I have a dream, a silly dream, but a dream

Someday all these jars that I'm saving will be full of buttons!!! And from what I've seen, I don't think I'm the only one with an obsession for buttons...

Os meus novos quadros / My new paintings

Quando se tem uma cunhada que pinta, as paredes nunca estão vazias. Tenho tantos quadros que quando me apaixono por um novo, o marido pergunta sempre: e onde é que o poríamos?
Pois bem, apaixonei-me por uma colecção que retrata os bairros de Lisboa, é uma impressão em tela feita a partir de foto-montagens. Eu adooooro recortes e foto-montagens e alguns destes quadros partem de postais antigos e depois juntam alguns elementos característicos de cada bairro. Eu comprei o da "Baixa-Chiado" porque é a minha zona preferida em Lisboa. Depois nos anos ofereceram-me o do "Bairro Alto e Princípe Real", que era o meu segundo preferido. Depois voltei à feira de artesanato e comprei o de "Campo de Ourique e Estrela e Lapa" porque é também uma zona lindíssima e desde que trabalhei em Campo de Ourique fiquei-lhe com um carinho especial. Agora só me falta dois bairros e depois vou pendurar todos na cozinha - a única divisão até agora imaculada!!!

When you have a sister-in-law that paints, your walls are never naked. I have so many paintings that every time I fall in love with a new one, my husband asks: and where would we hang it?
Well, I fell in love with a collection of paintings portraying the neighbourhoods in Lisbon, it's a printing on canvas made out of pictures and scraping. I love that kind of thing and some of these paintings have in the background old postcards and then the typical elements of the neighbourhood are added. I bought "Baixa-Chiado" because it is my favourite place in Lisbon. Then on my birthday my friends gave me "Bairro Alto and Princípe Real", which was my second favourite painting. Then I went back to the crafts fair and bought "Campo de Ourique and Estrela and Lapa" because it's also a beautiful part of the city and ever since I worked in Campo de Ourique I hold it in my heart. Now there are only two paintings left and then I'll be hanging them in the kitchen - the only room in the house that was still paintings-free!!!

A minha contribuição / My contribution

Para o 1º Encontro de Patchwork em Portugal.
Achei que, já que quase ninguém gosta de roxo (não percebo porquê), bem que podia representar um pouco esta cor. Além disso, dois dos tecidos utilizados (o do centro e a moldura em roxo) foram-me oferecidos por uma das minhas parceiras na International Fat Quarter Swap de há uns meses, portanto achei que faria sentido doar o que me foi dado.
Fiz um bloco misto de log-cabin (a minha 1ª tentativa) e bricks, fiquei contente com o resultado!!!



For the first Patchwork Meeting in Portugal.
I figured that since almost noone likes purple (don't know why that is), I might as well represent some of that colour. Besides, two of the fabrics I used (the one in the center and the purple border) were given to me by one of my International Fat Quarter Swap partners, so it was only logical to give what had been given to me.
My block is a mix between log-cabin (my first attempt) and bricks, I'm happy with the result!

One of these days...

This will become a pillow.



This will be the perfect journal cover.



And this will be a toilettries bag.

Ric rac

I have recently inherited several meters of ric rac. It's vintage. Believe me, it belonged to the grandmother of someone old enough to be my grandmother. And I was its lucky recipient.



My favourite one is the yellow, because it's the brightest of them all, but of course that's the one I have less quantity of. I don't know if you can see it in the picture, but the other colours are pale green, navy blue, dark brown and deep burgundy (you can't imagine how many times I have wanted to say "deep burgundy", it sounds so much lovelier than "grená" or "cor de vinho" ahahah). There is also a pale pink one, which is not exactly ric rac, it's more like crochet, and it would look lovely in a little girl's dress, for example.
In the spirit of sharing, does anyone want me to send them some of this ric rac? If so, please tell me how much and of which colour(s). I'm also considering having another giveaway, in which I could include this and also some selvedges I have been saving.

Parenthood...

A work in (relatively fast) progress

This is the new baby quilt I was telling you about. Before piecing it...



And after piecing it.




I found that all these squares made a too square quilt (does that even make any sense?) so I had to add 4 more rows. So now there's a total of 300 squares of 5 cm, that have 4 cm after piecing, of course. Without the binding it now measures 60 cm x 76 cm. Is it too small to be used in a stroller? I have no idea...

