As someone who always has multiple projects running at one time and a million ideas floating around her head, it shouldn't surprise me at all that we're already a week into October and I still haven't launched the new pattern Elli and I have been working on for over a year (Garnet). Somehow I always think it will miraculously get faster to get a pattern out the door, and somehow it never does.

 

The good news is that I've been at it long enough that I know to just take a deep breath, remind myself this is how it always is, and keep on going. Ultimately it will take as long as it takes, so I try to just relax and enjoy the process. Easier said than done sometimes, though, right?

 

Since I sent you the last edition of my Studio Notes, we took a family trip to Maine and New Brunswick, I had an Emerald trunk show at Seams Sewing and Mercantile's new location in Kalamazoo, I celebrated my birthday (46!!), and a few weeks ago I attended Squam Arts Workshop for the third time. 

 

This week, I've been working on getting some in-person fall garment sewing workshops up and running. It's been nearly 10 years since taught a workshop at my studio (can you believe it?!) and I've really been yearning to offer garment workshops again. Want to come to Ann Arbor for a weekend workshop? Sign up here. I'm excited!!!

 

A few new posts on my blog and other things I'm into lately…
 

puzzling: Awww yeah, it's puzzle season again, y'all. The floral one shown above from Piecework was challenging and fun.

 

reading: I have to admit that I've mostly been watching TV in the evenings rather than reading, but I did manage to finish a few good books this summer: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (drama!) by Taylor Jenkins Reid, A Gentleman in Moscow (touching!) by Amor Towles, Romantic Comedy (fluffy! fun!) by Curtis Sittenfeld, and A World of Curiosities (thrilling!) by Louise Penny; all were excellent. Just finished and liked I Capture the Castle last week too. 

 

knitting: I finished my Fizz Cowl and then mailed it off to my sister Elli for her birthday, and am now making good progress on a mint and cream Pressed Flowers Shawl with some Camper by Kelbourne Woolens. 

 

watching: Bad Sisters on AppleTV+ is a recent personal fave - it’s so dark and funny and suspenseful. It's the show I am telling all of my friends and family to watch. And with the weather cooling off I have been rewatching The Chair with Sandra Oh. I had forgotten how hilarious it is; I literally shook with laughter last night, and I am now v. distraught upon googling to find there will be no Season 2. 

 

Elliot and I have been working our way through the Nolan Filmography ever since watching Oppenheimer this summer. Latest watches include Interstellar, Inception, and Dunkirk (all of which I prefer to Oppenheimer by a long shot).

 

paddling: for my birthday, our family took a long kayak trip down the Huron River along with my sister Kricket and BIL Ross. - it was absolutely lovely!

 

sewing: Lots of new things for Squam (see below) plus something fun for my sister Kricket's birthday out of the same fabric I made this and this out of. 

 

Squam is all about creativity, and one of my favorite things to do each time I go is put together a fun and colorful handmade wardrobe that really encapsulates my personality. I've included a photo mosaic of my Squam 2023 outfits, below. Some of the garments are newly sewn, and a few are possible future pattern prototypes (but since you now know how long it takes me to get a pattern out, try not to get too excited if you see something that's not an existing pattern). 

 

Have a beautiful weekend.

Rae

 

PS. Don't worry - I'm still working on Garnet.