Oliver +S "Little Things to Sew" Backpacks

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Há uns anos atrás, comprei o livro Little Things to Sew da Olive + S, mas até há um par de meses nunca tinha costurado nenhuma das peças nele apresentadas. O livro está cheio de projectos giríssimos para fazer para os miúdos e por várias vezes planeei fazer vários deles. Alguns dão prendas bem giras também, mas... esses projectos que planeei foram sempre adiados em prol d'outros... a sina de quem costura!

A couple of years ago I bought this book Little Things to Sew by Oliver + S, but until a couple of months ago, I hadn't sewn one thing from it. The book is full of fun projects to sew for your kids and I planned on making a few of them a few times. Some of the projects make great gifts too, but... those projects were always postponed to give place to other... a sewer's life! 

No passado Natal, eu estava determinada a fazer quantas prendas à mão quantas aquelas que eu aguentasse e conseguisse fazer, e estas duas mochilas foram duas delas. Para as fazer usei o molde que quem no livro lá em cima.

This past Christmas I was so determined to give as many handmade gifts as my hands could make, and these two backpacks were two of the things I was able to make. For them, I finally used one of the patterns in the book above. 

Estas foram para duas meninas de 8 anos e sim, gostaram muito delas. O molde original é para uma mochila pinguim (a que podem ver na capa do livro lá em cima), mas eu optei pela versão mais simples. Adicionei uma pequena rendinha para astornar mais menininha. 

These were my gifts for two 8 year old girls and yes, they loved it. The original pattern, is for a penguin shaped backpack (the one you see in the cover of the book above), but I made the simplier version. Also added a little lace just to make it a tiny bit more girly. 

As mochilas são completamente forradas e dentro têm divisórias para os acessórios (que eu fiz a olho). O tecido dos mochos comprei-o numa mercado na Espanha, é bem grosso por isso aguenta-se muito bem, o que o torna perfeito para as mochilas. Ainda pensei adicionar alguma especie de enchimento para dar mais alguma estrutura mas depois desisti da ideia porque não se justificava. 

The backpacks are fully lined, and have space to accomodate your accessories too (I eyeballed it on mine). I got the owls fabric on a market in Spain, it is heavy and holds perfectly, that's why it was a great choice for the backpacks. I was thinking about using some filling of some sort for structure, but I then realised I wouldn't need it. 

O tecido do forro, comprei numa loja local, mas já não me recordo qual delas. Na verdade usei dois diferentes porque a meio caminho do corte percebi que não teria suficiente para ambas as mochilas e lá assumi os dois tecidos como design e não falha. hahaha. 

I bought the linning fabric locally, but I can't remember quite well where anymore. I actually used two different ones because I realised I wouldn't have enough of the red one for both pieces, and I had started cutting so, let's make it a design details not a mistake. ahahah 

Fiquei bem feliz de as ter feito e com tanta antecedência para o Natal - ando sempre num corre corre quando toca a acabar prendas a tempo. Tenho mais alguns projectos do livro que adorava fazer, como a "lancheira"... Também dá uma bela prenda tanto para crianças como para adultos. Talvez seja a minha próxima coisa a fazer do livro. Espero que não leve mais uns anos. Mesmo porque também está lá uma mala a tira colo que adorava fazer para a minha filha. 

I was pretty happy that I made these, and I made them quite before Christmas - I'm always in a hurry to finish gifts in time. I have more projects from the book that I'd love to make, like the bento box carrier... That makes a great gift even for an adult. That might be my next sew from the book. I hope it won't take me ages again though. There's also a messenger bag I'd love to make for my daughter. 

The Dress Up Hoodie |Mouse House Creations|

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Minha gente, acaba de sair um novo molde pelo qual fiquei encantada. É o Dress Up Hoodie da Mouse House Creations é é qualquer coisa de especial. Além de que é perfeito para esta altura do ano, para quem gosta de festejar o Halloween. Mesmo que ainda não tenham costurado um fato para os miúdos, não se preocupem, este molde pode-vos salvar. 

People, there's a new pattern out there that got me amazed. It is the Dress Up Hoodie from Mouse House Creations and it really is something special. Just perfect for this Halloween season. Even if you're running behind with a costume, don't panic, this pattern might save you. 

O meu piolho tem de se mascarar dia 31 na escolinha e eu não tinha nada para ele até há dois dias, quando acabei este novo hoodie. Escolhi fazer a versão "morcego" para ele e ficou bem melhor do que eu esperava. Como não me dava tempo de encomendar uma malha à medida para este projeto, e preta como um pequeno morcego pede, acabei por usar o que tinha à mão. O que uma vez terminado, veio reforçar a minha ideia de que a nossa criatividade se apura sempre que temos de improvisar. Modéstia à parte, tornei-me muito boa nisso. 

