No head, but definatly a great body ^^

For two monts I couldn't have a second to update the blog or anything more complicated than my Flickr. Unfortunatelly, I'm unemployed again so, between looking for a job and sewing I hope I have time to talk about all the little things I've been doing. That is... If I can keep track of them!

Altough I criticized the trend of having 80's couch prints on shirts and dresses a while ago, I must confess they look great on vintage-like pieces! And being such a lovely model, Justine just pulled if off. This is a sweetheart neckline stapless dress with a giant print:

And to complete it, I made a velvet-like quarter jacket with a perly buckle.

This bright blue is one of my favourite colours now, just because it contrasts wonderfully with most things and... my hair. I'm thinking about reproducing this dress but I'm not sure about the right fabric to do it. This one is slightly thick, so the dress looks really puffy and perky with no need of a petticoat of any kind.

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I bought Juliette some months ago but, in a way, I wasn't totally happy with her look. She wasn't dramatic enought, or expressive. I decided to send her to Poison Girl, for a face up ^^ She is a wonderful artist and I'm sure I'll be extremelly pleased with her work. The waiting list, tough, is kinda... long! So I still have some weeks of waiting ahead. To match her new face I also got Juliette a 27cm obitsu body, with M bust and a soft, new redhead wig with bangs :D since I only sent the head, the Clarity wig stayed at home with me and I thought it would look nice without the bun. The curls are simply gorgeous and here is the proof!

I shouldn't say but... this dress was design on a dead moment at work. Those when you have nothing to do but you can't also bother your boss to give you something to do!

To assure it looks this puffy, I made a black petticoat to wear underneath :)

The Lolita-like look is really one of my favourites to work on. You have plenty of space for details, lace, ribbons, pearls, extra puffy sleeves and all kind of things you do not use for the sake of simplicity on other styles. Nevertheless, I still think I need to raise the bar on my Lolita-like designs, specially when compared to stock clothes, full of ruffles and amazing layers.

One of my most recent favourite designs is the following:

The colours are very rich, with the plum and the gold together. The print on the fabric is just one of my all-time favourite, specially because it has the right proportion for a 1/6 doll ^^

The pattern for the sleeves, altought quite simple, wasn't made initially for this outfit. I was planning on making a stripped shirt and a long XIX-century-like skirt. I lost that precious piece of white cloth with caramel stripes so this project is on hold for a little longer...

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Next on my Lolita inspired project is one in blue. I have always had a strange relation with this colour because it feels very un-natural and reminds me of baby boys. Nevertheless, I wanted to give this particular fabric its deserved use, since the print has such beautiful but descrete shades:

The complete outfit - shirt, jsk, headbow and tights - reminds me of Winter or a big and complex snow flake. Maybe it is a silly thought! ^^

For the first time, for this outfit, I used a treadle sewing machine, an antique Singer, to make the ruffly details on the sleeves. I found it quite easy and friendly to use and if I have the need I'll definetly use it again. It is not mine yet, so I can't use it whenever I need or want - if it was otherwise, I would strongly consider sewing most things with it, since it is aparently so easy to control.

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Finally, on my Lolita section I added this Sweet Lolita inspired set:

On the picture you can see four packages of Pez candy! There were eight of them when I bought the pack. I felt like eating all of them at once but I resisted and kept aside each of every flavour in the pack because I really wanted to use them on a photoshoot for a Sweet Lolita outfit! (or maybe it was just an excuse to avoid eating so much candy...)

It took me months to think about it. I know I'm always complaining about not finding fabric. I don't buy online because it is always too much and, for now, I like to keep my pieces almost unique and different. I know I can always choose not to use the fabric but... If it is lovely enough it will just keep on looking at me and begging me to use it!

Sooo... since I couldn't find any fabric with sweets or muffins and cupcakes, I used those 3D stickers and the polka dot fabric. White dots on various backgrounds always remind me of sweets ^^

And, by the way, those lovely shoes come in different colours and I found them here along with lots of other amazing little shoes :D I was very happy with them, they were carefully wrapped and were shipped in no time. Never something I ordered from China arrived here so fast: just 11 days!