I have already chose a flannel for the backing (something appropriately called "Bundle of Joy")and I'm using a leftover of bamboo batting. Now it's just waiting to be quilted. The question is:

how to quilt it?

If I make little X's, I'll probably end up with a very busy quilt, what with all the colours and patterns and all. The sames goes for free motion quilting, which by the way is lovely and fun but is it just me or the quilts loose some of that soft feeling to them? I have never been successful at stiching in the ditch, which seems ideal to me in this quilt, but man there's a lot of ditches around here... It scares me crazy! And I can't go with my usual quilting (1/4 inch to both sides of the ditch) because then the lines would be too close together, because the squares are kind of tiny (ish).

So, any suggestions?

I'm taking my time with this one (I started roughly a week ago) and having lots of fun. My mother has already seen it and liked it so much she even praised it to her guests on saturday (that was a first, the praise, not the guests), so I'm feel AOK with this. And of course I'm uber excited about finishing it, like I always am. Boy do I love some finished project!!!

Back on track

Estou de volta! Regressámos mais cedo do Algarve e agora temos estado aqui por casa sem fazer nada de especial, porque está demasiado calor para mexermos mais do que os olhos...
No entanto, confesso que tenho mexido um pouco mais do que isso porque arregacei as mangas e comecei uma nova baby quilt. Vai consistir em quadrados de 5 cm todos saídos do meu monte de restinhos. Neste momento já cortei 208 quadrados e tenho um calo na mão. O meu cortador rotativo precisa de uma nova lâmina (o que contribuiu para a formação do dito calo) e tenciono ir em breve À Dotquilts adquiri-la, aproveitando para comprar flanela para as costas da manta e levar o meu bloco para a iniciativa "Patch Solidário". Ainda não fiz o bloco, mas isso é só um pormenor... Fotos em breve!!!

I'm back! We returned from the algarve sooner and now we are just wandering around the house not doing anything, because it's too hot to move more than our eyes...
However, I have to confess that I've been doing a bit more than moving my eyes because I went straight to work and started a new baby quilt. It will be made of 5 cm squares entirely out of my scraps. So far I've cut 208 of them and got myself a blister in my hand. My rotary cutter needs a new blade (hence the blister) and i plan on buying it at Dotquilts, where I also need to buy flannel for the back and hand in my block for the charity that it's being organised. I haven't made the block yet, but that's just a little detail... Photos will follow soon!!!

Summer holidays

We (as in me, my husband and our crazy dogs) will go enjoy our summer holidays at my parent's summer house in Algarve.
Here are some pictures to show you what this region where I've spent all my holidays since I was born means to me. I just wish these photos were mine, they are really nice, right?

(Image by Angelo Stramasso @Olhares)

(Image by Fernando Salgueiro @Olhares)

(Image by Joana Duarte @Olhares)

(Image by Luis Filipe Costa @Olhares)

(Image by Nuno Abreu @Olhares)

(Image by José Barreiro @Olhares)

(Image by Fernando Oliveira @Olhares)

(Image by Cristina Matos @Olhares)

(Image by Atilio Francisco Pinho @Olhares)

I don't think I'll have internet access, so no posting during the next fortnight. But I'll be back with lots of photos and hopefully some sewing done. Yes, even surrounded by all this beauty, I think I'll be taking my sewing machine and some projects with me :)

I will definetely make a quilt...

Inspired by this one. L-O-V-E it!!! Check all about it here and here.
(Image from Cherry)

I got a feeling...

Pick yourself up and try again

I have been reading some posts lately about quilting without obbligation and expressing ourselves instead of losing ourselves trying to meet other people's expectations and likes and dislikes.
I have always thought of myself as a very independent, confident and strong person, with enough self-knowledge and self-esteem to not cave under other people's points of view. I stand by me, even if noone else does (which is not the case because if there is someone who believes even more in myself that I do that person is my husband).
But everyone makes mistakes, everyone has regrets, everyone changes their minds. I'm not perfect, and I'm no exception.
Having said that, meet my "ugly quilt", the one quilt that has been unfinished for some time because from the begining I was not 100% sure of it. I chose colours outside my comfort zone and I didn't exactly plan a pattern, instead I just followed along someone else's instructions. (A quick note is due here: I was making this quilt in my quilting class with someone whose opinions and knowledge I deeply respect. I was not forced into anything, it was all my doing, and I didn't share with her my doubts about this project. I understand now that I was inexperienced and didn't know what I wanted or what I liked and I take full responsability for this project's unsuccess).


