It was a close call!
Bianca SilvaHello, hello!
We had our monthly Sew&Bond social sewing day this weekend and it was a fantastic day!
There were so many different projects that were being worked on and somehow 4 of us brought Tilly and The Buttons patterns to work on! They were the Samara, Stevie, Lyra and Indigo!
Another common theme was that half of those present were making garments for others! These were trousers, a shirt, a top and a couple of dresses. How wonderful is it that you are able to use your skills to make something unique for loved ones!
I think it’s one of the best things ever!
I took along my Closet Core Fiona dress that I have been working on for weeks now and a couple of patterns to potentially cut one out, but of course, not much happened there.
I managed to put the Fiona on and the lovely Karen helped me pin some excess fabric from the back because it’s a little too roomy there.
We came to the conclusion that making 2 seams down the back skirt, from waist to hem would be the best way forward to try and keep the rest of the proportions of the dress.
So I need to straighten those out properly, probably baste them first to see what it looks like and then stitch it down.
I did sew on 2 of the 18 buttons, so I have a little something to show for the 5.5 hours that we spent together. 🤭
One special project that made an appearance was one by the lovely Vikki! She brought along the Paphos Pouch she made to help me test out the pattern and it looked so much more cute in person! 😍
Thank you so much to everyone that came along this weekend! It’s always a pleasure to spend the day with you! ♥️
Stitches of the Week
BeeSilva - Paphos Pouches
My daughter told me Tuesday after school that the next day, Wednesday, was going to be the last day of one of her teacher’s.
Enter panic mode because I hadn’t even started on making the gifts my daughter and I had planned! And there were three of them!
I spent Tuesday evening cutting, quilting and making the ruffles and I went to bed past 23:00. 😴
The next day, I spent the whole morning, up until a few minutes before we had to leave for school pick up time, finishing the pouches.
I could have just made one pouch and then made the other 2 with a little more time for Thursday, but I wanted to give them to all 3 of her teachers at the same time. I felt it would have ruined the surprise for the other 2 had I just given it to one of them.
While I was working on sewing the bags, my daughter worked on creating cards for her teachers, and each one ended up getting cards instead of one! 🥰
She was so excited when I brought all the gifts to school at the end of the day for her to hand to her teachers, especially when I showed her I had embroidered a little note on the inside.
I had only put her name, class and the year 2025 so the teachers would have something to remember who the pouches were from.
After it was all over, I actually took a minute to think to myself, when was I actually going to start them anyway with school finishing in 2 days?! I’m so glad that my daughter mentioned her teacher wouldn’t be there, it gave me the final push to just get them done!
Fabric: A mix of cotton poplin and polycotton fabric from my scrap drawer, and some black lace. All chosen by my daughter based on what she knew her teachers liked.
Size: I made the larger version of the pouch.
The Drama: I could have cut down on time dramatically had I not included the ruffles, quilting or handles, but where would the fun have been in that!
Take It or Leaf It Sweater - Karas Knit Eng
Last week I was telling you that I found a mistake in my work, but guess what? It was just me who couldn’t count! 😂
I went back and forth for quite a while, and then I eventually realised.
Most of the front bodice is done, I have 10 more rows to go and that includes the shaping for the neck.
I did make a mistake, this time a real mistake, where I missed a yarn over earlier and then was short a stitch, so I had to frog only two rows and got on with it.
I am feeling pretty confident with my knitting and being able to undo all the stitches I’ve made, including bobble stitches, skp, ssk and cables, that I have decided not to add another lifeline in the project.
The only downside to this is, I have to undo stitch by stitch instead of being able to just slide the stitches off the needle and frog them back quickly to the lifeline.
Yarn: Yarnsmiths Create Super Chunky gifted by Wool Warehouse paired with Drops silver thread.
Size: XS
Needle Size: I am using an 8mm needle. The yarn suggests a 10mm for reference.
The Win: No major mistakes, so no major frogging! I’m loving this design!
Skill Builder of the Week
Buttonholes don’t have to be scary!
I often hear people say that they are scared of doing buttonholes, but there are a few things to help get you set up for a good result! And you will see they are not that scary to do after all.
Always begin by testing on a scrap piece of fabric from the same project you want to sew them onto. If there are 2 layers of fabric and interfacing in the area, mimic this as well for the test.
With this, you will be able to see if the buttonhole is the right size and how the stitches look.
If something is off, you don’t need to stress because you’ve just used a scrap of fabric. Test a couple more buttonholes until you are happy with the result.
Sometimes the fabric you are using may need some structure to help hold the stitches well and avoid your sewing machine eating it up. This is especially for those fabrics that are soft, stretchy or have a loose weave.
Apply some interfacing to the wrong side of the fabric in the area where the buttonhole is going, even if the pattern you are working with doesn’t mention it.
This also helps in the buttonhole keeping its shape after prolonged use.
Most sewing machines come with either a 4-step or 1-step buttonhole that sews the buttonholes on without you having to think too much about it.
You just need to insert the button on the buttonhole foot and it will do it all for you.
If you are doing it manually, measure the width of your button and add ⅛” to the measurement so that your button has room to slip through the hole easily. If your fabric is thick, you may want to check if you need to add a tiny bit more.
Once you have sewn your buttonhole, you need to open it to make it functional. Put a pin across one short end, this is to serve as a stop, and take your seam ripper to cut the fabric from one end to the other.
Sometimes it can be tricky depending on the thickness of the fabric, but take it slow until you have managed to cut through it all.
There is also a special tool, a buttonhole cutter, that looks like a chisel which can be used to cut the buttonhole open if you prefer to try this out instead.
If you haven’t yet tried making one, just test it out on a scrap piece of fabric for the sake of it, even if you are not applying it to a project just yet. 💪
Maker Spotlight
This week’s spotlight goes to @cynthiakrafts!
Cynthia made a lengthened version of the Bustier Dress by Chikafrik Patterns in this gorgeous african print fabric!
I love the navy background with the little bits of white popping out here and there. Beautiful!
Cynthia wore this dress to the Milan Frocktails earlier this year which came in very handy with the heat.
Want to be featured in my newsletter? Just reply with a pic of your make. I’d love to see what you’ve made!
Catch Up
Dress Drama, Teacher Gift Plans & Knitting | WEEKLYBEE EP 24
I’ve Sewn for 7 Years and These 3 Stitches Are All I Use
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Thanks for reading and happy sewing!
Bye for now, B! xx