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On other news... One of my latest set was a big inspiring piece of work for buyers and I made some versions of it on custom orders:

I really like the hippie-like look in the right dose. I have this pattern for shirts since the first week I had Justine home. It was originally made for Lolita shirts but I ended up using it more in other creations. The rich lace I used here is one of my favourite!

This set was in the store for a "long" time but in the meanwhile I was asked to make two shirts for Barbie dolls with this pattern! I hadn't sewn for Barbies for... one year? I still had the basic patterns but I was afraid it wouldn't turn out very interesting. Fortunatly, Model Muse Barbie dolls and Belly Button or Fashionista Barbie dolls are more proportionate than the Classic girls and it is much easier to sew for them. Oh, and I noticed they're so much "bigger" than Pullips! I was amazed because altough I have all my Barbie dolls on display, I had never compared their bodies to Justine's. This is the result of the Barbie doll order:

Just for the record, Model Muse Barbie dolls have very hard feet and you can't make them wear anything but their own shoes if you want to keep the rest of your shoe collection intact and safe! As for the Fashionista Barbie doll, I guess she was surprised not to be wearing black for some days!

After these two shirts, I made one for and L sized Obitsu body. I must confess it was like sewing for Classic Barbie dolls again! Well, the proportions are more realistic but I'm always confused when it comes to make one-piece shirts because their bust is so big I'm afraid clothes do not look nice and naturally fitting on them. But I think the result was good:

And since I talked about shoes before... Obitsu feet are big! From my collection, only the Re-ment shoes seem to fit them and the blue Mary Janes still look tight...

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My 27cm Obitsu with M sized bust arrived oh so many weeks ago. I'm still perfecting the patterns for some pieces, it gets dirty and stained very easily but it is still beautiful, sexy and soft! I decided to remove the hands while I'm sewing and trying the pieces on because I don't want them to get dirty.

Problems aside... here are the ste I sew for this type of body! My first will be Juliette's official outfit, for when she comes back. I noticed it resembles pretty much my lazy days clothes... black jeans, red top...

She is sitting on my cameras... This one is and Olympus 35 LE, a wonderfull machine that belonged to my grandfather. It has many problems now but I still took some interesting BW pictures with it. My grandfather has a digital camera now so I did not leave him bare handed! He is my favourite person in the family, because he is so calm, gentle and patient. And my personal MacGyver!

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For Obitsu M I also made a pied-de-poule quarter sleeve coat with fuscia details. This is a bold piece and in  my head, I'm alwyas asking myself if other people like it.

The other set is pretty formal too. Brown trench coat, blouse and skirt. I personally and absolutly love the inner pieces: their colour and the detail on the bust will be my number one choice for office if I saw these pieces in a store. Well, maybe I'd choose a longer skirt!

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Finally! The emerald green strikes back in my life! It's a wonderfull colour of which I only own a really over sized vintage sweater! Fortunatelly, Obitsus and Barbie dolls are lucky enough to have emerald jeans and lovely matching dresses.

    



The fabric used for the dress is a vintage printed cotton and almost makes me drool every time I look at it =P

And I think it all! Right now I'm having an inspiration break down... I can't think of new things... or... I think but I need extra material... or... I think about too many things at once and some of them will be lost in the way!

Follow me on Flickr or keep an eye on Etsy, maybe you'll find something you'll like =)

Thanks for reading ^^

Joana

New girl, new clothes!

Altough Justine is a great model, I couldn't help but addopting another girl. Her name is Juliette and she is a Hello Kitty Pullip with Clarity's wig. I've always liked Clarity, mostly the hair and the clothes but I wasn't fond of the make up, that's why she wasn't my first Pullip.

Juliette is a second-hand doll and is in very good condition. Besides, I was informed of all the "problems" she has, namely some tiny stains I guess all girls get just by touching them. That wasn't an issue at all =)

Her body type, on the other hand, did scared me a little, just because it was different from Justine's. Juliette has a body type 3 while Justine has a 4. The main difference, for me, is the hands. Juliette's aren't as poseable as Justine's and I can't show off jeans' and trousers' pockets when she is modelling them.

