Posted in Crafts, Projects on July 18, 2009| 3 Comments »
My first Gum Drop Pillow, from a pattern by Amy Butler. I was heavily inspired by Concha, who has done several of these ottomans herself and kept saying how easy and rewarding they are to sew. I believed her and gave it a go and… Yay! I’m so very pleased!
Posted in At home, Crafts, Projects, tagged fabrics, Sewing, weekend on July 14, 2009| 7 Comments »
Posted in Crafts, Projects, Stories, tagged bags, clutch, knitting, photography, Sewing, trekking xxl on July 7, 2009| Leave a Comment »
I knew it had been ages since I posted something here, but only today did I realise how long it’d really been. There is a reason, of course, and it’s called time, or lack of. My hands have not been that busy with crafty things because the rest of me (and my hands too, really) have had very little time to dedicate to said things. I also have a new hobby, photography. The reason why it goes unnoticed is because I’m really not that good at it, in spite of my efforts. I’ll get better.
Anyways, over the past 4 months, I’ve finished knitting all the parts of my first jumper which is now sitting patiently waiting for me to put all the pieces together. (no photos of that)
I’ve sewn another clutch for myself, quite a posh one too, to take with me to Ascot (yes, I have been to Ascot, wearing a fascinator and all, oh so very British!). (there is one photo of the clutch, but not very good)
I’ve started a woolly hat. For Christmas last year, I gave my little brother (who’s not so little anymore) a knitted hat (ravelry link). He lost it a few weeks ago and wrote me the saddest email telling me how he wore it all the time and now it was lost. I didn’t really mind he had lost it, things happen after all, but the thought that he wore my hat all the time filled me with happiness. Of course I promised to replace it with one just like it. Turns out that now I’m supposed to knit two, one just like it and another one in grey – I asked which colour he would prefer, now he could pick; simple, he said, you’ll knit both! Yes, I felt proud that he wanted me to knit him two hats 🙂 a little flattering will take you a long way! (oh, and no photo of the finished lost hat either!)
Judging by the *photo* comment at the end of each paragraph I can safely say my new hobby is in need of some TLC.
P.S. – Truth be told, I must admit it’s been difficult to keep two alter egos going (the Cientista in me is pretty demanding elsewhere) and this one is the one I ignore the most *blush*
Posted in Crafts, tagged bags, Sewing on February 14, 2009| 4 Comments »
Mum’s very special heat bag for Christmas, with owls for wisdom and red because Mum loves red (and owls!).
Posted in Crafts, Projects, tagged heat bag, Sewing on December 3, 2008| 4 Comments »
Posted in Crafts, Projects, tagged knitting, socks, trekking xxl on December 1, 2008| 2 Comments »
Mum and Dad’s Xmas presents are on the needles… Socks! The dreaded present (usually from old aunts) will this year come from their beloved daughter! The socks are part of a nice but small pack of other handmade or custom made things! I hope they like it (and I sincerely hope they fit)!
Posted in Crafts, Projects, tagged knitting, socks, trekking xxl on November 5, 2008| 4 Comments »
This sock is the first to be finished (no photos of the accomplishment yet!), from the pattern by Rosa Pomar, with Trekking XXL 147 bought here. Although the pattern is very clear and I would recommend it to all Portuguese speakers, I still ended up with 2 tiny holes on the heel (need to perfect my technique) and I’m sure the toe wasn’t supposed to be done like I’ve done it (I’m under the impression I cheated a bit!, but can’t see where I messed up). In any case, it looks lovely (photo later).
It is addictive, I tell you! And now I’m facing such a hard dilemma – explore other patterns! Doesn’t seem like a dilemma at all, I know, but if you consider it takes me ages to finish one sock… I’ll have to wait at least 2 weeks before being able to explore and see the results of a new pattern! So I’m thinking that maybe letting this sock be an only child for a bit is not so bad… or is it? Needles, I need more needles of the same size, so I can have at least 2 patterns going on at the same time!
Posted in Crafts, Projects, tagged knitting, socks on October 20, 2008| 5 Comments »
I had been thinking about sock knitting for ages, but actually seeing the handmade socks of Crafty Doula and Claire gave me the motivation to get 2 (yes, not just one!) sock knitting kits. This sock is the proud product of kit one. Kit two will come shortly (?). Have to say – this thing is very, and I mean very, addictive! I can’t stop now, not even at pub quizzes!!
Posted in Crafts, tagged bags, Sewing on September 28, 2008| 5 Comments »
I had been looking for a messenger bag pattern for ages when I came across the Mischievous Gnome Messenger Bag, by Sew Liberated, at Concha‘s blog. The thing with patterns is that what the photos show might not be what I am able to achieve, so I like to read people’s comments on things they have used and enjoyed; reading Concha’s post and seeing her photos of the bag really did it for me.
I am very pleased with it and I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a messenger bag or something of the sort. The instructions are very clear and easy to follow and it even teaches you (or me, anyway!) to sew an inside pocket with zip! How cool is that?
The bag itself is also brilliant! A bit bigger than what I’d normally go for, but great nonetheless. It has two front pockets, a bigger back pocket and the mentioned inside pocket.
Now, the adventure of sewing it. I have never ever tried iron-on interfacing. I knew this bag needed sturdiness, so I used heavy-weight canvas for the interlining. The lining is also from a mid-weight cotton and the outside linen is fairly sturdy as well. While this achieves the sturdiness goal, it was a bit tricky to sew! A lot of patience and plenty of machine needle changing ended up doing the trick!
Finally, I now own a red bag, yay!
Joana at the beach 