March Already?!

Poof! 

And just like that, we’re almost at the end of the first week of March. Where did that go?

It’s been busy here, as always. The collection of pickles and preserves is growing nicely.

Between work shifts I’ve even managed to sit and relax with some hand sewing. I also had to put a notice on the door of the big fridge where all the preserves live. Yes, I know they don’t need to be in the fridge, but a few years ago, when I first started this preserving journey I had no cupboard space left and the spare fridge was empty… so naturally, I filled it!

The notice now instructs Tony to use items from the top shelf first. If I don’t remind him, he’ll just keep taking the possum's pickles from the bottom shelf and ignore everything else. When I had a good tidy-up a couple of weeks ago, I found jars that were four or five years old. Only two or three, but still — they need to be used. He has been told!

Yesterday I added even more to the collection. We have a glut of courgettes and something needed to be done, so I got busy. I left the jars to cool overnight and couldn’t resist taking this photo this morning as the sun crept over the windowsill and made them glow.

Here’s the recipe…

Sweet and Spicy Courgette Relish. 

4 Cups grated courgette. (Zucchini). 
2 Cups finely diced onion.
2 cups finely diced bell peppers.
1 tablespoon of salt.
1.5 cups apple cider vinegar.
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes. 

Place all of the chopped veg into a large bowl, sprinkle with the salt and almost cover with cold water. Give it a stir and allow to sit for 4-6 hours.

After soaking drain and rinse. Pour them into a clean towel, or I use a muslin bag. Give them a good squeeze and remove as much moisture as you can. Set aside.

In a large pot mix together the vinegars, sugar and spices. Bring to the boil stirring to dissolve the sugar and combine the spices. Add the veges, stir until thoroughly combined.

Bring the mixture to a gentle boil and reduce heat to simmer.

Cook uncovered for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Spoon into sterile jars and seal.

Sit back and listen to the lids popping as they cool.

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Once the cauldron was washed up and put away, I pulled out the label I’d made for Jiffy and Josie’s quilt. I had a lovely afternoon listening to lids popping while I embroidered the label. Don’t look too closely at my stitching — I need practice!

Here it is, all stitched and attached to the back of the quilt.

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The date for our journey to the wedding is drawing very close now, but I’m not excited yet. It still feels unreal. Add in recent events and I do worry — we’ll be flying with Emirates, hopefully through Dubai. Maybe by the time we’re due to fly, a workaround will have been sorted out. World peace might be too much to hope for, but a different route would be nice. Fingers crossed.

As you may have worked out, I have my three rostered days off before working the weekend. On today’s list: make another batch of courgette relish, a batch of Evil Chilli Chutney (I might wait for Tony’s help with that one), have a turn about in the garden, take a trip to the garden centre, and make time to slow down and sew.

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Day Three… and Not a Stitch Was Sewn

 Day three of four turned out to be a bit of a bust as far as sewing was concerned. The whole day slipped away into chores and a little burst of happy news.

Mid‑morning the phone rang: Sally Skyline had returned from the spa and was ready for collection.

Well — that was that. I dropped everything, grabbed my keys, and was out the door. I was home again in under thirty minutes, feeling rather pleased with myself. Once Sally was safely settled back into the happy room, I picked up where I’d left off with the chores.

That’s when I discovered a huge paper bag sitting in the porch. A friend from club had mentioned she’d drop off some books, but I never heard the doorbell. Either it was a very quick drop‑and‑run, or she called while I was out rescuing Sally.

I set the bag beside my chair, finished the last of the chores, and finally sat down for a look. What a mixture — books and magazines, some definite keepers, and the rest will be passed along to new homes. I spent a very pleasant couple of hours browsing and reading about patchwork and quilting. But not a single stitch was sewn.

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A Closer Look at the Keepers

Among the books was a magazine that immediately caught my eye. The cover design with the daisies and poppies — had it firmly in the keeper pile before I even opened it. 

Singular Sensations was another one that had a lot going for it before I even looked inside. Maybe it was that blue design on the cover. 

You know me and blue. One quick browse and it went straight onto the keeper stack.

I took a little more time with Rose Windows. 

There are some truly stunning designs in there. I’m not sure I’d ever make one, but there’s a tree‑skirt idea that has possibilities… so into the keeper pile it went, at least for now.

It’s joined by Bakers Dozen by Jen Kingwell 

and Simply Stars 

the latter has several different approaches to creating beautiful star quilts, which is always useful to have on hand.