She is still a great model, tough! And to prove it here is she wearing some light wash skinny jeans and a creamy blouse with romantic purple and blue flowers. By her side is Justine with a yellow trench coat!

This set was sold on Etsy =)
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This next outfit is more formal and includes a rain-proof cape, camel trousers and a vintage silk blouse. The trousers have a straight cut and the ribbon is sewn with golden thread. Your Pullips can wear them with or without the crease, you just have to iron the trousers as you like =)

The pockets on the trousers are actually functional but, as I said before, I can't show them off on Juliette!

This set was sold on Etsy =)
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Last but not least, a night dress to go out and have fun! I wanted to make this one for quite a while. Well, at least since I tried a similar dress on that I couldn't buy =P I complemented it with a short cotton jacket with beads, in that really rich and deep tone of blue, and some net tights because I really wanted to try making some of these!

I love sewing beads on little clothes and I don't know why I don't do that more often =o

This set was also sold on Etsy! Hope you liked them!

Long time no posting :/

Altough I have been sewing at least a couple of ours a day, I can't seem to find any time to update all the places I created before I had a job, a cat and a house to take care of. On the other hand, I haven't been producing much for my store since I had some commissions to finish.

Shall I let you know what I've been up to? =)

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This is a very simple and sporty outfit I created while sewing some commission garments. I particularly like the cardigan with the emerald glass beads and I think both the cardigan and the shorts are great for the colour blocking trend.

The shorts have a soft fake suede "belt" that you can use with other pieces; they also have my usual functional pockets ^^

This item was removed from the store.

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This next set was a commission that I had much pleasure doing! I had already made some of these items, which allowed me to rethink some methods I used and to perfect the patterns.

You've seen the denim long sleeved shirt an the ruffle skirt with leather belt, as well as the white blouse with beads and a vintage flower and the pink blouse with ruffles.

As for the long blue beach dress, I loved how it turned out so fresh but sensual at the same time, with the deep cleavage.

The strapless orange shirt was made to fit an obitsu with a M or L bust, I not sure right now. I wasn't confident about the result while I was making it but I think it looks ok and a necklace, whether is this one with the bell or other, really makes it look complete.

The pink trench coat and the red pied-de-poule mini dress were in my mind for quite some time and they came as alternatives for other pieces I couldn't make because I had not a similar fabric to one my costumer wanted to use.

It is a bit dificult to find some paterns nowadays in physical stores in Portugal. Most of the fabric I use is vintage and there are no repros of those prints. On the other hand, the big important fabric stores in Lisbon are in the same street or very close to each other and you can look for things quite quickly. Whilst in Oporto - that's the impression I got - you have much more stores but they're distant from each other, and not always have nice affordable printed cotton fabrics for this type of work.

I go to Viseu sometimes but I never spent the whole evening looking for stores. And where I live there is only left one unexplored and really old little fabric store. Maybe I'll go there some time after work =) In the meanwhile, I'll have to rely on my vintage fabric.

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After finishing this lovely list of items (it took me tooooo long), I made a little black dress, black tights and a cape. I particularly like the dress with its fake collar in silver metal. As for the cape (you can see it on Etsy in the link below), it was hard to find a thread to match the fabric. Nothing seemed to satisfy me except for a jeans blue colour I had.

Justine is modeling the dress with her Re-ment Mary Jane shoes, which I totally adore!

The outfit was sold on Etsy!

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As I said just now, finding fabric seams way to difficult sometimes. Specially lovely flower prints I can use for Lolita dresses. In January, on a trip to Lisbon, I found some nice fabrics but none of them suited the request made to me for a Mary Magdalene reproduction.

I ended up making one to sell on Etsy with a different print and colour I had found over these months.

Even though I now have a sewing machine (a Singer 7174) I figured I couldn't sew such tiny pieces of fabric with it. The dress also has a tulle petticoat.

This outfit was sold on Etsy!

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I ended up making this same dress again, as a commission, but with pink ribbons and a bonnet! It was very fun to think about the bonnet and conceiving the patterns for it =)

The flowers on the bonnet are removable, so you can put them anywhere you want ^^ the whole set below:

Other updates will come soon =)

Ruffles Ruffles Ruffles!

