Keeping Cool in Lisbon

...And failing. Big time. Even though I spent my first 14 years in California, I am hopeless in hot weather. In fact, hopeless doesn't even begin to describe it. I bloat up, and moan about it like a teenager. I feel like an internal sweat tap gets turned on and left to run endlessly. My make-up runs down my face. My hair frizzes. Overall, not a pretty sight.

 Despite this prior knowledge, and also being gripped by Olympic fever, Mr. Needles and I headed off last week to Lisbon, where everyday was at least 30 celsius (that's roughly 1,000,000 fahrenheit) And it was BRILLIANT!

 This was the second time we visited this amazing city, and this time we did it even better. I think what I love most about Lisbon is the fact it still feels like a secret, undiscovered destination, relatively unspoilt by hordes of tourists and commercialism. Whether this is a conscious effort on the part of the Portuguese to limit outside influences on their city, or just the result of sellf imposed isolation as a result of political history, I don't know. But there aren't many European cities where you can find shops in the centre like this:

Beautiful fabric shop, specializing in evening fabrics, mostly covered in sequins

 or this:

A candle shop, over 200 years old

or this:

A teeny, tiny glove shop!

or even this:

A haberdashery shop. This was one of many on a WHOLE STREET of similar shops! The problem was, it was Sunday, our last day, before I realised they were there, and they were all closed...

Here's a quick run through of other cool stuff to do in Lisbon (If you don't like other people's holiday snaps - well, you've been warned) :

Drink great coffee and eat cake -

You're never more than a few paces from a pastellaria, where you can get coffee in various formations (always strong), as well as lovely custard cakes. Every park and square seems to have a kiosk with a few tables where you can while away the hours.

Have a cocktail in the Chinese Pavillion:

Or if you prefer, have a pot of tea! 

This is the most fantastic bar I've ever been to! It's like walking into the house of a very organised hoarder. Room after room is filled with loosely themed collections - toy soldiers, military hats, toys, statuary, porcelain trinkets. You name it, there's a cabinet full of it. There's a never ending menu, with cocktails and exotic teas, and even a couple of pool tables in the back room, so something for everybody. A lot of on-line comments mention the expense of this bar, but I really didn't think it was that bad, and considering the time and effort put into the displays, I think it's worth every penny.

For non-vegetarians - eat great seafood -

A devoured gilthead (I don't even know what that is, but it was tasty)

Besides gilthead and octopus, I also stuffed myself with sardines, clams, squid, and stingray, and I loved it all.

Admire all the beautiful tiles -

Tiles - 'azulejo' - are everywhere, not only inside, but on the outsides of buildings, covering whole facades. I particularly liked some of the mid-century examples, like this panel outside a shoe shop:

The subway also has some beautiful modern examples. This was my favourite one, at Cais do Sodre station, a busy station at the port, hence the big Alice and Wonderland rabbits, checking their watches:

Ride the 28 tram - 

No, this isn't the actual tram...

It's a really touristy thing to do, and the gangs of people with cameras probably get on the locals nerves, but the 28 tram is the closest you can get to a rollercoaster disguised as public transport. Lisbon is hugely hilly, on a par with San Francisco, and like that city, it has trams and cable cars to deal with it. The 28 is brilliant, in that it runs from the peaks in the east of the city, through the centre, and out to the west. 

The route in Graca, to the east, is the best part - the tram belts along tiny little streets that it just about fits on. You skim so close to the houses and shops, you can put your hand out and pluck a sardine from a dinner plate!

Drink in Barrio Alto -

Boca do Inferno - our favourite bar.

Bairro Alto is similar to London's Shoreditch, in that it's a once rundown area which has been transformed by little bars, restaurants, and shops. But where Shoreditch has become over run by binge drinking hipsters braying loudly from every corner (that's just my opinion), making it a bit of a young person's ghetto, Bairro Alto manages to keep a balance between young and old. I saw gay and straight, students, families with children, all out having a good time, with little hint of trouble that usually comes with these situations. You can go in one bar and jump around to techno, or go next door and listen to mellow jazz and drink pina coladas. There were even police out having their photos taken with visitors!

Some of the bars and restaurants are tiny, most the size of a small living room, with just a few tables and chairs. Our favourite was Boca do Inferno, a punk/metal bar with a really friendly owner and great decor:

I think that's enough for now. We did loads more - a day in the mountains of Sintra, walking along embattlements built by the Moors; we ate great ice cream; we even spent a day at the seaside.

I always have trouble finishing off posts, so I'll leave you with a picture Mr Needles took of me knitting on train coming back from the beach - any opportunity to get a few stitches in!