I live in Portugal and we don't celebrate Halloween as people do in the USA, for example, but kids get to wear spooky costumes at school, and teens are actually doing trick or treat too for these past few years, first they were very shy, just a few, but now we hear them out all the time. The bad thing is that they do a lot of nasty stuff with the "halloween" excuse. Anyway... my boy needed a costume to wear at school next tuesday, and I had zero until two days ago when I finished this hoodie. I chose to make the "bat" for him and it got even better than I hoped for. I knew I didn't have the time to order the right knit for this project, in color and type, as a bat deserves, I just worked with what I had. Once finished, it just reinforced my belief that creativity improves every time you're forced to improvise. And modesty to the paret, I became pretty good at that. 

Mas continuando, usei uma malha mais fina, que em tempos foi uma fronha de almofada XXL, e que já tinha usado parte anteriormente. Não é completamente branca embora assim parece nas fotos, tiradas ao fim da tarde, numa luta contra o pôr do sol, e quase em desespero porque 1º não se queria virar para a máquina, depois não queria o capucho na cabeça, e só para irritar depois já não queria nada, até pediu para tirar o hoodie e tudo. Sempre foi do contra, fazer o quê? E olhem que ele delirou quando viu a peça... até gritou BATMANNNNN. Ainda conseguimos algumas que d´´a para vos mostrar os detalhes da peça, por isso já me dou por satisfeita. 

And on we go, I used a light knit, that was a XXL pillow cover, and which I had used a piece of a while ago. It is not totally white as it seems to be in these pictures, taking late in the afternoon, in a duel with the sunset, and almost in despair because this kid didn't want to stare at the camera first, then he didn't want to have the hood on his head and to finish, he just didn't want to wear it at all asking us to take it off. He's always been this way, what can I do? Believe me when I say he actually liked it a lot when he saw it... he even screamed BATMANNNNN. We did get a few shots though, which I think are just enough to show you the details. 

O molde é composto por vários animais, uns com capas, asas, unicórnios, caudas, orelhinhas, enfim... é muita fofura junta, e a mais velha também já fez o seu pedido. Para este usei o molde base do hoodie, dispensei o bolso da frente e em vez disso, desenhei (a olho mesmo) um morcego num papel, cortei-o em flanela (o que se revelou uma óptima opção, já que a flanela aderiu bem à malha, dando-lhe estabilidade e facilitando a sua aplicação - feita com um ponto zigue-zague muito pequenino). Usei as orelhas e asas de morcego, estas últimas são costuradas nas mangas, para as quais usei também a flanela. Era o único tecido preto na minha coleção que me pareceu indicado. 

The pattern is made out of several different animals, some have capes, wings, horns, tails, hears, as so... it's too much cuteness altogether, and my oldest has requested her own as well. For this specific one, I used the basic hoodie, skipped the front pocked and instead I free hand drafted a bat in a papel, then cut it on flannel (which was a great option, since it adhered to the knit nicely, give it some stability and making the sewing task much easier - applied with a very small zig zag stitch). I used the bat ears and wings, this last one is sewed to the sleeves, and I used flannel for them too. This was the only fabric in my stash that seemed appropriate for the project. 

Adoro ver as asas a abrir e a fechar conforme ele mexe os braços. Ainda pensei que se poderia tornar desconfortável quando ele os estica mais para a frente, mas aparentemente isso não acontece, pelo menos não se queixou. As nossas orelhinhas não se aguentam de pé, muito possivelmente porque o tecido não tem corpo suficiente para se manter, ainda assim não deixar de ser super fofas. Agora, penso que devia ter usado preto para os dois lados, frente e trás. Ah, e os punhos são reciclados de hoodies de adulto. 

I love to see the wings moving as he opens or closes his arms. I thought it'd be uncomfortable for him when he pulls his arms forward, but aparently that doesn't happen, or at least he did not complain yet. Our ears don't stand up, possible because our knit hasn't got enough structure to stand, nonetheless they are still pretty cute. Staring at it now, I think I should have used the black fabric for front and back. Oh, and our bands were recycled from adult hoodies. 

Se ele gostou? Claro que sim! A foto acima confirma-o. Só queria que este calor passasse duma para que terça feira o miúdo não assasse dentro do hoodie. E para quem desse lado gostou da ideia, ainda vão a tempo de espreitar todas as outras opções disponíveis e comprar o molde em desconto (link lá acima, logo no início deste post). Têm o fim de semana para pôr mãos à obra. Depois juntam umas calças pretas (que é o que eu vou fazer) e em duas horas têm um disfarce pronto. 

