Fireworks Mini Quilt + Your Free October 2016 Calendar

It's school holidays here again and we really needed this two week break. This term has dragged and its nice to know we can now relax in the spring sunshine and recharge our batteries. Spring is my favorite time of year. I can find the time to garden, catch up on some reading and simply enjoy the great outdoors. Its such a pretty time of year and its also time for my new monthly min and your free October 2016 calendar. So here it is; introducing the gorgeous Fireworks:

No matter how old you are, there's nothing more exhilarating than standing under the night sky, watching it come to life with bursts of beautiful colours, as the fireworks explode. I really tried to capture that spectacular display in this paper pieced mini quilt. The main star block, featured in this quilt, is my own design:

I combined a few different elements to achieve that burst of graduating colour you see when the fireworks explode and slowly fade. Its a lovely little block, which is quite easy to paper piece and I think it looks stunning. I chose two shades of the one colour for each block but it would also look lovely in a mixed palette as well.

I struggled with how to quilt this mini, mainly due to the black background. I did try some straight line quilting (which I ripped out), some echo quilting (which I also ripped out) and then I settled on some stippling, using a lovely light grey thread. I think it adds another element to the night sky and in the end, I was happy with my choice.
The little stars are small sections of the main block and they are designed to look as if they are fading into the background as new fireworks explode.

The Fireworks PDF pattern comes complete with full step by step instructions and diagrams,  paper piecing templates and a colouring sheet to help you plan your colours/fabrics prior to starting your mini quilt. There are also optional instructions to add a hanging sleeve or corner hangers.
If you would like to make your own Fireworks mini quilt, from today until the end of October, PDF patterns are available at the introductory price of $4.95 (AU) in my Big Cartel shop, HERE.
Or if you prefer an instant download, PDF patterns are also available in my Etsy shop, HERE.
I also have your free October 2016 Calendar, featuring the gorgeous Fireworks:

To download and print your free calendar, just visit HERE.
In a few weeks time, our annual Launceston Show begins and on the Friday night we are treated to a gorgeous fireworks display. Until then, this little mini will hang on my studio wall and bring me the same joy as watching the night sky explode into colour.
I hope you love my Fireworks mini quilt just as much as I do.

Happy sewing :)

Date and Walnut Truffles

Life is all about balance. I love baking cakes, biscuits, slices and tarts but I also do a large amount of clean eating cooking as well. Maddi is vegetarian and I'm almost one (with the exception of small amounts of chicken and seafood), so we need to find our protein in other ways. We make a lot of protein balls and energy bars to keep us fueled and eat a large range of plant based proteins. Our biggest vice is chocolate, so when we found the recipe for these scrumptious Date and Walnut Truffles, we discovered we can have our cake and eat it too:

These decadent little truffles are a healthier alternative for us and they curb those cravings for that bar of chocolate or that heavy dessert. Maddi and I have been enjoying one of these after dinner and they are just so good, I had to share the recipe with you. The original recipe came with our smoothie maker but over time, I had adapted it to suit our tastes and the best part about it is, you can adapt it to suit your own as well.

They are filled with luscious dates, walnuts, coconut, cinnamon and cacao but they are also lovely with the addition of chia seeds, almonds, almond meal and shredded coconut (I prefer the desiccated). The quantity of cacao powder is quite large, so adjust this if you like but I love how rich and decadent it makes them. Just remember to adjust the amount of coconut oil you use if you add or subtract ingredients, as you don't want the oil to overpower the flavour but you need enough to combine the ingredients.

There's minimal cleanup as once the prep work is done, everything goes straight into the food processor or blender and your mixture is ready to roll into balls and then into some extra coconut. This recipe makes around 16 truffles and they store well in the fridge, or you can freeze them for up to a month. This quantity suits Maddi and I for a week but half the recipe if you need less.

We have experimented with homemade healthy chocolate or peanut butter cups but I wasn't a fan as the coconut oil was way too prominent for my tastes. These truffles are a wonderful balance of health and yumminess without feeling naughty.
If you would like to make your own Date and Walnut Truffles, you can download the recipe HERE or right click on the photo below and save to your computer for later:

I'm positive you are going to love these Date and Walnut Truffles as much as Maddi and I do. They are packed with super foods, they are easy to make and they are something to look forward to, every night after dinner :)

Happy baking :)

Dear Jane- Row A

This gorgeous stack of sampler blocks is Row A of my rainbow inspired Dear Jane quilt. I'm thrilled to have this first row finally complete. I've been working on them for an hour a day over the last couple of weeks and don't they look pretty in a neat little stack?

The blocks in this row are a good mix of easy and intricate blocks but this row really tested me and my patience. I mentioned before that I was paper piecing the trickier blocks to make them as accurate as possible, but it was the applique blocks which caused me the most grief.
I had chosen the freezer paper applique method but I rarely hand stitch these days because its no longer enjoyable or relaxing; I actually dread it. I was neither happy with the process, nor the results.

