October 2014 - Newsletter

Wholly Quilts October 2014

G'day! Spring seems to be the time of year for teaching - here there and everywhere. A class in Coromandel had a second day of finishing off their Start to the Art. Art quilts are so amazingly individual almost anything goes. The gals at my own club, Patchwork Unlimited allowed their quilting to take Wings and two days in Tauranga saw a class doing my Snap Happy Scrappy (quick cuts to traditional blocks) and the old favourite Ooey Gooey Hearts which always gets lovely results in an easy day of quilty camaraderie. As always catching up to old familiar faces makes teaching great fun. Early warning! The picnic day has to be a week earlier because of symposium. So pencil in January 10 for the big day out. The challenge this year is totally self-serving (for me) - I need hot water bottle covers for the retreaters during winter. So make a cover, be in to win the best of show prize and receive a fat quarter as a thank you! Read all about It is a new chapter in my newsletter. I will regularly review a book that might titivate your quilting knowledge. Jean Wells, in her Journey to Inspired Art Quilting, proves to be soul mate of mine when it comes to converting ideas intuitively to fabric. I love her work and her inspired teaching.  If you have a quilter in your life this would make a great gift but the Book Depository also have a wishlist feature which is great to share with the friends and family so they know what to get you for Christmas :) Natter Later! By the way, if you want to bring a group of friends for a relaxing weekend available weekends are filling fast so get in touch. Pumpkin Patch The Pumpkin Patch is so pretty right now - all the fruit trees are budding and blossoming. The flowers on the quince show great promise of another bumper crop as do the plums, peaches, cherries and olives (this year I have a companion tree to the olive as it needs a pollinator, so hopefully there will finally be fruit). Did you know that the flower of the fig is actually enclosed in the fruit? There are lots of them there too. My garlic is fattening up and so it should (I told you about the crop that was planting on the shortest day last year and did nothing). To compensate I have two crops this year. Seeds have been planted and they too are doing their thing so the vege patch should be spectacular come summer. After talking so kindly about the birds last month - now they are nesting right above my car and won't be moved. Mm! plotting now!  Any suggestions for a peaceful disruption to their nesting there would be appreciated. Chopping Block The Chopping Board went crazy and a little bit orange this month. I made a Crazy Cake (print recipe) that has no eggs, no milk or butter and uses no mixing bowl. Preheat oven to 170deg C Mix 1½ cups flour (all-purpose), 3 tbsp. cocoa, 1 cup sugar, 1 tsp baking soda, ½ tsp  salt in a greased 8 inch baking pan and make three depressions (2 small and one larger). Pour 1 tsp white vinegar and 1 tsp pure vanilla extract in the smaller ones and 5 tbsp vegetable oil in the larger. Pour 1 cup water over the top and mix till smooth Bake on middle rack of oven for 35 minutes.  Check with toothpick to make sure it comes out clean.  Cool.  I  iced with a cocoa, icing sugar and orange juice mix and scattered some crystallised orange peel over. So-oo goo-ood! And simple.