Dahlias and a discount

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My daughter and I walked into our local supermarket the other day to be greeted by this happy scene:

The local dahlia society had set up a cheerful display of the most perfect blooms.

I was quickly informed by the enthusiastic growers, that these blooms were mere understudies to the main performance at their Annual Show which was to be held the following weekend. 

Surely they were not telling me the truth. Could this really be the reserve list selection?!

Source

I received a thorough lesson on dahlia types, earnestly taught by an older lady whose passion for her blooms was evident by the sparkle in her eye as she spoke. 

She spoke of pom-pom, and peony ...

... anemone, and cactus forms. Who knew?!

The blooms varied in size from tiny sweet things, 
barely a half inch across ...

... to monster heads, wider than my handspan.

My teacher was evangelical in her horticultural enthusiasm, and I felt like gently patting her arm and assuring her, "It's OK, I get it ... I know the passion"!

But it was the perfect form of these flowers that left me gobsmacked. And while enormous credit goes to the growers, they are, for me, evidence of the creation of a higher being!

Have a blooming lovely week.

Coquetterie cosmetic wallet PDF pattern

Many moons ago, I posted about stitching this cosmetic wallet. After many hours (and a considerable amount of wrestling with Adobe Illustrator!), the PDF pattern is at last 'shop-ready'.

Of all the projects I have designed, this remains one of my favourites. It incorporates some things that I love to work with: linen, embroidery, botanical fabrics, and a vintage buckle. I was aiming to replicate the ethereal feel of antique French monogrammed linen with this project.

The wallet is able to be folded for travel, and unfolds (above) to hang conveniently for easy access when you reach your destination. 

It has specialised compartments for storing all your makeup needs: two clear vinyl pockets;

three elasticised pockets for storing compacts;

seven narrow pockets for brushes and pencils, with a felt cover that flips down to protect your brushes;

and an elasticised lipstick keep.

I made the wallet from a jelly roll of Moda's fabric range 'Etchings' by 3 Sisters which conveniently has a very French feel about it.

I especially enjoyed the embroidery on this project. The pattern includes a full alphabet for personalising your monogram.

Writing this pattern up was quite a task, and the instructions are very detailed which is reflected in its higher price.

The tone and meaning I was hoping to convey by calling this pattern 'Coquetterie' was variously: ‘vanity; concern for one’s appearance; a knack for fashion; flirty; playful behaviour'. So flirt and play to your heart's content with this pattern.

Bloom x

Local loveliness

On Saturday mornings, regional produce markets pop up in country towns across Australia. We visited ours on the weekend.

It is a colourful snapshot of what is in season; produce freshly picked and sold by the growers direct to the public. As a farm-raised girl, I love to chat with the farmers, and tease them into divulging their secrets for growing such quality produce.

I have recently discovered one lady who champions quality produce in our region. Sophie is a food writer and has a blog called Local is Lovely. Her blog is a visual feast that celebrates the very best food in our region, including her family's own venison.

Sophie's blog is a genuine source of inspiration for me on the days when I'm stuck for something interesting to cook, or when I need to pull something a bit special out of the bag. 

She generously posts many seasonal produce recipes, and a brilliant Friday List of foodie 'must-reads'.

So when my fruit bowl was spilling over with late summer peaches, it seemed inevitable that they should be transformed into Sophie's peach & custard shortcake. A very lovely way to end a stunning central west Autumn Saturday!

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A special gift from Grandma

My Mum stitched this sweet little zippered pouch as a special gift for my youngest blossie. The design is from Anni Downs' book, 'A Simple Life'. Anni's books are always packed full with gorgeous projects, and are great value for money. I think I own almost all of them! The fabric kit was purchased from Anni's shop, The Home Patch.

I love the boots on the end of these skinny, stripe-y legs, scooting through the blooms ...

... and what's not to love about the plump pooch?!

Even the pouch lining is delightful. Anni has a wonderful eye for colour and print.

When my daughter was so unwell last year, my Mum spent a lot of time with her, willing her to be well. They have an especially close relationship as a result, and this little gift is treasured.

A little spice

A rainy, dull day and a surplus of tomatoes begged for some chutney-making today.

This is my favourite recipe, warm and spicy, with a peppery kick. Red or green tomatoes can be used with equal success. The tip of the day comes from my youngest child - "Mum, if you're going to chop up kilos of onions, you'd better put my swimming goggles on"! Her suggestion worked a treat - not a tear was shed. But there was great amusement at the sight of a be-goggled Bloom in the kitchen!

tomato chutney

1kg tomatoes, chopped

500g brown onions, chopped

200g apples, peeled, cored and chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tbsp fresh ginger, chopped

1 tbsp sea salt

½ teaspoon coriander seeds

½ teaspoon fennel seeds

2 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds

1 teaspoon ground white pepper

3 cloves

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon chilli flakes

½ cinnamon stick

300ml cider vinegar

225g brown sugar

Place tomatoes, onion, apples, garlic, ginger, salt, spices and half the vinegar in a heavy-based saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer, stirring, for one hour. Add remaining vinegar and the sugar and simmer uncovered for 90 minutes or until thick. Stir regularly to prevent catching. Spoon hot chutney into sterilised jars and cover with airtight lids for one month before serving. Recipe makes enough to fill approximately three salsa jars.

Flannel panel quilt

The new school year has commenced with a bang. With the first of our three children heading into her HSC year, there is an imminent sense of a whopping great mountain ahead to be conquered, mostly for her, but for us all as a family! 