For me to enjoy this quilt, I had to look at other options and I finally decided to machine applique the blocks. Now I know this is not the traditional method, but I'm sure if Jane had this option way back in 1817, she may very well have done the same :)
I'm looking at my decision, as a modern approach to this quilt (just like the colour layout) and as I have no plans to let the quilt police anywhere near it, I'm happier with the look of my blocks and I'm no longer dreading the applique blocks in future rows.

So, now I can start Row B. The majority of blocks in this row are quite challenging but I'll take it one block and one challenge at a time and once its finished, I plan to sew the two rows together and see how this rainbow colour palette is working.
Happy sewing :)

Orange Kisses

Spring has definitely sprung around here. Everyone is busy working in their neglected gardens or spring cleaning their homes. We are emerging from our winter hibernation, enjoying the great outdoors and taking advantage of the sunshine to venture out and visit friends. I like to have something home baked for visitors, so this weekend I whipped up a batch of yummy Orange Kisses:

These little morsels are just delicious and they have a wonderful, refreshing citrus burst. The biscuits are buttery and soft, with a lovely orange zing. They are filled with an orange buttercream, which really packs a flavour punch and they are only little so your not being too naughty, unless of course you can't stop at one, or two,.....:)

They are quick and easy to make and a plate full will delight your friends. Whip up a batch before your guests arrive or make them the day before so you can spend time on other things. Serve them with a pot of tea or coffee and savour the taste as you sit back and enjoy time spent chatting and catching up . 

If you want to enhance that wonderful citrus flavour, you could also fill them with marmalade but the orange buttercream works well on its own. If your not a fan of oranges, consider using a lemon or lime if you prefer; I haven't actually tried this but I'm sure they would work just as well and be a little different.

They are a popular biscuit in our house and such a lovely little treat. Now the weather has improved, I'm such a batch or two will be made for the picnic basket or the lunchboxes as well.
If you would like to make your own batch of Orange Kisses, you can download the recipe HERE or right click on the picture below and save to your computer for later:

I hope these delicious little biscuits add something special to your next morning or afternoon tea. They sure bring a smile to my face and they leave a  refreshing and cleansing taste to my palette.

Happy baking :)

An Hour With Dear Jane

The completion of my Chatelaine Sampler quilt, left a huge void in my quilting life. I missed sewing those little cuties and creating a masterpiece in a 6" block, so I went on a hunt for a new project. Years ago, I started a Dear Jane quilt in strong, dark country colours but that fabric palette no longer appeals to me, As much as I wanted to make a Dear Jane, I needed some fresh inspiration and a valid reason (haha), to completely restart this gorgeous quilt.
I found beautiful two colour Dear Jane's, which I loved, I found a lot of vintage inspired ones which were pretty and then I found a blog called That Quilt, which had a layout for a rainbow Dear Jane and inspiration struck:

Once I saw the layout of colours, my first instinct was to rush out and buy some new bright fabrics or a bundle of rainbow solids and get started. I had to stop myself because how will I ever use the fabrics I have in my stash, if I overlook them for each new project? I have some very pretty fabrics tucked away in the cupboard and I thought I could make them work in this quilt.
I think that's why I love samplers so much; they are meant to be scrappy and they tell their own story with the fabrics we use from the stash that we have accrued through our years of quilting.
I have chosen a scrappy palette of small print fabrics, for my rainbow inspired Dear Jane quilt:

I've allocated the first hour of each of my sewing days, to work on my Dear Jane quilt. You'd be surprised how much you can achieve in as little as an hour a day. Some days I piece, other days my hour is spent cutting fabric or drafting blocks. I'm redrafting each of the blocks as I go and I've decided to paper piece as much as I can, to ensure these little 5" (unfinished) blocks go together as precisely as they should.

I'm also preparing the applique blocks and popping them into individual plastic bags, so I can take them with me and work on them while I'm waiting for Cohen to finish school or while dinner is cooking.
I'm determined to finish one row of blocks at a time and then piece the rows together, as I complete them.  For my first attempt at this quilt, I worked on all the blocks that appealed to me first (aka the easy ones) and then I was left with all the harder ones. If a block takes two or three of my one hour sewing sessions to complete, that's perfectly fine, I'm in no rush and each one motivates me for the sewing day ahead.

My completed pile of Row A is small but I have all the applique ones prepped and I have the remaining three blocks cut and ready to sew over the coming days. I don't expect to complete this quilt quickly but I am going to enjoy each and every step of its journey.
Here's the look I'm hoping to achieve:

(Google image from Twiddletales)

It's a modern take on a beautiful, classic quilt and I love it. Hopefully mine will look just as pretty and colourful as the diagram, one hour at a time :)

Happy sewing :)