A few books landed in the “maybe” pile, and there were a few definite non‑keepers. But all in all, it was a very pleasant afternoon of browsing, dreaming, and discovering.

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And that brings us to today — my fourth and final day off. Believe it or not, I still have one or two chores to achieve before I can sew. Not least another good tidy‑up in the sewing room. If I’m to make a pieced back for Kaiy’s quilt, I’ll need to clear the clutter off the table so I can work with large pieces of fabric.

All those new books will need to find homes too.

I’m off to get busy.

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Day Two of Four — Gardens, Gifts, and Kiwis

Today is day two of my four days off, and before I could settle into my room there was garden work to be done. Tony pulled out the edge trimmer and lawn mower while I headed into the big greenhouse. The tomatoes have slowed right down now, and although there were still a few green fruits hanging on, the vines themselves were looking very tired and brown.

I picked off anything with even the slightest hint of colour and lined them up along the kitchen window to catch the sun. Then it was time to pull out the exhausted plants. After that I gathered the ripe chilli peppers and three courgettes. That was quite enough for one session. I handed some of the bounty over the fence to the neighbours, then headed indoors.

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Once inside, I made a beeline for my happy room and got busy with the Kiwis. I had some precut strips left over from a previous project, they were ready to go, so I started sashing the blocks, then cut a few more, and before long I had them all joined together. With the sun shining so beautifully, I decided it was time for a walk. I popped a bag of produce together and wandered down to Debbie’s house — she’s always delighted to take a share of our surplus.

Back home again, I turned my attention to the borders for the Kiwi quilt.

As you can see, I opted for the caramel colourway for both the sashing and the borders, with that narrow black strip giving the eye a place to rest. That’s it for this one for now. It clamored to be at the top of the list and I listened, but next I really must get a back made for Kaiy’s quilt — and give it a name. I’ve toyed with Inkantations, since she’s an artist who works a lot with inks, or maybe Spellbound. I’ll let the right name come to me once I’m quilting it.

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Meanwhile, I promised to show what I worked on at club yesterday. It was a very quiet gathering, with only four ladies attending. By 1.30 two had gone home, leaving just myself and President Ann. We decided to call it a day and head off early. I’m happy with my progress though.

I had dithered about what to take and, in desperation, grabbed my hexie box as I dashed out the door. I’m so glad I keep a stash of ready‑made flowers and basted hexies — perfect for grab‑and‑go stitching.

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So there you have it. Time now to think about cooking a meal and settling in for the evening. I might be back tomorrow with news of my antics on day three of four. 

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Four Whole Days Off.

I have four whole days off, all together, in a row. What a luxury.

Today was patchwork club day, and I really wasn’t sure what to take along. At the last minute I grabbed a bunch of hexagon flowers and stitched a few of them together. I’ll show that progress another time, because first I want to show off something else.

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In my last post I mentioned that I’d made a decision about which of my WIPs would get attention once Kaiy’s quilt was completed. Well, today that project jumped straight to the top of the list.

After I got home from club, I wandered into my room looking for something to play with. I should piece the quilt back for Kaiy’s quilt, but that job involves crawling around on the floor, and I didn’t much feel like doing that today. I’ll save it for Monday, once Tony is back at work.

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So instead, I pulled out my RSC Kiwi blocks and started playing with them again. I auditioned a few fabrics for sashing and borders, and I think I’m getting close to a plan. I ran out of time to start cutting and sewing today, so that will be tomorrow’s job.

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I do have some garden work that needs doing tomorrow, but hopefully I’ll still have plenty of time to play as well. I’ll be back soon with an update.

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A Finished Quilt Top.

Some projects seem to grow quietly in the background, don’t they — a block here, a seam there — until suddenly you stand back and realise you’ve stitched your way into something whole. That’s exactly how Kaiy’s quilt has felt.

Today I sewed the final seam, pressed the last row, and spread the quilt top out across the floor. Tony did his acrobatics at the top of the ladder again to get this image. All those magentas, teals, pinks, purples, and blues I chose using her mood board as a guide, have finally come together, and they’re playing beautifully with one another. It’s bright without being loud, cheerful without being chaotic — very much a quilt with personality, just like its intended owner.

There’s something satisfying about this stage. The top is done, the colours are settled, and the quilt has taken on its own character. Now it’s time to turn my attention to the backing fabric. I'll get to that in a few days.  But for now, I’m simply enjoying the moment. Another quilt top finished, another step closer to wrapping someone I love in something handmade.

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I also made a decision about which WIP will be getting some attention very soon.

More about that soon.