House of Estrela

2013-05-30

Refashion July Month Series

Have you checked the great line-up we've got for you in July?

House of Estrela will be having amazing guests all through the month and now I am calling for you.

Yes, YOU!

All of you who have seen this announcement and wished to be part of the refashion month!

It is your chance to have a place and join the fun. Just let me know about your wish to be part of this by sending me an e-mail (edc_magda (at) hotmail (dot) com). Write REFASHION JULY in the subject, please.

My weekends will be dedicated to sewalongers that would love to join and share your creations.
You will also be able to join by uploading your refashions to the flickr group that will be up in July.

2013-05-27

M(a)y Mending Month IX

Today I'm sharing just a small mending project. Last year I made my first flamenco dress, for my nearly one year old, as I mentioned here. Back then, I also made the nephew's pants and suspenders. And, took one ruffle off the niece's dress because it was too long.

One year has gone and the Romeria week time came again and you know... kids grow!

I had to sew the ruffle back to my niece's dress... and I did it all by hand. The dress was at my parents in Spain, and I couldn't fix it until I got there last friday evening. That's a lot of ruffle to sew by hand - let me tell you!

I also had to fix my little one's dress. I ripped the last ruffle off, and added a small band all around in order to attach the ruffle to it again, giving me extra lenght to the dress. The nephew's was just fine. A little too tight already, but at least I didn't have to put my hands on it.

I left planning to make myself a flamenco skirt next year. Not sure I will, but I have it in mind. I fell in love with one from a little girl and I even took photos of it to rerember later... hehhe

2013-05-24

M(a)y Mending Month VIII

I'm still not sure if I call it mending or refashioning. The thing is, my mom was given a Tintoretto dress, but the elastic on the back was too old and had lost elasticity. Besides, she didn't really like the fit. She wasn't sure if she wanted me to fix it for her or just give it to me, so I could turn it into something new for baby G.

The fabric was great, I loved it at first sight, so I didn't want her to give up on it that easy. I suggested to turn it into a tunic instead and she aproved the idea.

A few days ago, I finally took care of it (she wasn't waiting for too long though), changed the elastic on the back, and cut it from dress to tunic, hemmed and voilá! Easy peasy! And I still had a nice amount of the amazing fabric to try and turn it into something for the little princess.

2013-05-23

80's Inspired look

No need to say:

I went the punk way!

I've put so much thought about this week that I nearly ended up with no time to join the week's theme sewalong over Project Sewn. At first I wasn't really sure I was going to do anything for this week, as I mentioned here. I really couldn't think of anything for this week. At least anything I would happily wear on a daily basis.

Anyway, since I was getting short on time, I went the refashion way after I find a little inspiration point to start with.

After looking at some pictures of the 80's a flash lighted in my head. It was also the decade of the sub-cultures! DAHHHH... how couldn't I think of that before? How?! Still can't understand how I couldn't remember that before. I've been a bit of a freak myself in the last few years, so of course I would pay homage to the early punk years...

I looked for pieces I could use, and I found a t-shirt my loverboy wasn't using anymore and I loved too death. Don't ask me why I loved those ugly faces so much, but this has always been one of my fave t-shirts from him. Proud to say it is mine now!!! hehehe

Oh, and I also went after a pair of very old leggings. Well, they're not old, I bought them last year, but they weren't made of a great quality, and they've turned too tight, even for me (someone who wears an S size). After a little use they looked pretty pretty old. Before giving them up, I tried something on them. If it didn't turn good I wouldn't lament destroying a pair of leggins (a garment I can't live without).

sorry for the bad pictures, only later I realised I needed to clean my lenses.

I refashioned the t-shirt to fit me. I used a Burda pattern for the shirt but I had to adjust it in a few ways. One of them was the lenght to start and the most important was getting rid of some center pleats it had. I didn't want them to ruin my two beautiful faces.

I used only the front of the t-shirt to remake mine. For the back I used a net fabric that I had bought in Lisbon in one of my trips a few years ago. I had quite a good amount and kept wanting to make something out of it for all those years. So far, I had only made a shirt a friend ordered me and that was it. I'm glad I finally used it for myself.

I didn't sew any seams, I just finished it all with a zig zag stitch to get the punk look I wanted to. Too bad it isn't so easy to see in most pictures.

For the leggings I cut two stripes of lace and add them to the sides of each leg. It made the fit of the leggings much more comfortable - remember I said they were too tight even for me?! And they got a new face.

To put my look together I wore the two pieces with the shorts I've refashioned last year... which were just cuts I made on a pair of pants. I've put on my boots, which aren't Doc Martens (very popular in the 80's) but are what I have as close as the originals. Also a tacks belt, a cross necklace, long earings and I had the net gloves, but forgot them in the car. =(

The weather got better and today I was able to play around in the beach with my family as we had fun taking a few pictures and enjoying the good weather. Here's a few goofy pictures. See how comfortable my outfit is? hahaha

If you'd like to vote for me, it will start tomorrow HERE, if not don't worry because I am here only for the fun!!!

funny fact, when I got dressed hubby told me "you look like an 80's Madonna"

ahahahaha

Exactly boy!!! Think I achieved my goal!

There are so many ways to help...

When I reached my e-mail box this morning, I had an appeal from Suzanne Winter to help the victims in Oklahoma by sending them our sewed items. You can read more about it in her blog.

As always, my heart is with those suffering, seeing their lives devasted by something they can't control.

And of course I want to help too... I don't know about sewing something to send, because the post offices tend to take weeks to deliver something from here to the USA, but I am surely sharing this here, hoping to reach others that will able to help.

Main Page Grab Button:

This is the address where items can be sent:

Green Style Creations

508 Conquistador Ct

Edmond OK 73025.

There are so many ways to help... if you can't sew, try to spread the word, the more people we reach, the more people will help!

2013-05-22

M(a)y Mending Month: Simple Invisible Stitched Hem Tutorial

First of all I'd like to apologise for the flash pictures, but lately I have only been able to sew in the evenings, after G. is in bed - the problem is she has been refusing sleep, so she ends up sleeping much later and I end up with no time at all unless I'm up until 1a.m. on a daily basis.

On my month's challenge, I've been mending clothes from the mending pile - which was getting way too big. I had (and still have a few) a lot of classic looking pants to hem. Here's how I make those, always by hand.

And you're done. Any doubts and you know you're free to ask.

2013-05-20

Project Sewn and my own thoughts

This is 80's themed week at Project Sewn and as I try to decide (yet) if I join the sew along or not, I just had to share my thoughts hoping some of you will tell me back your own opinion about it.

The 80's were rebellious. I was born in the early 80's. 1983 more precisally - actually by the end of 1983. When I thought that maybe I should join this week's sewalong, I found it funny to do something inspired at a picture from the year I was born.

But then again. Seriously? Who, in right concious would do anything from the 80's? Ok, there are some acceptable pieces but most of them use colours I would never use... no way... and the shape? Oh Jesus, that shape... The 80's were creepy in my point of view.

Then I tried to think/recall some of my mom's clothes from that time and get inspired. But all the clothes I can recall I would never wear either and can't find a way to recreate them now.

So, if I join this week's sewalong, I am pretty much getting inspired in someone I adored back then. Someone that even though I didn't understand a single word of what she sang, I would sing along and dance like crazy... From her it was said that (...) look and manner of dressing, her performances, and her music videos influenced young girls and women and her style became one of the female fashion trends of the 1980s (...) the look consisted of lace tops, skirts over capri pants, fishnet stockings, jewelry bearing the crucifix, bracelets, and bleached hair.

Not too hard to know who I am talking about, right?!