Hello and a very happy final day of September to you! Can you believe we are at the end of September already? This month has absolutely flown by not least of all because of my book coming out on the 18th of the month. We have been so busy with holidays, weekends at Goodwood Revival, family occasions and of course, the launch of my book. I am very much looking forward to a slightly calmer and quieter few months as we lead up to the end of the year.
Autumn is my absolute favourite time of year. I think it must be because it is the ultimate slow and cosy month. We aren’t dealing with the harsh realities of winter yet but we are feeling the pull to begin to wind down and slow down as the nights draw in and weather begins to turn. We’ve had a very mild September here which I have been glad of as many of my plants were late getting started thanks to moving house. I’m hoping this will mean I can enjoy a couple more courgettes, a lot of tomatoes from the greenhouse and some vases of homegrown dahlias which have only just begun to flower.
So in the true spirit of this slow and restful season I invite you to grab a cup of tea, cosy up under a blanket and dive into this months Slow Natured newsletter.
This Month I’ve Been Knitting…
We started September with a holiday to Devon. It was a much needed break and although sadly the weather was pretty rubbish, we did manage to do lots of lovely things. It also meant I had the time to begin work on a few autumnal knitting projects. I started the week off by casting on the Gro Hat in this gorgeous deep ochre yarn. I picked this skein of yarn up last year from Unravel and had been meaning to knit a hat with it for last autumn but never got around to it. I am so pleased I finally knit it and I cannot wait to wear it this season as the days grow colder.
I also finished off my Midland Cardigan (knitted in this yarn) whilst on holiday and even found some buttons from a lovely haberdashery. This has already had so much wear. I am thrilled with how it has turned out. The fit is great and I love the colour. I can’t recommend this pattern enough. It is an absolute joy to knit and I know this cardi will become a well loved piece in my wardrobe.
This Month I’ve Been Sewing…
This first make is technically a summer make but I didn’t manage to get the poppers on until September and so it’s snuck into this round up. I decided to make a denim jacket from my husbands old jeans. They always wear away in the same place and it is not an easy area to fix and so I have slowly been collecting up the jeans in the hope of finding a project for them. This jacket used up a massive total of 7 pairs and I am very pleased with the result. I used the Sonny jacket pattern by Tilly and the Buttons as it is made up of lots of smaller panels which I was able to cut out of the legs. The only panel that was too big to fit was the back and so I made up the star motif which I absolutely love. It was quite a fiddly make but I am so pleased with the outcome and can’t wait to wear it over autumn before it gets too cold.
My other sewing projects this month have been all about adjusting my current wardrobe of handmades. Over the years since I started making my style has changed and evolved. I no longer feel most comfortable in knee length dresses but prefer a midi length. Because of this I found that last year I wasn’t reaching for some of my favourite makes as much as I did in previous years. This made me quite sad and instead of creating lots of new garments I have decided to try and alter the existing ones where I can.
I was so pleased to be able to find some more of this purple William Morris fabric which I bought back in 2022 and easily added a ruffle to the bottom of this much loved dress. I am so pleased with the new length and it has already been worn many times. I’ll be dressing it up with cardigans, jumpers and boots as the season goes on.
I also adjusted a dress made last year that came out a bit longer than expected. I wanted it midi length but somehow ended up with ankle grazing. I also found the dress was a little loose around the waist so used the spare fabric cut off the bottom to create a waist tie. I’m really pleased with these adjustments and now have two dresses that feel much more my style for the coming season.
This Month I’ve Been Embroidering…
I saw this gorgeous embroidery kit online and knew it would be the perfect early autumn craft. These colours also go really well in our new living room and it has been lovely to stitch something for our new home. It is now sitting pride of place amongst our gallery wall in the lounge. I can’t wait to make some more embroidery hoops to decorate the house with!
This Month I’ve Been Reading…
I first read God’s Smuggler by Brother Andrew over 10 years ago when I was first coming to faith. It absolutely bowled me over. I loved every second and couldn’t put it down. I am so pleased to find that it has had the exact same effect the second time. I have been re-reading it for a Christian ladies book club I have recently joined at my new church and I am so glad they picked it as the next book. This book is so exciting and full of such incredible stories of the provision of God. It really shows just how exciting a life of faith can be and I highly recommend it to old and new Christian’s alike.
This Month I’ve Been Visiting…
September always marks the month of Goodwood Revival - a super fun vintage car racing and fashion event. We have been a few times but the last two years I have been lucky enough to be invited as press and what a wonderful weekend it is. This year we decided to go for just the one day rather than all three as the following week my book was being launched and I didn’t want to overdo it.
The day was so good. I took part in multiple crafting workshops including block printing and kintsugi. I enjoyed some really interesting talks from all sorts of people within the sustainable fashion and lifestyle space. And my husband got to watch vintage cars racing at break neck speeds which made him very happy as always. If you want to see more of what I got up to, you can check out my vlog on my YouTube channel.
This Month I’ve Been Loving…
As mentioned, my book was released in the UK this month and I have been absolutely bowled over by the response it has had. Thank you so much to all of you who have purchased a copy, sent me a message to say how much you’re loving it or left a review on Amazon/Goodreads. It has been amazing to see my little book out in the world. Last weekend I had a book launch with fellow author Rachael Newham and it was such a joyous event filled with honesty, laughter and lots of cake. I can’t wait for the book to come out in the U.S.A. in November.
I hope you all have a wonderful October filled with cosy evenings and delicious seasonal food.
Speak soon,
Rachel xx