Learning easy patchwork with small projects

Having done a small number of sewing projects, I am starting to find them leading me towards patchwork. I have several friends who have started and got much further than me, but I know that for now, I need to develop some basic needle skills.

I had been thinking of a birthday present for a friend, and browsing through a book from the library, I came across a pin cushion. The technique is based on Cathedral Window Patchwork. I looked through my stash and found a beautiful piece of wool, woven in the Cotswolds, and also a lovely old silk tie. Both sides have a inset, and boy is silk slippery. I wanted the silk so remain soft so didn't want to use bondaweb or similar. I ended up having to tact it right across the surface before turning the edges over.


It took me all day...yes no washing up etc, and nearly every room in the house had been used. Half an hour before Mr S was due home, I was still at it, but managed to have a big tidy up in time.

The next day I placed the pincushion on the mantelshelf to admire, and I was tickled pink to hear Mr S say he thought that my friend J had sent it to me, and how nice it was. The reason he thought this, was that it was propping up a postcard from J!

Anyway J now has the pincushion and some special pins, so I can now post this.

Completed Needle Case

This is now floating around, filled with some of my favourite needles. I didn't know there were so many types!

Here is a picture of the many different cases sew at our group. By choosing different fabrics and embellishments they are look different but also familiar!

Admiration at Kenilworth Knit and Natter Group

As I shall soon be washing all the baby things I have knitted, I took the completed baby blanket into this week's Kenilworth Knit and Natter session at the Almanack. The blanket was much admired and I explained the meaning of parts of the design which use traditional Guernsey stitches, and how I knitted and attached the garter stitch border. Someone suggested that I write out the pattern and 'publish' it. I guess once the shawl is out of my hands, this won't be possible, so I shall put my mind to it this coming week.

Should I sell any patterns, then I think it is fit for the proceeds to go to a baby unit somewhere, so I shall have to find one nearby.

Earlier in the week, I went over to Harjinders to pick up my lost needle and tape measure, which she had rescued a couple of weeks back from the table at the Almanack. She showed me some of her quilts, silk painting, and other wall decorations, and I was bowled over by her skill at both in design, execution and choice of fabrics. Harjinder brought some recent sewing projects to this week's knit and natter session, and she had made the sweetest pair of pink corduroy baby dungarees, and also a peg bag and cooking apron. The group is pretty talented and a forum for all sorts of topics and skill sharing.

Its great to see friends knitting projects finished: Mandy was sporting her jacket with the wonderful wooden toggles, whilst one of Mandy's smaller baby jackets was being worn by a cute little lad.

Primrose Fairy baby bootees and hat

In anticipation of the arrival of a new baby, I am knitting and devising patterns for small bootees to use up the yarn, after knitting this cute hat, the pattern for that coming from the knitters favourite site Ravelry.

Banish part pots of food

One of the things I have been thinking about is the question of what to do with part pots of ingredients in the fridge, which sometimes are forgotten about until.......and it is time to bin them!

The solution is to take the weight of the pot of the main ingredient and scale up or down the recipe so as to use up the whole pot. One desert which is much loved here at home is Tiramisu. Lovely after an Italian Style Meal, and requires no 'cooking', being home made there are none of those unnecessary added ingredients. I make it mainly in the summer time, but it makes an excellent desert any time of the year. It ought to be made well ahead, that is in the morning for an evening meal, and keeps well refrigerated till the next day too. Mascapone the main ingredient comes in a 250g tub, so I have devised a recipe to use the whole tub up.

Talking about tubs and pots etc., I really wonder when we are going to get food manufacturers to use same type of plastic in all their containers or bottles or ideally lightweight glass which can be easily recycled. My personal ideal would be to have many fresh ingredients available to buy loose and for people take their own containers to fill.......how likely is that when I see so many people who can't even be bothered to remember to take their own shopping bags to the shops? This may be a dream, but it does happen in Italy!

Several years ago, I came across these vintage pressed glass dishes whilst on holiday in Norfolk. They are not quite as large as the modern very large individual dishes, but look at old black and white photographs, and compare the waistlines to modern ones, and maybe there is a correlation between the size of portions now and our waistlines.......

Anyway here is my recipe for Tiramisu using 250g tub mascapone

250g Mascapone, this size is available in Sainsbury's

2 eggs

20g sugar from the jar which you store vanilla pods, and the scratching from half a pod, otherwise 1/2 tsp real vanilla essence

200g strong black coffee, espresso preferably, mixed with Kahlua or brandy, about half and half, or less liqueur/brandy depending on taste

10 sponge boudoir biscuits or the proper Italian sponge fingers, broken into halves.

Method

Separate the eggs, and whisk the egg whites till stiff.

In another bowl, use the same whisk to mix the eggs yolks, mascapnone, and sugar, till creamy and pale.

Fold into the cheese mixture about a third of the egg whites, then carefully fold in the rest. I ought to post a warning that as the eggs are raw, people with compromised immune systems ought to avoid this if they are on a no raw eggs regime.

Put a little of the mixture into the base of four small serving dishes. Then carefully dip the biscuits into the coffee mixture, then place carefully on the cheese base, five halves in each dish.

Top with the remaining cheese mixture, and smooth carefully. Chill, and remove from the fridge about fifteen minutes before eating, and dredge with good quality cocoa powder.