Some unusual fabric choices - for me!

Friday was the end of a very looong week at work for me and I needed a fabric fix!

As well as working in Canterbury, I also work in what is known as the Medway towns composed of three adjacent towns in north-east Kent - Rochester, Chatham and Gillingham. They are all historic towns with a castle or two, a pre-Norman Cathedral, Napoleonic prisoner of war tunnels, Maritime dockyards going back to Tudor times and very, very close links to Charles Dickens.

I decided to leave work an hour early and went over to Rochester and a quilt store called Hometown. I rarely have the chance to visit this quilt shop which has been in Rochester High Street for about 18 months. It sits under the shadow of the Cathedral and as well as being a quilt shop has lots of other things of interest such as lots of buttons in bowls and ribbons.

The store has about 150 bolts of mainly contemporary fabric such as Kaffe Fassett and Amy Butler, but hidden amongst it all are some fabrics from other mainly Moda collections and I even found a bolt of fabric with New York yellow taxi's all over which I instantly recognised as being from the City Quilter in New York City - Diane I know is going to find that so funny!

Not having had a fabric fix in some time and being drawn in I came away with some rather unusual choices - for me!

I like the dusky pink and purple combination on the left. I do not know though how I will use them! And, I like the brights on the right particularly the middle teal and red fabric, which I bought a long length of as I thought it would make a border and setting squares for a future quilt.

The fabric on the left will be used in the Spratley Quilt. It will replace another fabric which was rather "flat" and the rather creased fabric on the right will be going in another quilt for which I have been gathering the fabrics below.

This is the collection thus far, quite a departure from my normal pre 1860's style and shows the influence  Cath Kidston and 1950's retro fabrics are having on me. May it's an attempt to try and cheer up my stash??

So, how am I going to use these fabrics? Well, I have an idea and it involves a pieced and appliqued quilt from the 1840's...

Have a good week!

Help with fabric search please...

This week, along with a couple of other train projects, I have been working on my version of the Spratley Quilt - a little bit of unpicking, a little bit more fabric buying, a little bit more searching through the stash... and I have hit a problem. Back in March, I bought 0.5 metre of the fabric below and... well now I need more! but I cannot find it here in the UK.

It is from the Sturbridge Village Browns collection and it also appeared in the Sturbridge Village Classics collection by Judie Rothermel for Marcus Brothers in about 2008. I have trawled the web this morning using various search methods, trying to find a quilt shop that might still have some. I found one website, but since it appears not to have updated its site since 2009 and has only about 8 fabrics in its catalogue, I am rather loathed to give my credit card details over to them.

In the hopes that someone reads this message and are visiting their local quilt stores, could you please keep an eye open for it, for me? As I am using it for flower and leaf stems, I would still be interested even if it is a fat/thin quarter.

Many thanks everyone and keeping everything crossed.

More to come tomorrow.

Another week gone...

...and I haven't achieved an awful lot although I have had some excitement at work. More later!

As promised I took the blocks in Row 2 of Beyond the Cherry Trees album quilt into work and laid them out on the floor in the office and then had problems trying to work how to photograph them all, without getting the edge of my skirt into the picture and missing cabinets which got in the way - so the picture is not the best! But I am pleased with progress thus far and it motivates me on.

The bowl in the middle block reminds me a little of the glaze effect on Moorcroft pottery, which I like so much, but just cannot afford. The 1st block appears very weak in design, but it should all balance up... eventually!

I am off to Poland...

Work has taken me in a new direction this week. I have just been selected to teach, along with another university lecturer from Belgium, a week long module on environmental modifications and adaptations within the home, work, school and community to Polish students who are training to become occupational therapists and occupational therapy educators. Currently there are no occupational therapists in Poland, so a European Union funded project has been established which aims to train people in the fundamentals of occupational therapy practice so that four new training schools can be set up in Poland.


I have always been interested in (or is it nosiness? :-)), occupational therapy practices across the world. I think it is the influence of a country’s culture on occupational therapy that interests me the most. So, I am very excited, but at the same time somewhat apprehensive of the enormous challenge this presents me as I know nothing about health and social care in Poland – so over the next few weeks I am going to be on a steep learning curve! I already have a 147 page document from a Polish government department on social care provision as my bedtime reading and yesterday I took part in my first skype meeting. An interesting experience which saw me tidying up my office desk! I go to Warsaw in just a few weeks and there are a number of deadlines looming fast as my Belgian colleague and I race to design and write a whole module! 

I was supposed to be marking scripts this weekend, but they haven't arrived so I'm going to take the advantage of this quieter time to catch up on housework and laundry and prep some blocks to keep me going over the next few weeks. Hopefully, my stitching will be just as productive as my work!

Wish me luck!

An industrious week...

I have been on annual leave this week, pottering around my cottage, doing some housework, some ironing and some weeding! and, in between what else but some quilting!

I have finished two more blocks for my version of the Beyond the Cherry Trees Album Quilt.