Working on commissions is great because you always contact with new ideas that help you develope your skills. On the other hand, it may cost you all your time for "nothing" in the end. A girl with great ideas asked me to make some stuff for her dolls but she never bought the things I made (or contacted me again about the results) and I was forced to put the garments for sale.

Nevertheless, and I mean it sincerely, the merit of the ideas is all hers.

So I leave you with:
- a poncho inspired by a Le Mont St. Michel poncho
- a pink blouse inspired on a garment that was for sale on mirabella.jp
- black skinny jeans with pockets

and

- a denim long sleeved shirt
- a ruffle skirt with a leather belt

Fazer coisas por encomenda é sempre excelente porque contactamos com ideas novas que nos ajudam a desenvolver as nossas capacidades técnicas. Por outro lado, pode consumir-nos imenso tempo para "nada". Uma cliente, com ideias espectaculares, pediu-me para fazer alguma roupa para as bonecas dela mas acabou por não me comprar nada (nem voltar a contactar-me sobre o resultado). Acabei por ter de pôr as roupas para venda.

No entanto, e digo-o sinceramente, o mérito das ideias é todo dela.

Deixo-vos então com:
- uma capa inspirada numa peça da Le Mont St. Michel
- uma blusa inspirada numa outra que se encontrava para venda em mirabella.jp
- umas calças de ganga preta justas com bolsos

e

- uma camisa de ganga de manga curta
- uma saia com folhos com um cinto de pele

This set was sold on Esty!

And this one was also sold on Etsy! Hope you liked them!

News and Pink Leopard

Although I'm super happy and motivated about my new job I'm also very sad because I simply don't have time to hand sew anymore! My adored store has just a couple of items for sale and I have a pending commission for quite some time.

All these things keep me busy while falling asleep, while going to work on the bus or simply when I look at my sewing room and I don't even have time to say hello to Justine. Against all I've been thinking until this moment, I'm planing on buying a sewing machine... A simple, small thing that makes my work quicker (only for inside stitches) and makes me happy to be sewing again. The question now is... will I have time to search for a machine in stores? =P

Apesar de estar super contente e motivada com o meu trabalho também tenho andado um pouco triste porque, simplesmente, já nem tenho tempo para coser à mão! A minha adorada loja só já tem meia dúzia de coisas à venda e tenho uma encomenda por acabar há imenso tempo.

Estas pequenas coisas mantêm-me ocupada quando me deito à noite, quando vou de autocarro para o trabalho ou, simplesmente, quando passo pelo meu quartinho da costura e nem tenho tempo de ir dizer olá à Justine. Contra tudo aquilo que eu tinha planeado para a minha vida de costureira, tenho andado a pensar em comprar uma máquina de coser... uma coisa simples, pequena e que me ajude a trabalhar mais depressa (seria só para as costuras não visíveis) e a ficar toda contente por poder coser outra vez. A questão agora é... quando é que eu vou ter tempo de ir comprar a máquina? =P

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Meanwhile, I leave you with my last outfit. I had lots of fun making the jeans look worn out ^^

Entretanto, deixo-vos com o último conjunto que consegui fazer. Diverti-me imenso a gastar as calças de ganga ^^

And a bonus picture of Justine standing on her own while I was making the outfit above! I love her sweater, it is very warm and cosy, perfect for staying home, with slippers, on a very rainy day =)

E uma foto extra da Justine em pé, sozinha, enquanto eu fazia o conjunto de cima! Adoro a camisola dela, é quentinha e confortável, perfeita para trazer por casa, de pantufas, num dia chuvoso =)

Outfit sold on Etsy! =)

Commission and last sold work

I finally finished the "huge" commission I had on my "to do" list for a while. The girl has already received it in her home and I'm waiting for pictures of her dolls with the clothes I made! The day I took the pictures was really rainy so I leave you with the group picture of the commission and a picture I took in my desk, the night before I sent the package.

Finalmente acabei o "enorme" pedido que tinha na minha lista de afazeres há um tempo. A rapariga que me encomendou as roupinhas já as recebeu e agora é só esperar por fotos das bonecas delas! No dia em que tirei as fotografias estava muito mau tempo e a luz era péssima. Por isso, deixo-vos apenas com uma fotografia da encomenda toda e outra que tirei na noite anterior a fazer o embrulho.