Did he like it? Oh yes! The above photo seals that. I just wanted this hot weather to be finally gone for good, so tuesday the boy wouldn't bake inside the hoodie. And if you liked the idea you're still in time to check all the other options and get the pattern on sale (link above in this post). You have the weekend to sew. Then you just throw in a pair of black pants (which is surely what I'll do) and, in about two hours, you have yourself a new costume. 

Petite Stitchery |Fawn Leggings & Hazel Blouse|

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Recentemente recebi dois moldes da Petite Stitchery, o molde Girls Fawn Leggings e o molde Girls Hazel Blouse. Escolhi as leggings porque tivemos mais um surto de crescimento cá por casa e todas as que a miúda tinha ficaram a meia canela. Claro que ainda assim as veste (leggings são daquelas coisas que vai sempre servindo, só muda o estilo), mas precisava de leggings que chegassem ao tornozelo para quando os dias decidem ficar mais frescos. Como isto anda, pode ser a qualquer momento. A túnica, pelo mesmo motivo, além de que a junção das duas peças é perfeita. Adorei as mangas!

I've recently got two patterns from Petite Stitchery, the Girls Fawn Leggings and the Girls Hazel Blouse. I chose the leggings because we had another growth spurt over here and all the leggings this girl owned kinda shrinked. Of course she still wears them (leggings are one of those things that grows with them, restyled differently), but she needed some longer leggings, that would actually cover her until her ankles for the colder days. The weather is so strange lately it can happen at any time. The blouse, I picked for the same reason, besides, both pieces together look just perfect. I loved those sleeves! 

Ambos os tecidos usados foram ofertas. O da túnica, foi-me enviado por uma leitora do blog que numa mudança, se desfez de muitos dos seus tecidos e mos enviou a mim. Se me lês, mais uma vez obrigado! Aos poucos vão sendo usados!!! O tecido das leggings foi-me enviado pela Sara (Made by Sara) como já tinha mostrado num dos podcasts lá para trás. 

Both fabrics I used were gifted to me. The blouse's was sent to me by a blog reader when she moved and got rid of some of her fabrics. Bit by bit I've been using them!!! The leggings' fabric was sent to me by Sara (MadebySara) as I shared in one of my podcasts (in portuguese only, sorry!). 

A túnica ficou ótima neste tecido, que tem um cair magnifico. É suave, leve e a miúda aprovou. Infelizmente não deu para as mangas, era um retalho não muito grande e foi mesmo por pouco, assim que usei um outro retalho (que veio junto com este) para fazer os balões das mangas. O azul não é precisamente igual, mas deu para desenrascar e improvisar!

The blouse was just great with this fabric, it has a beautiful drape. It's soft, light and the kid approved it. Sadly I didn't have enough for the sleeves, my fabric piece was more like a scrap and I had just enough for the body and upper sleeves. I used a different scra (I got with this one too) to make the bubble parts of the sleeve. The blue shade isn't exactly the same, but it was good enough to get away with it!

Já o tecido que usei para as leggings revelou-se demasiado fino e tenho as minhas dúvidas em relação ao tempo que se vai aguentar. Ainda para mais com esta miúda que está super enérgica e imparável. O molde tem duas opções de leggings, as tuxedo ou as simples, e eu fui pelas simples desta vez. A outra versão está nos planos. A cintura também tem duas opções, escolhi o cós com dobra. Ambos as peças fiz tamanho 6 anos. As partes de cima geralmente assentam-lhe melhor neste tamanho que as de baixo, para as quais veste o número anterior (5). Ela só os faz em pouco mais de um mês, mas costuro com folga e esperança que durem pelo menos até ela fazer 7... ahahahah

When it comes to the leggings fabric though, I have my doubts it will last long, since it turned out to be too light. To top it all this girl has been deeply energic and unstoppable. The pattern has two leggings option, tuxedo or plain, and I went with the latest this time. The other version is in my plans. The waist has two different options too, and I chose the folded one. I made both pieces in size 6. Tops usually fit her better in this size, bottoms not so much, she needs the smaller size now (5). She'll be 6 in a bit more than a month though, so I am sewing with room to grow and the hope those things will last at least until she's 7...ahahah

One Thimble 15 Blog Tour (Reviewing Thread Faction patterns)

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É outra vez altura de One Thimble (número 15), já saiu malta! Eu costurei dois dos moldes incluídos nesta edição, ambos de Thread Faction - de quem sou fã, como de certeza, já referi antes. O molde #115 é uma boina com pompom e o molde #116, um casaco de malha com decote em V. e foram eles a minha escolha. 

Time for One Thimble (issue 15) again, it's out people! I sewed two patterns featured in it, both by Thread Faction - which for sure I told you before, I am a fan of. Pattern #115 is a pom-pom beret and pattern #116 a V-neck cardigan, and these were my choices. 

