Regional Day Piccies

Hi Everyone,

Well what a super day I had last Saturday, and judging from the rest of you glimpsed at odd moments during the hectic setting up and then the speakers and the stalls, you all seemed to be very happy and enjoying yourselves. I would say it was a great success and many thanks are due to all the organisers and helpers, you know who you are, so thank you very much.

I was sent some pictures by Janet Wilde who made the beautiful outfit below for her Access course, as I did not have enough time to take many myself, so without more ado I thought you might like to see our stand again in a bit more detail.









I hope I have not left anyone out because I would hate to not do justice to your superb embroidery. It seems a good idea to me to have a regular exhibition of our work every two years, but let me know what you think about this. We could hire the Moot Hall again and it always seems to attract new members to our ranks.

Of course I had better admit that I also have a feather in my bonnet at the mo, because you know that I won 2nd prize in the Rose Bowl competition and already I have been asked by a lady I met in the bus queue whilst waiting to go up Great Gable last Sunday, who is a member from outside our region, if I would post photos of my entry. Well no sooner requested than done, so this is for the anonymous lady I met waiting for the 77A.



I do have some more detailed photos of 'Alfred Wainwright' which I might post later. Meanwhile, it is all excitment here today because I have just ordered the greenhouse of my dreams......... It has cost an arm and a leg......... If anyone knows of a person needing a 9 year old Elite High Eave 6 x 8 it will be going to make room for this in forest green. Wow a Hartley Botanic Greenhouse, I have had the catalogue for 2 years...waiting for the moment.

Finished in time for Rheged on Saturday

Well here is the final version of the wall hanging for Keswick Embroiderer's Guild. I just want to thank all of you who helped out whether it was stitching or advising or designing, it could not have happened without you all.

Pat and I went to Portinscale on Saturday and showed it to Elizabeth who's husband Charles had designed the lettering (Keswick) in the Arts and Crafts style for us. His contribution was essential to the look and all the more precious for us because he was very ill and sadly died before the hanging was finished. So we asked Elizabeth to put the finishing touches to the wall hanging in memory of Charles and I know she was pleased and very proud that his work was part of it.

I know that you will all share with me that proud moment when the wall hanging goes on display at Rheged on Saturday for the North West Regional Day. I hope to see you there as it promises to be a splendid occasion.

Home is making a cake for DH

Hi All,

I suppose there comes a time when the DIY urge starts to wear a bit thin, and that is when DH bleets about no one making him a cake, so this is for him and also I promised you another recipe too, so I thought I would keep you all happy :-)

This is not my recipe for carrot cake as I have a favourite one of my own, but it came from that intrepid duo (Sally and Moira), not sure which one of them produced the sheet with the recipe on it, so I give credit to both. But I am baking it as I type. Just checked out the Remoska and all is fine with it rising nicely.


CARROT AND GINGER CAKE

Oven 180 deg C/350 F or use the Remoska this is the official website

Grease and line a cake tin. I used a 7" (fits the Remoska) but 8" is ok

Into a large mixing bowl put:-
8 oz plain flour
1 tsp baking powder (I used heaped)
3 tsp ground ginger
6 oz light muscovado sugar (I used Booths dark soft brown)
8 oz grated carrots
2 oz seedless raisins (I used Californian because my daughter lives there - sigh)

Mix this lot together

Into a small basin or pyrex jug put:-
2 medium eggs (I always use Lakeland Free Range Large - I used to keep chickens so I know a good egg.)
3 tbsp corn oil (No corn oil so I used melted unsalted butter)
juice of one medium orange (No orange could I find! so used a lemon)





Beat this lot

Next make a well in the centre of the mix in the bowl and pour in the liquid mix and mix it all together.....
Pop into the prepared tin and cook for 1/1¼ hours until firm to the touch and a skewer comes clean. In the Remoska I am giving it an hour and 5 mins. Here is the finished cake.



Cool in the tin





Enjoy DH.











I have also been looking around the web for tutorials which are free and came across one for appliqué at a place called prettily "The Picket Fence". You will find more tutorials under their side heading called TECHNIQUES and it is a lovely site for ideas.

Well the cake is cooked and cooling and we are going to take Bella for a walk this afternoon, then come back to tea with cake, so thank you Sally and Moira with apologies for adapting it when I did not have the right ingredients.


And this is what happened when we got back from the walk.

News about Anchor threads

Janet gave me a page from 'needle and handicrafts' last week which contains important info regarding their colours. Please read if you use them.

Anchor cotton embroidery threads have always been dyed to international quality standards in terms of colour fastness & consistency. Likewise, health & environmental issues have always been important as part of the Coats policy. Due to recent European directives, Coats have changed dye sources & also bleaching processes to meet European legislation. As a consequence, specific colours are subject to a change of appearance when viewed (along with the original colours) under different lighting conditions. These lighting conditions relate to natural day light & artificial lighting and are known as a "Metameric" effect. The metameric effect affects 26 colours in Anchor embroidery threads & are listed below. To help identify the colours affected, an asterisk* has been added in front of the original colour number. To avoid disappointment, it is important that you do not mix the same colour with an asterisk*, without an asterisk in the same embroidery. E.g. Do not mix colour 70 & *70 in the same embroidery design. The inherent fastness & colour consistency qualities of Anchor cotton embroidery threads are not affected in any way by this change. For further information please contact Coats' sales office or sales representatives.