I wasn’t too sure about the fabric for the urn. Initially it looked a little too heavy, but all the colours are represented in the quilt and amazingly the shape fitted the fabric design, so I decided it was meant to be, but  those rim “fingers”..., I was sooooo happy when I finally finished them. With this block I have finished my first row, so I will take the blocks into work next week and lay them out to take a picture, I just don’t have a large enough room here at home, it is such a little cottage.

I am very pleased with the berry basket block, I didn’t think I would get all the berries done – only 43 berries, so what am I going to be like after 120 grapes? The basket fabric looks a little modern but it reminds me of the 1807 Julia Southgate quilt in the V & A museum exhibition last year. Her quilt had so many contemporary looking fabrics (21st century), including several with large solid stars printed on them, so I chose this fabric with the Southgate quilt in mind.

What else have I been doing? I’ve prepped six blocks of the Maltaville Quilt. I just wish I could make a start, but I am still not happy with any of my background fabrics.

In my frustration, I revisited my version of the English Baskets quilt. Whilst I was in Zutphen, Bep and I started discussing the Antique Baskets Quilt which I started back last July. Yes, it's another quilt that I have started and put to one side, but it is on my list as a work in progress, not a UFO!

The original quilt is from the 1800's, so being from that period of course I had to add it to my "to do" list. It is in the collection of Karey Bresenham and I first saw it in the November 2009 edition of Quilt Mania. Corliss Searcey of Threadbear in Victoria, Australia produced her own version, but I have decided to go with a reproduction of the original quilt setting, which means making a few more baskets (22 in all).

I decided that the blocks would be a perfect way of using up my scraps of fabric and was determined not to buy a thing! Even the background fabrics were in my stash - perfick!

I took these photographs this morning. I had forgotten how many blocks I had already stitched. Some of the fabrics are quite old i.e. I bought them nearly 25 years ago! It has been fascinating rummaging through my stash, some of the designs have been reproduced again in other fabric collections e.g. Judie Rothermel's designs  and some I wish they would bring out in another collection, especially the ones from the Smithsonian collections from back in the mid-1990's. So, with all my scraps of fabric used in this quilt, I have decided to call my version of the quilt - "Everything Old is New Again".

I should really get on with finishing these blocks, I have just seven more to do.

Have a good week!

Quilt roll call and a recipe

There’s not a lot to show for this week..., but as we are now half way through the year I thought I would do a roll call on my projects, it's been a bit disappointing really :-(


Beyond the Cherry Trees Album Quilt

I continue on with my version of the quilt. 8 blocks now completed and last night I prepped another block, so I have three blocks “on the go”. Hopefully, I’ll get the basket with berries completed for next weekend, but I am all berried out at the moment and there are only 43 of them, so what am I going to be like after 120 grapes for the centre block I wonder?

Maltaville Album Quilt

Do I really need another quilt project – answer is “NO”!, but hey??? Life is too short...

I finally signed up to do the Maltaville Album Quilt. All the patterns are being drafted by Margaret Mew at Quiltstation. I do not envy her task as she must be taking the patterns from photographs, not an easy job to do when scaling up.

I first saw this quilt hanging in the Smithsonian Museum of American History in Washington DC back in November 2008. It was Thanksgiving Day and having been let down by the promise of seeing three quilts over at the Museum of American Art which transpired to be full sized photographs of the quilts displayed, on rollers – I was not best pleased...

So, in a real grump I found myself on the basement floor of the Museum of American History where I came across the Maltaville Album Quilt and all was forgiven! One problem though was that it was displayed behind glass panels so I had a real problem with reflected light.

I took loads of photographs, but unfortunately, many are blurred and not fit for publication. My then digital camera wasn’t too good at close-ups, but I have enough detail.

I had resolved to add the quilt to my one day list, so was delighted when I discovered that Margaret had decided to produce the patterns. They are relatively simple blocks at only 11” square, so will be an ideal project for my daily train commute. I’ve prepped the first four blocks, except I am not happy with my background fabric, so stitching may have to wait until after the Festival of Quilts in early August.

And all the other quilts? Well, not much progress, other than thinking about them!

Recipe for Gateau au orange et Cointreau

I was asked for the recipe for the Gateau and I am very happy to oblige. Normally I would have made the cake with a Genoese sponge, but on this occasion I made a traditional Victoria Sponge Cake, so traditional that I didn’t even use Delia’s all in one method!

Victoria Sponge Cake

3 large eggs                                                                  2 x 7” greased and lined cake tins

6oz butter

6oz caster sugar

6oz self-raising flour

Dash of milk (optional)

1tsp Vanilla essence


1. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy

2. Beat in eggs one at a time

3. Sieve flour, a little at a time, and beat into the above mixture

4. Add vanilla essence and continue to beat in

5. Mixture should be at a dropping consistency, i.e when you place some mixture onto a spoon and then tap the spoon on the side of the bowl, the mixture should drop off.

6. If the mixture is too heavy add a dash of milk to ease it.

7. Divide the mixture between the two sandwich tins and bake on the middle shelf of the oven heated to 180°C for 25 minutes.

