Last post for 2012

The year is almost up so I'll be quick...

I am looking forward to 2013

and want to wish everyone all the best.

For many friends I hope it will be a better year

than the last...

Thank you all for friendship and support

and I offer mine in return...

 

 *****

 

Little baby-K got a special hat for Christmas

which she seems to want to wear all the time!!!

Thank you Vicky.

 

Granny knitted a stunning hooded jumper

 and cool hat which I forgot to photograph,

but I will remedy that soon.

- Thanks Granny!

*****

The last few rose-stars

which were hanging around in bits in bags...:

 

 

And almost sewn in:

 

*****

In the BQL Christmas swap

I was gifted a bag with lovely hand-dyed fabric

in purples - Thanks Irene.

 

Vicky spoilt me...

here are a few of the sewing bits:

 

And Birgit sent me these awesome fabrics,

along with a year's supply of chocolate

and alphabet noodles for Baby-K

- Thanks so much Birgit!!!!!

 

*****

And here's my big boy looking after

his baby sister with her sore thumb...

 

 

- thank you family!

I love you all so much!!

SSCS 2012

This year I was lucky enough to join in on

the Chookyblue Secret Santa Swap again.

 

My partner was Tracy

and she made me (or Little Miss-Kalico!)

this gorgeous doll:

 

Tracy also included some beautiful fabric (me!!!)

and a real treat: Australian Homespun magazine!

I don't buy any quilt magazines so they are the

height of luxury!!!

 

The doll can be hung up so she will be looked after

and hung in Baby-K's room and admired!

 

*****

I had the very lovely Shari to send my gifts to.

I sent some birds in a gift bag for her decoration:

 

A Christmas stocking to be opened on the 24th:

 

With a bag and a needlecase wrapped up inside:

 

It's always a great swap

and is as much fun to send as to receive!

Thank you to chookyblue for hosting,

Tracy for sending and Shari for receiving!

Not a Single Stitch!

Note to Self:

Never pack away a project without

leaving yourself notes as to where you are with it...

 (I believe I have all the bits and pieces

needed to complete this project,

but I'm not 100% sure now!)

 Note to self:

Blocks found in random bags

 belonging to above project

 should be kept together!!!:

 Note to self:

Never expect to get any sewing done

with a baby

- ever!

Little Miss-Kalico had a thumb operation today.

I took along loads of sewing to do.

I didn't manage a single stitch!

 

Note to self:

 Sewing is great, but family is better!

She's asleep now and I'm hoping

that she stays that way until morning.

A good night's rest will be just what the doctor ordered!

Christmas Wreath

My first ever home-made Christmas wreath!

 

 

I dried the oranges in the oven

and made the wreath using branches

(with cones growing on them)

from some trees on the farm.

 

It has no oasis, no frame, no wire....

It's being held together by ribbons,

love and hope :)

 

Tomorrow I'll hang it out,

in the meantime I'm off to sew!

♥ Cherry Cake ♥

I was so excited to discover

that I could buy Morello cherries in the UK.

I used to buy them a lot when I lived in Germany.

I would make Cherry-misu

(before I discovered that I was Gluten-free* of course!)

Cherry-misu is basically Tiramisu, but

with Morello cherries added in the layers - Yum!

 I also found a bund tin a few weeks back

and wanted to make something in it other than a sponge...

 So I adapted a courgette cake recipe of Nigella's

and the results have been excellent

(taste-tested twice!!)

♥The recipe:♥

♥ Big jar of Morello cherries

-drained weight approx 350g

♥ 2 Large eggs

♥ 125ml Vegetable Oil

♥ 150g Caster Sugar

♥ 225g Self raising Flour

♥ Half a teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda

♥ Half a teaspoon Baking Powder

 

♥ Bund tin (not sure of the size of mine,

but it compares to 2 x 21cm sandwich tins if that helps)

- greased with melted butter.

 

♥ Drain your jar of cherries before anything else!

♥ Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Centigrade/Gas mark 4

♥ Beat the eggs, oil and sugar together in a large mixing bowl until creamy.

♥ Sieve in the flour, bicarb, baking powder

and continue to beat until well combined.

♥ Stir in the cherries.

♥ Pour the mixture into your pre-greased tin.

♥ Bake for 40 minutes

(or if you're doing it in 2 sandwich tins then 30 minutes).

The cake should be lightly browned and firm to the touch.

♥ Leave in the tin for 5-10 minutes before turning out to cool on a rack.

 

 You can dust the cake lightly with icing sugar,

but I prefer it plain...

Slice. Share. Eat and Enjoy!

 

*To make this recipe Gluten-Free, I used Gluten-free Self Raising Flour

and added a teaspoon of Xanthan Gum :)

Studio Pinboard

Brrr...

