Friday, September 27, 2013

máquina nova :: new sewing machine

E tenho uma máquina de costura nova :)
A antiga, um modelo muito básico da Singer que herdei da minha mãe, estava cada vez a dar mais problemas e por mais que tentasse (agulhas novas, limpar ou olear a máquina) nunca fui capaz de coser certos tecidos nela, como por exemplo malhas polares, tecidos muito finos, gangas grossas, etc. 

Depois de alguma investigação optei por uma Pfaff, pois desde há alguns anos que andava curiosa para experimentar o famoso sistema IDT (Integrated Dual Transportation), que dispensa a utilização de um walking foot e que permite coser várias camadas de forma perfeita (ideal para patchwork, por exemplo). Tinha pensado inicialmente num modelo da gama Select, mas depois decidi arriscar num modelo electrónico, devido à variedade de pontos e outras opções que permite. Já a experimentei e vai demorar um pouco a habituar-me, mas acho que nos vamos dar bem :)
 
And I have a new sewing machine :)
My old one, a very basic model from Singer which I inherited from my mom was giving me a lot of trouble, and no matter how much I tried (different needles, cleaning or oiling it) I was never able to sew certain types of fabrics on it, like fleece, thin fabrics or thick denim.
 
After some research I chose a Pfaff model, mainly because I've been curious about their famous IDT (Integrated Dual Transportation) system for years now, which allows for perfect seaming of several layers without the use of a walking foot (ideal for quilting, for instance). I had initially thought about purchasing a Pfaff Select, but then decided to get an electronic model, which offers so many stitch varieties and other options. I've already played with it a bit, and although it will take me a while to get used to I think we'll be getting on quite well :)
 
Em resposta a quem me perguntou no post anterior sobre o modelo das calças, é o #7 da Patrones nr. 284. E já tenho planos para o próximo par de calças (modelo da Burda mais recente)
 
Replying to my last post, the pattern for the trousers is #7 from Patrones magazine nr 284. And I already have plans for my next pair (from the most recent Burda magazine):



Wednesday, September 11, 2013

fall trousers :: calças de outono

No final da Primavera passada decidi finalmente costurar umas calças para mim. Confesso que apesar de estar habituada a costurar outras peças de roupa e mesmo calças de criança, nunca me tinha aventurado a fazer calças de adulto.
 
Escolhi um modelo da revista Patrones que tinha cá em casa (não me lembro agora da referência, mas se alguém quiser mais informação por favor peçam-me nos comentários), e para primeiro par de calças penso que correu bastante bem. Precisou de muitos poucos ajustes, e os que fiz foram principalmente na largura das pernas (apertei um pouco) e na zona do cós.
 
Desde então ainda não as usei, mas penso que serão perfeitas para o Outono.
 
At the end of last Spring I finally decided to sew a pair of trousers for myself. I confess that although I'm used to sewing other garments and even children's pants, I had never dared to sew adult's trousers.
 
I picked a pattern from the Spanish magazine Patrones (I can't remember the reference right now but if you'd like more info just leave me a comment), and for the first pair of handmade trousers I think they turned out pretty well. It needed very little adjustments, and the ones I did have to make were rgearding the width of the legs (made them narrower) and the waistband.
 
I haven't used them since then but I think they will be perfect for this Fall.



Monday, September 09, 2013

Chamonix :: Lac Cornu et les Lacs Noirs

On our second day in Chamonix we decided to go for a more challenging hike. My favorite hiking routes always seem to involve lakes, so we planned to go up to Lac Cornu and les Lacs Noirs.
Starting point: we parked at the Flégère cable car parking lot, then took the cable car and the Index chairlift till the top (alt. 2385 m).
There are several routes available from this point (Le Lac Blanc is possibly the most popular one), we took the Col et Lac Cornu route to the right, The estimated hike duration was 1:30 but as you'll see there's a tricky bit at the end which made us take a little longer.

The path is quite easy and straight forward during the first couple of kms.
After this part below it starts ascending toward the top, which was a bit harder, especially on such a hot day.

And here, right before this bit of ice, was the trickier part. We needed to climb up to the top, which under normal conditions it's steep but not extremely difficult because there are iron cables/supports to help you along the way. Our problem was traversing the bit of icy patch and reaching the cable section - on our left side it was a steep rocky section so not the best place to slip or have unsure footing, and on our right just a block of ice which we couldn't hold on to if needed. We decided to rest for a few minutes while studying the best way to cross ...
Eventually with the help of two other hikers we managed to reach the other side and start the climb up...

This is the view from the top towards Chamonix ...
And here's the view towards Col de la Gliére, with Lac Cornu to the far right.

And more icy parts to hike across ...
We found a secluded spot near the Col where we stopped for lunch, and A. hiked to the Lacs Noirs and back while S. and I picked some flowers.

This is the climb towards the Lacs Noirs - you can't say that the route is not visible and well marked.
The view of the Lacs Noirs is indeed stunning
From Col de la Gliére we hiked to the left side, towards the Planpraz cable car. Again the route is not very difficult, but there were a lot of icy sections.

Finally the cable car was almost near !
We stopped for some refreshment at the café next to the cable car, where there are some nice views of Chamonix from the top.
Since we had returned from a different cable car from where we started we walked to the centre of Chamonix, where we took the bus to Flégère again.
Right across the road from this cable car there's a really nice small park, with a church and small fountain which was lovely to rest our weary feet.