Holiday Sewing

Hello, hello!

I’m taking my sewing machine on holiday! 💃

This had been on my mind for a while because we always stay at my father-in-law’s house and spend the evenings at home.

So instead of just knitting every evening, I can sew too. I will keep the knitting for the day because we travel quite a bit by car.

I’m going to have to take a pair of scissors instead of a rotary cutter because I don’t want to carry a mat around. Or maybe I could cut out a few projects and just take that along with the needed notions.🤔

Let’s see what I have time for.

Some fabric purchases were made this week for my holiday wardrobe, so if I don’t get these done in time, they can always go with me to finish there.

 

The haul includes a blue jersey to overlay red lace for a dress, gingham for a coord, ditsy floral on black background for a dress and ditsy floral on lilac background for a skirt/dress.

Then my partner reminded me that he would like me to make something for his friend in Portugal who just had a baby. I’m thinking about dungarees maybe because the child is 1 year old.

Then he also said he would like a hat.😂

So I hope I get time to make these before we go. But again, I can finish it there because I am taking my machine!!!

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A little retreat update:

This week has been full of exciting conversations with our sponsors, and I can’t wait to share more with you soon.

We're down to the final few spaces now and I'll be closing bookings soon so I can focus on creating the best experience possible for everyone coming.

If you've been sitting on the fence, this is your little nudge. I'd love for you to be part of this very first BeeSilva Retreat. ♥️

Book here!

 

Stitches of the Week

 

BeeSilva - Sew&Bond™

There is always such a lovely atmosphere at Sew&Bond™!

It was lovely seeing some of you that I hadn’t seen since the gala in May.

We had a very productive sewing session with lots getting done and there were even a few quiet moments as everyone was so concentrated on their projects.

I love the new seating arrangement we have, it has brought everyone so much closer together, both physically 😂 and by creating stronger bonds.

What kept us busy were trousers, blouses, dresses, teddies and hats.

There were lots of WIP’s that came with from previous sessions and they still left as WIP’s. 😂

Plus there were more WIP’s created!

Some projects did get finished though. A bucket hat, trousers and a little girl's top were among those.

We were spoiled for food as well by my partner.

He made us egg, ham and cheese, and cheese and onion sandwiches, sausage rolls, curry veg pasties, lemon cake and blackberry muffins topped with white chocolate. All made from scratch down to the bread for our sandwiches!

August won’t have a mid month Sew&Bond™ and I feel like it is going to be forever until our next one! 😭

Thank you so much for being a part of this sewing community and coming to these sewing days! ♥️

 

BeeSilva - DIY Pencil Pouch

The last batch of teachers' gifts were finished and delivered this week.

For this round my eldest chose every single element, except the front panel for the black pencil case.

On the inside we added some embroidery too like the first batch that included her name, class and year.

One of the teachers had left school the week before and wouldn’t be back but I thought it would be nice to include her in the gifts as well, even if one of the other teachers had to pass it on to her.

We already found out who our teachers are for next year. So if nothing changes, I am happy to report that each child will only have 1 teacher and 1 teaching assistant. 🥳

This is so much easier and quicker to make!

Materials: Craft cotton and cotton poplin, Vlieseline Thermolan, zips by the meter and zipper pulls.

The Win: Round 2 of teacher gifts finished until next year!💪

 

 

Summer Lee - Trompe Le Monde from The Sock Project book 

I feel these are never ending. I’ve not had much time to work on them so they are coming together REALLY slowly.

I’ve managed to knit a couple of rows here and there and I’m so glad that I decided to use only one colour yarn for the foot because I would be nowhere near where I am now!

I’m close to the end. I have a few more rows to knit before I can start decreasing for the toes.

The question now is… can I finish this before going to Portugal so I can take a new project with me?

It will probably be another pair of socks because it’s a small project and easy to carry around.

I have just over a week to get it done. If I keep it in mind, I’m sure I can knit a couple of rows everyday. 🫣

Yarn: Drops Fabel in pink, cream and brown yarn from Portugal.

Size: Started with an L for the legs, decreasing to somewhere in the middle of M and S.

Needle Size: Cast on with 2.5mm and transferred to 2.25mm for the rest.

The Drama: It’s dragging out!

The Win: But we are nearly at the finish line. 💪

 

Skill Builder of the Week

 

Fabric Cutting Charts

I never follow cutting charts. I think they waste quite a lot of fabric!

This is not to say that I never look at them. I have looked at them when I’ve been stuck and don’t have a lot of fabric to play with. I look at them to see if they can give me better ideas of how to place certain pieces, but not the whole layout.

This week I was working on a pattern that needed a total of 2.5 meters for a top and trousers set. I only had 1.5 meters.

If I had gone by the fabric cutting chart I would have never got all the pieces out of it.

Instead, I cut a pattern piece and move my fabric for the next piece, then cut my next pattern piece and move the fabric again.

This does make the process longer, but I don’t waste as much fabric and I can get so much more out of it.

What do you normally do? Follow the charts or do your own thing?

 

Maker Spotlight

 

This week’s spotlight goes to @suzysankeystudio!

Suky is one of those creators that makes the nicest, most unique items of clothing! 😍

If you take one thing away from her, let it be that you can make and wear anything you want and feel comfortable in.

She chose a simple design to show off the gorgeous cotton tana lawn from Liberty Fabrics.

Want to be featured in my newsletter? Just reply with a pic of your make and a little about it, I’d love to see what you’ve made!😍

 

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'My Sewing Journal' - Order Yours!

 

Events:

Sewing Retreat 2026 at Browsholme Hall (3 Spots left!)

Sew&Bond™ - 29th of Aug 2026 (SOLD OUT)
Sew&Bond™ - 12th of Sept 2026 (2 spots left!)
Sew&Bond™ - 26th of Sept 2026 (SOLD OUT)
Sew&Bond™ - 17th of Oct 2026 (5 spots left!)
Sew&Bond™ - 31st of Oct 2026 (6 spots left!)

Workshops:

TBA

 

My Sewing Patterns:

Lisbon Organiser
Roma Necessaire
Paphos Pouch

 

Thanks for reading and happy sewing!
Bye for now, B! xx