So be careful now! and thank you Janet for letting us know.

April and the sun is out

Hi everyone,

I seem to have had little time for blogging lately for the home improvements are taking over my world but I am beginning to think about new curtains and pelmet ideas for when the lounge is finished. At least the builder has gone and now DH is sawing up new skirting boards to fit etc and talking about sanding the wooden floor.

Meanwhile, I can escape for a couple of hours on Thursday because we are having an 'extra' EG day at the Friends Meeting House. The usual venue (Pat's house) is also under siege I believe as Pat's DH is decorating. So this Thursday at 11am at the Friends Meeting House bring along your exhibit for the Rheged Regional Day and don't forget to label it clearly and put a price on it for insurance purposes. Sally will also be bringing along the wall hanging and it is nearly finished so we can all see how it looks.

REGULAR MEETING
Our next monthly meeting, on April 16th, is a workshop with our very own talented Val Osborn, who is doing 'Beyond Canvaswork'. If you missed the last meeting when we made cloth dollies then you will not have seen the wonderful example Val brought along to show us, but never fear, here it is below:-





Isn't it stunning! I can't wait to make one....so here is the list of requirements

You will need,
threads of all kinds
beads and bits and bobs
an old 'watercolour' paintbrush
Baking Parchment (Val will supply if you have none)
usual sewing kit including a variety of needles

You may need,
Bondaweb or similar
fine fabrics such as chiffon, silk etc.
ribbons, feathers and lace
Crystal organza for stich and burn
sewing machine and manual (don't forget foot pedal & lead)
embroidery hoop
If you have a craft soldering iron please bring it for burning

Val will bring at the cost of £1 per person if you wish to partake
Angelina fibre, canvas, paints, wire, sparkly bits, felt, glue, paper etc.

Val will also have various flower photos for inspiration but if you have a picture which has an indefinate background, an interesting middle ground and a prominent foreground it can be used or adapted.

So girls, there you have it, an interesting day awaits with lots of fun too.

I still have not been able to do justice in a photo to my new 'Amy Quilt' but I will keep trying. So that will appear in a later post and I have a new recipe too. So until this Thursday 2nd April, take care all.

Amy quilt - tips for layering a quilt

Hi all,

I just found this other photo of the Amy quilt from last week, before the builder knocked a hole in the wall and when I had layered the quilt and pinned it together. The photo shows me with Bella who had managed to sneak around the door and run across the quilt top to great me, I was aghast... her feet I thought.... but she had not just come in from the garden where she likes to dig holes, thank heavens! She was scooped up by me very quickly and Pete took the shot. If you look closely (all the piccies on the blog can be clicked on to make them bigger) you will see that Bella is giving me a friendly, sorry, type of lick. You will also see the safety pins in place where I have been busy layering the quilt.

TIP How to Layer a Quilt

If you have a big enough floor space with a fitted carpet it is easy to stretch and layer the 3 pieces together. Start with the base layer and make sure it is absolutely square and flat, no ripples must be present. Then pin with safety pins to the carpet below and stretch the fabric as you go to keep the base very taught. You do not, repeat do not close the pins, just push them well in and they will lay flat on their side. You should not have any that will stick up and prick you because you will be kneeling on the whole quilt sandwich later. These first pins stay in place and are all placed on the edges of the base layer, don't put any at all in the middle, just keep to the very edges and make sure they are all well pushed into the carpet. The idea is that the base layer cannot move!

Next lay on the wadding and flatten it and make sure it overlaps the backing fabric. Take time to smooth out any wrinkles because you do not pin the wadding at all. You don't really attempt to stretch it either and I know its hard when you are crawling about all over it but you must get it flat flat flat. (Obviously a big room helps but if you are like me then you end up on the quilt on your knees a lot.)

Next, very carefully lay on the quilt top and square it up and flatten it too. Try not to mess up the wadding as you do so, but because it was not pinned it should still respond to smoothing whilst the top will too, so you are kind of working with both. Patience is all!

So when no wrinkles are in evidence start to pin the quilt right through the 3 layers into the carpet with open safety pins like you did when you started with the base layer. Always start in the middle for this bit and work out in a circle from the middle. Keep working out gradually edging towards the sides, pin and smooth, pin and smooth. When all the quilt is pinned down stand back and assess, if any bits are not right, you guessed it, do that piece again.

Lastly, you need to close all the safety pins, start in the middle again and carefully pick up each pin, ease it slightly out of the carpet and do it up. This will give you sore fingers so be careful. Check that you have not missed any pins and that all are done up.

Now remember the base layer was first pinned round the edges only to keep it from moving so you need to go round the very edges of the quilt and remove the open pins which are just pinning the base layer only to the carpet. This frees up the whole quilt so then carefully ease the quilt sandwich up from the carpet. You have usually missed a 'middle' pin but you will feel it tug and then you can quickly do it up without any harm being done.

I have used this method very successfully and never ruined a carpet or my quilt, but obviously use some discretion, don't try it if you feel it is not for you. You need time, and good knees. The photo shows you the finished result as I had just done up the last safety pin when Bella decided to join me and you can see the surface is stretched tight and all snug.