from what I usually do. So, when I heard from Mignon again, with a new pattern to test, I was happy and of course, jumped in. This time, I've tested the Sarah Starfish pattern. How cute? And, testing for this designer is so easy.  Sarah the starfish, is an easy to make softie, with (or without if you want to) rattle inside, the pattern is quite simple, and the instructions were nearly perfect, not much to note. 

O tecido sugerido para este projeto é pelucia ou polar, mas porque sou atrevida, cortei uma saia de lã que tinha por aqui, mesmo antes de confirmar se tinha estes tecidos no meu stock pessoal. À partida são tecidos que não costumo ter. Na verdade, gostei muito do resultado. Ainda bem que a saia era bem comprida, porque acho que vou ter que fazer pelo menos mais um par de Sarahs, já que ambos os meus filhos a adoraram. Mas a Sarah não ficou cá por casa por muito tempo, já que no dia seguinte a ter sido costurada, participei no encontro linhas & agulhas em Faro, para o qual nos foi pedido que contribuíssemos com algo feito por nós, para doar ao Refugio Abuim Ascenção, e eu levei a estrelinha. Mas antes de ser doada, levámos ela a passear até à praia, para que nos deixasse com boas memórias... hehehehe... 

The suggested fabric for this project is minky or fleece, but just because I dare, I've cut into a wool skirt I had, before even looking through my stash. I already knew those were fabrics I don't usually have a lot (or any) of. I actually really like how it turned out. I am glad the skirt was long because I just might have to make a pair of Sarahs. Both my kids loved it so much, but this one wasn't going to stay around for too long. Last weekend I attended a meeting of knitters, sewers, etc. We were asked to bring something to donate to a local charity organization, and I loved the idea. Sarah the starfish was donated the day after she was made, but before she left us, we visited the beach, so she could leave us with a good memory of her... hehehehe... 

Podem adquirir o molde na loja: 

you can get your pattern over Nittens & Patches Shop. 

DIY BABY TOYS |Tutorial|

I've been MIA lately. It's not that I haven't been sewing, in fact I have done a lot, I just haven't been blogging. I am trying to get back to it slowly though, and just to kick off I am bringing home a guest post from last year. Enjoy!

Hello Sew McCool readers. My name is Magda E. and I blog over House of Estrela. Today I am here to show you how to make a baby toy on your own. I have to tell you though, that I made a commitment with myself, I will not buy any fabrics or other supplies because I have too many already... well, actually, after a couple of years sewing from what I have, my stash is quite smaller now. so, everytime I make something, I use from what I already have. For this one, I have used a scrap from a baby shirt and a small stuffed dog (we got years ago from a very well known fast food chain). 

If you have any fury fabric, that would look good. I had this one and a plain white one as choices, but I went for this one, because I think the contrast would be more interesting for my baby. It is a very quick sew, you don't even need a sewing machine. I handstitched mine too. And here's how I made it:

You can use any animals you'd like. The rectangle for the tube is folded in the photo. 

I didn't, but you can also include a rattle within the filling to make it even more sensorial for the baby. 

And we're so close to finish! This is a great quick and easy last minute gift because you can make in a few minutes. Or you can make a few of these, with different animals and tell a story to your little one with them. If your baby can hold objects already, this is a perfect one. 

I hope you've enjoyed it! If you'd like to see lots of refashioned/recycled projects visit my blog. 

Magda E. 

January Refashion Month with RaeAnna from Sewing Mama RaeAnna

I'm really sorry I am putting this up a little late today. But life gets in the way and it wasn't possible for me to schedule this before. You see, I've been in bed for nearly three days now, with a huge flu. 

Today's guest is RaeAnna, from Sewing MamaRaeAnna. One of the most talented ladies I've met in the blogland. Just like last year, RaeAnna accepted to take part in this series again, and she has come with a fun project to show us. You might want to check the series she just hosted with Veronica from SewVery, called Snowflakes and Lace. 

...

Hello House of Estrela readers!!!

I love watching Magda and her refashioning magic and seeing all the creativity during the various Refashion Month series.  I was able to show some patriotic refashioning during the last series (here) and for this month I wanted to use up some material that I refashioned a few weeks ago.

 

This is one of my favorite projects so far - I took a sweater and a lace vest and turned them into boot socks - see the tutorial here!

Since I had some leftovers I wanted to use them for another project and I landed on making my first rag doll!

 I skipped using any sweater for the doll but here's how it came together:

Fleece - I had yardage gifted by my sister-in-law for Christmas in 2010!

Felt - from my felt stash - I use them for making bow centers like this

Lace undies - used from the lace vest

Embroidery floss - Leftover from making my son's smocked Easter outfit in 2010

 Dress - used the leftover from the lace vest.  I sewed it into a "tube" and cut slits in the lace for her arms.

The pattern is modified a bit from this

I love how it came together - she's a bit alien looking in the face but that's my own fault!  Hopefully the next doll will have a better facial structure!

Thank you, Magda, for having me during your refashion series!

P.S.  Eva Mae is on my lap while I'm typing and keeps saying "I want baby" - she's off to her room to go cuddle her little baby doll!

 

The rest of my handmade gifts from this year

Due to my sickness, it wasn't easy for me to sit and sew more often. I had plans to do a few more gifts than I did, and better ones too, so I was happy that at least I did manage to make a few things in the past two weeks. I've already shown you a few of the handmades I made for Christmas, if you missed them, there's a link at the bottom for those posts. 

