Chicken and Leek Pie

Something a little yummy for a cool winters evening when you aren't feeling as good as you'd like; Chicken and Leek Pie! The recipe comes from The Age and was easy to follow. You uses a few pots but the results are certainly worth it.

The recipe can be found here.

I used skinless chicken thighs as I couldn't be bothered mucking around with bones and the like. I also excluded the mushrooms as I don't like them, and only used one leek. A very yummy way to end the weekend.

Sewing Room: Part Three

The walls are done! We got the second coat on today quite quickly and easily, and it looks so much better.

Sorry, no lights in the room so the photos are a bit dark.

Miss Bella snuck in for a peek while we were washing up and left a few paw prints under the window; luckily we could fix it up. 

Just cornices, skirting boards, windows and cupboards to go!

The Binding Conundrum

With a day off today (chest infection encore) I made the most of it and knuckled down to get my Scrappy Tripalong quilt finished. I love the look of the lines so I'm not going to quilt it in the other direction. But what to bind with?

I've got a multi-coloured stripe (below) that might work, but any other suggestions?

Bella's Patchwork Stocktake Sale

The end of financial year is upon us once again, and I'm clearing out stock with 20% off everything! That includes new stock and sale stock. Head to The online shop

Just use the above code at checkout to receive your discount. Happy shopping!

Sewing Room: Part Two

Yesterday was painting day; mum and I both pulled up our sleeves and got stuck into it. You don't realise how bad the old colour was until you see the new colour near it. It was a real 80s mushroom/stone colour.

The walls haven't been painted in at least 25 years, so they aren't in the best condition. We'll have to do a second coat next weekend, and finish off the cornices and skirting boards, and most likely the cupboard doors.

I'm really not enjoying the smell of paint wafting through the house, but not too long and I'll have myself a new room!

Charm Pack Bundle

I decided to do something a little different this week; I'm offering up a bundle of three charm packs for just $40 plus postage ($7.15 in Australia). It's like getting free postage!

Charm packs are:
Avalon by Fig Tree Quilts
Summersville Spring by Lucie Summers
Coquette by Chez Moi

These bundles are not available in my online store, only through my blog, Facebook and Instagram. You can comment here or email me at kate@bellaspatchwork.com.au if interested.

Also, Mulgrave Maker's Market this Sunday from 8am till 1pm. And tomorrow is the big painting day!

Off and Quilting!

Finally I've got my Scrappy Trip in the machine. I was going to use a zigzag/honeycomb quilting line, but after one row I wasn't too keen, so I 'unquilted' it and went with my original plan: two straight lines down the sides if every row.

I may turn the quilt around and do the same in the other direction, but at the moment I like the look and feel of it. And it's far less lines than my Hopscotch quilt!

The sewing room has been sanded and washed down today; painting happens Saturday!

Quilt Basting: Scrappy Tripalong

Basting a quilt is probably my least favourite part of the process; I hate crawling around on the floor because it makes my knees hurt, and I usually have to clear the lounge room to make enough room to spread the quilt out.

But I snagged a little down time this afternoon and it was over and done with pretty quickly, aside from a little canine help. Millie and Jack have always known that quilts are off-limits, but Lola thinks they are great for rolling around on. Normally Bella is busy trying to scoot underneath but not today.

When I baste, I always start at the bottom, and roll the quilt as I go. That way I can reach my arm underneath to guide the pin, to make sure it catches the batting but not the carpet. Then when I'm done, its already folded!

Lola spends a lot of time trying to lick Millie's face...not sure she's too impressed.

Oh, and my bestie welcomed baby number 3 today, a healthy little boy.

Sewing Room Part One

I really wanted to pay someone to paint my sewing room-to-be, but all the quotes came in around $1000. That's a lot of potential fabric! So I'm sucking it up and I'm going to tackle it one job at a time.

First up is filling in all the holes and cracks. This house is a 50s weatherboard, so it tends to move and crack a lot. We've also had a lot of pictures hung in that room over the years. My local hardware store was very helpful, recommending a product which could be applied and scraped away on one go. Too easy!

So I've been around the room filling all the holes and long cracks. Bella has very carefully inspected my work; hopefully she approves.

The only thing that has me stumped is this headless screw. I have no idea how to get it out of the wall!

Hopefully this weekend will be sanding, then the painting can begin!

Friday Stash-Building Bundle: Martinique by 3 Sisters

Another Friday, another fabulous bundle. This week we've got a bundle of Martinique by 3 Sisters for Moda. This range has a gorgeous beachy feel to it.

The bundle contains 11 half-metre cuts for only $80, and there are only six available over here!

Sunday Sewing

I've been pretty sick this last week so sewing time has been pretty much non-existent.
I managed to rustle up just a little motivation on Sunday and whipped up this reversible bag.

It uses less than a metre of fabric and didn't take all that long. It will be for sale at my next market, and depending on interest, there may be a few more in the future. 

Change your mood, change the colour...

I'm also tossing up the idea of a slightly different, two handled version.

Scrumptious by Bonnie and Camille

I've been a little bit lucky and managed to get my hands on pre-cuts for Scrumptious well ahead of it's October release date. It's such a pretty range!

(photo from Camille's blog)

I've got Layer Cakes, Charm Packs, Jelly Rolls, and the newest addition, Mini Charm Packs (which are great for making hexies).

Check them out over here.

Update: layer cakes have sold out and jelly rolls are almost gone. Unfortunately I cannot get more until the full line is released in September/October. 

New from Riley Blake

I had a big bundle of pre-cuts arrive from Riley Blake on Friday, including 5" stackers and 2.5" rolie polies. 

Ranges include:

Madhuri

So Happy Together

Serenata

And Calliope

All can be found here.

Chicken and Chorizo Paella

Because I work at home on Fridays, it gives me a little more time than usual to make dinner, so I often make something that I wouldn't do on a normal weeknight. This week I found a recipe for Paella and I just had to make it. It takes a little bit more time and effort, but it's not difficult, and the results were worth it.

The recipe can be found here. Follow all the steps, including leaving it sitting with a tea towel over the top. I was worried that the rice was still a little firm on top, but once I dug in it was just beautiful. This recipe is definitely a keeper (and I sent mum home with leftovers to her tea tonight).

The only changes I made were using three thigh fillets, and a whole chorizo. Yum!