Almost a week

It has been almost a week since my holiday began.  Time to take stock. 

I washed and ironed and it seems to be all back in the washing bin again. 

I cleaned the house and the dust has reappeared along with my daughter who has added to the housework and the washing. 

I got my TAST pieces up to date, that was satisfying. 

I have designed a new embroidery, which I will show you when I have got started on the stitching.

And as it is so cold here,  never got over 16C yesterday,  I decided to make some Pumpkin Soup.

I bought a whole pumpkin, 2 onions, a sweet potato, I peeled these and chopped them into small to medium pieces.

The onions always cause problems in my food classes.  It is the fumes, so here are my tips for minimizing this.  First, store your onions in the vegetable chiller in the refrigerator.  Then when you cut them take the stem section off and cut in half lengthwise.  Peel off the outer layer and place the cut edge on the board.  This will stop the fumes rising into your eyes.  Make cuts almost to the root end along the striations.  When you have done this to all the onions cut across and the rings, they will just will fall off.  But don't be slow or else those fumes will get you.

 

To this I add 2 litres of chicken stock.  I make my own using chicken carcasses and vegetables but the commercial stock will work.  Remember if you use a commercial stock you will not need to add as much salt.  Also, you could add some garlic, or a garlic and ginger mixture.

Boil until all the vegetables are soft, let them cool a little before pureeing them in a food processor.

Return the mixture to your saucepan and add 300 mil of cream (or a small tin of evaporated milk if you are watching your weight) and salt and black pepper to taste.  Reheat the soup making sure you don't boil it as the cream could separate out.

 

At this point I should have a great photo of the results but some one ate it!

(You can of course make smaller amounts of this soup.  If you do this you will find it its quick and easy to prepare.  Good way to get the kids to eat vegetables as well.)

TAST 2010 - Week 18 - Wave Stitch

 

I went to the Embroiderers Guild today and talked with friends and doodled this stitch.  No plans, just difference thicknesses of thread.  I thought it looked a bit boring so added a few knots, then a few beads.  (I might have got carried away here.)  I like the thinner threads best.

Check at Pin Tangle to see the instructions and on the Filkr site for other examples.

TAST 2010 - Week 17 - Sword Stitch

Ha Ha!  I have the internet back at a normal speed.  Thank Goodness.

This stitch is.... I don't know how to describe it.  Different thickness of thread don't seem to have a lot of effect on the outcome.  Changes is direction can be achieved, but, I like the sword hilts pointing out rather than in.  It responds well to pattern but then again I think I like it best as a filler stitch.  It is a bit like a piano accompanist.  I will make other stitches look good but it fills the spaces with style.

I used stranded and perle cotton , DMC, Threadworks overdyed cotton thread and Caron watercolours.

 

(Almost forgot the link to Pintangle)

Out of download.

Nearly made it but not quite.  The end of the month for our internet access is tomorrow and I've used it all up for this month.  I have spent a bomb at the TextileArt Festival but it will have to wait until the end of the month ticks over to tell.

No washing

I have spent the morning trying to pick up my husband from the airport and after much toing and froing we are home. And, all the washing is done.  Plus I have a lovely new porcelain plate.

The card that came with it said that according to legend from ancient time, the Vietnamese people are descendants of a Fairy and a Dragon.  This image is a combination of dragon and phoenix, which represents the combination of dragon and fairy.  Because the Vietnamese Nation was formed from many different ethnic groups, these are represented around the edge of the plate.  I think this is going to be the inspiration for a new quilt.

Cleaning, cleaning.

The first day of my holiday and I spent it washing and ironing.  There was such a large pile of washing I just couldn't look at it any longer.  Then there was the new Breville iron bought with my 'Fly Buy' points.  I would have preferred the pink but mine is purple, which is nearly as good.  The thing is it works, not only works but works really well.

So as I stood ironing table cloths I thought that I might make some new ones.  But I looked at the old ones, which are made from fabric I bought from Ikea at least 3 or 4 years ago, and they are as good as new.  I can't bring myself to be wasteful, so I will have to find something else to sew.

 

And those lemons?  Well Marie from work gave them to me, she had lots on her tree.  These are going to be made into Lemon Meringue Pie and Lemon Butter.  Hopefully tomorrow, but then my husband returns from a job in Vietnam,  I think there might be more washing and ironing in store!

I'm on holidays

All the reports are finished I have just had to bring home the whole curriculum to rewrite but I will have time to sew and sleep and de-stress, Hooray.

This is a very unusual Wagga quilt that was on display at the exhibition.   It was made in the 1940's, when there was rationing, and is made from dressing swatches and end of rolls.  This one was stitched together and backed in a heavy calico.  These old quilts were very well used.  I remember my grandmother had one that just fell to pieces with age and constant use.

A challenge missed

I have decided not to do my challenge piece for 'the devil is in the detail'  this week.  Why?  Well my day job has taken over.  It is the end of semester and there are so many deadlines that I don't think I will sleep until next weekend. Which incidentally, is the start of the June holidays.  I hope I have time to do some then but, it's tax time as well.

When I saw these these little lavender bags I remembered how much I loved working with the Semco  Rayon Crochet Thread which is out of production.  They could have been done with Myart thread but you can't get that any more either.  I had a stash that I bought years ago and is now all used up.  So these little bags will not be able to be made quite the same ever again.

(The bags were in the Q'ld Embroidery Guilds exhibition.)

Baby embroidery

I am suffering the after effects of a flu injection. I always have bad reactions due to a hair trigger immune system.   So when my son and daughter -in-law rang and asked me to go to an exhibition with them I wasn't really keen.  But, I thought I should make the effort.

It turned out to be a baby and toddler exhibition and I had said that if they had a baby I would buy the cot.  So the baby is due in January 2011 and I bought the cot.  Now I have to start stitching. 

TERS and the Guild

When I was working at the Guild last week it was in the Tea Room upstairs.  This is a multiple use room but when there are special events it is opened as a Tea Room.  All the table cloths are bequeathed.  Instead of them being put into the thrift shop people passed them on for the Guild to use.  Everyone has been rescued.

I look at them and think of the women who stitched them.  Those women who owned them and used them in their homes. Well here they sit still cherished.

This last one was so bright and cheerful I took some close ups thinking I might use this design in the future.