Looks like Summer has finally arrived and with it comes the inevitable speeding down and cooling up. The first one is rather difficult with a couple of toddlers to whom I forgot to add a pause button while they were on the making. My bad. The second one is easier, just find some water and dive in. Not the duck pond, please. Have you realised how dives taste better as years go by? Seriously, diving in the sea, preferably, has a sweeter taste for me now than it did just a few years ago.

Well, not being able to go for a swim, light and airy clothes is what it´s all about. Though I enjoy and repeat to exhaustion good basic patterns, I also like to have some twists in my wardrobe, and Charlotte from KZJO Studio fulfills that. I have just finished testing it and you can see some of the other testers fresh versions here.

Those straps are cleverly constructed from the bias facing applied to the front neckline and that back yoke is just calling you to play with it and create your own shape. Shorten the tunic for a blousier look or lenghten it for a boho maxi dress with some lace in the straps or the yoke. Fabric is from my local shop Feira dos Tecidos and Zara used it in an overall. I can tell you that it´s been 6 months since I bought a piece of clothing for myself (ha, looks like an AA recovery line) and even somethings I like are just not worth the money. Not shoes, shoes are always a good buy. Plus, the feeling of making your own clothes is way more rewarding than some quick shop.

And yes, good question, I´m not wearing a bra (but it´s wearable with a strapless one), my boobs migrated far south but I don´t give a shit I just don´t give a shit, really. Ahhh, Summer. <3

Last few weeks has been all about pattern testing and I´ve grown a deep and sincere respect for all pattern designers out there, but some in particular caught my heart as well. Having a math teaching degree, and a former incursion in landscape architecture, it really came as no surprise that I would soon want to learn more about pattern drafting, and obviously you set your standards according to what you know and the patterns you use.

I had tried Laura´s Titchy Threads patterns before with the free version of Small Fry Skinny jeans and I was immediately blown away. I like to see professionalism, attention to details and good construction methods and Laura doesn´t miss a thing.

The Safari Raglan is a dress/tshirt (suitable for boys too) with raglan short or long sleeves, for which you can add the cutest puppet cuffs, what a super twist for our little ones!
Looks basic? Well, it is, but you must imagine the possibilities. First of all, fit. You don´t perfect fit with an over designed pattern, you perfect it with basic blocks like these, which make blending, shortening or lengthening a child´s play. It quickly becomes a TNT you can make blindfolded (it´s a methaphore, ok? Keep the blinds for Mr. Grey, not while sewing). Second, print matching. It´s easier to practise on a pattern with few seams, especially stripes. Third, creativity. Either by fabric choice and doing some colour blocking with the sleeves and pockets or by adding to the original pattern. That´s the beauty of TNT´s: it´s there just daring you to push a little further. I can see this with a beautiful peter pan collar, inseam pockets, or the Rowan Tee hood as it fits this neckline as well.

Stripe matching madness began at the cutting table (aka the floor) and I had to manipulate both pattern pieces and fabric to get it to match at all seams. The sleeves were cut not exactly at the greatest stretch length but with a little angle to make them match both front and back, but not enough to distort the stripe design.

This was made right after Stylo 04 came out, so my head was bursting with colour vibes, inspiration and a calling to get out of my comfort box and choose a fabric I normally wouldn´t. The dress itself has a simple A line design, so it demanded a fabric to enhance its simple features.

I´m not fond of black for children, but with all the other colours I couldn´t resist. I remember I had a black tshirt as a child which I loved and it was always a special treat when I wore it, I felt so grown up. Fabric is from my local shop and I bought it having in mind a Petit Marcel inspired dress, which I think turned out as I pictured it. It has been worn, washed over and over and worn again and everyone compliments it (even not knowing I made it). It´s perfect for everyday wear, my daughter puts it on and out easily through the head, and I´m planning a few more for Summer and Winter with the long sleeve.

Sometimes simple goes a long way and this, my sewing friends, is another Titchy Threads pattern for life.
On a personal note, I must thank Laura again for the opportunity of testing and for using my pictures in the listing and on the pattern cover. I´m so grateful <3
And to celebrate the release, Laura´s is giving a sale of 25% on ALL her patterns using code SUMMER25! Crazy good, right? Ha, feel free to do a happy dance! <3

The internet sewing community I have been discovering is far more than just trying new patterns and talking about them. There is an enormous feeling of altruism that can only make you reflect, embrace, and be thankful for meeting so many people that are immediately ready to give you a hand and like what you do.

When I started the blog, I did it with no rewarding expectations, that is, I did it with the sole purpose to share and talk a bit about a passion, but the rewards do come, in a much better way than the material ones. To feel like you are starting to belong in a community where the main focus is sharing, can only make you humbled and moved. Sharing comes from within and puts a lot of things in life under perspective. You start spreading the same feeling to other parts of your life and that, as a person, is a very good place to be.