8. After 25 minutes the top should be a golden brown and when pushed with the finger the centre should bounce back.

9. Cool on a wire rack and decorate once cold


Butter cream

4oz butter to decorate                                                        2 tins mandarin oranges

6oz icing sugar                                                                   toasted flaked almonds

Cointreau (optional)

1. Cream together butter and icing sugar, add Cointreau to taste.

2. Sandwich together with a thin layer of butter cream the two sponges

3. With a palette knife using the butter cream add a thin layer around the sides of the cake.

4. Place toasted flaked almonds on a paper kitchen towel and roll the sides of the cake along the flaked almonds and place cake on serving plate.

5. Drain mandarin oranges, but keep the juice and with a teaspoon carefully “dribble” the juice over the top of the cake – take care not to make the cake too wet, just enough to add some orange flavour.

6. With the remaining butter cream, spread over the top and arrange the mandarin oranges.



...et voila!

Have a good week.

Coming out of my cottage...

Quite a good week, so far...


Yesterday, I completed 3 sets of 1st, 2nd and double marking in 4 weeks – the equivalence of 302,000 words!

I do not want to do that again. I became almost hermit like at the weekends and lost a Whitsun Bank Holiday somewhere. My lounge almost became like a cave. There are now just a few scripts with extensions due in over the next week or so and then I start the tutorials for students who failed their assignments and the next batch of marking comes in on 12th July – a small cohort of students so not quite as much marking to do. I am all marked out...!

So yesterday evening I picked up some sewing and finally finished another block for the Cherry Trees Album Quilt – block no 8.

Block 8

 I am quite pleased with this block, Unfortunately, the picture looks very dark as I took it early this morning and the sky was very overcast. It took me some time to decide on the fabric colours/combinations and although I was hesitant to use the cream, I think it looks quite well balanced. I am also pleased with the bird.Block 9 has been prepared, a basket with lots of berries, so I’ll be seeing circles in my sleep!

Orange gateau!

I did get some time to do some baking – an orange gateau or maybe I should call it Gateau au Cointreau! This is one of my Mother's recipes. She always makes an orange gateau for my youngest brother for Christmas because he doesn't like Christmas cake, huh! and he does not like the Cointreau so it's quite "boring" really, because in my opinion, the best thing has been left out ;-)

One of our team at work retired and I offered to bake a cake. As it was a special celebration I decided to add some cointreau to the butter cream and, well, my hand slipped! It was very, very, very nice butter cream!


I am quite proud of this cake, I haven’t done any proper baking in some time. But it was not easy.  The batteries in my scales had died and they are unusual batteries so not easily replaced. So, I then had to do it all by cup measurements and by eye, not easy trying to find out how many grammes or ounces of flour is in a cup etc. and only one of my recipe books, one from New Zealand, gave me any clues. Anyway I am very pleased with how it turned out, not the least because it turned out edible! or, maybe it was the Cointreau LOL.

There's a Parish Council meeting tonight. All of us who live in the street have been invited to attend. Apparently there was a problem with the fire hydrants when the fire brigade were trying to extinguish the fire at the Wheatsheaf pub and an extra tender had to be brought in to help pump water up to the fire hmmmm...
Well, we'll hear more tonight I am sure, but real concerns at the moment because despite barriers going up around the building apparently there has already been some looting, of what I do not know, but the place cannot be left in the current state it is in. It's quite dangerous.

This is only the beginning I am sure...

A sad day for my village...

Today, I came home to find that the three roads into the village were taped off by the Police.

We have two pubs in the village, on opposite sides of the road. I live just 100 metres or so up the road from them. They are both quite old although The Bell is from about the mid-1500's whilst the Wheatsheaf was built in about the 1840's. The tiny plot of grass outside The Wheatsheaf is known locally as the Village Green, so it is likely that the pub was built on the site of the original village green. They are both popular pubs and despite the recession they have kept going although the Wheatsheaf has been up for sale for some time, but unlike so many pubs locally, has not been forced to close.

The Wheatsheaf Pub in 2007

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/323106

This afternoon a fire took hold in The Wheatsheaf and it has been gutted. Eight fire tenders from around north and west Kent attended the fire and almost 5 hours after the blaze started there are still two tenders outside. I guess they will be there for the rest of the night as they try to dampen down. Unfortunately, whilst it is a beautiful sunny day there is quite a breeze which is not helping.



Outside my front door

My first view of the pub

 Approximately 3 hours after the fire started it is still ablaze

It is amazing to see that the hanging baskets are still there and appear to be unaffected!

There are still flames in the roof and the old stables or "barn" has completely disappeared.

Lots of smoke

One brave fireman

Still trying to damp down

Whilst the roof has completely caved in, the outer walls have remained standing, thanks to the ragstone, a local stone which is used in the building of many local houses and walls etc. So it is thought that the pub could be re-built, but I somehow wonder given it has been up for sale.

Over the years I have been mapping who lived in which house in the street, and exactly 100 years ago the Wheatsheaf was owned by Mrs. Ellen Jarvis. I have a copy of an old photograph of her standing with her husband outside my neighbours house, because just at the outbreak of the 1st World War, she retired and moved into next door, she looks a kindly lady, but at the same time I wouldn't want to cross her!