Lately / April 2025

lots of travel, two online classes, and the new sweater I'm knitting

Hellooo!

It’s been a bit since I checked in here on the bloggeroo. So, let’s see. American democracy is currently being dismantled by a democratically elected con artist slash felon slash sexual predator and a very much unelected billionaire boy-child, UGH. So first we need to acknowledge that the state of things is pretty dire. Nevertheless, I continue to persist in my belief that creativity is utterly and fundamentally essential to human well-being, and as things can — and probably will — get worse, I am bringing my best “string quartet playing on the deck of the Titanic” energy to my creative work. As well as attending my local protest this weekend. So welcome to my small haven of making while I share a few of the things that have been making me feel better in these dark days.

One thing that has been bringing me joy in 2025 is teaching live sewing classes online. My class on designing your own patchwork fabric over at Pattern Review went swimmingly in January, truly it was so much fun, and this coming Tuesday I will be teaching Shirring with Elastic Thread live on Zoom, and later in May, I will show you how to make Shirred Sundress (this dress). Sign ups for both are open! Deepika and I are also making plans to offer the Patchwork class again in a few months, so if you missed it, don’t worry.

Here are a few other things I’ve been into and up to this year…

traveling: I’ve been a busy little bee as I took the boys to Seattle for mid-winter break to visit family in February, then went to Charleston (my first time) with Mr Rae to celebrate our anniversary (pics below), and then to Europe for Spring Break with Clementine as a chaperone on her high school choir tour (pics above). Charleston was charming. Seattle was cozy. Prague, Vienna and Salzburg was breathtaking. The churches and cathedrals were stunning!!! Plus universal health care!! Paid maternal leave!! More snapshots from that trip next week, hopefully.

reading: The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese was one of the best things I read in 2024. Have not been reading as much this year so far, but I finished North Woods last month and that was fun and interesting.

knitting: A cabled Orna Sweater by Brienne Moody with Bread & Butter Everyday yarn from AVFKW. This yarn is soft and yummy.

sewing: This category deserves its own post; I’ve been finishing quite a few WIPs that had been languishing: a pair of black Rose pants, an Emerald that I cropped and added a gathered skirt to, a ruffled Ruby mod, lots of cute little pairs of Parsley shorts and pants, and of course, my latest Sapphire dress (which - if you’re subscribed to my newsletter or a paying supporter of my Substack, you already got a preview of!!)

watching: Severance, Season 2, praise Kier. Related: I rewatched all of Season 1 along with Ben Stiller’s Severance podcast and enjoyed each episode equally.

Also, Cory Booker. Wow.

listening: My pastor preached on the dangers of Christian nationalism in this sermon series last fall and I went back and listened to all three again and honestly when I rule the world it will be required listening for anyone identifying as “Christian.” Also: Trevor Noahs’s What Now podcast is giving me life. Recommend these eps: Chimamanda, Tressie, Christiana. Just the right amount of dialed in yet zoomed out for me right now.

puzzling: I got this Gee’s Bend Quilts puzzle for Christmas and it was so fun to put together.

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That’s all for now — Elli and I are hard at work on the Sapphire pattern, so I’m hoping to have a “Get Ready” post for you soon.

Wishing you a weekend full of good trouble.

xo
Rae

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