Regular Occurrence

Hello!👋

Hope you have been keeping well!

The weather has been a real mood lifter lately and the roller skates have come out quite a few times this week! 🤗

I even managed to be a little adventurous on them and have started to do little jumps, skating backwards and skating on one foot! 😱

Here is a photo of a park we found to play around in on our wheels, the kids on bicycles and me on skates.

And I am happy to report that I have not fallen once, though there have been close calls. 🏆 😂

My eldest is also doing really well on her roller skates and is being a bit of a daredevil on them too, jumping and trying to skate REALLY fast! She, however, hasn’t been lucky enough to avoid the floor. 😣

But she gets up and keeps going all the time!

The weeks keep feeling like they are getting shorter and shorter each time as I feel I barely do much these days.

I had a look at my notebook with all my sewing and knitting projects from last year (2023), and I notably completed a lot more by this time last year compared to this year.

Last Year:

This Year:

I did make a start on the dress that is going to be a gift for my daughter’s friend’s birthday, the Chloe dress by Vintage Little Lady.

I was meant to lengthen the skirt by an inch, but in true Bianca fashion, I forgot to do this. 🤦🏼‍♀️

This seems to be a regular occurrence when I make clothes for other people. 😑

What I am probably going to end up doing is have my daughter try it on as they are of similar build and height, and see if I need to add a ruffle to it in the green contrasting fabric.

I opted to use all the extras on the pattern like the ties and sleeve ruffles and it has been a really easy sew except for joining the main and lining fabric of the bodice at the side seam.

The fabric is a bit fiddly and it needs to be sewn in the shape of a 3 sided square if you know what I mean. Not sure if you can actually make that out in the photo. 😬

It is turning out really cute though and I am glad my daughter chose this unicorn fabric as I really had no project in mind for it. 

I do still have a large piece of fabric left though, probably enough for a smaller size dress, so back in the stash it has gone. 🤷🏼‍♀️

I thought of making a matching dress for one of my daughters but they just have so many dresses, I feel it would be a waste to make another.

I have been fortunate enough to get clothing from friends that no longer fit their daughters and am able to give them a second home.

I feel I am doing my part in not contributing to fast fashion and reusing clothes for them as much as I can. 🙂

Anyway, the birthday girl’s party is on Friday, so I have a bit of time to finish this dress before then.

And then school holidays start! 

I look forward to spending some more time with my girls outside riding around on skates and bicycles, provided the weather works with us. 😅

This means I will be very limited on what I can actually sew and probably knit too, as I will be spending more time with them.

My Jasmine Sweater is knitting up beautifully in the Yarnsmiths Play Chunky and I can’t wait for it to be finished! 😍

Not sure I will be able to give it much use for the next few weeks though as I am kind of hoping the weather stays sunny for us here.

I now just need to finish the sleeves and the neckband.

And guess what?!

I want to make another one! 😂

I said I wanted to try socks next, but I think I will probably make another Jasmine Sweater before moving on.

I am thinking of using one of these colours, light pink or pistachio Drops yarn. 

As always, I would love it if you could help me decide which one to go for please!

I will put a poll up on my Instagram closer to time too, but please feel free to reply to this email with your preferred colour for me. 😀

Remember a while back  I said I was making tote bags to use as gift bags for the teachers' gifts?

Well…

I asked the teachers if I could video my daughter giving them their presents and opening them and they have accepted.

As I want it to be a complete surprise, I am going with my daughter to buy some gift bags so she gets to choose which teacher gets what bag. This way, I can hide the tote bag and the actual gift inside.

I have also asked her to make each teacher a special card, as I think little things like this make the teachers feel a little more appreciated. 🥰

Now once all these items to gift are done and out the way, I want to make a few much needed bottoms for my wardrobe!

Mainly trousers, but some skirts too.

I did mention I wanted to do this last week already, but the only progress this week is I have put together the trouser patterns I intend to make to one side so I can grab one and trace out my size.

I have made a couple of them before but I need to make some size adjustments as I wasn’t completely happy with the fit the first time round.

😎Confidence Corner:

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” —Arthur Ashe

This is a great reminder that we don’t need to wait for the perfect moment to start making progress.