I went into the studio to get something

and it's mighty cold in there.

I could put the fire on, but I'm just so busy

with other stuff that it wouldn't be worth it :(

While I was in there I glanced at my pinboard,

 

it's filling up with all the lovely things

friends have made or given me...

Or I've bought just because it's pretty

(like the robin and the stocking) :)

 

The 3 Christmas decorations

(the heart, bird and house) were made by a friend

who is an unasssuming crafter...

i.e. she doesn't realise just how lovely her things are!

And the decoration on the right is from Kate

and will always remind me of her last visit

as it comes with a funny story:

Kate bought two of these decorations,

and when she showed me one I said,

"Oh that's gorgeous!"

 

"Just as well" she said,

"because I've bought you one too!"

Bloggy Visit

This past weekend,

I had the joy of a bloggy friend to visit!

Such fun!

Kate and her son came to stay

and we had a great time.

The first day I subjected her to a Christmas market I was doing,

but she certainly made the day fly by!

It was the first time I've ever done a market

and had a decent coffee!!! - Thanks Kate.

 

The second day we managed a bit of sewing!

We decided we wanted to make a block

which could be made into a small Christmas wallhanging

and would remind us of the visit.

(The block pattern is Bonnie's Happy Scrappy Houses.)

 As Kate said...

Can you guess who's is who's? :)

If you know me,

you'll know it's the top one...

although we should probably have swapped

and made a block for each other. Next time!

 

Of course mine is not quilted (yet)

and shan't be for a while.

The Grinch gets hers...

My Chookyblue Secret Santa gift has arrived!

(and I could open the decoration pictured below:)

So pleased now that Christmas has not been cancelled

this year as I had planned! ;)

I joke, but I do get a little un-Christmassy

when I see mince pies in the shops in October!

However, thank you very much to my Secret Santa,

I am very much looking forward to opening my gift!

In a Bind

I don't think I have ever

in my Quilting Life,

EVER

had 2 large (king-size)

quilts waiting for binding.

Never EVER!

And yet, I have no time

to bind them.

 

However, as the nights draw in,

I am looking forward to binding them,

but just one more Christmas market to go!

 

The quilt on the left

is my first ever quilt,

started in circa 1986/7/8/9... in

 Laura Ashley etc fabrics

with the help of my mother.

When I put the first pictures of this quilt

FINALLY (after all these years) quilted

(that had been taken by Chris),

my Mother sent me a text message saying:

"Had a look at yr Blog

but nothing new only yr quilt..."

(she did say "it looks lovely",

but that ruins my story LOL)

"Glad u put the blocks 2gether

and not made cushions!"

Say no more LOL.

 

I had wanted to take more photos of the unbound quilts,

but my camera is playing up so I had to use my phone.

When I uploaded the above photo,

I found these photos on my phone too...

taken over the last few months..

 

Autumn: the road to Slaidburn:

Sunday: the flooded road to Ripon
(taken out of the window by DS2, age 6)

The terrible trio:

 

 

Secret Santa Sent

 I had a helping hand

from my special little person in wrapping

my Chookyblue Secret Santa parcel...

...hence having to open the parcel

and rewrap one of the gifts

as a small part had been mislaid

and only discovered after the envelope was sealed!

But it's off.

Happy travels

and I hope the recipient likes it!

I know, I know!!

I have been seriously

Missing In Action on this blog!

 

This is because I have been crafting

for Christmas and beyond :)

- which includes some (terribly) secret stuff

for Secret Santa swaps,

crafting for Christmas fairs etc.,

as well as the odd sick child,

school holidays...

and life in general of a Mom of 3!

*****

Normal blogging to resume soon,

I hope!

 

Ooh, Ooh Exciting Quilting News!

I've just had an email from LongarmChris

to say that the first ever quilt I made

is ready for collection!!!

 (I nabbed these photos from Chris's email -

hope she doesn't mind!)

 I am so pleased that after all these years

- well over 20!

I am just one more step away (the binding!)

from finishing this quilt.

 It will be very exciting to see it in the flesh

 and I am so looking forward to collecting it asap!

Thank you Chris!

Hexagon Birthday Bag

Turns out Little-Miss-Kalico

shares her birthday with at least

4 of my friends!!!

One of these friends made my little girl a beautiful

hexagon quilt when she was born!

So for her birthday

and to thank her for the beautiful quilt...,

I handstitched this hexagon bag.

I believe it is happily living in Wales now! :)

 

*****

Yesterday. we had birthday cake!

I hope all my friends

with mutual birthdays did too.

Although, Little Miss-K

didn't like the candle very much!