This was supposed to be a lap quilt for me and the colours are in harmony with my living room decoration. But the fabrics don't go well together, the pattern is too busy and I has this sort of "old lady" feel to it. I hate it! I don't like anything about it.
But I'm not giving up so easily. Thankfully, I hadn't pieced it yet and I still have some of the fabrics, so it's time to start over. I'm taking this with me on my summer holidays and the seam ripper will be my best friend. When I return from holidays I will think of another way to piece it, a way that I will love.

I have learned my lesson. Don't be too hard on yourselves, don't expect to love everything you make. If you are having second thoughts about something, if you are not enjoying the process of making it, take a break, think it through and if that's the case start over. It's good to take inspiration and learn from other people, but at the end of the day we have to be the ones who live with our decisions. So I choose to listen to my heart.
I'll keep you posted!

Rotina / routine

Sinto uma rotina a instalar-se.
Na 6ª feira à tarde, visto que saio do emprego às 13h, dedico-me a preparar os projectos do fim de semana, incluindo escolher tecidos, designs, etc. Se tenho alguma coisa para levantar ou mandar por correio é também a altura que me dá mais jeito fazê-lo.
No sábado à tarde costuro. No domingo à tarde também. Dependendo do projecto, sábado é dia de o fazer e domingo é dia de o terminar e fotografar.
Durante os dias que se seguem não tenho tempo para costurar, a não ser ao serão, o que só faço se tiver algum tipo de prazo a cumprir, porque de facto prefiro ter luz natural.
E na 6ª seguinte o ciclo repete-se.

I feel a routine settling in.
On friday afternoon, given that I leave work at 1 p.m., I prepare the weekend's projects, including choosing fabrics, designs, etc. If I have something to pick up at the post office or send someone, it's also the ideal time for doing so.
On saturday afternoon I sew. On sunday afternoon too. Depending on the project, saturday is when I'm actually sewing it and sunday I finish and photograph it.
During the week I don't have time to sew except in the evening, which I don't like doing because I rather have sunlight instead of artificial light. Unless I have a deadline to meet.
And when friday comes, it all starts again.

A giveaway search engine

It has come to my attention that there is a website called the Giveaway Scout, which is like a search engine that you can subscribe if you want to be told about giveaways that are happening. Isn't it cool? And even though I don't have giveaways usually (I'm hoping to have another one soon) my blog has been added. I feel very... "professional" right now. ahahaha!!!

"Open Sesame!"

I've been a good girl and cleaned my fabric cabinet, folded all the fabrics nicely and put them back sorted by boy colours and girl colours and prints and solids. Now I feel like saying: "Open Sesame!"
(I also feel like buying more fabric because I don't think I have that much...)

My birthday gifts

The two books that I had asked for and a third one that was a pleasant surprise. It's title could be translated to "Fashion Patterns step by step" and it's about tailloring. It differs from the traditional sewing books, that have beautiful pictures and cute little projects. As you can see from the interior pages, it's mostly theoritical, but it's very useful because it explains the proportions, how to draw patterns, etc. It's very professional!

(One funny thing: the book is written in spanish but also translated into italian and portuguese. My sister-in-law didn't notice this, but she didn't worry because she knows I speak spanish. Only after giving it to me did she realise it was also in portuguese!)

The patterns that I had ordered from Sew Mama Sew and that had arrived some time ago, but that only now I was allowed to open.

And Eva, whom y'all already know!


Besides Eva, my parents also bought me buttons and gave me money to order some fabrics. I bought these in the Sew Mama Sew sale.




So now I have books to learn from, patterns to cut from, a model always at my service and fabrics to turn into clothes!

