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!

TPC

Para encontrar os tamanhos e cores dos fechos que me faltavam nada como uma visita ao Park dos Tecidos.

Almas-gémeas

Quando gosto muito de um tecido, tenho a tendência para comprar esse padrão em várias cores. Sempre fiz isso com as roupas nas lojas, agora é com os tecidos...

When I really love a fabric, I tend to buy that pattern in several colours. I've always done that with clothes I bought from the store, now it's with fabrics...

What I love about sewing...

É que o céu é mesmo limite.

As combinações possíveis são infinitas e basta mudar os tecidos para o mesmo projecto ficar completamente diferente.

Is that the sky is the limit.

The possible combinations are infinite and it only takes you to change the fabrics to have the same project turn out completely different.

Viva a imaginação! Vivaaa! Vivaaa!

Long live the imagination! Hip-hip-hurrayyyy!!!

Lost in translation

Decidi passar a escrever sempre em português e inglês para facilitar a vida a quem visita este blog e for de outro país, visto que eu própria visito blogs de verdadeiras artistas nos EUA, Austrália, Alemanha, Reino Unido, etc. Deu-me uma trabalheira traduzir tudo o que já estava para trás, mas já está!



*** Mind the Translation ***

I've decided to start writing in Portuguese and in English to make it easier for those who visit this blog and are from abroad, since I visit blogs whose authors - some true artists - live in the US, Australia, Germany, UK, among others. It has pretty tiring to translate my previous posts, but it's done!

Serei sempre "azul" / I'll always be the colour blue

Nada feito... / Not a chance...

Quando finalmente pude ir à Arco-íris a metro, convencida que estava que ia realmente tirar a barriga de misérias, descobri que os tecidos pelos quais me tinha apaixonado já estavam praticamente esgotados. Havia pouco de cada um, alguns não havia nada sequer, e eu senti-me tão triste porque tinha grandes projectos em mente (por "grandes" entenda-se uma capa de edredon para a minha cama com pelo menos 2m x 3m). Quando finalmente me começo a sentir à vontade para voar mais alto e decido fazer uma coisa que será para mim e não para oferecer... nada feito!

When I finally got to go to the shop, certain that I would be put out of my misery, I found out that the fabrics with which I had fallen in love were practically sold out. There were a little bit of each, some there were nothing at all, and I felt so sad because I had great projects in mind (by "great" I mean a duvet cover for my bed at least 2m x 3m). When I'm finally starting to feel at ease to fligh higher and I decide to make something for myself rather that to give someone else... not a chance!


A lição é: se há tecidos novos numa loja, temos que ir a correr lá comprar. Não podemos adiar, ai e tal porque ando ocupada, ai e tal porque agora não me dava jeito gastar dinheiro, ai e tal porque durante a semana há trânsito na ponte. Ai e tal agora não tens os tecidos que querias, toma lá destas!

What I learned from this is: if there are new fabrics in a shop, we must run there and buy it. We can't postpone, oh because I'm busy, oh because I can't spend any more money right now, oh because on week days there's so much traffic to cross the bridge. Oh and now you don't get to have the fabrics you want, here you go!

Sewing junkie

Ando com tanto trabalho extra ao serão que não tenho tempo para relaxar um bocadinho, ir ao ginásio (one staircase away), ver um filme romântico e, sobretudo, costurar.
A sério, estou a "ressacar"! Já não coso nada desde sábado passado: que horror! E assim vai ser nos próximos dias (aliás, praticamente até ao final do mês): que horror meeeesmo!



*** Mind the Translation ***

I'm so busy with extra work every night that I don't have time to relax a little bit, go to the gym (one staircase away), watch a romatic film and, above all, sewing.
Really, I have a "hangover"! I haven't sewed since last saturday. Dreadful! And so it will stay for the next few days (until the end of the month, actually). Really dreadful!

Provavelmente só depois da silly season... / Probably only after the silly season is over...

...tentarei ir a estes workshops. Até lá, vou costurar, pesquisar, praticar, errar, fazer, desmanchar, enfim, aprender...

...I'll try to go to these workshops. Until then, I'll sew, research, practise, make mistakes, try again, undo... in a word, learn!

a la Lili Caneças *

Costurar não é só costurar.
Muitas vezes, costurar é cortar, alfinetar, desmanchar...

...mas continuo a adorar!



*** Mind the Translation ***

Sewing is not just sewing.
A lot of the time, sewing is cutting, pinning, undoing...

...but I'm still loving it!


* Lili Caneças is a Portuguese socialite, a really dumm one!

Preparativos

Eis o meu pequeno refúgio.
Ainda me falta dar uns retoques na decoração, mas o que interessa é que já limpei e arrumei o meu futuro "atelier", e agora está tudo a postos para que grandes criações nasçam entre estas quatro paredes...



*** Mind the Translation ***

This is my little secret place.
I still have to work on the decoration, but the main thing is that I've cleaned and tidied up my future "workplace", and now everything is ready so that big creations are born inside these four walls...

Bernina Aurora 440QE

Foi amor à primeira vista!

Todas as reviews que leio recomendam-na, não há ninguém que não diga maravilhas dela e... tem o nome da minha avó, a minha maior influência no que diz respeito a lavores. Querem melhor? Queremos. Queremos que não seja tão cara...

***Mind the Translation***

It was love at first sight!

Every review I read recommend it, there's noone who doesn't say the most wonderfull things about it and... it is named after my grandmother, my biggest influence for all things sewing. What more can I ask for? That it wasn't so damn expensive...

Ridícula? EU?! / Ridiculous? ME?!

Não quero saber se as pessoas (incluindo a minha mãe) se riem de eu querer aprender costura e patchwork. Esperem só até ver as coisas maravilhosas que vou saber fazer daqui a uns tempos...



***Mind the Translation***

I don't care if other people (including my own mother) laugh at me for wanting to learn how to sew and make patchwork projects. Just wait and see all the wonderfull things I'll be making in a while...