I had seen the wonderful Aberdeen, designed by Rebecca from Rock the Stitch as part of the Willow & Co SS2015 collection, when the call for testers was out, but immediately thought it was head over heels for me. Then I saw it again a few weeks later, and although the call was closed, something caught my attention (there was a little note about still seeking testers for a smaller size). I wrote Rebecca hoping the call was still up. It was finished. She and Olga included me in the Willow & Co 2015 tour. I wanted to cry.

You see, for me it´s all about these people you find in your path that are so open minded and trustful and just say "hey, come along". It´s a competition free environment, or at least a healthy one, or am I being to naive?
So, enough with the lame (but totally heartfelt) intro, let´s rock.
One night, going through my closet after a nice dinner out and dancing with my husband ironing laundry equivalent to the Everest, I pulled out a faux fur vest I really love and it all became clear. I really like to look at patterns without seeing any versions of it so I don´t feel compelled to copy an idea, and with the Aberdeen I knew there was a lot to play with. Also, I wanted to show some versatility, because when you buy a jacket pattern like this you don´t necessarily have to make it with the exact same design, you can and you should put your personal twist to it. That´s what will make it part of YOUR wardrobe. I thought about making the Aberdeen as a faux leather vest, as I had seen some soft faux leather at one of my local shops, Nomalism. This is actually a shop more dedicated to upholstery fabrics, but I have bought some nice cottons there and they carry some absolutely scrumptious prints.
So you must be asking "did she dare it, oh did she dare it?" Damn right I did. Ohh yes, I turned Aberdeen into a vest with some really tricky and dificult alterations. The first one was not assembling the sleeves pages on the pdf. Oh my, that was a hard step. Then I didn´t even had to take in anything at the original armholes. Pfff, sweating stuff.



Regarding the construction process itself, I did the smallest size and decided that if I needed to adapt anything I would do it along the way, which I didn´t need to. I assembled parts of the outer shell just to check fit at bust line and armholes and everything was in the right place, so I moved on. All of the instructions were easy to follow with the diagrams but I already knew I would have to change some steps in order to completely line it as a vest.


I used a quilting needle in size 80 as it is more indicated for sewing faux leather because of it´s thinner point and piercing power, and leather needles actually work better on real leather. I used a regular foot as this didn´t have that shinny surface faux leathers normally have, it is actually quite soft and resembles the suede touch.
The collar part and the attachment of the lining to the back neck facing was a pressure point, as were the welts, but scotch tape is my new found secret: I just tape the parts I need instead of pinning, sew over it and then carefully remove the tape.


Some other pressure point was all the bulkness derived from the fabric itself, and there were some parts I had to topstitch manually; by this I mean I stop any pedalling and just turn the needle wheel by hand at the same time I gently push the fabric in the right direction. You already know the machine I have is for kids is very basic, so I have some tricks to get it to perform as I need. I used topstitching thread but points are a little irregular up close and it jammed a lot, even though I used the same thread at the bobbin. When this happens, I stop pedal control again and turn the wheel back and forth until it looses the threads and it normally works. Having said this, if there are any Sewing Mecenas reading this, feel free to sponsour me with a Pfaff Passport 2.0. I will hem all your trousers forever.
I used a very light cotton for lining, not the most recommended but I really liked the pop of colour and the boho feel it gave the vest. I wish I had used some metallic teeth zippers, but I couldn´t find any in both sizes that matched, but I now know Feira dos Tecidos in Rossio carries a lot of notions we couldn´t normally find here in Portugal.
I had my very first accidental print matching on the lining. I had some care when cuting the main back because of the print design, but the rest of it was totally random placed. In fact, I just wanted to save fabric because it was intended for something else. I had seen some cases of accidents like these and I normally thought no way that b#$%@ did that by accident how is it possible? Well, I´m part of the club now.
I only had some trouble with the hem facing piece because I think I cut it the wrong size and it was too big, but I only noticed after attaching it so no-way-Jo-se I was unpicking it.



I can see myself wearing it on a breezy Summer night or with a cable knit sweater on a warm Winter day. It´s a neutral add to my wardrobe, easy to match and a cool, modern versatile piece.






Of course I now get photobombed at every session.


Thank you so much for having me in this wonderful tour, hope you had a nice time reading this. And check my dear friend Sara who is in the tour today with perfect sewing, as usual! Also check talented Maria and Chelise creations. It´s a privilege to be side by side with them <3. Now go and sew, my lovelies, go and sew!