Start where you are: Don’t wait for everything to be perfect. Begin with whatever situation you’re in right now. Taking that first step is the most important part of any journey.

Use what you have: You don’t need fancy tools or special skills to get started. Make the most of what you already have. Your current knowledge and resources are enough to begin making progress.

Do what you can: It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by big goals. Focus on doing what you can today, even if it seems small. Every little effort adds up and brings you closer to your goals!

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🧵Today's Sewing Tip:

Flat Fell Seam AKA Run and Fell Seam

A flat felled seam is an overlapping seam that’s sewn flat and is normally used in menswear and jackets because it’s extremely durable and sturdy. You can find this type of seam on your pair of jeans too.

A flat felled seam is typically done on the right side of the fabric, but can also be done on the wrong side.

Today, I will show you how it’s done from the right side:

Pin your fabric together, matching the raw edges and wrong sides together.

Sew with the specified amount of seam allowance.

Here I am using ⅝ inch(1.5cm).

Then press open.

Trim one side of the seam allowance to half the width of the other seam allowance.

Fold the wider seam allowance over the narrower one and press. 

Fold the whole seam allowance over and under the bottom (narrower) seam allowance, enclosing the raw edge to make a folded edge. Press it flat.

Lastly, edgestitch the seam allowance in place along the folded edge from the right side. (This is to make sure you capture the whole edge)

From the right side, you will have two rows stitches side by side, and from the wrong side you can only see one, which is the edgestitch that was just created.

⭐My Favourite Things This Week:

• A few good days of sunshine to enjoy the outside on wheels 🌞
• Reducing my stash one project at a time - unicorn dress 🦄

🗓️Upcoming Plans

• Continue with the test knit Jasmine Sweater from RitaMadeThis.
• Continue on the unicorn dress for a birthday girl.
• Get back to my partner’s jacket - just avoiding this at this point. 😣
• Make some trousers.

🎬What I have been Watching/Reading:

Watching

• Homicide:Los Angeles (Series)

Documentary series focusing on detectives and prosecutors as they revisit their most challenging homicide cases in the city of Los Angeles, California.

I had watched season 1 quite some time ago, and season 2 was recently released so I had to start watching it.

• The Alienist (Series)

This story follows Roosevelt, then New York City police commissioner, and Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, as their investigative team attempts to solve gruesome murders through new methods including fingerprinting and psychology.

This has been a binge worthy series for me! I am halfway through season 2 already.

• The Mole (Series)

Twelve players work together in challenges to add money to a pot that only one of them will win at the end. Among the players is one person who has secretly been designated "the Mole" and tasked with sabotaging the group's money-making efforts.

This is a fun competition series that I like watching because I too try to figure out who “the mole” is and it is never the person I think it is. 😂

🎉Upcoming Events

27th of July 2024 - Sew&Bond - Sewing Social Event - in Gatley Hill House, South Manchester, 10:45 - 16:15.

(5hr30m, an extra 30min than usual)
Email bianca@beesilva.co.uk and quote reference: SEWBOND07
For more information: https://www.beesilva.co.uk/sewbond07/

24th of August 2024 - Sew&Bond - Sewing Social Event - in Gatley Hill House, South Manchester, 10:15 - 15:45.
(5hr30m, an extra 30min than usual)
Email bianca@beesilva.co.uk and quote reference: SEWBOND08
For more information: https://www.beesilva.co.uk/sewbond08/

21st of September 2024 - Sew&Bond - Sewing Social Event - in Gatley Hill House, South Manchester, 11:45 - 17:15.
(5hr30m, an extra 30min than usual)
Email bianca@beesilva.co.uk and quote reference: SEWBOND09
For more information: https://www.beesilva.co.uk/sewbond09/

26th of October 2024 - Sew&Bond - Sewing Social Event - in Gatley Hill House, South Manchester, 10:15 - 15:45.
(5hr30m, an extra 30min than usual)
Email bianca@beesilva.co.uk and quote reference: SEWBOND010
For more information: https://www.beesilva.co.uk/sewbond010/

Question of the Week:

Which sections of the newsletter are you not so interested in? 🤔

Bye for now,
B! xx