Take care!

My Family - Sewing and Crafting Through the Generations

Mr Needles and I just came back from a weekend at my parents house, where I spent most of my time wandering from room to room, noticing how much of it was home made. After all these years, I suddenly noticed that it was easier to pick out the pieces of furniture, soft furnishing, and other decor that my parents DIDN'T make, than to count what they had a hand in creating. And I felt quite proud! 

Here's a few examples:

Pictures - framed by Dad. Desk and Egyptian-style chest - Mum and Dad collaboration

Pictures - framed by Dad. Chairs - thrifted and covered by Mum. Dining table and mantlepiece - Mum and Dad

Wall panel, plinth, table, and lamp - all Mum and Dad

Gilded door frame - Mum

Kitchen pictures - framed by Dad

Downstairs bathroom - mirrors by Dad

Painting by Mum, framed by Dad

My childhood furniture - Mum and Dad

Japanese inspired wardrobe - Mum and Dad

There's loads more, but my camera ran out of battery!

It just got me to thinking that this is probably why I think nothing of making stuff. I'm more comfortable with fabric based projects, but I don't mind turning my hand to painting, changing fuses, filling holes with plaster, and so on. My sister's also pretty handy - she has redecorated her flat practically on her own, and a beautiful job too! She's also a pretty skilled crocheter. Growing up, we were always taught that there was no such word as 'can't' and that lack of funds should never hold you back from having nice surroundings and clothes, as long as you had imagination and a willingness to try new things.

As is often the way when you visit parents, the old photos came out, and I noticed even more evidence of our home made life:

Mum and Dad, Colorado, around 1969. Dad's jacket and Mum's cardigan both made by Mum. (How cool is Dad - he looks like Bradley Wiggins!)

Me and Mum, San Francisco, early 70's. Mum's top and baby clothes, all crocheted by Mum. (She thinks the perm may be home made as well!)

San Francisco, early 70's. My fancy dungarees made by Mum. We also had cushion covers in the same fabric!

Me and Mum, San Francisco, early 70's. How Biba does she look! Her 1930's top was thrifted, another element of fashion my parents introduced me to.

Dad and me, on a visit to England, early 70's. It's the same jacket as earlier, which Mum made from upholstery fabric.

The homemade family, San Francisco, around 1976. Mum and Dad's trousers, and all the crochet worn by my sister and I were all made by Mum. She cut all of our hair as well!

So it's pretty obvious that with that amount of handiwork going on around me, it was a pretty sure bet that I would be sewing and thrifting as an adult.

And it goes back even further - this is my maternal Grandmother, in 1942, in a dress she made:

Olivia Rodriguez, San Antonio, 1942

I never met her, but she looks like a stylish lady. Like my mum, she made most of her clothes, and clothes for her family. (In fact, I seem to remember learning to sew at age 11 or so on her old Singer machine.) Of course, home sewing was the norm in the 40's, and these skills were obviously passed on to my mother in the 50's and 60's. Then my mother got me started in the early 80's. She was never dictatorial about it, but instead encouraged us to experiment and learn what worked through trial and error. By the time I left home at 18 to go to college, I made sure the first thing I bought was a second-hand sewing machine and I found out where the fabric shops were in my new town!

I don't know if my handiwork with a needle is a freaky genetic disposition that runs through the ladies in my family, ot if it's just a case of being lucky enough to have been exposed to it at an early age and taking to it. Whatever the reason, looking at these photos, I can feel the decades of experience moving through the generations.

I'll leave the last word to my Dad, who in a family of women sometimes has to fight to be heard:

A decoupage lampshade made by my Dad in the 1970's, dedicated to football (soccer), and a Camel cigarette pack framed by him. Manly!

Do You Believe in UFO's?

Before I started blogging, I'd never heard of unfinished sewing projects as being referred to as 'UFO's'. It was then I realised I had enough floating around this house to populate a needlework version of Area 51! Joining up with Miss Katie's UFO and Stashbusting Project has really helped me have a structure to my projects, and I've actually cleared quite a bit of stuff, and saved some money to boot.

I recently had a good old clear out, and completed some bits and pieces, which I'll share with you now. In reverse order of age:

First, at 18 months - window seat cover:

I bought the fabric for this window seat with every intention of getting straight to it, but instead I just left the fabric in the bag next to the window seat for over a year. I'm ashamed to say I even started cleaning around it, like it was furniture! But a couple of weeks ago, I got up early on my day off, and completed it in a morning. I don't know what took me so long, because it was really easy! And now it looks so much better than the ugly old beige thing previously covering it. The lovely new cover makes the curtains look really sad, so that will have to be the next household project.