Fiz ambas as peças para a minha filha, primeiro porque ela está a precisar de roupa nova ao contrário do pequeno, e em segundo porque achava eu que não ia lá muito com boinas para meninos - meti na cabeça que era uma coisa mais de menina - até ver as versões para menino já partilhadas neste tour. Igualmente amorosos!

I made both for my daughter, first because she's in need of new things contrary to the little one, and second because I didn't think I like berets on boys - in my mind it was more of a girl thing - until I saw some of the boy versions on this tour. Adorable too! 

Usei o mesmo tecido em ambas as peças, para combinar sim, mas também porque não tinha tecido suficiente para o casaco. Primeiro escolhi a malha de lã verde. Estava guardada nos meus tecidos há um par de anos, e era apenas um retalho que achei numa loja local. Infelizmente já não me lembrava do quão pequeno era e fiquei triste quando o desenrolei e constatei que não dava para o casaco. 

I used the same fabric for both pieces, to cordinate and also because I didn't have enough fabric for the cardigan. I first picked the green wool knit piece of fabric. It was stashed for a couple of years and it was just a scrap I had scored in a local shop. Unfortunately I couldn't remember how little of it I had, and felt so sad to discover I couldn't fit my cardigan in it. 

No entanto já sou conhecida por fazer uma boa gestão dos meus recursos, certo? Lembrei-me que o pai me tinha dado uma camisola dele porque começava a ficar manchada no colarinho, e era precisamente de malha de lã também, e com peso e toque muito semelhantes ao do tecido verde. Então pensei "Pois bem, cinza fica bem com tudo, vamos tentar!". E assim fiz. 

I am already known to make good use of my resources though, right? I then remembered my husband had given me one of his sweaters recently because it was getting stained in the collar, the wool knit part was just fine, and it was about the same weight and texture of my green fabric. And I thought "Oh well, gray matches all colors so let's try this!". And so I did. 

Começando pelo molde #115, a boina; com vários tamanhos, de recém nascido a adulto, dá para nos divertirmos a fazer uma para cada membro da família. O molde incluí três tipos de pompons: a imitar pêlo, os comuns pompons de lã, ou feito de tiras de malha. Juntei um de lã e apesar de ter intenções de fazer um enorme, este é bem mais pequeno porque quando comprei os meus acessórios para os fazer em 3 tamanhos) fiz um pompom de cada, e o mais pequeno era de um cinza muito semelhante ao da camisola, por isso usei esse poupando-me algum tempo. 

Starting with pattern #115, the beret; it comes in sizes newborn to adult so you can have fun making one for each member of your family. Pattern features three pom-pom style options: faux fur, regular wool or knit stripes. I went with the regular. I wanted to add a huge pompom to it, but when I bought my pompom maker, I made one of each size (there are 3) and it happens that the smallest one was made in a gray wool, very similar to the sweater's fabric, so I used that instead and saved some time. 

Com o que tinha, reciclei a camisola para fazer o casaco, molde #116. Usei-a para as partes da frente, trás e mangas, e para o cós e colarinho usei o tecido verde. Fiz-lhe um tamanho 6, e quando terminei pareceu-me mesmo do tamanho do casaco que fiz para mim, que é curto e com mangas a 3/4, e tonta como sou fui experimentar também. Mostro-vos a figurinha no fim do post. 

Working with what I had, I refashioned daddy's sweater to make pattern #116, the cardigan. I used it for the front, back and sleeves, and used what I had left from the green fabric fot the waist and neck bands. I went with size 6 for her, and when I finished it seemed just as the same size as my own cropped, 3/4 sleeves cardigan and just because I am like that I tried it on me too. I will show you this pearl by the end of the post. 

Costurar esta malha não foi fácil. Por mais ferro que lhe espetasse a cada passo, e por mais cuidado que tivesse a não esticar a peça enquanto costurava, foi praticamente impossível costurá-la sem que ficasse com um aspeto um pouco ondulado.  Ah, e sim, em caso de se estarem a perguntar! Ela veste um terceiro molde Thread Faction, é o top estilo crop, o #105 que lhe fiz o ano passado. Continua a ser um dos meus preferidos. 

Sewing this knit wasn't easy. As much as I tried to correctly iron it at each step, and as much as I tried not to stretch the damn thing, it was nearly impossible to avoid sewing it without getting that wrinkly look. Oh, and just in case your wondering... yes! She is wearing a third Thread Faction Pattern, the crop top, pattern #105 I made her last year. It's still one of my favorites. 

