Blossom basket and quilt

This cold and wet spring seems to have done wonderful things to our apple trees. We have never had such lovely blossom and intense colours in the flowers before. After New Year I made a resolution to have 'Sort It Sundays' in the sewing room. Its an effort to reduce the pile of unfinished projects and Mending.... the later at the bottom of the pile and likely to stay there too! So far I have managed to finish something most weekends, but one quilt took longer. But just in time, before the blossom falls, here is my Tah Dah moment, a finished quilt in apple blossom colours, ready for the swing seat when it is warm enough to sit outside... The basket I bought because I have always wanted one....we can eat lentils for the rest of the month..... It came from Maggie at The African Fabric Shop, fair trade and made in Bolgatanga from elephant grass. It was so hard to choose, they are all so beautiful and come in other sizes. Using it makes me so happy!
You can see them here:     http://www.africanfabricshop.co.uk

Going steady

My lovely friend Jo often says as she is leaving ''Go Steady'', it is what her mum used to say to her and has an echo of driving home in the evening, maybe after a party and possible in a horse driven buggy.... Husband's granny sometimes described a young man as ''Not safe in taxis'' , certainly not a 'steady' boyfriend..... Recently I have been knitting daughter a new woolly hat for use in Norway. I came across this wonderful pattern, just right for riding on the back of motor bikes or sledges pulled by husky dogs and it reminded me of Jo's mum. So if you need a reliable woolly hat of going out in style, this is the one for you....and the girl looks so happy too!

Blessings

Blessings in our garden are things which happen by themselves. Every year I attempt to grow vegetables, last year I had courgettes by the ton,  six runner beans, all eaten with great appreciation.... Also three strawberries, gone in a minute, but the sweetpeas and nasturtiums were a riot, pretty but not very edible. But every year starts with great hope. At the moment, the vegetable plot has been dressed with manure, compost and awaits the plants in the greenhouse. In the other parts of the garden, daffodils and fritilaries are so gorgeous and this year is marvelous for cowslips.  So I was delighted to find two blessings.... well three to four really, three with wings, as peacock butterflies arrived from Italy on Saturday and one little primrose, self seeded on the steps.... all by themselves, with no help from me!

 This a spring coloured quilt  I have made for Joss with all the things she loves about her garden. Her frog kite flies over the apple tree, her teddies picnic in the garden and a little owl perches on a branch. 

Travels

Katy is off to Norway for a year. She going on an adventure which involves eighty huskie dogs, many puppies , snow, sleighing, boats and all weather jackets. Those of you who know my Katy will not be surprised, she is a girl of great spirit and we are really excited for her. It will be very cold and at night reindeer skins are the bedclothes of choice. But they only come in a limited palette of colours, so I have made her a quilt. The design is called a sampler quilt and features many different kinds of piecing. The centre square pattern is called Trip Around The World which I think suits Katy well. I have bought my travel guide and can't wait to do some visiting, those puppies look so cuddly too....   Katy is off to Norway for a year. She going on an adventure which involves eighty huskie dogs, many puppies , snow, sleighing, boats and all weather jackets. Those of you who know my Katy will not be surprised, she is a girl of great spirit and we are really excited for her. It will be very cold and at night reindeer skins are the bedclothes of choice. But they only come in a limited palette of colours, so I have made her a quilt. The design is called a sampler quilt and features many different kinds of piecing. The centre square pattern is called Trip Around The World which I think suits Katy well. I have bought my travel guide and can't wait to do some visiting, those puppies look so cuddly too....   

A present for Jo

Last year I went on a course with Janet Bolton, an internationally famous picture maker and textile artist. She makes the most wonderful textile pictures in a folk art style. Her subjects are everyday scenes from life, but she brings a special insight to her pictures which makes them come alive. She is also a kind and generous teacher. So I have wanted to make little pictures for a while. William the Pidgeon  (see below) was the third attempt and now I have made Jo a birthday present. Every morning, she sits at the bottom of her garden with a cup of tea. She wears her mum's old coat and is always joined by Brough the dog and Willow the cat. It is the start of her day. So here is her birthday present, which now hangs framed and in her kitchen. Thank you Janet for your wonderful teaching. 

A guilty secret

I give talks to local WI groups occasionally. These ladies are well known for their wonderful cake making. Recently we were chatting after a talk and the topic of cakes came into the conversation...quilt makers are well known for their cake eating.... The lady asked if I knew about the Infamous Cake In a Mug recipe..... made famous by London West End Women's Institute? you can read about them here. Well, I looked it up as soon as I got home and yes, there it is, complete comfort in a mug for those of us love cake and it only takes 3 minutes to cook! So here is the recipe, you know you want it.....

5 minute Chocolate Mug Cake
4 tablespoons self raising flour
4tbsp sugar
4 tbsp cocoa
1 egg
3 tbsp milk
3 tbsp oil
3 tbsp choc chips
splash of vanilla

Method:  Add all dry ingredients to the mug and mix well. Add egg and beat well. Pour in milk and oil and mix well. Add choc chips and vanilla and mix. put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 mins at 1000 watts. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, don't worry. Cool slightly, then eat from the mug with cream, ice cream or squirty stuff.... feel the comfort rising!

Warm beds

On these chilly, snowy mornings, the temptation to stay in bed is great. Staying under the warm bedclothes, snuggled up with a quilt seems an excellent idea. Hibernation until the spring could be an option which needs thinking about carefully... some of us even wear a hat in bed, so important to keep the ears cosy too. But many parents find the children have climbed in to cuddle up together with them in the mornings and Louise, who has three little girls, kindly sent me this. There is just room for five in this bed under a big quilt and at the bottom is written Green Star Quilts! Thank you Louise, such a kind present.... 

This the quilt I have made for Louise's daughter Charlotte