June makes

This month has absolutely flown by, and although I have been non-stop busy, I feel like I don’t have very much to show for it!

At the beginning of June I finished my 4th #makenine2026 project – the Spaghetti Western Sewing Willa shorts. It was absolutely freezing at the time and I remember trying them on while also wearing a thermal, which seems ridiculous during the current heatwave! I made the shorts in the size XS using some lovely cotton linen from Merchant and Mills, and although the silhouette is rather voluminous, they are super comfy to wear and I think they look pretty cute.

I didn’t do any more dressmaking until the end of June when I made my 5th #makenine2026 project – the Atelier Scammit Archipel Top. It was the annual Fold Line Sewing Weekender on the 27th and 28th and I spent the whole of Saturday stitching away and hanging out with other sewists in the Zoom Room – it was great fun! The top is fully lined and I thoroughly enjoyed the construction. I made the size 36 and the gorgeous fabric (Merchant and Mills Ikat) combined with the beautiful finish has resulted in what feels like a really special garment – I love it!

I had an overwhelming urge to make another knitting project bag using some recently acquired Ruby Star Society canvas last week, so I just ran with it! I used the Grainline Town Bag pattern and then hacked it to add a lining and separate drawstring casing. I had a lot of fun sewing it and I am delighted with how well it turned out. It’s already home to my current WIP and I’m looking forward to showing it off at the Store 104 Yarn Social later this week.

I have put my Simon Shawl project to one side for now and decided to make the most of the warmer weather and do some summer knitting! Fellow sewist @sewmanju shared the Coco Amour Knits Seaside Tee she made recently and it totally inspired me to make one of my own – I even copied the yarn she used! It’s knitting up really quickly and I have almost finished the body – then it’s just the short sleeves and neck ribbing to go. I can’t wait to finish it and wear it soon, hopefully to the seaside!

It’s been about a month since our kitchen was finished, so a lot of my time has been taken up with hanging pictures and other bits and pieces to dress the room. I made two Bombazine Oven Mitts and 6 placemats using bits from my stash and I’m really pleased with them! A lot of the fabrics are used in the quilt that is displayed on the wall, so they tie everything together beautifully.

I also bought more of the fabric I used for the lampshades and kitchen window curtain to make some lightweight curtains for the bifold doors, which we’ve really needed to keep out the hot sun over the last couple of weeks.

I’ve almost finished the book I chose for June and have stayed up way too late quite a few nights because I’m enjoying it so much! My friend Laura recommended The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson and it’s a really interesting mix of history and true crime – right up my street!

Now I’ve looked back on all my makes for this month, I take back what I said about being busy but not having much to show for it! I have lots of fun makes planned for July already including a quilt for a workshop sample, two dressmaking projects, and another summer knit – I can’t wait to get started!