Around the World Blog Hop

A few days ago Kim from Kimmie Sew Crazy asked me if I wanted to take part in the Around the World Blog Hop. I’ve met Kim while testing the Ash Jumpsuit and I think she has been testing pretty much every pattern I’ve tested so far (she’s a super tester btw); I must tell you this lady is amazingly productive and it’s hard to keep track of all her cute projects, I kind of wish I could be as fast as her. 🙂 Thanks Kim for thinking about me for this. 😀

About todays post: this is kind of a tag game where you answer some questions and pass it on to another person. I had read Jenya, Renee and Olu’s post about it so I thought it would be fun. Not sure if anyone is interested in reading this but I decided to go for it anyway LOL.

Given my curious nature I wanted to try and see if I could find who started this “game”; I couldn’t but after going back a lot, from garment sewing blogs to a lot of quilting blogs, artists and photographers (I seem to recall a lady that made cocktails) I realised it came from writing blogs (I even found a lady who uses the same blog template as me and who’s content is not suitable for minors hahahah). It was of no use really (I seem to have waisted some precious sewing time ahem) but I came to find out that the original name for this was My Writing Process – Blog Tour. Crazy how this things morph right?!! Now enough blabber and off to the post. (warning the rest of this post is only blabber hahaha)

 What am I working on now?

This one is easy! Chilly days are coming (well not this week since we are having temperatures of 29/30ºC here in Portugal – someone is going to the beach!!- but you know what I mean) and so I started on a new robe for Madalena since the one she’s been using is already small. I’m altering a jacket pattern from a Japanese book and I’m using some flannel and fleece. Here’s a sneak peak. 😉

How does my work differ from others of it’s genre? (this question really makes more sense for a writer but anyway…)

Well I don’t know if it does! I think each person has it’s own particular sense of style, though I don’t really think I fit into any category. You know I’m a bit major “printaholic” and I love to see my girls in colourful and fun clothes (I’m a serious Boden addict when I’m not sewing); but I also love the simple perfect designs of Japanese Patterns. My inspiration is very eclectic and one day I may feel like making a pattern exactly has the original design and the next you can find me turning it in something completely different. So I guess my work is like a box of chocolates you never know what you’re gonna get… (hahaha extra points for me for my cheesiness and for thinking I’m more interesting and funny than I actually am – I’m so predictable LOL)

I made the same mistake as last year and the foxes on Madalena’s robe aren’t aligned just like the ones on this coat I made Francisca last fall, arghhh I never learn!!

Why do I write/create what I do?

A while after I turned a stay at home mom back in 2010 I started feeling the need to express my creative nature in some way (pretty common situation). By then my sister and aunt had already ventured in making the most adorable Waldorf Dolls and I felt inspired to give sewing a try. I bought my machine in January of 2011 and it stayed on my dinning table inside the box for about 1 week, I was afraid of it. I then read the manual and grabbed a piece of fabric to give it a try, just as I started the bobbin thread got all tangled; I thought I’d broken the machine. I figured it out and got the courage to hem some drapes we had bought. It went well, sort of, so I decided to make a top for Madalena and I got hooked. It came so naturally to me that I couldn’t believe it (though I’m not saying that my first project was pretty to look at hahah) it was love at first sight. So I guess I keep sewing because I really love it and I’m happy to have found not just a hobby but something I’m truly passionate about; and in case you’re wondering no I don’t want to work in architecture anymore, ever!!!

About the writing part: shortly after I started sewing I felt it would be great to have a place where I could share my projects and hence started my first blog. I soon became bored with it and I stopped. But then this year I made some new friends online and I really felt like sharing my projects again and with them my silly thoughts (sorry for that part hahaha), lets see how long I take it this time around! 😉

How does my writing/creating process work? 

Most of the time my first inspiration is fabric, I love fabric (who doesn’t right?). I often buy fabric without knowing exactly what I’m going to do with it, and most of the time I plan something for a fabric and then it turns into something completely different. But sometimes I just see a fabric and know exactly what I want t make with it, like the case of this skirt.

  I’m not the most organized person (just talk to my dear husband and he’ll brief you, heheheh) so I tend to leave projects unfinished for a while and start new ones in the middle. I think the most important thing is that I only make what I feel like, and when I’m not happy with a project I often abandoned it for good… 😀

As for the writing I end up doing it when I have some spare time and write full blog posts on the iPhone notes app, ha.

So basically what I’m saying is that I have no plan, this blog for most part focuses on whatever I feel like making in a given moment. 😉

Well as much as I like to make endless speeches about myself (hahahah) it comes the time to pass this blog hop to someone who inspires me. I’ve asked Marta from Do Guincho to be the next stop. 😀 It has been a pleasure to be friends with Marta, she’s the sweetest and makes the most beautiful clothes for her girls, we really have to meet up in real life since we only live 30 minutes apart. I’m really looking forward to hear more about her creative process and all.

Hope you enjoyed getting to know a bit more about me, and thanks a million if you got this far!!! 😀 xoxo