August Newsletter

Vintage outfits, cosy murders and slowing down for autumn

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Hello and welcome to another monthly newsletter! I hope you have all had a lovely August. We’ve been treated to some great sunny days here in the Cotswolds and we’ve had lots of lovely weekend activities including church BBQs, cooking in the woods with my nephews and 1st birthday parties filled with laughter and cake.

I am very much moving into autumn crafting mode now and you will definitely notice that if you watch my YouTube channel. I do still have a few more summer makes from this month to share with you and I am doing my best to stay present and enjoy the last of this season before the cold weather really gets started! So without further ado, let’s dive into this month.

This Month I Have Been Knitting…

I have two finished projects to share with you this month. The first is a very cute vintage top that I have made for Goodwood Revival which I will be attending in a few weeks. Some of you may have seen my YouTube video all about my vintage making this summer and this has taken up rather a lot of my time. I had thought about knitting an original vintage knitting pattern but the sizing is always very small and there is a lot of old knitting jargon as well as old needle sizes. I decided I didn’t have the capacity to translate an old pattern and also grade it up a good few sizes and so I used the Rosery Jumper pattern which I have used before.

This is a vintage pattern but has been rewritten by Janelle and is available on her website. It is usually made in one main colour but I had the idea that if I used a contrast for the garter stitch rows it would look like a feather stitch stripe, very similar to the popular 1940s victory jumper. I am so pleased with how it came out and I am very much looking forward to wearing it next week!

My other finished make is another Stella Quilt cushion. This was a real scrappy project, using up as much stash wool as possible. This does mean the back has slightly different tones and gauges which has made for an interesting cushion but it is only for our living room and I think it works. I am very committed to trying to use up as much stash as I possibly can in 2024!

This Month I’ve Been Sewing…

As I mentioned, the summer has been spent getting Goodwood Revival ready and so my first sew of August was a wrap dress for my 1950s look. This is the By Hand London Hannah wrap dress and I made a few modifications to the patter. I decided to add puff sleeves and and a much bigger side tie to add a bow effect. This is the first time I have made this pattern and I am very happy with how it has come out although I think it would work better in a less drapey fabric. I am looking forward to trying the pattern again in some A/W fabrics.

I also ran up this vintage kaftan dress which I actually cut out last year. This isn’t actually for Goodwood Revival. I wanted something loose and comfy for relaxing around the house in during the summer. Frustrating, it has taken me all of August to get round to it and I have only just finished it but it will be good for next year and hopefully a hot holiday!

My last sew of the month I have to share is a set of toiletry bags that I made for my best friend who turned 30 this month. Her nick name (bestowed by me) is Ceri Cherry and so the fabric was very fitting. I absolutely love this sewing pattern and can’t wait to make some more for presents.

P.S. Better photos of the dresses are coming onto my instagram!

This Month I’ve Been Reading…

If you follow me on instagram you might know that I have been slowly making my way through all the Agatha Christie novels in order of publication. I am currently in the 1940s and I have been loving rereading some of my favourite books as well as reading many I’ve only seen the TV adaptations of. This month I dived into Murder in the Library and fell in love with Marple all over again. I absolutely love the many TV adaptations but there really is nothing like Miss Marple in the books. She is just wonderful and this book was such a great escape each evening.

This Month I’ve Been Watching…

Some of you will know I have a Youtube channel where I share all things sewing and knitting. But I also love to watch other peoples channels so I thought each month I would give a recommendation of a channel I love to watch. This month I have absolutely fell in love with the channel “Her 86m2”. Thuy Dao documents her slow and simple life in the north German countryside where she grows her own food in her beautiful cottage garden. It’s such a delightful watch and so very relaxing. If you’re in need of some slow living escapism, this is the one to watch.

This Month I’ve Been Visiting…

We spent a weekend looking after our two nephews along with my parents so my sister and her husband could go away for the weekend. My Dad owns some woodland and so one day we took the boys to play in the woods, cook some sausages and toast some marshmallows. It was a lovely day filled with adventure and the boys had such a great time.

This Month I’ve Been Loving…

I’ve really been slowing down as we get towards the end of summer. This season of setting up my own business after leaving my job in the spring hasn’t been easy. I have been working incredibly hard but finally things seem to be calming down a bit. I feel like I am able to catch my breath again and I am relaxing my grip on it all. This has also meant saying no to some opportunities which has been very hard but that is the cost of living a slow life. I truly believe this is the right way for me to live and that means taking risks. Slowing down leads to more time growing food in my garden, making things I love and spending quality time with my husband. I am loving this feeling of entering a new slower season as we all get ready to hibernate for winter.

I hope you all have a wonderful September and enjoy the beginning of autumn. I have got lots of exciting seasonal posts coming up for my paid subscribers so make sure to upgrade now so you don’t miss out!