about me

Olá :)

I am Juliana, a brazilian living in Brazil, partner to best man I ever knew, mother to a delicious baby.

Sewing came into my life through a somewhat bumpy road.

My grandmother used to work for a tailor in her younger days, and after she married and became a mother she made most of the clothes for her three daughters. There was also a time she was working as a seamstress from home, but I know it didn't last long, and I can't specify why. But her sewing machine has always been in good use and I am forever sad I didn't learn more from her. She did show me how to crochet, and we exchanged a little sewing bits, but really too little. We lived in different parts of the country as I grew up, and I couldn't be closer, even though I was very attached to her. I hold her as a model woman, for her strength, her practicality and her sweetness. I miss her veeery much.

My mother learned sewing (and knitting and crochet) from her, and although she wasn't always making things, she always had these skills up on her sleeves. As we were growing she made a bag here, a skirt there, always coming up with a few needed items specific for some situations. It's funny my memory is not very clear as to what she taught me, if she taught me at all. I suppose she showed me how to use the sewing machine, but nothing much.

I remember we found a seamstress in my town during my teen years who made us clothes to measure. I had my ideas for outfits and she would tweak a few patterns to try and recreate what I wanted. It was mostly through talking we would understand each other, as I never brought any pictures or something like that, and now I know she wasn't really good with sourcing fabric or fitting - clothes were always a bit off, and I remember, for example, a pair of pants that were ripped through my butt during a party on the first time I wore them. But I already had this impulse and the will for clothes that I couldn't find in RTW, and I had already a sense of my own style, I wanted to have my own ideas of clothing brought to life. I didn't know I could make them myself. 

Then, life went on, I spent a couple of years in Germany pursuing my dream to firm myself as a ballerina (which didn't go as I hoped it would), and when I came back home I was lost for sometime. 

Forward a couple more years and I began fashion studies on the university, because I wanted a diploma and nothing else was of interest to me. It was really nice to think fashion in academic environment, and I learned a good bunch of things (it was then I really became intimate with the sewing machine), but I didn't finish it. The focus on fashion business, seasonal collections, fast fashion, kind of pushed me away. I understand now it was also a necessary move for me, I still had to go back to dance. And actually, as much as I love studying, until now I have issues about how things happen inside university. Well, I am now in the course of my third try to graduate, so it is certain I respect and like many things about the academy. But I digress...

So I went back to dancing for some time, actually for something related to studying body language in arts (dance, but also theatre and performance), and sewing was on my background. It was by this time I discovered burdastyle, sewing blogs and such. I even had my chance at trying to sew stuff to sell, mostly bike gear and accessories, but I wasn't very disciplined and not very focused. So sewing was present in my life but I still didn't have the pacience to  seriously dedicate myself to it. I made a few bags, I was sewing things for my house, but no clothes.

Then I became a cook, worked in restaurants and bakeries, did a whole bunch of other things, e enfim, got pregnant in 2016, during my first year in Linguistics and Literary studies (in Brazil this is the same University course). 

As I danced during my whole life, it is pretty obvious I have a strong perception of my body. And pregnancy is really an occurrence that changes everything on a woman. Like, every single thing you suppose you know about yourself is shaken and twisted and transformed - at least it was for me. 

From the beginning of 2017 I paused university and my first semester was mostly dedicated to prepare life and body for baby arrival. I spent much time at home, and went back to the habit of reading sewing blogs. I had plans to sew a few clothes for myself during pregnancy, and maybe somethings for the baby, and even though that didn't happen, all this reading and planning broughtme to this.

And now I have a blog.

It is in English because I want to exchange with people from all over, and of course there will be more than a few mistakes, but I will receive criticism and help with open arms - it's fine, please correct me if you see any errors.

Se você gostaria de ler em português, se você é brasileirx e também costura, mande um email, vamos trocar informações e ideias.

If you read all this, thank you, welcome, let's be friends ;)