During the parent orientation for my youngest girl, starting Year 6, the following clip was shown:

Man, if I wasn't feeling the pressure of parenting teenagers before seeing this, I am now! I mused that it would be interesting to gauge the state of mental health of Generation X parents; the ones like me who are floundering to keep up with the extraordinary pace of change. I only hope the medical authorities are making ample provision for us all when we finally crack under the pressure ... or perhaps it's just me :)

I think I'll just go crawl into a corner and quilt for a few years! It seems the only sensible alternative, surely :) To this end, I have finished the flannel version of my 'Spin to Play' quilt.

It is made with a 3 x 3 panel of 'Pretty Paisley' flannels by Lesley Grainger for Robert Kaufman which is cheerfully heavy on birds, blooms and hearts.

These fabrics were kindly given to me by Marally Craft, who will also have a limited number of kits available.

Fabric details: (left to right, top to bottom):

1. Brown on Tea Dye Stripe from Alpine Fabrics;
2. Green circles from 'Love Birds' by My Minds Eye for Riley Blake Designs;
3. Red and white spot from 'Pretty Paisley' flannels by Lesley Grainger from Robert Kaufman Fabric Company;
4. Aqua paisley fabric from 'Pretty Paisley' flannels by Lesley Grainger from Robert Kaufman Fabric Company;
5. Orange fabric from 'Mumbo Jumbo' flannels by Laura Berringer for Marcus Fabrics;
6. Dark brown fabric from 'Shaded Oaks' flannels by Holly Taylor for Moda;
7. Yellow and white spot from 'Pretty Paisley' flannels by Lesley Grainger from Robert Kaufman Fabric Company;
8. Red circles from 'Love Birds' by My Minds Eye for Riley Blake Designs;
9. Pink paisley fabric from 'Pretty Paisley' flannels by Lesley Grainger from Robert Kaufman Fabric Company.

The backing is a bright and happy check from 'Della' flannels by Valori Wells for Free Spirit.

Quilting details:

Machine quilting was once again beautifully done by Belinda of Eucalypt Ridge Quilting.

The quilting design is 'Song Birds' by Anne Bright, which conveniently repeats the bird, blooms and heart motifs. 

This little quilt is cuddly, comforting and and just the ticket for one overwhelmed, Generation X-er to crawl into the corner with! 

'Spin to Play' panel quilt - the details

This post is for those of you interested in the fabric and quilting details of my 'Spin to Play' panel quilt.

Fabric details:

Panel fabric: 'Animal Party Too' by Amy Schimler for Robert Kaufman. One full panel includes the eight images shown. Very cute, and great for boys or girls.

Arrow fabric: 'Scarlet' from Celebrate Seuss! by Dr. Seuss Enterprises for Robert Kaufman

Coordinating fabrics (left to right, top to bottom):

1. Blue, Green & Yellow Check from 'Button Up Bears' by Kylie Kreations for South Sea Imports;
2. Yellow spot fabric from 'Animal Party Too' by Amy Schimler for Robert Kaufman;
3. Green spot fabric from 'Little Critters' by Diane Eichler for Red Rooster Fabrics;
4. Red Daisy from Delighted! by Amanda Herring, The Quilted Fish for Riley Blake Designs;
5. Black print from 'Folklorika' by Kim Schaefer for Andover Fabrics;
6. Ground cover in blue from 'Pretty Bird' by Pillow & Maxfield for Michael Miller Fabrics;
7. Shell Swirls in blue from 'Classic Jurassic' by Viv Eisner for Wilmington Prints;
8. Leaf fabric from 'Animal Party Too' by Amy Schimler for Robert Kaufman;
9. Unknown mustard stripe.

Quilting details:

Machine quilting was done by Belinda of Eucalypt Ridge Quilting who I can't recommend highly enough!

The quilting design is 'Foxy Friends' by Anne Bright. It has the perfect critter mix for this quilt :)

Kit availability:

Marally Craft will have a limited number of quilt kits available with identical fabrics. They can be contacted via their website or phone: 02 6362 3860.

Pattern availability:

In the Bloom shop as a PDF download.

'Spin to Play' panel quilt

I finished this bright and happy little quilt over the school holidays.

  

One of my local quilt shops, Marally Craft, generously provided the fabrics for me to play with. The quilt incorporates a pre-printed panel fabric, with eight cute animal images from Amy Schimler's 'Animal Party Too' range.

 

For some fun, the central panel has some appliquéd detail, and a rotating red felt spinner!

I'm guessing the spinner is strongly weighted towards 'play' :)

I will add some further details about the fabrics and quilting in my next post.

I have written up a pattern for the quilt which is now available as a PDF download in the shop.

I'm busy stitching the bind onto a more girly, soft and cuddly flannel version of the quilt. Hoping to have it finished this week.

It is back to school time in Australia, so I'm looking forward to some serious stitching time in the next few weeks. Thankfully the weather has cooled a little, after what has been a scorching Australian summer. My thoughts are with the many Aussies who are suffering terrible loss through fires and floods. Bloom x

Come Fly With Me

While 2012 was a little lean in terms of stitching productivity, I did manage to put these photo album covers together. They have just been published in the January Holiday edition of Australian Homespun.

As always, the challenge for this project was to come up with a concept that is just a little different to every other pattern that has ever been published :) Not an easy task! In the end, I was pretty happy with my long-booted, stripe-y legged girl, packed and ready to travel the world. I've used some felt applique and embroidery, including the dreaded satin stitch!

I had fun searching for & purchasing just the right fabrics. The red cloud fabric is 'Free as a Bird' of the Cut Out and Keep range, a beautiful organic cotton from Cloud 9. The text fabric is called 'Town Square' from Sweetwater's Hometown range. The red and blue wavy bits remind me of geological profile diagrams! They are fussy cut from a piece of Anna Maria Horner's 'Innocent Crush' range.

The January edition of Homespun is available in Australian newsagencies now. Or a digital copy can be purchased at Zinio who are having a great special on Homespun subscriptions. Be quick though, the offer expires this weekend.