Friday Faves / June 2024
Hellooo!
Just like that, it’s summer. School has been out for one week and we’ve already checked off so many things from the summer bucket list. Deck parties, reading in the hammock, early morning runs, nature camp…how I love this time of year. Even with the heat dome that is currently making things rather steamy, oof.
We’re leaving next week for Amsterdam, so Mr Rae and I have been buying tickets to art museums and making plans for what we will do with our days there. I’ve been spending a lot of time on Duolingo trying to learn Dutch. It’s so exciting - our kids haven’t ever left the North American continent and I’ve been wanting to take this trip since 2019. It’s going be an amazing adventure, no matter how it all shakes out. I’m trying to keep my expectations in check for everything we will see and do so that I don’t — as Clementine put it — “ruin our vacation” with my go-go-go attitude. And just in case you’re wondering, when I asked Clementine what would make a good vacation, she said reading books (that’s her in the photo above, BTW). Related: this post on “Is it a trip or a vacation?” really made me laugh. This is 100% A TRIP. Someday I’ll take a vacation again, but this definitely won’t be it.
Here’s what else I’ve been into and up to this past month:
stitching: I turned my Pattern Club sampler into a little pouch. It’s the perfect size for my hand-sewing projects or a paperback book.
reading: OMG two amazing reads this month: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver and American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins. All I can say is that you manage to dive into either of these masterpieces this summer, buckle up and hold on because it’s going to be a WILD RIDE. I loved that both tackle tough issues but still manage to be page-turners at the same time, quite an impressive feat. Both also feel like required reading if you live in the USA, y’know what I mean?
enjoying: Peach sherbet sunsets (above), shasta daisies in bloom, our local summer music festival, and a trip to the Toledo Zoo (below).
eating: I dare you to watch this IG reel and not immediately run to the store for puff pastry. Jenny of DALS recommended the Asparagus Tart recipe from Julius Robert’s cookbook, The Farm Table, in her newsletter a couple weeks ago and I made it last weekend for Father’s Day. I used chives and mint and asparagus from my backyard garden beds, and it was so incredibly delicious. Honestly how can you go wrong with goat cheese and puff pastry?
sewing: SO much sample sewing for my next new pattern…can’t wait to show you, sorry no pics yet!!
A couple of housekeeping items as well:
I am retiring the print version of Beatrix in anticipation of the updated PDF release in August and have put it on super-clearance if anyone wants a copy before it is discontinued. These have a limited size range (the update will more than double the number of sizes and expand the range to our current extended size range) so they are currently being offered on super-sale in my shop “as-is” (which means no free access to the update once it is released), just add to cart to get the discount. Last day to buy a copy is July 31 2024.
I will be on a shipping break starting next week Friday, June 28 through July 10 while I’m in Amsterdam. If you want me to ship you a printed pattern, please do it no later than next Thursday.
Alright everyone, hope you have a chill weekend!!
xo,
Rae
PS. See all of my Friday Faves here, sign up for my Studio Notes Newsletter here or my local Sew Ann Arbor emails here, and get my posts delivered to you by email via Substack here.
PPS. More snapshots from our summer so far…
