Another month has flown by! I didn’t start many projects in July, but I did finish a few, so I have several things to share with you today.
First up is the only dressmaking I have done this month – the Matchy Matchy Sewing Club Sunny Side Tank. I already have a couple of TNT tank patterns in my collection, but I really liked the elegant scoop neck of this new release, so I decided to give it a try. I made my usual size for this pattern company, which is an XS, and I am thrilled with how well it turned out!
I used some leftover cotton linen for the outer, and as I didn’t have enough to cut the hem facings and binding strips, I took the opportunity to use a contrasting quilting cotton from my stash. The finish is so fun, and I love the hidden print on the inside!
The rest of my sewing time this month has been taken up making this quilt top for a workshop sample. I haven’t taught a class using a Jelly Roll before, so I thought I would plan one for this year’s ‘National Sew a Jelly Roll Day’ in September. The fabric is from the Geometry collection by Ruby Star, and I absolutely love the colours and mid-century modern vibes of the prints. This will be heading off to my long-armer to be finished soon!
I shared my Seaside Tee WIP last month, which I managed to finish with a very tight deadline so I could wear it for a day out to the seaside! This is my first experience of ‘summer knitting’ and I really enjoyed it – the yarn was lovely to work with, and it was a really quick project. I’ve actually bought some yarn for another summer knit, which I am currently swatching for!
I put my Simon Shawl project to one side while I knit my Seaside Tee, but I was determined to pick it back up again and finish it before I started another new project. I was already over half-way, but because you have to pay attention to how each row starts, I found it a bit of a chore to work on and wasn’t particularly enjoying it. I pressed on, and once the rows started decreasing in length and the end was in sight, I was much more motivated!
I’m glad I made the decision to only knit 3/4 of the middle section, because I definitely would have run out of yarn otherwise! Although it wasn’t my favourite project to work on, the finished shawl is beautifully squishy, and I’m sure I will fall in love with it when autumn comes around.
I had two excellent opportunities to bake this month – a visit from my mum, stepdad and friend to see our finished kitchen, and a ‘knit and chat’ afternoon with my friend Laura. I made a ‘sticky lime and coconut drizzle loaf’ and a ‘fresh cherry cake with a hint of cinnamon’ – both are BBC Good Food recipes from two of my TNT baking books, and both cakes were delicious!
My last thing to share this month is the book that I have read. I’ve followed Florence Knapp for years as a quilter, so it was really interesting to hear her share about writing her debut novel in real-time. The Names has been wildly popular and I was worried I would be disappointed after reading so many great reviews, but I absolutely loved it, and finished it in a weekend!
I actually cannot believe it’s August in a couple of days, and although it’s looking like another busy month, I hope to spend some quality time in my sewing room. Until next time!