My Festive Southbank Dress

Hello!👋

Hope you have been keeping well!

My Christmas tree finally went up on Wednesday! 🎄

I normally like to set it up on the 1st of December but we were away, life happened and we eventually had time on Wednesday to get it out the attic.

The kids really enjoyed helping put it up this year!

It’s my youngest’s first Christmas in which she actually knows a little of what's going on since she is now 3 years old, so everything is mega exciting! 😀

My brain is so out of it this year though that I didn’t even remember about the elves until my eldest asked when they were going to arrive. 😬

She placed this question the morning after the tree went up and I signalled to my partner to distract them both so I could go unearth the elves and plonk them on the tree. 🙈

At least I don’t have to come up with 24 ideas for staging the elves this year! 😂

And with this, I would REALLY love it if you could give me some fun ideas for the kids please, maybe something you have already staged yourself!

By the way, are you all organized and set up your Christmas tree already? When do you normally aim to set up? I know a friend of ours sets it up at the beginning of November! 🤔

This is the first week we are back from being in Portugal and it has just derailed my whole routine. It has been hard for me to focus and get back into my routine, and it’s not come at the best time as I would like to sew quite a few things for my kids. 🙄

It looks like I am not going to get everything done that I wanted, including something for my partner, but on the plus side, I made myself a little something! 😂

The last thing I sewed for myself was the Fleur dress by Fabric Godmother for my birthday at the beginning of November! 😱

So I thought it was about time to make something for myself again so I could feel a little festive for my last Sew & Bond of the year.

In November's Sew & Bond, there was a gorgeous glittery quilted jersey fabric on the swap table and I swooped in like an eagle to grab it!

I had the Southbank by Nina Lee in my mind for a while so when I brought this fabric home, I thought it was a perfect match.

I cut all the pattern pieces out on Thursday, sewed the shoulders together and finished the rest up on Friday morning.

I did version 1 of the pattern which is the dress version, I graded from an 8 at the bust to a 10 at the waist and a 12 at the hips.

It had been a while since I made something in a jersey fabric and I forgot how quick it is to sew it together on an overlocker! And to make life easier and the job all the more quicker, everything was banded, the sleeves, neck and hem, so I didn’t have to hem anything. Just zipped it through the machine very quickly!

I have also finished the first draft of the Mini Palma Pouch I had been working on.

It looks perfectly fine and is functional, but I am not completely happy with it though.

I want to use a different stabiliser and I need to play around with some of the measurements but it’s going in the right direction. 😀

I am currently sitting on 3 patterns that I have worked on over the last few months and I can’t wait to get them out into the wild!

My only worry now is getting everything right to comply with the new General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) before releasing them.

Another new project I worked on this week is something for my kids.

I started drafting a few accessories for their Barbie’s and it’s coming along okay. 😅

I have a few pieces cut out and half sewn already like the bed…

 and pillows…

I have cut out some strips of fabric to add ruffles to the heart and circular shaped pillows and I feel like I need to make myself a larger version!

I seem to always be drawn to hearts and circles or polka dots, so I will make myself some pillows too in the near future.😀

Still part of this collection I want to make for their Barbie's, I am going to draft a mattress to fit into the bed carrier, a fleece blanket, possibly a quilted one too(time depending) and I like the idea of adding ruffles around the border of the bed for the second version.

Will I have enough time to sew all this, and twice, so I have a complete set for each child in time for Christmas? 🤔

Only time will tell, but I am nervous at the thought of not being able to finish! 😂

I gave the Alice Vest test knit by Rita Made This some attention this week by sewing on the daisies!

I opted to go for an off white/cream coloured yarn for all of them because I feel I will be able to combine it with more pieces in my wardrobe that way.

I used 2 strands of DK yarn but I don’t like how some of them came out, especially the larger one.

I may cut that one out and redo it a little smaller. I quite like them different sizes instead of trying to get them all to look the same.