And Justine holding a shirt while modeling the jeans and the yellow shirt with crochet details!

E a Justine a segurar uma camisa enquanto vestia as calças de ganga e a camisinha amarela com crochet!

She is wearing her Re-ment shoes and you can see her couch and of of her cats back there!

Ela tem calçados os sapatinhos da Re-ment e podem ver o sofá dela e um dos seus gatos lá atrás!


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The next outfit is simple but I love the colours and the shape. I think bell-bottom trousers look very good on tall and thin people and Justine is one of them! The shirt has a vintage flower, the kind my grandmother used in for underwear embelishment. The bag was also hand made by me.

O conjunto que se segue é simples mas adoro as cores e o corte. Acho que as calças à-boca-de-sino ficam bastante bem em pessoas altas e magras e felizmente a Justine é uma delas! A camisinha tem uma flor vintage, do tipo que a minha avó usava nas combinações e noutras roupinhas. Também fiz a malinha à mão.

I hope you liked it!
Espero que tenham gostado!

Since no one actually reads/follows this blog, it gets a little hard for me to keep uploading things. On the other hand, this is the only place I write in portuguese so I'll try to keep the blog alive.

Since last month I've been sewing new things but mainly I've been busy with a commision that includes two trench coats, two pants, three shirts and a cape. Apart from this, I made a very simple outfit with skinny black jeans, a grey tank top and a bead necklace with a ribbon. I consider this pieces are "basics", there's nothing special about them but they are essential in a girl's wardrobe.

But my favourite thing in this pictures are, for sure, the Re-ment blue shoes on the floor!

Uma vez que ninguém lê/segue este blog, torna-se um pouco desencorajante continuar a actualizá-lo. Por outro lado, é o único sítio onde escrevo em português por isso vou fazer um esforço para manter o blog à tona.

Desde o mês passado, já cosi mais coisas mas, essencialmente, tenho estado ocupada com uma encomenda que inclui duas gabardines, duas calças, três camisas e uma capa. Fora da encomenda fiz um conjunto muito simples com calças de ganga pretas, uma camisola de alças cinzento mesclado e um colar de missangas com um lacinho. Considero estas peças como "básicos", não têm nada de especial em si mesmas mas são bastante importantes no guarda-fatos de uma rapariga.

Mas, sem dúvida alguma, o meu elemento favorito nesta fotografia são os sapatos azuis da Re-ment!

It was challenging and amazing to make the outfit below. I love plaid shirts with frills and bows, mainly in red/blue plaid. So I tried to do something with this in mind for Pullip. I think it turned out cute! It has beads as buttons and was paired with skinny blue jeans. As always, they have pockets ^^

The shoes are from a Barbie set. They're lovely, slightly detailed and fit Pullip stock bodies very well. And the globe I think it is actually a pencil sharpener. I has long extinguished countries eheh

Foi desafiante e fantástico fazer o conjunto em baixo. Adoro camisas aos quadradinhos, com folhos e laços, e em azul e vermelho em especial. Por isso tentei fazer algo para Pullip com este conceito em mente. Acho que ficou giro! Tem missangas a fazer de botões e cobinei-a com umas calças de ganga justas. Como sempre, as calças têm bolsos ^^

Os sapatos são de um conjunto da Barbie. Acho-os adoráveis, têm detalhes discretos e são excelente para Pullips com os corpos originais. O globo acho que é uma afiadeira; tem países que já não existem há décadas ahaha

Finally, I leave you with a night-out-dress! It was actually a commission piece that, in the end, the girl didn't like. I then made a little clutch and some contrasting bracelets and someone thought it was cute  =)

Por fim, deixo-vos com um vestido para "ir pa night"! Este vestido foi uma encomenda cujo resultado final não agradou à cliente. Acabei por fazer-lhe uma carteirinha e umas pulseiras e, finalmente, alguém achou que o conjunto era giro =)

These sets have all been sold on Esty!

Estes conjuntos foram todos vendidos no Etsy!

