Recognize those cars? Yes, one of my patterns! This was a birthday present for one year old Hugo. I had just some samples to work with, so I used as much as possible and added an orange frame. The backing is a darker orange, embroidered with dark blue cotton floss.
It appears to have been approved by the birthday boy, his mom says.
Where would you like to use this pattern? Order now.
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Is this Thursday, already? Oh, wonderful, it means tomorrow is Making Friday (Skinny Laminx style). I have been dedicating it to my first quilt, and outstanding goal for 2011.
The top is sewn, so are the two back pieces, and the sandwich is made. Quilting is in progress, but being a beginner quilter, I prefer to take it easy and go slowly.
There were some challenges concerning the alignment (or lack thereof) – I realize, being a first-time quilter, I didn´t make my life any easier by choosing a pattern with two directions of alignment (horizontal and vertical).
Still, with all its quirks, this is a quilt I´m proud of, most specially for being my first one, yes, but also because it makes me happy to look at it, its colours and the way front and back match.
I´ll show again once finished, can´t wait!
These have been very introspective times here in this studio of mine. I´ve been having loads of work (which I´m thankful for) and am, constantly, searching for more work, creating new projects and presenting new ideas to potential clients.
It´s been busy, busy, and I haven´t felt like posting much. Sorry.
One thing that has been on my mind is the (long overdue) portfolio website redo. Oh dear. I wonder if I´m alone in this, but just thinking about having to change it makes my heart shrink a bit. It´s not that I don´t think it needs to be updated – it´s just that working on something that I can´t control (because I don´t know enough when it comes to web design) and therefore takes me three times longer than it should makes want to jump off my 49th floor balcony. Ok, not so literally, but you get my drift.
Other than that, it´s still kind of weird not to have four seasons, but only two: it´s still pretty much rainy, terribly wet all the time. Not too hot, though, which is fine. It´s almost the end of the year and I don´t feel it around me. No yellow leaves on the floor (as during my northern hemisphere days) nor purple jacaranda trees (as in Buenos Aires), so sometimes I must check the calendar just to be sure. It´s November. It´s chestnut and fireplace time in Portugal.
Anyway, enough about this. Here´s some of the things I managed to do on my breaks from my design projects:
This is my third attempt at knitting a Christmas present for someone mysterious – can´t say that person´s name as he or she does not know he or she is a recipient of a knitted gift.
The first finished sweater was too small (but too cute to frog); the second one was rightly sized, but not well designed; therefore, frogged.
This is the third go. We´ll see how it goes.
We use cloth napkins at home and needed our stocks refilled, so I bought some native kuna design fabrics (100% cotton, unfortunately not organic) and sewed a pretty simple hemline on them. There´s a learning curve in sewing, people!
And I finally started painting again. This time, there´s no class, no studio, no model, just me, my brushes and the beautiful view from the balcony. We´ll see where that takes us.
What have you been up to lately?
Me, sewing? Hmmm.
Even I doubted but now that it is finished I´m quite proud of myself. A couple of years ago I wouldn´t have had the time to delve into it nor the belief that I could push another medium-boundary. Well, it´s good to live to prove yourself wrong, isn´t it?
It´s a logo for a new shop. I´ll post (and direct you to it) once it is up and running.
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Costuras? Quem, eu? Um expressivo “hmm” de dúvida e cepticismo.
Esta seria a minha cara há uns anos atrás, quando não tinha nem tempo, nem paciência nem sequer a convicção de que poderia usar a costura (com resultados satisfatórios) como técnica para a ilustração e o design.
Este trabalho é o da nova identidade gráfica para uma loja online que abrirá em breve.
My three year-old niece is the cutest niece ever, did I ever mention that? She absolutely loves to wear grown-up´s aprons, to help grandma or, sometimes, to help me.
Well, that´s where this apron comes from! I designed it double faced and the buttons are located at different heights on each face, so that it will grow up (a bit) with her. It is all hand-sewn (another labour of patience – and love!), fortunately with my Mom´s guidance, who spent two weeks visiting us here in Buenos Aires.
My parents left and took the apron as a “special courrier” and I saw her receiving it online, via skype.
(Thank the computer gods, the yarn gods, the needles and fabric gods, thank the technology gods: a big hooray to skype!)
And a big thank you to my Mom, too, who taught me how to open button holes, among other (important) things!
To see more images, click here.
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A minha sobrinha (a mais linda do mundo, não sei se já disse isto aqui alguma vez) Carolina adora usar aventais. Dos crescidos, claro está, com muitas dobras e as tiras de tecido enroladas à volta da cintura (muitas vezes). Diz ela que é para ajudar a avó. A avó adora, a tia também, e portanto aqui está o avental feito para ela, com tiras bem compridas para lhe darem a volta à cintura e apertarem à frente.
O avental é dupla-face e os botões estão postos a diferentes alturas, para que o possa continuar a usar quando crescer (mais uns centímetros).
Um grande viva à tecnologia e ao Skype, pude vê-la (mais ouvi-la que vê-la porque ninguém lhe apontou a câmara) a receber o presente. Acho que ficou entusiasmada e foi buscar o outro avental que recebeu, com o Noddy.
Graças à minha Mãe, que me deu muitos conselhos em matérias de costuras (e noutras também), aprendi a fazer casas de botões (entre outras coisas). Obrigada! E vivam as Mães, as suas visitas, as suas sopinhas boas e a hortelã que nos trazem de Portugal, com a raiz!
Mais imagens do avental aqui.