Querem ver mais da revista e dos moldes nela incluídos? Visitem os links abaixo: 

Do you wanna see more from the e-zine and patterns in it featured? Check out the links below: 

5/11/2017 | Pattern Revolution |Marvelous Auntie M

5/12/2017 | Max California | Pear Berry Lane
5/13/2017 | Idle Sunshine | Made by Sara | That's-Sew-Kari
5/14/17 | Tales of a Tester | Candice Ayala | Once Upon a Sewing Machine
5/15/17 | Stitches by Laura | Sprouting Jube Jube | House of Estrela
5/16/17 | SewSophieLynn | Gaafmachine
5/17/2017 | Crazy, Craft Haute Mama | Adventures with Bubba and Bug | Lulu and Celeste

Acho que posso começar a trocar roupas com a minha filha, não? 

I think I can start trading clothes with my daughter, right? 

One Thimble Issue 14 Blog Tour

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2/9/2017

Pattern Revolution

Call Ajaire

The Berry Bunch

2/10/2017

SewSophieLynn

Candice Ayala

Lilyshine Creates

2/11/2017

Sprouting Jube Jube

Once Upon a Sewing Machine

Beri Bee Designs

2/12/2017

That's-Sew-Kari

Gaafmachine

SnickerDoodle Stew

2/13/2017

Stitches by Laura

Made by Sara

Max California

2/14/2017

Little Cumquat

Tales of a Tester

House of Estrela

2/15/2017

Not Sew Selfish

Adventures with Bubba and Bug

Lulu and Celeste

Olá! Olá!Adivinhem quem está de volta? 

A edição digital One Thimble Magazine, pois claro, com o seu número 14, uma capa maravilha e com um conteúdo que nunca desilude. Sim, sim, é verdade, eu também estou de volta após tanto tempo sem dar notícias. Perdi a motivação para costurar há muito tempo. Aliás, fui perdendo-a aos poucos, como devem ter reparado. Depois, perdi também o hábito de cá vir partilhar as poucas coisas que fui fazendo, e o blog foi caindo em esquecimento. 

Mas estou cá, ainda não fui embora de vez, pelo contrário, quero muito voltar a estar mais presente, neste espaço que tanta coisa boa me tem trazido. 

Hello! Hello!Guess who's back?
The digital edition of the One Thimble Magazine, of course, with it's 14th number, an amazing cover and a never dissapointing content. Yeah, yeah, that's also true, I am back myself as well, after such a long time away. I lost my sewing mojo a long time ago. Actually, I've been losing it bit by bit for a while now, as you probably noticed. Then, I also lost the blogging mojo, I missed sharing the few things I made in between, and the blog was left behind for a while. 

Here I am though, I didn't go away yet for good, and I really want to be more present in the place that has given me so many good things. 

Como já disse a One Thimble está de volta com 10 novos moldes originais, para criança, mulher e acessórios. É difícil escolher apenas um projeto para fazer quando se olha para estes moldes. É tudo tão tentador, e na minha lista de coisas que um dia gostava mesmo de costurar já constam alguns deles... Thyme Vest da Paisley Roots, Loli Dress & Top da Bobkin Patterns, Amuse Boho Dress & Tunic da Winter Wear Designs e ainda achei imensa piada às capas (com 3 animais diferentes como opção) para os sacos de água quente, Wild Things Hottie Cover da Twig & Tale. 

As I already said, One Thimble is back with 10 new original patterns, either for kids, women and acessories. It is hard to pick just one project to make when you're looking at all of these. Everything looks quite tempting, and in my to do list I have added a few of them... the Thyme Vest by Paisley Roots, Loli Dress & Top by Bobkin Patterns, Amuse Boho Dress & Tunic by Winter Wear Designs and I also thought the Wild Things Hottie Cover by Twig & Tale was one adorable thing (it comes with 3 different animals options). 

 

Para já comecei com dois moldes, um para ela e um para ele. Confesso que os escolhi por me parecem rápidos de fazer, o que nesta fase em que tento voltar a costurar com mais regularidade e ganhar o entusiasmo de outrora, me pareceu uma excelente ideia. Além disso são ambos unisexo, o que para mim é calha bem e já vos digo porquê. Para ela escolhi as Justin Pants (Serger Pepper) e para ele o molde #113 (Thread Faction).

For now I started with two patterns, one for her and one for him. I confess I picked those two because they seemed quite quick to make, and I thought that would be a great choice since I am trying to get back to a regular sewing basis, trying to get as excited about it as I did before. Besides, they are both unisex, which is useful for me and I will tell you why in a bit. For her, I picked the Justin Pants (Serger Pepper) and for him the #113 pattern (Thread Faction). 

