pink is the colour

Pink is certainly the colour in the garden at the moment, I've never seen so much apple blossom on the trees! We had no apples at all last year after the horrible wet spring, so this year Mr P is looking forward even more than usual to his cider making. I am rather scared of his murky brew, so I am looking forward to lots of apple crumbles!

The countryside is bursting with stunning wildflowers too, we walked through the woods on Monday and the wild garlic was like a blanket of snow under the trees

and the bluebells have been wonderful too.

Pink will also be the colour of the moment on Sunday 16th June, when I will be joining in the Race For Life with a friend in Bath. As I and my sister have both recovered from breast cancer it will feel good to be able to help raise money for research into this horrible disease.

My friend will be bringing her mascot bear, so of course he needs his own Race for Life tee shirt:

... and after the race (or walk, in my case!) He can relax in his new cosy hoody!

Mr P wants to know why I am making clothes for bears when I could be making his new shirt! All in good time....

old man in a natty shirt

This week I went to my favourite place- the wonderful Eternal Maker fabric shop, 

http://www.eternalmaker.com/

mostly to buy some cuddly brushed cotton for the back of the steam car quilt:

(tick!)

...but unusually this time I was accompanied by Mr P who has got a bee in his bonnet about me making him a shirt, something I haven't done for many years. He has been seduced by all the beautiful new fabrics available now so he wanted to see them for himself.

Here's the fabric he chose after much deliberation:

(Oh, and I couldn't resist this print which will hopefully become a top for me, after the magnificent shirt of course!)

The Eternal Maker magic wove its spell over him and he had to be pushed out of the shop saying 'Oh, but that one's nice, and I didn't notice that one.... etc'.

I managed to find the aged shirt pattern I last used- dig that crazy 1980's moustache!

I'm making a trial shirt from an old sheet to check the fit, as shirts and indeed also Mr P have changed shape in the last 30 years. In Mr P's case he has probably shrunk a bit due not only to wear and tear, but also to many hours cycling up things. Its The Chilterns this weekend- I do like a weekend on my own with the cats, I can loosen my corsets and do lots of sewing whilst surviving on a diet of tea and toast and jam..

.. and carrying on the velvety black theme, I couldn't resist these beautiful petunias for the garden:

roll on summer!

catching up

Well its been quiet here for a while because I've had a week off from the day job and I seem to have been out every day..

Rummaging amongst the charity shops:

.. every home should have a blue lamb surrounded by fairy lights! 

I love to have time for some bread making:

This is Dan Lepard's Flash Loaf. It can be on your plate in 2 hours and its delicious! It has grated potato and vinegar in the mixture, which makes for a lovely moist loaf with an almost 'sourdough' taste when you don't have time to make true sourdough bread. 

I replaced the potato with beetroot in this one, which resulted in a ruby red loaf, and added some caraway seeds. Lovely warm with some tasty cheese.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/nov/21/flash-loaf-bread-baking-recipe

....and of course there's the garden, now that things are warming up:

too much to do out here, everything is suddenly green, green, green.

Meanwhile, indoors, I am trying to finish the quilt with steam cars on it for my friend's husband. Hopefully he will get it before the weather warms up- the top is nearly finished   

Its coming together quite well. The blocks are randomly pieced but each one will be trimmed to 9 inches square to give it an overall rhythm, and then I need  to decide how to quilt it. 
I know some people like to have a master plan before starting a project but I prefer to just jump in and see what happens. I find things seem to take on a life of their own.

Now I need a trip to the Eternal Maker shop (oh joy, oh joy!) to buy some backing fabric. I'm thinking of brushed cotton for extra snuggliness!

News on the antique (?) quilt: My friend has suggested sending photos to the Quilters Guild, so watch this space for news!                                                                                                     
        

If only every week could be so much fun, going out with lovely friends, baking, sewing and gardening- heaven!