Hello, hello!

Some nice weather has returned and we have been able to be outdoors a bit more!

We’ve enjoyed some blackberry picking, bicycle rides and walks with the kids!

I’m only 2 days in, but I have been enjoying working at Leon’s Fabric! 

I am filled with inspiration the whole day just looking at fabrics! My eyes are continually being drawn to sequins, faux furs, and wool fabrics! I daydream about all the projects I could make with them!🤩

Plus, speaking and hearing all about customer’s plans with their purchases just adds more inspiration to my ever growing list!

Thank you to Lucy and Deborah for saying Hi! when you came in on Friday! It was lovely meeting you and I look forward to meeting you again soon. 😃

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I want to share a little update on how things are going for my 7 year sewing celebration at Janome!

I am so excited to have the following companies supporting the event: Janome, Minerva, Tilly and The Buttons, Sew Over It and William Gee!

There will be some raffle prizes, goodie bags, food(including cake!), drinks(non-alcoholic) and possibly some more.

Let’s not forget that everyone will be able to use a sewing machine for the day provided by Janome, so just bring a project, or two, to work on!

And we get to do it for 6 hours, from 10:00 - 16:00. (5th of November)

If you haven’t yet joined the waiting list for this event happening on the 5th of November, please sign up using this link:

https://beesilva.co.uk/pages/7-year-celebration

 

Stitches of the Week

BeeSilva - Paphos Pouch

Before launching the pattern, one of the things I wanted to do was film a Youtube tutorial for it and that’s what happened this week.

I chose to make it in the same cherry print fabric as my Marigold trousers and use a red polycotton for the ruffle and it looks so cute!

Red was a colour that my dad never really liked because it was all linked to bad happenings for him, so it was a colour I stayed away from too. I even remember when I was a teenager that I didn’t buy a red bikini that I loved so much because I felt like it may bring me bad luck when at the beach/pool.

As I have grown, I have realised that I like the colour red a lot! And particularly when it’s paired with pink, purple, navy and cream. It’s so eye-catching for me in these colour combos! 😍

I am launching the Paphos Pouch pattern next week, so keep your eyes peeled!

Fabric: Red cherries on navy background cotton poplin and a red polycotton.

Size: The smaller size of the Paphos.

The Drama: The colour of my zipper pull doesn’t match my d-ring, one is antique brass and the other is silver which bothers me slightly.

 

Tilly and The Buttons - Marigold Trousers

I have some good news and some bad news…

The good news is that I have basically finished these trousers, just the hem to go! 🥳

I bought some piping 2 (or maybe 3) years ago to add to a dress I made for Christmas but I completely forgot at the time, and I wasn’t going to unpick anything, so the piping went into my stash.

I thought now would be a good time to use especially since it was red and would go really well with the cherries.

And I love how it looks! 

Now for the bad news, I look like a clown in them! The photos below don’t show how they really look in person.

I knew I would probably need to scoop a little out of the front crotch, but I didn’t expect it to look so baggy. 😑

If they were made in a viscose, you wouldn’t notice the baggyness that much because it would drape nicely. 

But how it currently is, it doesn’t look nice. I am wondering if just removing some of the crotch curve will be enough of a fix. 🤔

The piping is probably not helping because it is stiffer than the fabric and is making it stand out at the sides a bit which is helping the clown look.

Let’s see what I do to make these a better fit. 

Fabric: Red cherries on navy background cotton poplin from my stash. 

Size: straight size 4.

The Drama: It’s not a really nice fit! And I am thinking twice now about making the top as a coord. 🤔

 

 

Take It or Leaf It Sweater - Karas Knit Eng

I found a little big mistake!

But I don’t want to fix it! 

Especially since it’s on the back panel, so out of sight out of mind!

It’s on one of the cables on the right side where I must have brought the stitches to the back to knit instead of the front. It just looks a little off.

You probably wouldn’t be able to tell if I didn’t bring your attention to it.

I have been giving it some thought to undo, but it would basically take me all the way to the beginning and I would need to frog 8 stitches all the way down.

That’s a lot and it makes me nervous!😂

I don’t know how easy it will be for me to pick them all back up again. I mean, it’s doable, but is it really necessary?😅

Other than that, I have worked away slowly at it this week with just a few rows being done..

Yarn: Yarnsmiths Create Super Chunky gifted by Wool Warehouse paired with Drops silver thread.

Size: XS

Needle Size: I am using a size 6mm for the ribbing and an 8mm needle for the body. The yarn suggests a 10mm for reference.

The Drama: I’ve made a mistake in one of the cables.

 

 

 

Skill Builder of the Week

Adjusting Sewing Patterns for Height

One of the first adjustments I learnt to make to my pattern pieces was to shorten them for my height. 

Being only 5ft 2ish, everything shop bought, and most sewing patterns, come out too long for me, especially in the legs.

If you are adjusting the length on a front bodice, you will need to make the same adjustment for the back bodice. The same goes for adjusting the length on trousers legs and skirts, what you do to one, you need to do to the matching piece.

This way, the seams line up, nothing ends up too long or short, and the garment fits your body where it should.

Most patterns I have come across have a horizontal shorten/lengthen line marked on them to show the best places to make these adjustments. Sometimes if you have to add or remove a lot, it may be better to split the adjustment into 2 or more spots rather than all in one, so the proportions aren’t thrown off too much.

For example, if you needed to remove/add 4 inches to a shaped trouser leg, you may want to remove/add some length at the thigh and some at the calf, instead of all in one place.

 

Here’s how I remove length from a bodice:

- I draw a line on the pattern piece with the amount I need to remove. 

- Then I cut it at the shorten/lengthen line and overlap the pieces so one cut edge meets the line I drew.

- I tape it in place, making sure the grainline stays aligned, and lastly, I smooth out the cut lines if needed.

Here’s how to add length to a bodice:

- On a separate piece of paper, draw two parallel lines with the amount you want to add between them.

- Cut the pattern at the shorten/lengthen line and spread the two pieces apart matching each cut edge to one of the drawn lines

- Tape them in place, connect and smooth out the cut lines.

It’s quite a simple adjustment to make, but it makes quite the difference in getting a garment to fit.

Now I don’t have to worry about my skirts dragging on the floor or having to fold my trousers up 3 times.

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Maker Spotlight

This week’s spotlight goes to @helcatmichaelsews!

 

 

Helen made these really fun scrubs which had been on her mind for a long time! They came out great and are sure to put a smile on every one that passes her by! 

The cow print fabric is a cotton from Rainbow Fabrics, and I must confess that it is probably my favourite animal print. I just find it hard to visualise what I would wear made in it, possibly a pair of trousers. 🤔

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

 

Sewing With My Daughter and a New Job!? WEEKLYBEE | EP26

 

 

 

 

Events:

Sew&Bond - July (SOLD OUT)
Sew&Bond - August (SOLD OUT)
Sew&Bond - September (SOLD OUT)
Sew&Bond - September (SOLD OUT)
Sew&Bond - 25th of October 2025 (5 spots left!)

Join me for a 1 day celebration @ Janome HQ - Join the waitlist!

 

Workshops:

Build Your Confidence in Sewing Workshop

 

Sewing Patterns:

Roma Necessaire
Paphos Pouch

 

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