I have played with the idea of removing them all and getting a thicker strand of yarn instead of doubling the DK, but I don’t currently have something suitable in my stash and I am not going to buy a whole ball to add a few flowers to the vest.

I will make do with what I have and see how it looks and feels later down the road.

As for the Breton Sweater by Paintbox Yarns, I only got a few rows done. I just haven’t had the time to get to it this week.

I just can’t get enough of this colour and the feel of the yarn knitted up into the panel. It just feels so silky soft to me! 😍

In case you haven’t seen the yarn before, it’s the Yarnsmiths Merino DK yarn that Wool Warehouse kindly gifted me.

Have you used any of the yarn from the Yarnsmiths range? If yes, which one have you tried and what did you make with it? 🧐 😃

___

Saturday marked the last Sew & Bond sewing social of 2024 and it was a great day!

A wide range of projects were being stitched up like dresses, a co-ord loungewear set, a festive velvet trousers and a few bags that are destined to be Christmas presents!

Thank you so much to everyone who has come along to these sessions throughout the year and made it what it is, a fantastic day!

We have created bonds through sewing that I feel will last a lifetime and I look forward to seeing where 2025 will take us all!

😎Confidence Corner:

Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time. - Thomas A. Edison

Success generally comes to those who keep going, even when things get tough. It’s easy to feel like giving up when something doesn’t work out right away, but what if your next attempt is the one that makes the difference?

Every time we face a challenge, we have the chance to learn something new. Mistakes aren’t failures, they are steps forward. It’s said Edison himself tried thousands of times before inventing the light bulb. When asked about his struggles, he said, "I haven’t failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work."

Success doesn't happen overnight, it is built little by little with every attempt we make. So the next time you face a challenge and feel like quitting, pause and remind yourself that it may just be one step ahead.

Keep going. You might be closer than you think.

🧵Today's Sewing Tip:

Inserting a Neckband

I worked on my Southbank dress this week and the neck, sleeves and hem were all banded.

If you are unfamiliar with the term, it simply refers to finishing the raw end of a sleeve/ neck/ hem with a separate strip of fabric that is folded in half.

Generally, you would sew the strip of fabric into a continuous loop first. Use the seam you created as one half point and flatten the loop to find the other half point.

In this photo, my seam is on the left and my second halfway point is on the right.

You can mark your second halfway point using a pin, clip or pen.

My preferred method, where possible, is to cut a little “v” out with my snips.

To find the quarter points, align the halfway points together.

In other words, put the “v” and the seam together and flatten the loop again. Mark those quarter points using your preferred method.

Wherever you are going to attach this band, make sure that you quarter the area using the same steps as above.

Once that is done, align the quarter points of the band with the quarter points on your project.

You may need to ease in the band a little to fit so take your time to avoid getting any tucks.

Here you can see my project has a banded neck and sleeves.

⭐My Favourite Things This Week:

• I saw my eldest perform her Christmas carols at school. 🥰
• I made myself a sparkly dress - a Southbank Sweater dress from Nina Lee.
• Finished the first draft of my Mini Palma Pouch.
• I made a start on some Christmas presents for my kids - the Barbie Collection.

🗓️Upcoming Plans

• Continue making the Barbie Collection.
• Make myself another something. 🤭 😂
• Re-visit the written instructions for my patterns.

🎉Upcoming Events

18th of January 2025 - Sew&Bond - Sewing Social Event - in Gatley Hill House, South Manchester, 11:45h - 17:15h
Email bianca@beesilva.co.uk and quote reference: SEWBOND013
For more information: https://www.beesilva.co.uk/sewbond013/

2025 Dates!

23rd of February 2025 - Sew&Bond - Sewing Social Event
22nd of March 2025 - Sew&Bond - Sewing Social Event
26th of April 2025 - Sew&Bond - Sewing Social Event

Question of the Week:

How is your Christmas sewing going?

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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