Comecemos por ela, que foi o primeiro que fiz também. As Justin Pants, da Serger Pepper, são umas calças confortáveis, tipo harem, estilo muito apreciado cá por casa. Frente e trás são compostas por duas peças, permitindo assim brincar com diferentes tecidos se desejado. Eu não o fiz, queria mantê-las o mais neutro possível. Com os bolsos podemos divertir-nos um pouco já que incluí várias opções. Podemos usar todas, algumas ou nenhumas, consoante o nosso gosto, a nossa necessidade ou vontade,... porque não?! As opções são: Bolsos embutidos nas laterais, bolsos aplicados à frente (os chamados patch pockets em inglês) e atrás; e ainda bolsos escondidos nas costuras das pernas.

Let's start with her, which was the first I sewed. The Justin Pants by Serger Pepper, are very comfortable, harem style pants, which is one we appreciate in our house. Front and back pieces are made out of two pieces each, allowing us to play with diffent fabrics if wanted. I didn't though, I wanted to keep mine as neutral as possible. We can have some fun with the pockets too, since it features a few options. We can use them all, just a few or none, according to our tastes or mood,... why not?! The possible options include: side seam pockets, front and back patch pockets and even some secret pockets hidden on the leg pieces. 

Um bocadinho por preguiça e despiste, acabei por aplicar apenas um dos bolsos de trás e os bolsos embutidos nas laterais, que lhe assentam neste momento, mais ou menos na altura dos joelhos. Confesso que não gostei muito, não achei funcional e ainda dá um ar estranho à miúda quando os veste. Mas pode ter sido também porque fiz as calças maiores do que o que ela veste, já que estou mesmo decidida a costurar peças que durem mais tempo por aqui. De qualquer forma, não será por isso que deixo de gostar do molde, muito pelo contrário. Dentro do estilo, gosto bastante, basta-me omitir estes bolsos em particular da próxima vez e acho que vou ficar muito satisfeita. Quanto ao bolso único a trás, estava tão empolgada a ver as minhas calças a ganharem vida que me esqueci do passo em que tinha de colocar os bolsos. Estavam prontos a aplicar, eu é que me esqueci... depois, optei só mesmo por um. 

I blame it on my lazyness and disarray, I ended up using only one of the back patch pockets and the side seam pockets, which are about her knees right now. I have to confess I didn't like it much, I didn't find them functional at all and it also gives the girl a weird look as she wears it. Of course it could also be because I made the pants a bit bigger than what she's wearing right now, since I am really focused on sewing pieces that can last a bit longer. Anyway, that's not a reason to make me not like this pattern, all the way around. I really like it, its style, I just might skip the side pockets next time and I'll be quite pleased. As for the back single pocket, it happened because I was so excited watching my pants getting alive I totally missed the step where I had to attach the pockets. They were both ready to attach, I just forgot to... then, I went with just one. 

Ela não é lá muito fã de usar sapatos em casa!! ahahaha

She's not a fan of wearing shoes inside!! ahahaha

Para ele fiz o molde #113 da Thread Faction. Eu sou fã da Liz, não é novidade nenhuma, e só de ver um molde dela, eu quis fazê-lo. Optei por fazer um tamanho maior para o meu pequeno também, e como ele é baixinho, acho que ficou bastante comprido, mas não me importo mesmo nada. Ele não o poderá vestir nos próximos meses de certeza, já que o tecido é fino e o frio não me parece que vá embora tão cedo. Eventualmente, ele crescerá até lhe ficar mesmo bom. 

For him I made the #113 pattern by Thread Faction. I am a fan of Liz, it's no big news here, and as soon I saw there was a pattern by her, I wanted to try it. I chose to make a bigger size for him too. Since he's rather short, it's a bit too long on him, but that's fine. He won't be wearing it for the next couple of months anyway, the fabric is a light one and the cold weather seems to be here to last for a little longer. Eventually, this boy will grow into it. 

O romper é bem simples, o molde composto por 3 peças apenas. Se procuram uma peça rápida de construir, esta é ideal. É muito prático de vestir e despir também, mesmo com botões só a enfeitar, que nem é o caso dos meus, pois escolhi colocar umas molas coloridas, mas que nem preciso abrir, acabam por ser mais decorativas. Vermelhas de um lado e azuis do outro. Procurei escolher os mais parecidos aos dinossauros. Já agora a blusa que veste tinha eu feito para a irmã. 

The romper is quite simple, the pattern has 3 pieces only. If you are looking for a quick sew, this one is perfect. It's so easy to put it on and off of your kids, even with the fake buttons, which is not the case, since I went with two colourful snaps at each strap, but they're not being used anyway, they turn out to be decorative too. Red at one side, and blue at the other. I tried to chose the most similar to the dinos. By the way, he's wearing a shirt I had made for his sister. 

