The Cutest Easter Basket

Hello! Hello! 👋

Hope you have been keeping well!

I made the cutest Easter basket this week! 🥰

And I filmed a tutorial for it!

I searched YouTube trying to find a cute but different easter basket, but nothing really jumped out at me.

All were just simple baskets with one handle. 🙃

So I drafted this basket so we could all make a cute basket for the Easter treasure hunts that will be happening soon. 🐣

I give you tips throughout the video on where you can customise your basket further, like adding one handle or two, adding width and length to the ruffle and even playing with the dimensions of the basket.

Of course, if you don’t want an Easter themed project, you can leave off the egg and use the basket for another purpose, like keeping a small knitting project inside, or even organising your fat quarter stash!

It can serve many purposes!

The measurements are provided in the description box on the Youtube tutorial, so if you would like to make your own I will leave the link further down.

On this note, is there anything you would like me to create a tutorial for? Reply to this email with some ideas and I will see what I can come up with. 😀

In other sewing news, my Lyra dress is now completely finished and has been on an outing!

All dolled up for the day, the waist seam on my belly didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would. 🤔

I mean, I don’t like where it sits and how it makes my tummy look big to me, but the print is so busy you can barely tell.

I loosely tied the waist ties at the back just to bring the dress in a bit and every time I sat down, the waist seam kept on opening up and you could see my belly. 😅

Good thing I was wearing a vest underneath! 😂

I will definitely need to put something there to keep it closed. Maybe a hook and eye closure so it’s hidden because another black button there is just going to draw attention to the area and it won’t be evenly spaced out like the rest of the buttons are.

I loved wearing it with my bright red lipstick on Saturday, the contrast it gave in the photos was just 😍!

I do love a strong red lipstick!

And since my Lyra is now finished, I started a new project.

The Carmel Jumpsuit from Nina Lee.

I made my first one last year June for the sewing challenge I ran in honor of my dad, the #sewbloodpressure24, and I really liked how free I felt in them.

The only issue was, like with every jumpsuit, the toilet breaks. 😑

I love wearing jumpsuits and dungarees, but I don’t enjoy the gymnastics I have to go through so that the trouser portion doesn’t touch the floor. 🥴

So instead of making the trouser version, I am hacking it into a dress.

I cut 2 rectangles using the same waist measurement from the trouser pattern piece. I then just used a tape measure to see up to where I wanted my skirt to go and added a seam allowance.

I am going to make it midi/maxi length because I seem to like the longer length dresses with just a pair of tights and trainers.

I can always make it shorter later if I don’t like the length.

I am using a floral cotton lawn that I bought on sale at John Lewis more than 2 years ago.

I had been keeping it to make a dress, but could never decide what style I wanted to sew it in.

I think I have chosen the right style dress because it has simple cuts and doesn’t break up the gorgeous pattern on the fabric.

I feel I am going to get good wear out of it too because I can wear it in the summer with nothing underneath and in the winter with just a long sleeve.

I sewed the bust and waist darts, and joined all the bodice seams. I then wondered if I really needed a zipper closure to the back because I wouldn’t have to pull the bodice over my hips.

The neckline looked wide enough to just slip on over my head, so I decided to baste the back closed with no zipper and try it on.

It fit, but it was a very tight wiggle in and out.

So I will definitely need to put a zipper in, not one as long as the pattern calls for with the trousers, but one just long enough to give me around a 6 inch opening.

And when I tried it on after basting the back shut, I noticed the bust darts were not in the right place.

You can see in the photo it sits a little off to the side and it sticks out quite a bit.

I didn’t alter the bust dart for my first version because  it sat fine, so I didn’t think I would need to adjust it this time round. But I had used a different fabric then, a viscose, so it changed the drape slightly.

I took the bodice along to my Sew & Bond sewing social to see if I would have time to redo the bust darts.

But, the most I got done was to unpick the side seams to free the bust darts. 

That’s it, that’s all I did in 5hr30min! 😂

It was, again, a brilliant day spent with everyone and there was so much going on.

Just look at this photo! 😂

My partner made us some new treats for the day’s menu which included mint chocolate cupcakes with icing, carrot cake, chocolate cake, homemade sausage roll and a variety of sandwiches.

This kept us all well fuelled for the day! 🤰🏽

There were a wide range of projects being worked on too!

Some were working on children's clothing, which included a big pile of work-in-progress projects like dresses, t-shirts and shorts.

Others made pinafores, sherpa pullovers, bags and even hair accessories!

It is just so nice to be able to talk to other people about their sewing projects and see everyone’s individuality come out in their fabric and pattern choices.

Come and join us on our next Sew & Bond on the 26th of April! 😀

 

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My purple Gumdrops Sweater is looking so pretty! 😍

The colours are just looking so good together!

The Front bodice is just about done. Just a few more rows to go to and I will be able to start shaping the neck, then this part will be done in no time!

This evening we are going to a friend's house for a barbeque, so I will be taking this along to work on because while the men do the cooking, I will have no one to talk to.

This will probably give me a good couple of hours and I will be able to make some good progress. 🤞

🎥Latest YouTube Videos:

 

How To Make the Cutest DIY Easter Basket

 

How to Sew a French Seam for a Clean Finish | Sewing Explained

 

 

😎Confidence Corner:

 

It is never too late to be what you might have been. - George Eliot

 

Many times we think that once we have chosen a path in life, we are stuck with it.

But the thing is, change is always possible.

Dreams don’t have deadlines. The things you once imagined for yourself are still within reach, no matter how much time has passed.

Sometimes, we hesitate because we feel like we should have started earlier, but the important thing is to start in the first place.

Small steps, even the tiniest ones, can lead to big changes. Doesn’t matter when it happens, every new beginning is a chance to reshape your story.

The past doesn’t define the future. Just because you didn’t do something before doesn’t mean you can’t do it now.

Growing, learning and discovering things has no age limit.

If there is something you have been wanting to do, take that tiny step towards it today.

It’s never too late.

📰News Feed:

 

Wayne Hemingway and Sewing Bee quarterfinalist amongst speakers at upcoming symposia in Walsall.

“British designer Wayne Hemingway MBE, Great British Sewing Bee quarterfinalist Lauren Tedstone and photographer, curator, filmmaker and conceptual artist Dr Pogus Caesar are amongst speakers at a weekend symposium for creatives at The New Art Gallery Walsall this April.”

Wayne Hemingway and Sewing Bee quarterfinalist amongst speakers at upcoming symposia in Walsall | Walsall Council

Walsall MakerFest Fringe weekend symposia looking at makers and photography April 2025

Walsall Council

 

🧵This Week's Tip:

 

What is Understitching? Why is it important?

 

Understitching is where you stitch the seam allowance to a facing or lining. You stitch really close to the seam line and this will keep the facing/lining from rolling to the outside of the garment.

 

This technique allows your garments to have a clean, professional finish by making sure that facings/linings stay neatly put on the inside and don’t peak out.

Understitching also helps seams lie flat creating a crisp edge. This means that it is reducing some of the bulk in the area as well.

This technique is commonly used on necklines and armholes where a facing or lining is involved. 

Here is the neckline of the project I am working on this week that involves understitching the lining to the seam allowance:

 

 

⭐My Favourite Things This Week:

🗓️Upcoming Plans

🎉Upcoming Events

-> I need your help <-

What YouTube videos would help you most? Tips? Tutorials? Comment, message, or email me please!

 

Thank you so much for reading it! And if you enjoyed it, please tell a friend about it to allow me to reach more people. 🥰

Bye for now,
B! xx