Sewing part 3 ( or the second part of part 1)

I finished the neutral-toned quilt, here it is folded up, showing some of the lovely multi coloured binding.

The back view- And the front- the sides are grey, and the binding is made to match all the coloured  stripes, it adds just that little bit of colour to the pale grey sides.

I made the quilt as a goodbye gift for a wonderful friend from work.

She loved it!

Part 2...

I tried random strips, alternating print/plain...

But grouping colours sings to me more!!!

Sewing a special gift - part 1

Planning and cutting...

Sewing...

More sewing...

Making bias binding...

Another blanket finished!

I finished knitting another blanket, using 2 balls of Porta Craft acrylic.  The next one is already started! If today's crazy weather is anything to go by, it is definitely knitting weather finally (hey I am wearing a woollen cardigan and cooking minestrone soup as I write this, it is cold out there!).

The only problem with knitting a grey blanket is finding a suitable backdrop for a photo, so I got the tallest teen to help out- it is his blanket after all!

The bird shirt - 5 minute quick fix

I found this sweet shirt at the op shop recently, I didn't have time to try it on, but as it was a Rivers size 16 I figured it would fit with room to spare!
There was a fabric tie in the bottom hem, which I didn't really like- but it was the perfect size  to pull out, cut a teeny hole in the binding around the neckline, and re thread the tie through there. Just right to pull the neckline in enough so it doesn't gape and fall off my shoulders, it gives a much better shape around the neckline, and makes the shirt a little bit different to the original RTW shirt.  I LOVE the bird print fabric, this is now one of my favourite shirts!

Homemade muesli bars

I have been looking for a muesli bar recipe for ages. One for a crunchy, nutty, seedy bar* just like a bought muesli bar. But none are quite right.
Too soft.
Too cakey.
Too crunchy.
Falls apart - ends up looking like granola!

But I think I have nailed it with this recipe from River Cottage.

Although I omitted the chilli and rosemary, & opted for pink salt instead.

I used 200g pepitas,and added 100g slivered almonds

The rice malt syrup was the winner, the perfect " glue" for homemade muesli bars! Yummy, just right consistency. They hold together just right. Not too sweet, nice and crunchy. A definite winner, will make them with cranberries next time!

* that is to say I have been looking for a muesli bar recipe which is not like one of those budgie treat bars you hang in a bird cage, as opposed to looking for a dodgy pub!!!

Quick make over

I got a little bit of sewing done this week - ploughing through the basket of repairs & minor " finishing off" jobs.  These 2 calico bags have been hanging around for a while, I wanted to cover up the branding printed on them.
A piece of Aunty Cookie fabric and a rainbow patch piece  sewn up as a test run for the rainbow cushions I made last year ( it was too small for what I needed) did the job.  Much nicer than the branded bags!