Soft and Romantic

This week I had a request through my services advertisement on Trade Me for some soft pink velvet flowers as well as some hand dyed silk ribbons in soft pinks, green and cream for a project she had in mind.

Colours after my own heart, I thought, so whilst dyeing some ribbons for her I dyed some for myself.

I was glad when she let me know that what I sent was exactly what she had been looking for.




With some of very own hand dyed silk ribbon in lovely, soft colours I set about making another of my 'one of a kind' embroidery pieces and am very happy with the result.

More Stitching Has Already Happened

The last time I wrote I said I was stitching a pansy quilt project. However, I did not say that prior to that Linda and I had already embarked on another stitching project.

For some time now we have been talking about making a quilt for a relative in Christchurch but the other week we actually sprang into action and made a quilt top together.

I got to do the stitching while Linda did pressing and pinning. We managed to complete the top over two days and then Linda went on to machine quilt it and yesterday I finished stitching down the binding. The only thing that is left to be done is a label.

We really enjoyed working on this project together and one of the things we really liked about it was that it was done from our stash, no running out to the store for extra yardage to complete.

Linda had been given some cat blocks for Christmas one year and we decided to incorporate them into this quilt having checked first that the recipient is a cat lover.

Part of using our stash included using the repurposed woollen blanket for the batting. It can be cold in Christchurch in the winter and so the wool warmth will be very much appreciated.

You can see more pictures of the quilt being machine quilted on Linda's blog.

Stitching is Happening

Today was the first day of the year for our quilting group, Sweet Peas, to meet at our home.

Just a small group, five of us, but we had a lovely time regardless.

I had been thinking about a sewing project for a few days and Linda and I had been putting together the fabric and so today I started cutting.............



...........and then some sewing...............












and then some more cutting..............












before some more stitching...............















By the time I stopped stitching for the day, I had completed four blocks, with just twelve more to go.

Very bright and cheery and definitely for someone who loves pansies.

Summer in the garden

So far this summer the weather has proved to be quite wet.

A lot of things in the garden have gone quite rampant.

We have more of this dark red poppy than ever before. We think it would be nice to harvest the seed and have a big cluster of this particular poppy somewhere in our garden. I have saved some of the poppy heads so maybe, just maybe we can do something about this.









These shasta daisies were planted last year and have only just come into bloom in recent weeks. They are making up for lost time as they are there in abundance.

We have found them to be a good vase flower as they last quite well.






From where I sit in my bedroom using my computer I can see this lovely hollyhock plant.

The image is probably more blueish than the real colour, which, to the eye looks a very dark chocolate brown.

It is the dark, dark colour that fascinates me. Not many plants with flowers like this.

A Gentle Reminder..............

Yesterday morning our brother, Norman, rang from Christchurch to let us know that another round of earthquakes was shaking up their city.

He was ringing to ask if we would do a care package, not for himself, but for his son and daughter-in-law, who he felt needed some encouragement during such a time as this.

We had sent boxes of baked goodies before but it had been some time so we needed a gentle reminder to get the baking gear out again.

A couple of hours in the kitchen and Linda and I had made family biscuits (affectionately called donkey drops by some members of our family), chocolate crunch, butterscotch slice, ginger nut slice and fruit cake.

Chocolate crunch has been a family favourite for years. Our Mother used to make it on a regular basis. It is egg free and if you are interested, the recipe is as follows:-

Crunch 3 weetbix in a bowl

add

1 cup coconut
1 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 dessertspoon of cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
6oz (170gms) melted butter

Mix well and spread into buttered slice baking tray.

Bake 10 - 15 minutes in oven 180 c or 350 f - cook further 5 minutes if necessary.

Before cold make icing:-

250g (8oz) icing sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa
50g (2oz) soft butter

Mix together adding sufficient hot water (approximately 3 tablespoons) to make a stiff mix.
Heat in microwave for 30 seconds
Spread on crunch before it is cold and cut into portions.

Enjoy!