You Are All A Lovely Bunch

Hello!👋

Hope you have been keeping well!

Uff! This week I felt so busy yet I also felt like I got nothing done. 😕

At the beginning of the week it was finally time to make sure I had collected everyone’s entries for the #sewbloodpressure24 sewing challenge that I hosted on Instagram throughout the month of June.

Up until the last day, the 30th of June, I had about 10 entries only and I started to stress a little because I had more prizes than participants.

There were other challenges running at the same time which required you to post your sewing projects on the last day of the month. That’s when most of the entries started coming in as many people entered their garments into a few of the challenges. Phfew! 😅

I was so happy to see that many people had kept the challenge in their mind throughout the month and managed to tackle one or more sewing projects that had been on their to-do lists for a while.

Some even managed to tick 6 projects off their list!

Let’s not forget what the real aim of the challenge was though…

Raise money for the Blood Pressure UK charity and that you, yourself, need to get your blood pressure checked.

The sewing community really are a lovely bunch! 😍😍

There were a total of 62 entries and we managed to raise £222 with some donations made from people who didn’t even participate.

There were many who also shared stories of themselves or loved ones who are having to live with high blood pressure and take medication for it.

So through knowing and participating in this challenge, I hope we can raise enough awareness to, at least, keep ourselves and our loved ones here for each other for another day. Then, I say this challenge has been and hopefully will continue to be successful for more years to come.

All you need to do is get your blood pressure checked!

Participating Boots Pharmacies here in the UK offer free blood pressure checks to persons who meet a certain criteria, so that is one way you can get it checked.

The simplest and probably most convenient way for you to check it would be to have a monitor at home where you can check your BP whenever you want to.

So to wrap this up, please don’t leave for tomorrow what you can do today, life is too short for that! 💖

Thank you very much to all who sponsored, shared, donated and participated in the challenge! 🥰

Fun Fact:

• My 2023 challenge had 16 entries with 10 prizes worth over £200.
• My 2024 challenge had 62 entries with 36 prizes worth over £600.

Besides allocating and getting in touch with all 36 prize winners and sponsors, not a lot was done. 🙃

I spent most of one day editing and recording a voice over for one of the videos I posted which featured the colorwork cowl with the heart design I made a few weeks back.

It has been really hard with the time I have available to be able to make, edit and post videos as quickly as I want, so they almost always end up being uploaded with a little (or a lot of a) delay.

As for actually making things this week, very little was done.

I managed to wet block the heart cowl and the recently finished Desert Doodle Cowl that I tested for Pacific Knit Co.

I am not sure why, but I don’t particularly like this part of the process, maybe because I have to wait for the pieces to dry for a few days before I can actually wear it. 🤔

If you would like to get your hands on this doodle knit pattern it will be released on the 12th of July (if nothing changes).

I now have the bug of doodling and would like to make some doodle socks(or sweater), and socks is something I have never made before. So if you have any experience with this and could give me some tips, I welcome them! 🙏

My partner has even said that if I make myself socks he wants a pair too! 😂

I love how he has confidence in my crafting abilities and wants to wear things I make! 😂

I take it as a compliment!

I did make some progress on the test knit, the Jasmine Jumper by RitaMadeThis and I am totally in love with this colour changing yarn! 😍

The back panel is now finished and I have started the ribbing of the front panel.

One thing I only thought about after finishing the back panel was the colour changes and being able to match that at the side seams.

I started the front panel with what I thought was the right position in the colour scheme, but after finishing the ribbing section it wasn’t matching up, so I undid it all.

I had to unwind one of the cakes to find the correct colour position, cut off the yarn and restart. I rather this than have the side seams bug me for the rest of its life. 😅

Lets see what happens when I reach the arms. 😶

I am loving the the way it looks though! I feel like I am going to get a lot of wear out of it!

My daughter has been invited to a birthday party at the end of the month and in true Bianca fashion, I prefer to make something for the birthday girl than get something from the shops.

My thoughts are going to some pyjamas like I made my girlies a couple of months ago or a dress, and I want to use fabric from my stash.

I was thinking about making either the Grow With Me PJ’s, dress version, from Ellie and Mac…

OR

 a summer dress, the Siena by Little Lizard King in the sleeveless simple version…

Please help sway me to which I should make!

