Teesha Moore Patch Swap - Part 1

I mentioned earlier that I had joined a swap on swapbot for Teesha Moore patches.

Well I duly sewed and stitched and posted them off to their recipients on Tuesday 12th February. Both have flown over and now at there new home in America.

This was to 2 partners and this one went to, BennysMumma

with a few little extras for a surprise

 her profile said she liked black and red & white combination so hopefully this one fitted that.

She also said she liked purple so hence this one.

and this one is a bit of a surprise - I just liked the pattern and stripe combinations. Hope she does too!

I can't wait to receive mine. I don't know who or where they are coming from.  It's so exciting!

Multi Seeded Flapjack / Granola Bars

After packing a few more boxes I rewarded myself with a baking session. 

There was a a very good reason to this. This recipe is a great way of using up lots of the little bits you get leftover from your other baking. I don't know about you but I have loads of packets & jars & boxes with just a few grams/ounces left in the them.

This is meant to be a healthy recipe and is loaded with good stuff but it also contains quite a goodly portion of sugar, syrup & butter etc so not what I would call a low calorie munchie - However it is extremely yummy.

I'll give you the proper recipe here first and then I'll tell you at the end what I actually put in it today.

100g Unsalted Butter

150g Golden Syrup

150g Light Brown Sugar

Melt these together in the microwave

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Essence

200g Rolled Oats

30g Pumpkin Seeds

30g Sesame Seeds

30g Sunflower Seeds

30g Pistachio Nuts

30g Whole Almonds

60g Chopped Dried Fruit

Add every thing else - easy peasy!

Spread and press down well into a lined tin 25cm x 35cm (10" x 14")

Bake at Gas No. 5, 180 C for bake for 10-20 minutes (if you use a smaller tine & make them thicker they will need more time.) until golden brown.

Leave for about 10-20 mins in the tin to set before slicing, but do it before it gets cold

 * * * * * * * * * 

Here's what I put in today:

100g Unsalted Butter

150g Golden Syrup

150g Soft Light Brown Sugar/Light Brown Muscavado Sugar

90g Mixed Seeds (sunflowers seeds, sesame seeds & pin nuts)

80g raisins/sultanas

50g coconut shavings

50g mixed peel

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Essence

200g Rolled Oats

80g mixed whole almonds, pecans, walnuts - roughly chopped

I have in the past also used dried cranberries, apricots, cherries, crystallised ginger etc so anything goes really.

 

It's hard not to eat it at this stage!

I'm rather proud of this bowl. It's recycled and was formerly the door of my old washing machine!

When baked & cut up it makes about 36 bars 

 

May have to take a few in to work tomorrow so I don't eat it all myself!

A-Symetrical Knitted Bag

I have, in vain, tried to find the pattern for this whilst packing up. Maybe it will come to light when I unpack some day soon, hopefully. If I ever find it I will post it.

A knitted bag made from cream cotton, fawn wool, a  Liberties boucle wool and a marl wool.

Using various stitched: moss, brick etc.

Decorated with Random, odd vintage buttons. A god way of using them up. Can't bear to part with them but never know what to do with them!

I then lined it with calico, added a zip and further embellished it with a cotton tassel to match.

Very Chic!

Birthday Gift Bag from SewGorgeous

Talking of bags I had a lovely surprise one birthday to receive this beautiful little bag made by SewGorgeous

It uses a matching pair of crocheted doilies. 

It is lined and decorated with ribbon, beads and a little Suffolk puff (yo yo) and mother of pearl button in the centre.

Both sides are the same

Inside is also a little pocket that does up with a small popper and has another mini doiley on for decoration.

It fastens with a popper and has a gold metal chain for a shoulder strap.

A very pretty spring or summer bag.

Summer Vintage Style Bag

Sew Gorgeous managed to be given a large stash of scraps from a locate quilter. Amongst the pile were the remains of a couple of dresses that included the pockets and trims etc.

I was inspired by these to make a bag. I used calico for the base, edged in spotty trim. All of the fabric, pockets and flap for the fastening apart from the calico & the red lining came from the stash.

Front of bag

Back of bag

I added two handles using the spotty strip and some red gross grain ribbon.

Two inside pockets - one small...

and one a bit bigger.

I lined the inside with bright red fabric and another strip of the spotty trim.

I then had lots of fun adding a load of Suffolk puffs (yoyos), vintage buttons, bows, etc.  I love the prints on the fabrics.

I think it looks a little like Cath Kidston style although it wasn't meant to!

Sew Gorgeous Home and Loft Clearing

Sew Gorgeous arrived for the weekend yesterday evening and I have the day off today to do all our jobs.

Hurray!

I have been sew excited all week waiting for her to arrive. I won't be managing to get much bogging done as we have plans...

The plan is to sort the loft and reduce the amount by at least 50% I have no idea how we're going to manage it. There is sew much up there from nearly 20 years of  storing. There is going to be some reminiscing I'm sure. 

This is the end of day one and we have trashed the house! Are filthy but having great fun. Both bins are full and there is a huge pile for the tip, a similar pile for the charity shop and the loft is looking significantly emptier. Still a lot to do but we have made progress.

Sew Gorgeous is now relaxing and making a couple of valentines cards - one for Tom and one for a swapbot swap. It is sew nice to have her home and doing things together.

We have compared current swaps - mine is a 'Moore Teesha Moore Patches' swap which I have just finished and packaged ready for posting on Monday. I obviously can't picture them yet until they arrived at their destination but will post them when I get feedback. I have made 3 patches for two people. Sew Gorgeous cleverly suggested that I make 2 of everything in case I didn't want to part with any! She was sew right! I have really enjoyed making them and can imagine that they could become addictive!

Hers is a make me smile swap which I'm sure her partner will love. She's glad she came home so she could raid the stash here.

Tomorrow we have to collect a load of boxes, paper and tape from the removal company, visit the tip, the charity shop. Have dinner with NannyBake and then we're off to a Viennese music evening with dancing at Harrogate Royal Hall which will be a lovely relaxing evening after another busy day.

I expect we'll manage to do a bit more work on the loft on Sunday too. Sew Gorgeous has to leave about 6.00 pm on Sunday evening so I am planning a long soak in the bath to recover!

"Its meeeee SewGorgeous!! I don't ever want to go back to uni...think I'll stay..."

Bunting Awaiting

OK I admit it. I have failed.

I bought this adorable little set of 4 fat quarters in Hay-on-Wye during a little holiday in November 2012. 

Isn't it beautifully packaged?  I promised I'd make some Christmas bunting for the fireplace and didn't managed to fit it in amongst all the Christmas rush.

Something to look forward to for this Christmas though. Unless someone can come up with another idea I can use it for?

I also managed to buy a considerable pile of books there too. Hay-on-Wye has over 40 book sellers in one small little town and some fabulous other shops too. Well worth a visit if you are in the area.

Glass Painting - but not as you know it 2

This is glass sponge painted with spirit based glass paint.

Sponged onto the outside of the bowl

Pretty but could be more...

These started in the same way and  then painted with gold spirit based paint over the top of the glass paint.

These again benefit from displaying where the sun can shine onto and through them.