Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Home-made Raspberry Jam and scones.





Home made raspberry jam - made on the day the raspberries were picked. So fresh, red and delicious. We came home from camping early, as did a lot of people in New Zealand, due to bad weather. I rushed to pick the berries so they would not rot from the rain. My recipe is so quick and easy. In the jars and finished within 15 minutes.

Then the next day after church I made a batch of scones and we had the luscious jam with scones and cream. Delicious.

Monday, January 4, 2016

My four favourite holiday shots so far.

Jakob at the river with the camera set only to recognise bright green.
Eli in absolute hysterics as he learns how to hypnotise a chicken. 
Me at the river. If you look closely you will see I am laughing. 
My three best men. 

Sunday, January 3, 2016

A quilt as you go bin for my sewing space

scrap quilting, scrap patchwork
So yet again I started a new project. I wanted something small that I could actually finish!! As that 
has not been my forte at all lately.
 
In my new house my sewing space is still incredibly disorganised. I have made a cutting table, of which I am very proud, that has been a life changer with being able to just do a bit of sewing anytime I want. This photo shows the messy corner. The shoe box is my rubbish bin and it needed to go!! The pile on the left is three unfinished items.
I took out my scrap bag that is strips only 
Sorted the colours and materials I wanted 
I then found a left over piece of batting and some fusible reinforcing and commenced sewing the strips on. 
Once it was all sewn I decided that even though I had completed it as quilt-as-you-go, it just did not have a good visual effect.  
So I completed half inch spaced quilting.

I then sewed it all together and it was way way too big. I nearly parked it to be another unfinished project. But as I read Anna's post at Noodlehead (about picking up abandoned projects that were not quite right) I decided to fix it. I am thrilled with the finish and have a gorgeous rubbish bin in my sewing space.

Not a bad start to the New Year.

A gorgeous break in Rarotonga

Woo hoo, A holiday with no kids for 11 days. Bliss, relaxing and warm! BTW it was an early 20th wedding anniversary present to ourselves....