June Newsletter

Dresses made from curtains & bedsheets and all the cast ons

Jun 30, 2024

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Hello and welcome back to another monthly newsletter! This has been the most crazy month weather wise in the UK. The first half of June was a total wash out, rain all day followed by 2 weeks of sunshine and currently as I write this, a heat wave! One minute I’m wearing a lovely hand-knit merino cardigan, and the next - I’m in a summer dress made from the thinnest fabric I can find because it’s just so hot. It has also been a wonderful month of making, baking and seeing my family so I’ve got quite a bit to share with you today. I would say grab a cuppa and dig in, but if you’re in the UK you probably want an iced tea…

This Month I’ve Been Knitting…

I don’t actually have any finished objects to show this month but I do have three lovely WIPs on the needles. I am usually a one knit, maybe two at a push, kind of girl but I have had to crazy cast on energy this month. I cast on four projects at the beginning of June but soon decided to put one away for a later date because it was just getting ridiculous. For the last few weeks I have mostly been working on the April Cardigan by Petite Knit. This has been a lovely relaxed knit, all in stockinette stitch and exactly what I’ve needed for my slightly frazzled brain. I am hoping to finish it in early June and will be able to show you a pic of the finished garment next month.

The other two WIPs on the needles are another Stella cushion (you may remember I shared a finished one in last months newsletter) and a vintage style cropped blouse. The cushion I have made using all the scraps from the first one and I am pleased with how it’s turning out. I just have the back to go which I am hoping to blast through in the coming weeks. The little vintage blouse is a hack of the Rosery Sweater which I have made before. I am not going to say too much about it as I am looking forward to sharing more when it is done but if you would like to hear more you can watch this YouTube video.

This Month I’ve Been Sewing…

This has been a much better month for dressmaking after a long hiatus from making any clothes. I was kindly gifted the new Tilly and the Buttons Nell dress pattern and as soon as I saw it I knew it would be the perfect summer dress. It’s a lovely oversized fit, with a V-neck, buttons all down the front and multiple length options. The pattern also comes with the options of little ties down the front to create a row of super cute bows, flutter sleeves, long straight sleeves or puff ball sleeves. It can be made as a top or dress and I know it’s going to end up being a very used pattern in my stash! I made my version from a pair of thrifted curtains from the charity shop which cost me all of £10. You can see more of this make in this YouTube video.

The second dress I made was a simple shirred dress finished just in time for the heatwave. I knew I’d need some comfy easy to wear dresses for the hot weather and I had been wanting to make a Hill House Nap style dress ever since they started popping up all over instagram. I followed this tutorial from Lauren Johnson and I am so pleased with how it turned out. I made this dress out of a vintage bedsheet I found on Etsy and it is the perfect fabric for a light, easy to wear summer dress.

This Month I’ve Been Reading…

I know there has been so much hype over the Thursday Murder Club but it took me a while to jump on the bandwagon. I mentioned in my last post how much I have been enjoying reading cosy crime again after a few years hiatus from the genre. Richard Osman’s books are the ultimate cosy crime and just perfect holiday reads. I read the first one very quickly and am now onto the third. If you’re looking for a fun holiday read, definitely grab one of these.

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. I have been on the look out for some great new channels recently and I stumbled across Woozy by Céline and instantly fell in love. She has such fun cheerful videos and makes the most beautiful knits. Her style is right up my street and I love getting to see lots of her home town in Italy. If you’re looking for a great new knitting podcast, Céline is your girl.

This Month I’ve Been Visiting…

It wasn’t really a visit as it is just next to my home but this month my husband and I went on a solstice walk to celebrate the summer solstice. With my chronic fatigue I wasn’t about to get up at 4am so we went for a sunset walk and it was honestly so beautiful. It’s so important to take the time to enjoy the little things throughout the year, to slow down and stay in the present moment. I found it really grounding and doing a little something for these seasonal festivals is definitely becoming a big part of my year and a great way to appreciate the here and now.

This Month I’ve Been Loving…

We are off to Goodwood Revival in September and so this month has been a month of all things vintage. I have begun planning my makes, sourcing fabrics and watching all the period dramas for inspiration. It has also meant lots of thrift shopping and I am loving hunting out the vintage bargains. I can’t wait to share more with you soon but for now you can check out this video.

I hope you all had a wonderful June. Next month I am off on my summer holiday to Scotland and I honestly cannot wait! Have a beautiful July and I will speak to you soon xx