Love the Fit of My New Dress!
Bianca SilvaHello, hello!
Have you heard that I am running a FREE Build Your Confidence in Sewing workshop this month? 😀
Being able to help others learn to sew and be confident in themselves is a mission I am on, and I am so happy that Abakhan in Mostyn is going to be the venue for this event!
If you are interested in sewing, but not sure where to start or are intimidated by your sewing machine and are scared of messing things up, come along to this free 2 hour workshop.
Spaces are limited, so registration is required. There are only 6 spots left!
Reserve your seat here:
Stitches of the Week
The Petite Dressmaker - Ellesmere Dress
I love a shirt dress and I am so happy that this one fits really well with no adjustments at all!
I made the midi version with the dropped shoulders, but there are 2 dress lengths and 3 sleeve options, sleeveless, short or long sleeves.
I chose this sleeve finish because I don’t have anything with this style and I wanted to see if I liked it.
And I can tell you that I really like how it looks on me! It looks something like a vintage tea dress to me which I love!😍
For the buttons, I used simple cream ones I got from Abakhan a while back, and I have maybe 200 more because I bought a whole bag on sale 2 or 3 years ago. 😂
This dress was a really nice sew with easy to understand instructions, and I definitely want to make a different version of it, but for now, it’s just been added to my ‘to-do’ list. 😂
Fabric: Ditsy flowers on a white background cotton poplin.
The Drama: The buttonholes kept on coming out wrong, I unpicked 7 of them! I had to redo them all and the last one I ended up handstitching because I was fed up fighting with my machine. Then I realised what the problem was… my daughter had turned my tension dial to basically 0 and I just realised when I finished fighting with the last buttonhole! 🙄
After I turned it back to 4, I stitched 4 buttonholes with no issues at all!
The Win: A brand new summer dress, and more fabric and buttons used from my stash.
Size: Petite, A/B cup, straight size C.
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It took 2 weeks, but I finally decided on a knitting project and got it started.
Instead of buying more yarn, I decided to make use of my robust stash and use one of the latest additions to it.
I bought 6 skeins of gorgeous cobalt blue aran yarn with a sweater in mind and that’s exactly what I am making.
As a base pattern I went with the Ellie Sweater from Rita Made This, but the yarn is thinner than what the pattern calls for.
So I made a swatch(well, half a swatch😂) to check my gauge with this yarn. Based on this, I made some calculations to see how many stitches I needed to cast on for the sweater to be the same finished size as the pattern is designed for.
I worked on it slowly this week and I knit a little more than half of the front bodice.
Yarn: So Crafty Aran Yarn - Cobalt
Pattern: Ellie Sweater from Rita Made This as a base
Skill Builder of the Week
Cotton Poplin Fabric
This week I used a cotton poplin fabric to make the Ellesmere dress and it is such an easy fabric to work with.
It’s easy to cut because the fabric doesn’t shift much, it presses really well and it gives your project structure without too much bulk.
It comes in so many gorgeous prints and that’s why I have a large quantity of this fabric base in my stash. 🤭
If you are new to sewing, this is a good fabric to start with, and you can make so many different things with it:
Button-up shirts or dress - like my Ellesmere dress.
Children’s clothing - I love making little dresses with ruffles in this fabric!
Aprons - Not just for adults, but for kids playtime too.
Pillow covers, duvet covers and even curtains.
Tote bags - It gives them good structure.
Quilting - I use this in my quilted bag projects instead of quilting cotton.
What other projects have you made with cotton poplin fabric?
Maker Spotlight
This week’s spotlight goes to @theappletonstitch_edit!
And it’s the first entry to sewing challenge I am hosting on Instagram, the #sewbloodpressure25!
Gilly had been wanting to make the Named Taika Dress for a while and knew that this gorgeous Joyful Prima Cotton fabric was the perfect fit for it!
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:
#sewbloodpressure25 is underway and I have narrowed my list down 3 indie sewing patterns that I have wanted to make for years but have just not gotten around to it.
I always think about starting one of them, but another project always gets in the way.
Help me decide which one I should go for first in my latest YouTube video:
What I Made This Week: Sewing a Pattern Test & Knitting Plans | WEEKLYBEE EP17
Don’t Want Your Seams Falling Apart? Use This 1 Stitch! (It Just Works)
Next Events:
Sew&Bond - Social Sewing Event: 28th of June 2025
My First Sewing Pattern:
Thanks for reading and happy sewing!
Bye for now, B! xx