If you´re a classic, simple, only colour inside the lines kind of person, this pattern is for you! I´m not mistaken. The Morocco Tuxedo Pant & Shorts is straight forward, bold, everything that pushes you out of your comfort zone: that´s why you need it. You see, my philosophie is try almost everything once. Until you follow Celina´s detailed instructions, until you spend two hours choosing the right combo of fabric for the main shorts or pants and the tuxedo stripes, your sewing life is dull and meaningless.

You know all those things you´re afraid of: the zipper fly, the notched stripes at front, the side pockets, the waistband with adjustable elastic, the welt pockets at the back? They´re all here muahahaha. But no, fear not, Celina makes them the.easiest.sew.ever. Really.

The pattern includes versions for simple shorts or pants or a version with the tuxedo stripe at the front. The back pockets can be welt if you´re feeling brave or a simple flap if you want to quick it up.

The green twill is an upcycle from some old trousers of mine, and the stripey denim and dark denim were leftovers from other projects. This is perfect to mix and match all those fabric bits you don´t wanna throw away, (you hoarder, yes I know you keep them), but not big enough to do a whole clothing piece.

Since I´ve been invited by Diana to take part in this blog hop, I´ve been mentally singing Daft Punk´s song.

What am I working on?

God. Where do I start? I´m all over the place. I´m doing some pattern testing for kids/women. I´m trying to build my kids wardrobe and my own for summer. I´m reading a lot about pattern alterations and grading for kids and trying to make my first very simple and basic pattern/tutorial, let´s see how it goes. I normally do 3 or 4 different sewing projects at once: when I finish a hard part at one of them, I stop and pick one of the others and so on. This helps me stay focused, oddly enough.

How does my work differ from others in its genre?

It doesn´t, I copy everything I like. Well, I´m influenced by RTW brands, both on colour trends and models. I try to make it myself instead of buying it. Try to keep it simple and basic, but I always fall for coloured prints. I really get out of my confort zone when sewing, I wouldn´t buy many of the items I make based on the fabric I use, I would simply stick to basics for wardrobe matching purposes, so that´s a big plus for me.

Why do I create what I do?

Well, it started as a challenge I made myself about two years ago and also out of need. Kids grow up very fast and it was getting hard to keep up with an updated fitted closet for them. Also, I realised some of the things I was buying for them were too expensive regarding price/quality. For myself, it was purely out of fitting issues; being petite sized it was becoming a struggle to find sized clothes, especially when fashion dictates boxy and large. I was feeling like a potato bag with all my rtw clothes. It´s incredible what sewing can do for your self esteem; once you free yourself from labels and size tags psichological power, you´ll be able to embrace your body size as is, enjoy it and dress it up with maximum confidence.

How does my creative process work?

If I look up to my home made clothes just a few months ago, I can already spot the difference and the evolution of my sewing game: play hard or go home.

I´ve started to choose patterns more carefully and wisely, paying attention to details and finishing touches. For a home taught sewist, this is a very important step, as you are learning and improving your skills by the pattern instructions and this is directly related to the designer own skills.

The Biscayne Blouse, a natural beauty indeed, by Hey June Patterns, which I had the pleasure to test, is a very good example of this. You look at it and think "no way, this is too much, I can´t, yada yada yada...". Well, I wouldn´t say you could and you should if i didn´t think it was possible and if I hadn´t tried it myself. The pattern is ment for light and drapey fabrics and includes some intimidating shit things: a welt pocket, a hidden button placket, a collar, all beautifully designed and instructed to elevate your sewing game and make you feel like a professional.

Being sttuborn by nature, I had to try a version in some rayon silk. I have been following this awesome technique to cut up these slippery buggers, and though there´s a bit of paper waist, it´s totally worth it and you can keep the leftovers for some kids artwork. Besides this, I also gave my fabric a starch bath, by dissolving some mash potatoes puree flakes (you work with what you have, right?) in about 2 lt water and it became so stiff it could stand alone. Once I was finished I just hand washed it with a mild detergent and it went back to it´s drapey drooling shape.

My second version was in a rayon challis and so much easier to sew, but again with wonderful draping power. The fit is loose at the side seams but you can easily adjust it by taking in a few cm. One of the things I loved about the pattern was all the preparation steps and attention to details that are sure to get you professional results. It´s not a rush sew, this is made for sewing lovers. The hidden button placket is a notorious marking game, there´s staystitching and understitching in all the right places, french seams, and you can choose to do a patch pocket instead of the welt (c´mon, are you a power girl or a chicken?).

I was photobombed at my last session, but that´s part of it too, isn´t it? They are always around, you sew by bits because mummy i want water, mummy i wanna play this game, mummy i wanna dance, mummy muaaaaahhhhh brother beat me muaaaaaaah, now sister beat me muaaaaahhhh but don´t worry: soon they´ll be sleeping, you´ll go back to your sewing moment of zen, and then stop it to go sit at their room and watch them sleep. All is love, all is balance. <3

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