I had other presents, but these were the sewing related ones. One last surprise was in store for me, also from my sister-in-law:



In her last semester at the arts university she learnt how to make books, or just the book cover if one wants to put in a book they already have. And she made this one (in blue, of course) just for me! I tell you: it's perfect!!! She meant it as a notebook for my sewing lessons or for taking notes while making stuff, but it's so precious that I feel like I would have to be careful with my handwriting so I won't ruin it. I love handmade gifts and this was just an amazing surprise!

Very very VERY useful information

About presser feet.
About sewing machine needles.

Happy birthday...

(Image from here)

To me! Just to let you know that I'm turning 28 today, so I expect some nice comments below :)
The last year has been a crazy ride, with some ups but also some really downs, and I'm trying to be at peace with that. I hope this new year of my life brings me that peace. If I may so, I think I deserve it :)

Lately...

Julho é o mês dos aniversários das amigas (e o meu, já amanhã!).
July is my friend's (and mine, tomorrow!) birthday month.

Fiz um porta-chaves para a minha colega Catarina, que andava com as chaves do escritório metidas num mosquetão de plástico que me causava arrepios.
I made a key-chain for Catarina, my co-worker, because she carried the office keys in a plastic kind of hook that gave me the creeps.





Fiz mais uma capa para proteger livros para a minha amiga Débora, que foi das primeiras pessoas a quem, precisamente há um ano, ofereci uma prenda feita à mão. Adoro as cores deste tecido, é tão... girlie girl!!! Como ela tem um filhote pequeno, só tem tempo para ler à hora de almoço, no jardim ao pé do emprego. Assim ninguém tem de saber o que ela anda a ler!!!
I made another one of my book covers for my friend Débora, who was one of the first people to ever receive a handmade gift by me, precisely one year ago. I love the colours of this fabric, it's so... girlie girl!!! She has a young son, so the only the time she has to read is at lunchtime, in the garden near her workplace. This way noone has to know what she is reading!!!

E, apesar de o aniversário da minha amiga Vanessa ter sido em Dezembro e de já nessa altura ela me ter "encomendado" um porta-comandos para pendurar no braço do sofá, só agora é que o terminei e lho ofereci. Ela tinha-me deixado à vontade em relação ao modelo, apenas tinha indicado as medidas do sofá e as cores da sala (as mesmas que a minha sala: laranja, castanho, creme). Mas eu ainda não tinha resolvido o problema de como prender o porta-comandos dentro do sofá, porque aquele que eu tenho possui um peso, que equilibra o peso dos comandos, mas não sabia onde comprar um peso. Dei tantas voltas à cabeça... considerei areia... dois cubinhos de chumbo em cada ponta... eu sei lá! Depois, de repente, tive um "aha moment": velcro, daqueles de colar!!! Cola-se uma tira ao porta-comandos, cola-se a outra no próprio braço do sofá, do lado de dentro, escondida pela almofada. Só depois de ter resolvido esse problema é que me senti com pica para comprar os tecidos e conceber o modelo. A partir daí foi canja, fiz tudo numa tarde! Gostava de ter tirado mais fotos do processo (tenho algumas, que posso publicar em breve), mas pelo menos aqui fica o produto final. Talvez não dê para ver muito bem, mas na parte do tecido com as flores há três bolsas para os comandos.

And, even though my friend Vanessa's birthday was in December and she "requested" back then a remote-control holder to hang on her couch, only now did I finish it and gave it to her. She had given me a green light about the design, she only gave me the couch measurements and told me her living room colours (the same as mine: orange, brown, beige). But I hadn't figured out the problem of how to keep the piece in place, hanging on the couch arm, because the remote-control holder I have has a metal bar in it that weighs enough to balance the remotes's own weight. I thought and thought... I considered sand... two small pieces of led in each corner... I don't know what else! Then, out of the blue, I had an "aha moment": velcro, the type that you can stick (not sew) to the fabric!!! One strip gets "glued" to the remote-control holder, the other one goes in the couch's arm, in the inside, concealed by the couch's seat. Only after solving this problema did I feel motivated to buy the fabrics and imagine the design. From that moment one, it was a piece of cake, I made it in one single afternoon! I wish I had taken more photos of the process (I have more, which I can post soon), but at least I leave you with the final product. Maybe you can't really tell, but in the flowers fabric there are three pockets for the remotes.

And maybe some dots too...

Gotta love those dots!!!