The Lisbon Organiser is out now!

Hello, hello!

The Lisbon Organiser pattern is now out!

After 2 years of keeping it to myself, I’m finally ready to share it with you all.

This is like my baby, the pattern that made me realise if I put my mind to it, I can definitely make it happen.

I am so excited that you get to make the bag for yourself ( or a very lucky loved one).

Buy your Lisbon Organiser - Click here!

We have one month to go until the Sewn at Midnight Gala!!!! 🎉🎉

Can you believe how quickly it has gone? It feels like just yesterday that I announced there was going to be one and it’s just around the corner now!

I have not made any progress with my outfit apart from getting a sample of the fabric I plan to use. I hope you are a little further along in the process than I am. 😂

The 2 weeks of school Easter holidays are now done and the kids go back to school tomorrow.

I will miss spending all the time with them, but I also need to get back to doing more work!😅

It has been a busy week meeting friends, going to parks, hiking and doing workshops.

This week’s hiking trip was Tegg’s Nose with some friends and it was rather mild compared to what we have been doing.

The weather has been lovely, or should I say, more dry and this has made me want to go out for more runs.

I graduated from the Couch to 5K programme and then went on to hit my personal best this week! 🥳

I ran 6.1 km (3.79 mi) in 40 minutes. 😱

I had only reached 5k the day before, so getting to 6 surprised me. I can’t wait now to participate in some parkruns in my area, I just haven’t been able to get to one these last two weeks.

Do any of you run or do parkruns? I would love to know about your experiences.

 

Stitches of the Week

 

BeeSilva - Multi-Purpose Quilted Organiser AKA Lisbon Organiser Workshop

We had a great day at Janome sewing this bag up!

Everyone, including me, were very excited with all the colour and print combos. At times it was too hard keeping the excitement in that I had to shake a few of the works in progress to get it out. 🤣

Of all my bag designs, this is the most complex, fun and maximum stashbusting one. 

There are so many prints and colours that you can put together, things you wouldn't normally, and they all look great. You can’t really go wrong.

Plus the handles are interchangeable and so easy to adjust the length, so more fun to be had there.

I would love to run more workshops around this bag, maybe spread it over 2 days so it’s not too much for one day.

Please let me know if you would be interested in coming and would you prefer 2 consecutive days? Or like 2 Fridays in a row? Weekdays or weekends?

All this helps me organise a session for a day that suits most of you. ♥️

 

BeeSilva - New pattern in the works

I started working on a new pattern this week and what started as quite a simple idea that I shared on Facebook, has become quite the adventure.

So it’s a tote bag, but I want it to be a ‘not-your-average’ tote bag.

I want it to have a centre feature panel. A space for some patchwork, or to fussy cut a beautiful fabric, or to show off any fabric that you love. 

I also know I want the handles to be at angle instead of just straight up.

The adventure came after this. I played around with adding slanted pockets to both sides of the feature panel but have them with zip closures.

I am slightly paranoid thinking people might stick their hands in my bag and take what’s not theirs, so I want to be able to close most of my pockets.

I did run into some hiccups. It hadn’t crossed my mind until I made a second prototype. 

I made the side pockets the full length of the bag but that meant I couldn’t hide the inner raw edges behind the straps, so I had to come up with another idea. And that was to bind the top of the zipper instead.

I am happy with where it is at, I need to tweak it a little more and work on the interior and possibly some side straps. Still deciding on this last point.

I have cut fabric for prototype number 3 so I hope to get back to it soon.

Fabric: Planning for canvas or waxed cotton for the main part. 

Size: I consider this a large tote. If all goes to plan, it’s going to be about 19 inches wide.

The Drama: It’s going to take longer than I expected because I keep on adding more pockets to it. 😅

 

Summer Lee - Surf Wax Socks from The Sock Project book

The final step has been completed!

I weaved in all the ends that I hadn’t last week and blocked them! 

They were only supposed to soak in water with some detergent for about 20 minutes, but my partner moved them from where I left them and it was like an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ kind of thing. They only came to mind 2 hours later, but they survived. Just the water in the bowl was all blue but that’s normal.

Now that they are fully complete, I just wanted to show you another photo because I’ve dedicated a lot of time to them to not let the world see them. 😂

Yarn: Drops Fabel, yarn I got from Portugal and Hobbii Silly Socks Flower Pop in colour 10 (Forget-Me-Not)

Size: L for the leg and reduced to an M for the foot.

Needle Size: I cast on with a 2.5mm and then transferred to 2.25mm.

The Win: Definitely done this time!

 

Jamie Dorfman - Lily Cardigan from Fast and Fabulous Knits Book

I feel this has knit up so quickly. Definitely a lot quicker than knitting socks.

The lace detail is so pretty and I’m happy I chose this colour.

The bodice is done, shoulder seams as well. I’ve just picked up stitches for one of the sleeves and knit about a third of it, and it’s also got lace detail down the top of it. 

If I keep going at this rate, I will finish this in the next 2-3 weeks. Just doing some maths to see when I can start planning for the project after this one. 😂

And remember what I said last week about it being a little small? Please check the picture below. 😂

Yarn: So Crafty Aran Yarn in Plum, but looks more like burnt orange.

Size: XS and checking gauge before starting would have set me up better. 

Needle Size: 5.5 mm ribbing and 6.5 mm for the main body.

The Win: About halfway done!

The Drama: Definitely looks small.

 

Skill Builder of the Week

 

Small habits make a huge difference

One small habit that makes a huge difference over time is simply writing down the details of your projects.

Not just the planning stage, or what went right, but the full truth about it!

What worked, what didn’t, how the fabric behaved, whether the fit turned out the way you wanted it to, what parts were difficult, what changes did you make, because no matter how sure you feel in the moment, these little insights fade very quickly over time. A few months down the line, you’re making the same or similar project again and you can’t remember what happened.

Keeping a record turns every project into something you can actually learn from. You start to notice patterns (in your sewing), make better choices, and have a better idea of things instead of starting from scratch every time.

And you don’t have to write anything complicated, just a few lines are enough. Having a dedicated place for it makes it far more likely to become a habit and you know exactly where you can find your references… and this is exactly why I created ‘My Sewing Journal’s.

If you still haven’t gotten one, use the link below to check it out. They make a perfect gift for yourself or your sewing friends.

Buy here!

 

Makers Spotlight

This week’s spotlight goes to Pam!

Pam came to one of my recent workshops where we made the Lisbon Organiser and look how gorgeous her bag is! 😍

The colours all work so well together! The green, pink and purple are so eye catching, and mixed with all the rest is just *chef’s kiss*!

Want to be featured in my newsletter? Just reply with a pic of your make. I’d love to see what you’ve made!😍

 

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'My Sewing Journal' - Order Yours!

Events:

Sew&Bond™ - 25th of April 2026 (SOLD OUT)
Sew&Bond™ - 30th of May 2026 (SOLD OUT)
Sew&Bond™ - 27th of June 2026 (SOLD OUT)
Sew&Bond™ - 25th of July 2026 (SOLD OUT)
Sew&Bond™ - 15th of Aug 2026 (5 Spots Available!)
Sew&Bond™ - 29th of Aug 2026 (SOLD OUT)

Workshops:

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My Sewing Patterns:

Lisbon Organiser (NEW BAG PATTERN)
Roma Necessaire
Paphos Pouch

 

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