Ruffles, Ruffles, Ruffles!

Hello!👋

Hope you have been keeping well!

Last week, I wrote down that one of my upcoming plans was to make an apron for my partner at his request…

Here it is all done, and it took a lot longer than what I was anticipating…3 days! 😫

I didn’t think there was that much to do on the apron. 😅 😂

I chose to do it in a waterproof fabric with the thought that it would be easier to wipe down if it gets dirty. And using this fabric didn’t help speed up the situation. 😑

There were a few bits that I unpicked because I wasn’t happy with the stitching, so I ended up changing my presser foot to a teflon foot to see if that helped with the sticking of the waterproof fabric to the metal foot...and it did.

I am pretty pleased with the end result, with the exception of a few squiggly stitches, but most importantly, my partner was really happy with it!

That is a win for me! 🦾 🤩

I also managed to sew myself a blouse! YAY! It’s the Bloomsbury Blouse by Nina Lee.

I traced this pattern out to make, possibly a year ago, and I also wanted to participate in an Instagram sewing challenge called #sewaprilblouse24, so this week was the perfect time to get it done.

I used a Rose & Hubble cotton poplin that was in my stash that I didn’t particularly like, but I thought it fit the style of the blouse which is Edwardian inspired.

When it was all sewn up, I actually fell in love with the fabric.🤷‍♀️😃

I managed to get a little bit of the blouse done during my first Virtual Sew&Bond event on Wednesday, but most of it was done after.

About the Virtual Sew&Bond, I am pleased that at least one person came! 🥳

I must say that I really enjoyed having a virtual session, so there will be more planned soon(I hope!).

And since I have managed to start using my new cutting table(after 3-4 weeks of no sewing!), I have come to realise that the paint I used was labelled wall paint for a reason.🤣

To save some pennies, I wanted to use paint that I already had on the MDF board and now that it is dry, it lets off some dust. My clothes have white dust on them around my belly where I lean on the table. 😬

So now, I have to go out and get some wood paint with, probably, some finishing in it like varnish to repaint it all! 🥴

Until then, I am not storing my fabric in the Kallax cubes that make the table base, because I would have to remove it again to paint. I hope I get around to this soon because I am tired of my fabric laying on a pile on the floor.

As for my sweater I am knitting, it is finally how I want it! 🤗 And I am amazed at the progress!😲 Not sure how I managed to knit, basically, the whole sweater. 

I just need to finish one sleeve, do the neck ribbing and weave in a million ends!

😎Confidence Corner:

"Believe you can and you're halfway there.” - Theodore Roosevelt

Often, we doubt our abilities because we fear failure. Personally, I've found myself in this situation far too many times. And if it weren't for my partner's constant encouragement, I might not have achieved all that I have and be where I am today.

His "can do" attitude is starting to influence me more and more, reshaping my mindset to believe more in myself. Thanks to his support, I've taken, what I think are, adventurous steps like creating my sewing social media channels, producing videos, initiating my own Instagram challenge, and even launching this newsletter.

Now, I've gained the strength and confidence to go after what I want, and I can't see myself stopping anytime soon.

All I want to say with this is when you believe you can achieve something, your mind begins to envision it and then translates that vision into reality. 💪

🧵Today's Sewing Tip:

When you shop for your clothing, does everything you choose fit you like you want it to?

Not in my experience, but I did know which stores to gravitate towards because their clothing fit me best. (And I say did, because it has been about 5 years that I haven’t shopped for any clothing, apart from underwear and socks! 😃)

The same applies to making your own clothing.

The best thing to do is to make toiles, in other words, make a test version of your chosen pattern out of fabric that you don’t care too much for.

The fabric you use for the toile would need to be the same or very similar in type(stretch or non stretch) and weight for you to be able to get a real visual of what your actual finished piece will look and fit like.

This way, you can check the fit of the finished item, make adjustments and then make it again using your nice fabric.

(This is best practice, but I must confess, I seldomly do this. 😅

In part, this is because I now know what are the standard adjustments I need to make on my paper pattern pieces before cutting my fabric.)

What are some of your best sewing tips? Let me know in the comments!

⭐My Favourite Things This Week:

• Finally being able to sew in my new sewing studio.
• My partner’s happy face when he saw his new apron I made him.
• Hosting my first virtual sewing social.

🗓️Upcoming Plans

• Organising my Instagram sewing challenge #sewbloodpressureuk24;
• Make my partner's parka jacket! (I feel by putting this here I may feel pressured to get it done. 😂 I have actually cut most of it out in January, just need to cut a few more pieces and sew it together.🙈);
• Continue to work on my blue yarn knit project;
• Repaint my cutting table(need to buy the correct paint 😅).

🎬What I have been Watching/Reading:

• Baby Reindeer (Series)

This is based on a true story and it is quite unbelievable to think that all of that could have happened to one person in such a short space of time. I initially didn’t want to watch this, but it was very highly rated on Netflix, so I wanted to see what the hype was all about.

It tells the story of a male comedian  who is harassed by a female and it gets worse over time.

• The Circle (Reality TV Competition)

This series follows contestants who talk to each other over messages via a social media app without meeting each other face to face. The contestants need to guess who is a catfish(fake persona) among them and there is a grand cash prize at the end for one winner.

The series is halfway through, with a few more episodes coming out on May 1st and the season finale on May 8th, so I will be watching this for the next couple of weeks.

🎉Upcoming Events

Sew&Bond - 25th of May 2024 10:15 - 15:45 - in Gatley Hill House, South Manchester.
(5hr30m, an extra 30min than usual)
Email bianca@beesilva.co.uk and quote reference: SEWBOND05
For more information: https://www.beesilva.co.uk/sewbond05/

Sew&Bond - 22nd of June 2024 11:45 - 17:15 - in Gatley Hill House, South Manchester.
(5hr30m, an extra 30min than usual)
Email bianca@beesilva.co.uk and quote reference: SEWBOND06
For more information: https://www.beesilva.co.uk/sewbond06/

Sew&Bond - 27th July 2024 10:15 - 15:45 - in Gatley Hill House, South Manchester.
(5hr30m, an extra 30min than usual)
Email bianca@beesilva.co.uk and quote reference: SEWBOND07
For more information: https://www.beesilva.co.uk/sewbond07/

Bye for now,
B! xx

Thank you so much for reading my newsletter! And if you enjoyed reading it, please tell a friend about it to allow me to reach more people.

What did you think of this week's newsletter? I would love to hear from you!🥰