Next up, at approx 2 years, the gingham blouse:

 I found this half finished project in a bag amongst my fabric stash, and couldn't even remember what the plan was! There was no way I would have made the full blouse, as there wasn't enough fabric. I seem to remember having a Ginger Rogers, frilly 30' style in mind, so I messed around with the pieces and scraps, and came up with this:

Mr Needles says it makes me look like a rejected Stepford Wife.

There was very little fabric, so with the scraps I cut some frills on the bias, and gathered them to add along the button band and to make a little sleeve. The buttons were from a stall on the local market.

And finally, at 3+ years, the beaded scarf:

Close up of the bead work - it's a lot easier than it looks!

I used to have a long winter scarf that I knitted really quickly, and wore all the time. But I lost it somehow several years ago, and have been knitting this one ever since. Every winter for the last few years, I would watch TV and knit a few rows, thinking 'This year I might actually wear this scarf'. But it never happened, until a few weeks ago, when for some reason I decided to finish it, even though we're in summer. I think the reason it took so long was that the pattern was pretty boring to knit, and for some reason I decided to use 4-ply wool (a thinner wool, to you knitting novices), so it took a lot of work to actually add any length to the scarf.

Now I'll just have to wait for winter to wear it...

So now I'm UFO free! Next up - make a dent in my stash, which is threatening to get out of hand. But if you have unfinished projects, or bits of fabric sitting around waiting for you to do something with them, then do make sure you go over to Miss Katie's blog, for inspiration and motivation!

Also linking up with Lakota's Ta-Dah Tuesday - go check her out!

Embrace the Bias!

I made this skirt to wear on a trip to Barcelona last year: 

It's a pretty straight forward style, but open it up to reveal:

All of the hems and facings are finished in a contrasting fabric. I always use a contrasting colour on the insides of my work, and extend this to the finishing of my hems. With the scraps of lining, I cut diagonal strips which are sewn on to skirt hems, sleeve hems, etc, to give a neat finish. This is when you have to embrace the bias!

So, what is bias? The 'true bias' of a fabric is 45 degrees to the selvedge (the woven edge of a fabric).

The tape measure is laid at 45 degrees - the 'true bias'

Due to the nature of woven fabric (which is made up of vertical and horizontal fibres) the diagonal has a natural stretch, as seen below:

Fabric stretched on the bias

This natural stretchi-ness means the fabric can mould around curves and any lines which aren't straight. It adds a slinkiness to outfits by clinging and draping around the body, and because of the bias, darts and seams can often be avoided. This was how the glamour of 1930's gowns was achieved:

Classic Jean Harlow - the bias cut clings around the hips and stomach without any darts, etc

Joan Crawford

Bias can also be used decoratively, especially with stripes:

Claudette Colbert in 'It Happened One Night' in bias cut blouse

I'm going to show you how to use bias in a slightly less glamorous, but very useful way - cutting bias binding (sometimes known as bias tape) to finish the insides of your garments. This will give your projects a neat and professional finish, and you'll never have to buy one of those little packets of bias binding ever again!

To be slightly less wasteful, I'm going to cut the strips on a diagonal, but not the 'true bias'. It won't matter, as there will still be a decent amount of stretch in the fabric:

Measuring tape on the diagonal of fabric

Next, cut the strips. I usually mark them out by making a chalk line, then measuring from this 4 cm or 1 1/2". Be careful not to stretch the fabric as you mark, otherwise the width won't be accurate.

Marking out diagonal strip

If you're cutting strips to face a hem, it's unlikely you'll be able to cut one strip for the whole hem. You'll need to join the strips at a diagonal in order to maintain the stretch.

2 pieces cut at an angle

Cut the 2 pieces to be joined at an angle (right sides up), then pin them together right sides facing and stitch:

Sttched together right sides facing

Wrong side, seam pressed open

Next, pin your binding to the section of you garment you want to finish, in this case the hem of a skirt. The binding is pinned right sides together to the hem and stitched:

Binding after being stitched

Then, iron the binding up and to the back of the hem:

Binding ironed up, away from the hem

Binding ironed to the back (wrong side) of the hem

Nearly done! Then I stitch thru all the layers, just under the binding.

Stitched just under the binding through all layers

Wrong side of finished binding

Finally, you can slip stitch through the binding to the body of the skirt, or top stitch, whichever you prefer.

This is my favourite way of finishing garments - it's neat and tidy, and it adds a bit of weight to a hem to help it hang better. 

Hope you all find this useful!