PR&P season 8

Have you noticed? Yes, the 8th edition of Project Run & Play is starting next month, and it's going to be fun to follow because the contestants are past sew along winners! How fun is that? Again, I will try to sew along, but I am not totally sure I will be able to.

Anyway, the themes for this season are:

Week One: (Jan 13th)---Winter Wonderland:  Design a winter inspired look.

Week Two: (Jan 20th)---Let's Go to the Movies:  Design a look based on a favorite movie or movie character.

Week Three: (Jan 27th)---Repurposing:  Design a look where the majority of the materials you use are either upcycled or recycled.

Week Four (Feb 3rd)---Your Signature Style:  Design a look that best represents your personal style of creating children's clothing.

Of course I am loving week 3, especially because it will be Refashion Month in January, it will fit the theme of my series too. Exciting, right? Let's start sewing as soon as possible! It will be a year since I started sewing along with PR&P and got addicted to it!

It's coming!

I know you're probably too drawn in Christmas  crafts and sewing, but soon December will be over and a new year will arrive will a lot of new experiences, and things to do and remember. 

Also, in the first day of the new year, we are having a winter edition of the Refashion Month over House of Estrela. Again, a month full of great and talented bloggers, all trying to give new life to old garments. 

Ready for the fun? 

A Bracelet for my big niece

When I wore the refashioned leather corset I made for Refashion Runway, I wore a purple and black bracelet with it. Can you remember? Maybe you didn't pay attention to that detail. Well, it doesn't matter much really, I just wanted to mention it, because I bought it like 4-5 years ago to a mom crafter that was going through some difficulties and I wanted to help. When I recieved it, I loved it more than I thought I would. But I am not a bracelet wearing kinda gal, and the same thing has been laying around. I wore it like twice so far. I've thought about gifting it away for a few days, it's new, but then again, I love it so and feel kinda attached to it.  

For a very long time, I've been considering reproducing it, my sister would love one and I guess most women do. This year, I haven't been able to sew much for Christmas, and going through some stuff I found my old beads. Hey, I haven't been able to sew but I guess beading is something I can do quietly, right? So I tried it. 

I realised I wouldn't have enough material - or similar - to reproduce my own bracelet, but I as always I took the challenge to work with what I had. And this is what came out... 

So, I made a bracelet. I just used what I had, and went creating a design as I was making it. I like it. I hope my big niece will like it too, I used a tulle bag I was given before, to put the bracelet in, and it's ready to go under the tree.

How are you doing with the homemade presents? Or are you just buying them? I'm half the way through my list and unfortunately I've been buying more than making this year.

Pattern Testing: Cupcake top

So, last month, I was able to test for Sewing MamaRaeAnna again. I was very excited to test for her again and this cupcake top is just adorable. She asigned me the 18 months size. I have a grandniece who's just that age right now but it totally fitted my daughter too after all. Mine is nearly 30 months, but she's skinny I guess. 

I was in the middle of that huge order when I sewed this, and I didn't even got the time to take good pictures of it. I visited my niece to get her daughter into the top and check out the fit. On the photo below, that's my grandniece wearing it on the top photos and my daughter on the bottom photos. 

This was RaeAnna's first sketch of the pattern, it has been changed and improved ever since. This pattern is about to be realeased and I am sure you'll love it. 

Unfortunately I couldn't be a better tester this time. I only got to make this one piece and then it was impossible for me to sew at all. I haven't done anything, and I feel terrible sad about that... actually I'm starting to feel a little frustrated. 

So, although it was a test top, I wanted to make it cute. Or, at least I tried to. I chose pink and brown knits because it reminds me of cupcake colors. Chocolate brown and strawberry pink. The pink fabric is the same I used for the romper I made for my little cousin a couple of months ago, and the brown is actually left overs from a t-shirt I used to make my daughter a (failed) pair of leggings I never blogged about yet. It was actually grey, but by the time I dyed my brown jeans, I included the t-shirts scraps in the machine, I knew I'd get a chance to use it. 

A simple project: Flower hair clips

A couple of weeks ago, daycare asked us parents to help them collecting a few things so theu could sell in a local Christmas fair. The money from the sells would go to new materials for the kids. I went through my ready-made box of handmades and found two wallets and a dress I was willing to donate. But I thought that wouldn't be much, so to add a few more things I made some very quick hairclips. The flowers were done - I have a jar full of them from the time I learnt how to make them - so all I had to do was glue the ribbon to the clips, then glue the flower on it, and a button to finish. I made 6 hairclips to complete my donation in just a few minutes. Which is the best I can do lately. 

Advent Calendar 2013

I've been wanting to make an advent calendar for years. I started saving little boxes last year to make one I have in mind for about two years or so, but I only had 22 by the end of November, so I guess that will wait for another year. I did make a calendar though!

I was inspired by this one here, but mine isn't as cute because as I told you, things have been slow on the sewing and crafting around here. This was the best I could get and I am pretty happy about it, because at least I made it!

In our calendar, we have activities to do together as a family and also one or another sweet for the little miss. This is all about her after all. 

Now I only wish I had a fireplace to put in on, but while I don't this has to work. I'm considering trying to build a fake one sometime in the future, but there are just so many projects in line... 

I've been MIA

Well, yes I have. And I am sorry, it has been impossible for me to just sit and sew or even blog. For the last couple of days, I wasn't even able to just read all of my fave blog's posts. Bloglovin tells me I have over 200 post to read, and that's after I've cleaned it from the ones that didn't interested me. I will try to get back to posting interesting stuff soon, but as things have been I can't promise anything. I can tell you, I've been working on my advent callendar today. Pffff... it's too late, I wanted to have it ready already, but again, I couldn't. It'll be a simple one though.