Glamcanyon

I've been reading the Glamcanyon blog for quite some time and I always see the most interesting outfits there. I never tried to reproduce anything before because I only had Barbie dolls and they aren't that versatile.

I couldn't find the original picture but I assure you it was a lovely girl with a hat, a brown bag, black tights and a black jacket on top of the whole outfit. I'm not sure she was wearing a vest or if the shirt had a Mao collar. I just liked the overall idea and worked from it.

Já há lagum tempo que sigo o Glamcanyon e deparo-me sempre com os conjuntos mais interessantes por lá. Nunca tinha tentado reproduzir nada antes porque só tinha Barbies e elas não são assim tão versáteis. 

Não consegui encontrar a imagem original no blog mas asseguro-vos que era uma rapariga adorável com uma chapéu, uma malinha castanha, collants pretos e um casaco preto por cima do resto do conjunto. Não tenho a certeza se o que ela tinha vestido era de facto um colete ou se a camisa tinha uma gola à Mao. Mas gostei do conceito geral e trabalhei com base nisso.

This set was removed from the store.

Riding hood - Sold

I'm always looking for new fabric and here in Portugal is not that easy to find small patterns and thin fabric at the same time. Altough this pattern is not exactly small I immediately fell in love with the colours and a ridding hood poped into my head! I'm happy with the result.

Estou à procura de tecido novo mas aqui em Portugal não é assim muito fácil encontrar padrões pequenos em tecido não muito grosso. Há até lojas que não entendem termos como "padrões florais", enfim. Apesar de este padrão não ser exactamente pequeno, apaixonei-me por ele mal o vi. Do mesmo modo, no momento em que o comprei a primeira peça de roupa que me veio à cabeça foi uma capa como a que está em baixo. Fiquei contente com o resultado!

The riding hood closes with those tiny buttons!

A capa fecha com aqueles botões pequeninos!

Hippie Chic

I think most Pullips look essencially inocent and it is a wonderful idea to make them play the part with inocent-looking garments. I made this a while ago. It is a long puff sleeve mini dress with a leather belt. If I remember, this fabric was sent to my grandmother, when she was in Mozambique, by her mother. It is a multi coloured silk, in shades of pink, peach, brown and a shiny grey that almost looks silver.

Acho que a maior parte da Pullips têm um ar essencialmente inocente e acho uma excelente ideia fazer-lhes roupas que realcem essa característica. Já fiz este conjunto há um tempo. É um vestido curtinho, com mangas compridas em balão e um cinto de cabedal. Se bem me lembro, a minha bisavó enviou este tecido à minha avó, quando ela estava em Moçambique. Esta seda é bastante colorida, com tons de rosa, pêsssego, castanho e um cinzento que com o brilho da seda parece prateado.

Below you can see the bead detail on the sleeves and the neckline.

Em baixo podem ver os detalhes com missangas, nas mangas e no decote.

Sold on Etsy =)
Vendido no Etsy =)

Pure neglect

So I haven't been posting although I have been making new stuff... But who reads this anyway? ^^
I leave you with my last work for sale. I'm very proud of it because it is soft and simple. It's similar to a previous work (also sold) because I love sets with jeans.

Bem, não tenho andado a actualizar o blog apesar de andar a fazer coisas novas... Mas haverá alguém que realmente lê isto? ^^
Deixo-vos, então, com o meu último trabalho para venda. Estou orgulhosa dele porque é leve e simples. É parecido a um trabalho anterior (que também já foi vendido) porque adoro fazer conjuntos com calças de ganga.

I love this fabric for fall/winter jackets. It is velvet-like and the colours I have available are just lovely. The fabric I used for the shirt is a vintage one, part of a long summer dress someone decided to make shorter. Below you can see the details of the shirt.

Adoro este tecido para casacos Outono/Inverno. É parecido a veludo e as cores que tenho disponíveis são simplesmente adoráveis. O tecido que usei para a camisa é vintage, fazia parte de um vestido de comprido de Verão mas alguém decidiu que ficava melhor mais curto. Em baixo podem ver os detalhes da camisa.

Hope you like it!

Espero que gostem!