On Saturday, we finally made our way to Leon’s Fabric again to get some fabric for my daughter's teacher’s gift. And it was a little mission to get my daughter to like anything on the fabric base necessary. 😵‍

I even enlisted the help of one of the staff members hoping that she would uncover some hidden gem that my daughter would like! 😂

The list of requirements I gave her were:

• A viscose fabric that would require minimal to no ironing, so something like a viscose crepe;
• And it needed to be pink for my daughter, but I was open to other colours too.

Eventually we settled on a light pink ditsy floral print that I actually really liked and wanted for myself too. 🤭

I really need to crack on now with this project, as school ends in just under 3 weeks. 🥴

I also still need to trace out the teacher’s size, or what I think is her size and lengthen the pattern pieces as she is very tall! Hopefully this all gets done this week.

On the way out of Leon’s, I showed my partner a fabric that I REALLY liked and to my surprise he asked me how many metres I needed for my intended project!

After saying I needed 3-4 metres, he said go back in and get it!! 🤗

I was hesitant but thought… just go back in before he changes his mind. 🤣

And this is the fabric, a gorgeous blue animal print viscose. 😍

The plan for this fabric is to make a dress, but I have not settled on a pattern yet, hence why I bought 4 metres of it.

On Wednesday morning, I got a phone call from a friend, but it wasn’t my friend on the phone. It was my friend’s friend. 😂

I thought something had happened to her kids because we do the school run together and don’t really communicate outside of drop off and pick up times.

But guess what, the kids were fine.

My friend’s friend needed some trousers taken up.

I was caught off guard and said I could have a look at them. After accepting to look at them, she then asked me if she could drop off the pants now and also that they needed to be finished for Friday, 2 days later, as she was leaving for her holidays. 😏

If she would have started with that I probably would have said no, I didn’t have the time to do them in that time frame, but I had already said I would have a look.

So, in the end I managed to get them hemmed and delivered to her Thursday at school pick up, but I do not enjoy doing these types of jobs.

I don’t even like taking up my own shop bought clothing, never mind doing it for others, but I have a hard time saying no.

😎Confidence Corner:

"Be kinder to yourself, and celebrate little wins." – Charlotte, The Fringe of It

In our busy lives, we often forget to take care of ourselves. Being kind to ourselves means treating ourselves with the same care we would give a friend. It's about recognizing our efforts and forgiving our mistakes. This helps reduce stress and supports our growth.

Celebrating small wins is also important.

We tend to focus only on big goals and forget the smaller steps that lead us there. By appreciating these small achievements, we stay motivated and build momentum.

Each little win shows our progress and dedication.

Take a moment each day to be kind to yourself. Notice your efforts, no matter how small they seem. Celebrate these little wins because they are the foundation of your success.

Remember, achieving big dreams is made up of many small victories. Embrace them and let them remind you of your strength and potential.

🧵Today's Sewing Tip:

French Seams

A french seam encloses the seam allowance on the inside of your project so that no raw edges are visible.

This is a very nice and clean finish without having the need to use an overlocker.

This method is most commonly used on sheer, light to mid weight  fabrics and blends nicely with the fabric. It is not suitable for heavy weight fabrics as it will create some bulk.

If you want to use french seams on a pattern that already includes seam allowance, don’t forget to take that into consideration.

• Stitch your pieces wrong sides together, using half the seam allowance.

• Trim a little of the seam allowance off, not more than half of it and press the seam open.

• Now fold the fabric right sides together enclosing the raw edge and make a line of stitches.

• The first seam is now enclosed in the second seam. All that’s left now is to press the seam to one side!

⭐My Favourite Things This Week:

• Seeing all the fantastic makes and money raised for #sewbloodpressure24
• Making progress on the Jasmine Jumper test knit.
• A trip to Leon’s Fabric.

🗓️Upcoming Plans

• Continue with the test knit sweater from RitaMadeThis.
• Make a skirt for my daughter’s teacher.
• Sew a gift for a birthday girl. Pj’s or dress?
• Get back to my partner’s jacket.😬 😣

🎬What I have been Watching/Reading:

Watching

• Marcella (Series)

Marcella, a former London detective returns to work to investigate an open case from 11 years earlier involving an unidentified serial killer.

I have now finished watching all 3 seasons and I loved it. It had an unexpected ending but one that gave me peace. 😂

• Love Is Blind: Brazil (Reality Series)

This is a dating experiment where local singles look for true love and get engaged, all without meeting the other person face to face. Once engaged, they get to meet each other and go on their honeymoon to see if love truly is blind.

🎉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:

What is your favourite type of fabric to work with and why?

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my newsletter and for reaching out with your emails and messages!💖

Bye for now,
B! xx