Today, I am sharing all of the other gifts I made too. 

For my daughter's carers I wanted to make something simple that would be useful for the three of them. I made kleenex purse pouches. It's been soooooooooo long since the last one. Like three years ago I made a bunch of them to sell! 

For a good friend, I had a fabric basket in hand. She's a great knitter and I wanted to make her a gift that would also be useful for her. I had in mind a basket with pockets for different things: scissors, needles, yarn, etc... my time ran short though, the sickness was too much and when I realised it was too late to make the basket - I actually wanted to make two: one for her and one for my mom. So, I didn't make the basket but I did something sorta similar, a roll, with slim pockets for the needles and two bigger ones for her to save any ongoing project or whatever she needs to save there. It rolls up and ties with a ribbon, if she needs to carry it anywhere. 

And the last minute gifts of the year were these two little ladies. They are the 12th and 13th dolls of a collection I have created exactly 3 years ago. Back then, I was wondering what to make for my bosses' daughters. They had pretty much everything... I made them two dolls, and I called them The Hearties. I designed them to have a heart shaped head and they are functional. Those first two dolls were suppoused to be used as a hairclip holder (in their long legs), when I made the next dolls I made a few changes and now they have clips in their hands, so elastics can be organised in the dolls too. I didn't make a Heartie doll for a longggggggggg time, so I was really pleased to see two more on daylight. again, they were made for two sisters, that's why they look so much alike. I always name my dolls after the girl's name - their future owners. You can check pictures of all the dolls HERE. 

Other gifts I made this Christmas:
- Toddler girl blazer 
- Bracelet for an adult
- Book cover and pencil case for a girl (drawing/painting set)
- Pencil Roll
- Two fabric (Pocoyo) memory games
I've also made two bag organizers, no pictures sorry.

My first Sock Monkeys

I've been working on a charity project lately. Someone has asked their readers (portuguese blog, that's why I'm not sharing here) to make sock and glove dolls to share in some pediatric hospitals. I never made such dolls, though I would like to try sometime. I joined the cause. I started by making one only. But my precious little girl thought it was pretty cool to hang around all day, so I had no choice but to give it to her.
I made two more sock monkeys to make up for this one she kept.

Here's the tutorial I followed.

So, I bought new pairs of socks and started them. Here's how they ended up like:

And she was trying to make these two her own as well, she played around with them for a little, before they were finished and then allowed me to give the final touches. 

Aren't they so cute? And I'm very proud of my three first sock monkeys! Do you like them?

It Smells Like Christmas Already

Yes it does. And it feels good. 

A few weeks ago, I FINALLY finished my Tilda Santa Claus. I started it about a year ago now. I wanted it for my last Chritmas, but it wasn't possible to finish on time and then I just kep postponing. I would look at it and think: it's still a few months to Christmas, and there's this or that to do first. And it went like this for almost a year.

But it's September. It is that time of the year when I start thinking about Christmas and making deco items and gifts for my dearest ones. Somehow I am even more enthusiastic about creating seasonal items than I had been before, so here's a bit more of my finished Santa:

I can consider this a little refashion too, because I used an old red corset (I had made long ago) for the Tilda's clothes. And yes, I did cut a corset to make a doll's clothes if you're wondering. I didn't wear it for years because it's ziper broke... And I just new I wouldn't be fixing it so soon. 

Refashion Month: Week 4

This isn't the 4th refashion I told you I was working on. I haven't finished that one yet. The month isn't over  and i'm still hoping I'll amke it to the four refashions in a month. But I did make a fifth refashion if you want.  Uhmmm... not actually a refashion, it was more an upcycle.

A few weeks or is it months now? ago, I brought a huge piece of foam from my parents to make a little sofa for my daughter's bedroom. I did cut the foam but never got around to finish it. And it was my sister's fault (or I like to think so), because she had a sofa from her son which was left in the garage, for too long. It was old, dirty and stained. It was total garbage for her... but not for me. I took it off and the foam wasn't as bad as the cover, so what would I do? Of course, I had to give it a new life, and here's how the little sofa went from this:

To this:

I had it home for a while now, but it was taking it's time. I don't know what got hold on me last night but I was already in bed and I had to jump out and DO something... anything. I did some household shores and then I went straight to the sofa cover. 

I forgot to take a photo before I started ripping the original cover apart. That's why I had to pin it in place to take my before photo after all. 

As I was ripping the original cover I was thinking to myself, how the hell would I be able to make the new one again. i thought I wouldn't know which part should I stitch to which part, but once I had the new pieces cut i realised it would be much easier than I first thought. 

Before going to bed (at about 2 a.m.) I left my pieces cut and pinned, so all I had to do today was sew it together. On the botton, I used a cord to pull the cover into place. It was made in a blink. 

My Tilda doll seemed to like it very much. She tried to used it as her own. But I am not still 100% satisfied with it. I want to add an application using the same pink fabric, almost in the same place of the original bear. I thought maybe I can stitch something, but that might take a little while. And I want to make a matching decorative pillow to put on the sofa. When? I can't tell! hehe*

Romantic Tilda Doll

Since I first discovered the Tilda dolls, I fell in love with them... all of them! and I wanted to make one for too long when I finally came across a sew along to make a Romantic Tilda. I joined it, of course, and by the end of November, I have finished my own. 

And here's a more detailed picture of it.