Friday Stash-Building Bundle: Bonnie and Camille

A new Friday and a new bundle. 21 half-metre cuts from Bonnie and Camille, including Bliss, Ruby and Vintage Modern. A total of 10.5 metres for only $150. Only five bundles available.

2012 Mystery BOM Flimsy

Borders are done! A little more fiddly than expected due to having to remeasure all the borders but its done!

Hopefully Friday I can pop out for batting for this and the Scrappy Tripalong quilt. Any quilting suggestions for this one?

Friday Stash-Building Bundles: Rainy Days and Mondays

This weeks bundle is Rainy Days and Mondays from Riley Blake.

The bundle contains eight fabrics, and can be purchased as fat quarters, half-metres and metre cuts right here.

If you need some inspiration, pop over to google and do an image search for "rainy days and mondays quilt"; there are some great ideas there!

Tip Toeing Towards the Finish

Rows are assembled, just the borders to go!

 

My blocks are a tiny bit smaller than they should be so I've had to adjust the sashing but nothing too major. My sewing machine must eat the extra...(and my 1/4 inch seams are perfect).

 

 

2012 BOM Block Twelve

And we've come to the very last block!

"April Showers" by Sweetwater.

Now to finish the quilt top.

2012 Mystery BOM Progress!

Yesterday was a little crazy with the Fandango bundles running off the shelf, but before everything went nuts I got time to start assembling the 2012 Designer Mystery BOM quilt. 

I've only stopped because block 12 hasn't arrived yet! Hopefully it isn't too far away. The weather in Melbourne is terrible right now so it's perfect for being snuggled inside working on a sewing project or two. (Excuse the wet spot on block 10, I managed to drip something on it)

I also spotted one of the newest Fig Tree patterns and I have to make it. Must finish a few other projects first though!

Friday Stash-Building Bundles: Fandango

Things went a little nuts over on Facebook and I'm a bit late posting here, but better late than never!

I'm clearing out the cupboards and have put together bundles of Fandango by the lovely Kate Spain. Each bundle contains 17 half-meter cuts for a total of 8.5m, for only $110 plus postage ($11.70 in Australia).

Please email me at kate@bellaspatchwork.com.au or visit my website; I've only got three bundles left!

Riley Blake Fabrics

The Riley Blake catalogue lobbed on my doorstep recently, and I was lucky to have a visit from the Australian Riley Blake reps this afternoon. There are so many gorgeous new fabrics coming out over the next few months, and a few fabulous Australian designers have joined the Riley Blake family, including Natalie Lymer of Cinderberry Stitches, and Melly & Me.

So I've sifted through and picked out the best new fabrics, and will be getting in a great range of pre-cuts. Fabric ranges include Madhuri, Simply Sweet, Snug as a Bug by Melly & Me, and Enchant by Natalie Lymer.

There are also some cute boy-friendly prints, including this gorgeous cowboy print which I will be getting on the bolt.

So keep an eye out both here and on Facebook and you'll be the first to know when they arrive!

Hello Friday

It's a gorgeous day here in Melbourne, far too nice to be stuck inside sewing. But before I head outside to potter around in the garden, I quickly finished off the Quince Jelly I started on Wednesday. It turned out beautifully! It's not quite as red as I would like, but its a fine line between developing the colour, and over-cooking it. Last time I made beautifully red quince jelly it needed to be microwaved every time you wanted to spread some on toast.

Miss Lola is settling in well, and Millie seems to be opening up more to her. They enjoy a game of rough and tumble around the lounge room at night. Millie looks so vicious, but her tail is wagging madly and she never actually hurts Lola.

I did catch Lola stealing clothes from my bedroom last night though...I'm not sure what she planned to do with them!

Quince Jelly

One of many autumn pleasures is the smell of quinces simmering slowly on the stove. I'm very lucky to have a quince tree in my back yard, and while they take a few hours to cook, they are worth the effort.

With only a few quinces left on the tree, it seems as good a time as any to make a batch of quince jelly, something I haven't done for a few years. Don't get me wrong, this is a decent time investment, but the results are stunning.

I'm using a recipe from over here, but there are plenty to be found on the Internet. The best thing I can recommend is a proper 'jelly bag' made of wool to give you a clear jelly, but a tea towel or muslin can do the job.

I use the pot rack over my kitchen bench to drain the fruit (with the tub stacked on some old uni books); I just have to keep Bella distracted for a few hours. Once drained enough I'm putting the juice in the fridge and will make the jelly on Friday.

Market Sewing and a Little Lola

No quilt sewing around here at the moment; I really need to go buy some batting before that can happen. But I've got my market mojo happening, and have already whipped up a new batch of Cat in the Hat cushions for my next market. These are always super-popular.

I've also started on a whole batch of rattle cubes, as a customer bought all my stock last weekend (I'm starting to wonder if she is on selling them, as this isn't the first time). This time I've pulled out Summersville Spring for some nice bright cubes. (Terrible iPhone photo, sorry)

I'm also quite excited that I have the Riley Blake rep dropping by in less than two weeks. The new catalogue arrived today and there is so much gorgeous fabric!

And how can you say no to a snuggle with this cutie!

Pumpkin Lasagnette

Now that the weather in Melbourne has turned cold, the evenings are perfect for filling meals like curries and pastas. I came across this yummy Pumpkin Lasagnette the other week and really enjoyed it. It's a little fiddly (cooking pasta sheets in a saucepan is not ideal), but overall not too difficult. Great if you have a vegetarian friend coming for tea.

(recipe from here)

½ kent (jap) pumpkin, peeled and sliced thinly (5mm slices)
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt flakes
Freshly ground pepper
500g lasagnette (dried) - broad-ribbon pasta with ruffled edges
350g piece fresh ricotta, sliced thinly
120g taleggio - Italian washed-rind cheese, cut or broken into knobs
5 sprigs oregano, picked, or 2 tbsp dried oregano
120ml cream
100g grana padano parmesan, grated
5 anchovies (in oil)

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees fan-forced, 200 degrees conventional.
2. Toss the pumpkin in oil, season with salt and pepper and lay on a lined baking tray. Bake for 25 minutes.
3. Cook the lasagnette in plenty of boiling salted water, then drain.
4. Place a third of the pasta in a large ceramic dish, then season and drizzle with oil. Layer on a third of the ricotta, taleggio and cooked pumpkin. Sprinkle with oregano, spoon over a third of the cream and scatter with grated parmesan. Repeat the layers twice until the ingredients are done. Finish with parmesan, salt, pepper.
5. Tear the anchovies in half lengthways and criss-cross over the top. Cover with paper and foil and bake for 25 minutes. Take off the cover and put the lasagnette back in the oven to brown for 15 minutes.

I made a few changes; I used bocconcini in place of taleggio, and excluded the anchovies (I don't like them), but I reckon some prosciutto would bring back that salty tang.  I also used sage instead of oregano as it matches perfectly with pumpkin.

I'd love to know if anyone gives this one a try!