Mais uma vez, temos um estilo tipo harem que adoramos, como já referi acima. O meu acabamento nas pernas não está propriamente acabado. O molde diz para dobrarmos e coser com uns pontinhos à mão ou mesmo à máquina, mas tenho que ser sincera, como a ele ainda lhe fica tão comprido, estou tentada a fazer uma bainha simples e usar comprido mesmo. No entanto precisava de tirar as fotos para este post, assim que dobrei só e deixei para decidir mais tarde. Claro que com ele - que nunca pára - as dobras acabaram por ficar desiguais. 

Here we have, again, another harem style item, which we love, as mentioned above. My finishings at the hems aren't actually finished. The pattern tells us to fold and add a few hand stitches or even machine stitches to keep it in place, but honestly, this is so long for my little one that I've been considering just a regular hem and assume it as pants. I needed to have some photos taken though, so I just folded them and left it to decide later. Of course he messed it right away - he never stops - and they look quite ugly on these photos. 

Ainda nem acredito que ele se portou tão bem para as fotos e até aproveitou o momento. Riu, fez pose, enfim... está um crescido!

I still can't believe he behaved so well, and even enjoyed the moment. He laughed, posed, and so... such a big boy!

Já vos falei dos moldes, mas há mais. A One Thimble não é uma revista só de moldes, com 256 páginas, tem muito mais. Para além de nos inspirar ainda vem cheia de artigos que nos proporcionam umas boas horas de leitura, com os quais aprendemos sempre mais um pouco ou aperfeiçoamos técnica que já conhecemos. Além disso, podemos também conhecer pessoas interessantíssimas. 

I told you about the patterns so far, but there's more. One Thimble is not all about the patterns, there's so much more in its 256 pages. Besides inspiring us it is full of great articles that will keep us happily reading for hours, always teaching us something new, or at least sharing tips to help us improve techniques we already knew. It's a great way to get to know super interesting people too. 

Como parte da estrutura da revista, temos as colunas habituais, as colaborações especiais, e temas sobre o negócio "artesanal" ou feito à mão. Dentro do primeiro que refiro gostei particularmente do artigo "Sew Giving: What does sewing give to you?". Depois de vários anos a costurar e a blogar sobre isso, este artigo levou-me a meditar também em tudo o que ganhei com a costura e fez-me muito bem perceber que não foi pouco. Interessaram-me também a entrevista à Candice Ayala, uma blogger que admiro bastante. O artigo sobre os têxteis orgânicos foi útil e o tutorial para cobrir as molas de plástico com tecido foi uma boa dica. Uso a mesmo técnica para forrar botões normais e nunca me tinha lembrado de o fazer com as molas. Para terminar, todos os artigos sobre negócios pequenos, de artigos feitos à mão me parecem de relevante interesse, já que nunca escondi que apesar de nunca chegar a ir para a frente, sempre tive vontade de ter o meu.

As part of the magazine's structure, there are the regular columns, special features, and handmade business articles. In the first one, I especially enjoyed the "Sew giving: what does sewing give to you?" article. After several years sewing and blogging about it, this made me meditate on everything I got from sewing and it was nice to realise it was much. I was also happy to read Candice Ayala's interview, since I admire her work so much. The "Organic Textiles" article was quite useful and the "how to cover plastic snaps with fabric" one was a nice tip. I use the same technique to cover up regular buttons, but have never thought about doing that to snaps. To finish, every single article about the handmade business was a bonus for me, as I've always wanted to start my own little business, although I haven't yet. 

Reviewing my 2015 goals

I wanted to do this about a month ago, as a half year balancing of the goals I would try to complete during this year. The thing is that 2015 is past half way through (still can't believe it!), and I am not too happy with myself. I promised to do my best to get my goals done, but I don't think I have. More than anything, I've been overwhelmed, just it. Even with so much less to do, the feeling just won't let go. 

So, anyway... my #1 goal was: Sew more of what my kids need - I believe this is the only goal that more or less has been acomplished. By passing a lot of pattern test calls with garments that they don't need, I focused on the ones we liked best and were actually missing. It hasn't been perfect, but it's the goal I can feel more proud of. 

#2 goal: Sew more for myself - I made myself a shirt, a pair of shorts, a bikini and a dress (haven't blogged about this last one yet). I could have been doing more. I still have 5 months left to work on that, so hopefully, I can at least equal the amount of clothes I sewed myself last year. 4 in 7 months is not a lot. 

#3 goal: Sew for the husband - zero. That's all I have to say. I've purchased some fabric just for him, though... 

#4 goal: Sew presents ahead - I was doing so well until around May, then I just got behind and I have no more gifts ready to give. 

#3 goal: Sewing for my house - I can't really think of anything I've done for my house right now. Maybe I haven't done anything at all. 

