Happy Easter

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Originally uploaded by Cloth cat

Happy Easter everybody! Trying to avoid too much chocolate for the little ones this year (especially as I'm weight watching at the moment so watching other people eat piles of chocolate is torture), so I though I'd have another go at one of the projects from Poppy Treffry's book, this time the egg cozies. I am sooo pleased with the way they turned out - I'd never have thought I had it in me to draw something like these little chicks with the sewing machine, but it was really quite easy once I'd followed the picture. I tend to be the sort of person that normally buys craft books, pours through them then never makes any of the projects inside, but this book really has me itching to make all the items inside it. Well done Poppy for a fabulous book!

Happy Birthday

Birthday card
Originally uploaded by Cloth cat

Can't believe how quickly it has come round, but my little daughter is now one! The last year just seems to have flown by. It feels a little sad as I don't really feel like I had the time to enjoy my time off with her like I did with my first one, but I guess that's just the way that it goes when you've got more than one little one to contend with.

Anyway I thought the occasion deserved to be marked with something special - I've been itching to have a go at making one of these machine embroidered cards since I got a copy of Poppy Treffry's 'Free and Easy Stitch Style' for christmas (a great book by the way - I would reccomend it to anyone wanting to have a go at this style of machine embroidery/applique). I thought it was a great idea to cover the whole card with fabric - I've seen lots before which just have a little embroidered or appliqued motif stuck to the front of the card, but covering the whole card with fabric gives it a really nice finish and has the bonus of making a good dent in my fabric stash too. Assuming I can find the time, I can see myself making quite a few more of these especially as I have a number of birthdays coming up in the near future.

New resoloutions

Well last year I started with no resoloutions so I can truthfully say I didn't fall behind on any of them! This year though I'd like to try and get a bit more done on the crafting front so I was delighted to see that Helen has started A Make a Month group on flickr Crafting 365 certainly ain't going to happen for me, but I think one make a month is a nice achievable target to set and if I manage more then so much the better.

I had already planned to make a taggie blanket as a birthday present for my little girl who will be one in February and is starting nursery soon (yikes - where has the time gone)! She seems to be rather taken with blankies at the moment so I decided to take the plunge and buy some minkie to make one. Originally I was planning to make a patchwork one with some lovely Liberty Tania Lawn fabric I bought recently, but after taking stock I realised I'd never get it done in time so I raided my stash of Japanese prints and found this adorable fabric which I hadn't quite known what to do with.

An Apple a Day...

Sadly it looks like it will be our last holiday at the Pressoir this year (or possibly second to last) as my parents will be putting it up for sale next year. The old cider pressior in Normandy was bought as a do-er upper, but due to finances and ill health never quite got properly done up. Having said that, despite the acro props holding up the wall in the bedroom and the lack of a bath, shower or any hot running water for that matter we have had some really lovely holidays over there in the last few years, especially since we have had the kids it has really come into it's own.

A windfall gift from the neighbours:

Sewing again

It has been absoloutely yonks since I've had time to get the sewing machine out what with the littlest one only taking half hour naps and everything (arrrggghh). So I was delighted recently to finally get the chance to do a quick mini project I have been meaning to do for months. This little bag is a present for the daughter of a friend of mine. Originally I had hoped to do one for her birthday, but that came and passed with no time to get it done, but I've now done one as a thank you present instead(along with a box of something yummy for her mum) for lending me all her old clothes to use for my little girl.

It's a pretty basic design, but I'm very pleased with how it turned out, especially as it only took about an hour to knock together once I'd finally got round to digging my sewing machine again. It was also a nifty bit of up-cycling, the denim coming from my old pair of maternity jeans. The rear side (which I unfortunatly forgot to photograph) has a jeans pocket on it (no sewing required - just strategic placing of the pattern when cutting it out).

Christmas all over again

For christmas last year I recieved a David Austin bare root rose called 'Young Lycidias' from my mum. Now the bush is finally in bloom and I have to say both the flowers and the scent are divine. A wonderful christmas present in June!

Simple tastes

I can't remember the last time I made a victoria sponge. Usually it ends up being fairy cakes and biscuits that I bake with the boy, but for some reason the other weekend I couldn't get the idea of making one of these out of my head. Luckily I had a friend coming over for Sunday lunch to give me the excuse to make one. I'd forgotten just how quick and easy they are to make (though it's a lot quicker if you actually have two sandwich tins unlike me). It's a basic recepie that you can find in pretty much every cook book with a baking section, but I'll repeat it here anyway:

Victoria Sponge

225g butter, very soft
225g caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs
225g self raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder (if using a food processer)
3-4 tablespoons milk

2 x 20 cm sandwich tins, buttered and floured (this was where I fell down and had to bake 1/2 mixture twice, as for some strange I only have one sandwich tin - go figure)

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees C, gas mark 4.

If using the food processor, put everything bar the milk in and whiz until it makes up smooth batter. Then add the milk 1 tablespoon at a time and pulse until the batter has a soft dropping consistency.

If not using a food processer cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy then add the vanilla and the eggs one at a time and beat them in. Sieve in the flour and baking powder and fold in gently with a metal spoon.

Spread the mixture between the two sandwich tins and bake for about 25 minutes. The cake is done when it has a springy texture when pushed (gently) at the top and it has come away from the edges. Turn the cake out onto a cake rack to cool.

When the cake has completely cooled, spread with the jam of your choice, add some berries (in my case strawberries) then spread on some whipped cream and sandwich the two layers together. Finish off by sprinkling caster sugar over the top of the cake.

Best scoffed quickly - the cream won't keep very long.