I've been thinking about all of you and have been meaning to send you a little update on what I've been up to this summer and fall. I think the big news is that we got a new puppy -- her name is Marigold and we call her “Goldie" – and as you might expect, she is taking up a lot of my time and attention. Elliot moved out and started college in August, and Clementine and Hugo are also back to school (Clementine is a junior, and Hugo started middle school), so it's been a bit of an adjustment for me figuring out how to work from home with a puppy, and of course for all of us without Elliot here *sobs*. 

 

Summer doesn't really count in my book unless I get to go jump in a lake, and this summer I was lucky enough to spend some time on the shores of both Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, pictured above. And next summer, I'll be teaching at a lakeside creative retreat called Squamadu at a sweet little spot in Minnesota that I wanted to let you know about just in case you were interested in joining us. If sewing block printed pajama bottoms and relaxing by the lake next August sounds like fun to you, please do check it out soon as spots are really going fast! My plan will be to swim every day if I can. 

{More details HERE}

 

Here's what else I've been into and up to…

Some other things I've been into and up to…

 

reading: My favorite vacation read this summer was Chain Gang All Stars. Super riveting, fast action, and such a devastating plot. Highly recommend!!

 

sewing: I bought some colorful SewLike fabric this summer from Romy (shown below) and can’t wait to cut into it. My plan is to make and document a Sapphire dress for a Sapphire Sewalong (hopefully more details on that soon!!). If you like it, check out the other gorgeous new prints in her shop right now.

 

knitting: I'm making good progress on a cabled sweater for when the weather finally turns this fall – it's the Orna Sweater by Brienne Moody with Bread & Butter Everyday yarn from AVFKW. So soft and squishy!

 

stitching: away happily every day on my Pattern Club samplers. I bought the purple Taos one ala carte, and the sunburst one was the first one of the 2025 club. The other two shown were from last year - I turned them into pouches.

 

watching: I'm rewatching Six Feet Under on Netflix right now – I had watched it when it first aired on HBO and it's holding up surprisingly well for being almost 25 years old.

 

I've got a lot going on right now: we're working on a children's sewing pattern mini-collection for print, I'm planning to launch the Sapphire Sewalong soon, and I've been sewing samples to test out the PJ pattern that I will teach next summer so I can get it graded by the end of the year. It's hard to believe I have time for anything else, but I've also been obsessed with natural dyeing and have experimented with amaranth, indigo – both fresh and vat -- and goldenrod, which you can see below. I'll post more about those experiments on my blog soon.

 

I'm also excited about a number of additional upcoming teaching opportunities (besides Squamadu) that are currently in the works for me – both online and in person. I can't say much right now but I'll be sure to share here and post to my blog as those details develop. You can subscribe to my blog posts via my Substack if you want them in your inbox, if you'd like!

 

Wishing you all a lovely fall!
 

happy sewing,

Rae