Apart from the goals I mentioned I also wanted to keep sewing from my stash and refashioning, saving as much as I could as always. But I just couldn't do it. With the excuse of having a wedding to sew for, I went to Spain a few times, shopping for fabric and in all those times I brought more than I should. I also bought a few fabric pieces locally and even online, which is something I don't usually do. I've also been taking note of how much I spend on sewing and craft supplies and that'ssomething I will only check (total) by the end of the years. I believe I've been spending more than I ever did the previous years, it's like I was hunger to buy, just because. 

Sew Geeky Episode 9 TIM BURTON

Have you hear of Sew Geeky already? An idea brought to live by two super creative and talented ladies: Kat from Sew Chibi and Ari from Max California. If you need to know more about it read it over here. I can't consider myself a geek, but when those ladies allowed us to sew along to Tim Burton's inspired episode, I couldn't resist, because I just  L o v e  l o v e  l o v e  Burton's stuff. Besides, I had been wanting to use Sweeney Todd's beach outfits as an inspiration for a long, long time ago. This was just perfect!

And I knew just what to do. Let's start with the girl. Just a little disclaimer first: a couple of months ago I was offered a free pattern of the Peachy Dress & Playsuit from Felicity Sewing Patterns to review. All opinions are my own! That said, the girl's dress then. 

ok, Jack is in the wrong movie here, but he's perfect to host this post, right?! RIGHT?!!!

Would you like to take a closer look?!

I didn't want to do a dress just like the one in the movie, instead I wanted to get inspired by its colours. I also wanted a fresh dress and so the Peachy Dress & Playsuit pattern was just an obvious choice. This is the perfect dress (or playsuit) for the warmer days, too bad it's freaky cold outside and we couldn't do our own photoshoot in the beach too. Anyway, this pattern comes with six styling options (Basic Dress; Basic Playsuit with long or short pants; Dress, Playsuit or Romper with shoulder frills & elastic neckline; Dress, Playsuit or Romper with neck frill; Pillowcase Dress or Top; & Separate Shorts). Besides, it includes 2 cute pocket options, with a total of 4 tutorials on how to sew all possible combinations, with detailed photos and easy to follow instructions. I had zero problems sewing this up so I think it is a begginers good choice too. I am not a very ruffle person, but I'll admit these frills look just too cute on my little miss. She wasn't so happy about me pulling one of the shoulders down for the photo. 

I did the shoulder frills and elastic neckline option for the top, and the patch pockets option for the skirt. The skirt twirls beautifully because it is made out of 4 panels. Besides the elastic on the shoulders, it has a waist elastic too, which makes the top a little puffy and just adorable. I can't tell if I did size 2 or 3 anymore, but I followed the chart and it fits just great. Not to mention this little lady adored her new dress. Even though it was so cold when we did a very quick photoshoot indoors, she didn't want to take it out after all. She covered herself up with a blanket and said it'd be fine like that. The pattern comes sizes 2-14y and I've got the bug, I believe this is one of those patterns I could sew for myself and match my daughter! I love being small... at times!

I love it when I am surprised by a pattern. I was afraid I would end up doing something I didn't like because of the ruffles in this, but when picking carefully from the pattern pieces, and with your right choice of fabric, this became girly enough and pretty much satisfying for me. Having the girl's approval makes it even better. I believe this is the kind of dress every little girl loves. The blue fabric was in my stash. I made 2 dresses with it before, one for me and one for G. when she was only 1 year old. I can't believe there's still a piece of it left. The polka dots fabric was just a scrap, just enough for the pockets and to make the exact amount of bias that I needed. The small white flowers on black fabric, is actually a refashion from an old romper that was hanging in my piles for too long. 

So, what about the boy?! His was a very quick project. I looked through my stash, and I had a women sized striped t-shirt. The stripes were thinner than the inspiration, but the model was much smaller too, so it's porpotional. I didn't use a pattern for this one. I just used one of his 9M shirts (he's 6m now) to trace and cut the armholes. 

I kept the original hem, and only made a round shaped cut to turn it into a romper. I hemmed the seams of this cut and closed with metalic snaps (sewn to it). They were bad quality though and keep opening when my baby boy wears the romper. I will have to change it. Because I reused most of this shirt, and I kept the original neckline, I figured it'd be too wide for S. That was simple to solve though, I picked the neckline from another (white) shirt and sewn a patch inside, so it could cover the wide neckline and make it appropriate for my son. It turned out perfect. To match, I finished the armholes with bias made out of the same shirt. 

For the five minute photoshoot, I layered his romper with a white long sleeve shirt and tights He was looking so cute, but he kept on crying all along. I believe I've got like one or two photos where he's not crying. I also thought the romper would be bigger on him, because I was planning this to be a spring/summer piece, but I am not sure it'll fit 'till then.