My First Newsletter

Hello!👋
Hope you have been keeping well!

"Why did you feel like having your own newsletter?" - I hear you asking.

First of all, I am super happy you have decided to join me on my journey and thank you so much for subscribing to BeeSilva’s Weekly Roundup Newsletter! 🥰

The goal for this newsletter is to be able to share, inspire and get you going on your own sewing journey.

I want you to feel confident that you can make anything you set your mind to!

⭐Last Week, Today!

Sewing

This week I sewed up a sample dress for my upcoming workshop - “Make A Dress In A Day”, and I am so looking forward to being able to welcome you on to this session and helping you start making your clothes.

The dress is a relaxed, pull-on woven dress, with gathering around the waist area, optional ties to cinch it in, and inseam pockets.

Now this is not a style I would typically go for myself, but I must say I do like the silhouette it gives. I made it in a cotton poplin which gives it some structure, and it feels to me like a vintage tea length dress(which I really love the look of).

I actually have a couple of vintage tea length patterns in my stash that I want to make up, just haven’t really found a moment for them yet. 🫤

I have also received (a couple of weeks ago now), the fabric for my brand ambassador project I need to make for UK Fabrics Online. The deadline is the last day of this month, and although there are still a few more days to go, we all know that time just flies past without us realising, so I definitely need to get a start on that this coming week. Oops! 😅

The fabric I received is a Luxury Plush Velvet Fire Retardant Upholstery Fabric in a cream colour and I plan to upholster a mdf board to make a backdrop for flat lay photography.

I got the mdf board, well actually 4 of them, from the base of our bed frame that we got rid of recently as the frame was all damaged.

I had been wanting a new bed frame since we moved into our house 9 years ago, as it was left by the previous owner, but we only got round to doing it now😂.

Anyway, not sure what I want to do with the other 3 boards, but maybe I would like to upholster a second one in a different colour.

More on this to come!

Knitting

On the knitting front, I have continued to work on the Corinthian Sweater I have been testing for Alice, who goes by Crochet.By.Alau on Instagram.

All I have left to do now is one sleeve, so I am hoping that within another week it should be finished. 🎉

Wool Warehouse recently gifted me some yarn to use on my next project! 😍

As I am very indecisive at times and find it hard choosing what patterns and colours to put together, I asked them if they wouldn’t mind choosing for me between the 2 colour options I gave them… pinks and purples or greens and blues.

From hitting send until I actually received the yarn, I started picturing the pinks and purples made up into a stripey sweater and was getting super excited for this project.

 And what colour yarn did I receive…not the one I had inclined to in the meantime😂, so I did initially find it hard to picture my intended project in the blues.

But this is the gamble when you ask someone else to choose what you are going to work with. I would not have chosen these colours for myself, so I decided to set the yarn down next to my desk for a few days.

For the next few days, I looked at the yarn every time I passed by it, and the colours started to grow on me, so much so, that I can say I REALLY like them!😍

This is why on the other hand, I enjoy getting people to choose for me, I get to try things I otherwise would not have, and it opens me up and pushes me out of my comfort zone.

I have stuck with my original plan to make a sweater, so stay tuned for how that turns out!

Thank you Wool Warehouse! 🥰

😎Confidence Corner:

A pattern is only a suggestion!

I am guilty of not taking this onboard more times, I tend to be a ‘by the book’ person and that sometimes doesn’t work out too well, in all aspects of life.

And sewing is one of them.

We are all different, and what we choose to wear is an extension of our personality, so if you are making your own clothes…make it you!

Whether that be something as simple as adding a ruffle to the neckband, ricrac down a sleeve or embroidering a collar, make it as unique as you!💗

🪄Today's Sewing Tip:

The first sewing tip I want to share with you this week is one that was given to me when I asked for help on a facebook sewing group years ago, and I have not skipped this step since.

Press those Seams!

Sometimes you invest so much time into making your project, only to complete it and it looks a little wonky. 🥴

Pressing your seams as you go is a game changer in your project having a more professional finish.

What was the best sewing tip you have ever received, the one that you have never forgotten? Let me know!

🩷My Favourite Things This Week:

• Planning what to do with my gifted yarn;

• Having announced a new workshop running at The Sewcial Circle - “Make A Dress In A Day”

🗓️Upcoming Plans

• Get started on my brand ambassador project for UK Fabrics Online;

• Continue working on the Corinthian Sweater test knit;

• Try and finish up a Belle Vest by RitaMadeThis, that I started on the 2nd of February, but was put on hold to prioritise other projects;

• Get started on making a project with the gifted yarn from Wool Warehouse.

🎬What I have been Watching/Reading:

• Ara San Juan: The Submarine That Disappeared

I started watching this just to have something playing in the background, but I actually paid a lot more attention than I expected. With it being in Spanish as well, although I do understand most, some of the accents were hard to get, so I just needed to read the subtitles sometimes. This is probably why I paid a lot more attention.

As the name suggests, this series is around a submarine that disappeared, and the friends and family of those who were onboard are seeking answers.

• Physical:100

I watched season 1 of this competition based series, and I quite enjoyed it, so I am watching season 2 that has just been released.

It is a Korean reality competition series, where competitors are amongst the strongest in the country, and their strengths are tested to the limit. All 100 competitors come together to see who is the last person standing that will take away the winning prize.

• Homicide New York

I do enjoy watching reality crime stories, and this is one of them. All episodes are based on homicides that occurred within New York and the detectives share how they came to solve each case.

• Harley & Katya

This is the story of 2 young people who loved to figure skate. They worked hard to achieve success, and were ultimately met with tragedy.

🎉Upcoming Events

The Sewcial Circle - Make A Dress In A Day workshop - 6th of April 2024

This is an all day event to boost your confidence in getting started with dressmaking. We will be going through taking your measurements, to cutting fabric and stitching up a dress on your sewing machine.

The Sewcial Circle - Beginners Sewing Workshop - 16th of April 2024

In this 2.5 hour workshop, I aim to get you confident in knowing the basics of your sewing machine and start stitching a project together.

The Sewcial Circle - Sew&Bond - Sewing Social - 20th of April 2024

Whether you come to seek inspiration, share your passion for sewing or simply to meet new people, Sew and Bond is where a community of individuals of all skill levels gather to share the art of stitching and the joy of connecting with other stitchers.

Bye for now,
B! xx

PS: If you have any questions or anything to add, please reply to this email. I would love to hear from you!🥰

PPS: Also, if you have a few seconds, I would love to hear your thoughts on this email on what was useful and what can be changed/improved. Thank you very much!