Lots of Workshop Planning

Hello, hello!

We are back to our normal schedule and the kids are back at school!

I can’t believe I have a child in Year 3 already. Actually, never mind that. I can’t believe I have kept 2 kids alive all this time!🤣

Since they’ve been back to school, I have started back up with my regular sewing students and I’ve done a lot of workshop planning this week.

But before I tell you about all that, I was contacted again by a lovely lady who reads my newsletter!🥰

She had more goodies that she no longer uses and wanted to pass them on to someone who would.

I happily accepted and oh my goodness! It felt like Christmas!

There are so many items in there that are either on my wish list or I had recently been thinking about getting. It’s unbelievable!

There are so many sock knitting books, a few which were on my ‘to buy’ list.

So many quilting rulers, templates and free-motion rulers, and some of these too were on my wish list!

Knitting needles galore, knitting and quilting accessories and gorgeous fabrics are all part of what I brought home.

It was literally a boot full!

I know you read this L, and I am ever so grateful that you always think of me to pass your much loved collection onto. ❤️❤️

In terms of workshops, I received confirmation from all venues for all the dates I requested, so I’ve been planning the projects for each session and creating website listings for each.

The “Sew Your Own Trouser Workshop” and “Make Your Own Dress/Top Workshop” have all been done and are on the website already.

Click here for workshops!

I need to now create sample pieces for the other workshops before I list them.

For a couple of them I actually need to create my own templates too.

I am going to trial 2 different seasonal projects, one for Halloween and another for Christmas.

For the Halloween one, I am trying a completely different style session. It’s going to be a parent and child session.

I want it to be an experience, a time away from screens where parents and children can be a team and create, not just something useful, but memories too.

For the Christmas one, the project is going to be a luxurious stocking with an applique.

This is something that can be kept and used for years to come.

I will let you know as soon as these are ready and on the website!

Stitches of the Week

Tilly and The Buttons - Drew

As with most projects I begin, the fabric choice is one of the parts I take the longest to decide.

I don’t want to buy new fabric, but you just never have quite the right one for a project.😂

But I pulled out all the suitable fabrics I had anyway:

- sweatshirt fleece (black and grey)

- alpine fleece (burgundy leopard print)

- french terry (grey with multi-coloured feathers)

- cable jersey (teal and yellow).

For the cuffs and neckband I’m going to use a cotton jersey in whichever matching colour I find in my stash.

At the minute, I’m undecided between an orange and teal combo, or a black and burgundy leopard print one.

The Drew sweater can be colour blocked or simple, and of course, I’m going for the colour blocked version. I need to see how I want to work out the placement before making a final decision on the fabrics.

This is also going to serve as a sample for an upcoming workshop where it will be constructed just on an overlocker. 😃

Materials: Undecided🤷♀️

Size: 1 which is a size down from my body measurements.

The Drama: Too many colour combo possibilities!🫠

The Win: Trying to use some stash fabric that’s been sitting there for 5 years!

Summer Lee - Luna Socks from The Sock Project book

We have made a little progress on these.

The purple and red cuffs are looking gorgeous!

And the speckled red and white part is coming along.

Seeing the speckled yarn knit up feels like it’s dimming the socks, so I have decided that to brighten them up again, I need to add red heels and toes.

This yarn is actually one of the best yarns I have ever worked with!

I love the feel of it passing through my fingers and how buttery, bouncy soft it feels when knit up.

They are definitely going on my shopping list the next time I go to Portugal.

Yarn: Rosários 4 Meia

Size: Started with an L for the cuff.

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

The Win: Love red and purple together!😍

Skill Builder of the Week

Slipping Rulers

As I was tracing a pattern this week, I was reminded of this.

It has happened many times where I’m tracing or cutting fabric with a ruler and it slips mid cut. And most of the time what happens is a skew line.

I learnt a trick from someone that to keep the ruler still I needed to have a few fingers off the ruler to stabilise it and some fingers on the ruler to hold it in place.

Although this helped a lot, I still needed extra support.

So I bought glue dots!

Thinking about it now, I wonder if using a bit of hot glue could do the trick too. 🤔

Anyway, I put the glue dots underneath my rulers, mainly in the corners, and if they were large rulers, I put a couple somewhere in the middle.

These made a big difference in gripping the surface underneath and not escaping.

Now some rulers already come with a rubbery surface to help, but if you don’t have one and need extra help, try this trick.

Maker Spotlight

This week’s spotlight goes to @hannahhsews_!

I love this fabric Hannah made her dress in! Pink, red, tomatoes!😍

Hannah says it’s both her favourite fabric and favourite sew of 2026 so far!

She made the Sarah Bernier Cove Slip in a silky smooth satin.

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 (SOLD OUT)

Sew&Bond™ - 12th of Sept 2026 (SOLD OUT)
Sew&Bond™ - 26th of Sept 2026 (SOLD OUT)
Sew&Bond™ - 17th of Oct 2026 (1 spot left!)
Sew&Bond™ - 31st of Oct 2026 (1 spot left!)
Sew&Bond™ - 14th of Nov 2026 (11 spots left!)
Sew&Bond™ - 29th of Nov 2026 (6 spots left!)

Workshops:

Make Your Own Dress/Top Workshop - 3rd & 15th of Oct 2026
Sew Your Own Trousers Workshop - 13th of Nov 2026

My Sewing Patterns:

Lisbon Organiser
Roma Necessaire
Paphos Pouch

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