Recipes Please

This is a mere picture of the world's most fabulous chocolate cake!

It's officially birthday season and on top of the usual things I have planned to do around the house and in my studio as the year comes to an end, there is also the obligatory birthday projects to think about as well. I am a bit ashamed to admit that I am a few quilts behind on current birthdays. This isn't because of lack of time, but moreso, lack of will. Those of you who follow my blog will know that last year my DD outrightly rejected the beautiful fabrics I had gone to such lengths to purchase in secret online....only to be told that she would not tolerate a quilt made up of those prints.

It sounds awful (and it was a blow to my stash busting shelf) but at least I saved myself the effort of making the quilt. Some of you have children who might in time grow to love their 'not wanted quilts', but this simply isn't a possibility in this case. So I still have the fabric and here we are again. Another birthday. The fabric is still sitting on my shelf in need of a good project. So when my DD requested a Sacher Torte for her birthday, well, that was something I knew I could order online and know that she would LOVE.

It was so easy. My only annoyance was that the postage cost as much as the cake itself. And after calculating for worldwide shipping (it can take up to 14 days) it actually arrived 4 days later, immaculately packed and chilled. This cake actually improves with age so the extra days sitting packed in our fridge made no difference, and probably improved it.

I was planning on taking a photo of the cut cake - but forgot all about photographs when it came to the eating. Sorry!

It's a flatish cake - a true torte and if you've ever had a real Sacher Torte you'll know that it's difficult to describe justly in a world of mud cakes and fudge cakes (which can also be good) but Sacher is of course, in a league of its own. There are a few cafes around that claim to have the recipe, but after tasting the original again (the last time I tasted it was in Vienna a few years ago), they really don't come close.

So now I just have to decide what cake to have for my birthday next month. My DH has claimed The Meringue (my daughters make him this cake several times each year, always changing the recipe!!) and the cake I would dearly love to enjoy "the Dobos" is beyond our cake making skills, so this is still undecided...

Actually, talking about cakes gets me thinking that it is really so hard to come across great cake recipes that actually work in home settings. I'm sure we've all made 'cook book' cakes that just didnt live up to their promise. For myself, I often bake old recipes from memory - and they turn out fine, but I should probably commit them to paper for my DD's.

Do you have a trusted cake that you have each year on your birthday - or at any other time? Please share the recipe if you can, I would love to try some new favourites...and with Christmas baking around the corner, now is a great time to grease the cake tin

Hobson's Bay Quilt Fest 2010

That's where I was on the weekend.

The weather was beautiful and I had a great time looking at all the quilts. It was an honor to judge a section of the Fest as well. The ideas were just wonderful.

It was a nice change for me as I have spent the last week indoors mostly, designing a few new things and trying (I havent lost hope yet) to work my EQ7 software.

As so much of my work is based on my own sketches, transporting that into a design is proving tricky. In some ways it's much quicker to draw up a design by hand...but of course, I do want to strive for improvement and printed designs look better.

I always feel as though I have something better to do than go through the EQ7 lessons but I am going to set aside a whole day and force myself through it. My computer reluctance is getting out of hand. I am hoping that all this frustration will pay off in the end with a faster design turnaround (that's the idea).

It's starting to get warmer so I am in a 'hurry on' mood with my crochet blankets. I am at that stage where I could put them down until next season.... but I don't want to slide into another UFO (and by next winter I will have new ideas) so won't want any finishing up work to start up with. I am getting a few lines in whenever I find the chance... Like always, things speed up for me towards the end of the year, design wise - and I don't know how this keeps happening as each year I decide to stop in November for a break.

I never do though, and I won't be this year either. Back to work..

Part 2 is launched



This week: 4 baubles and applique



a partridge in a pear tree

a turtle dove

a french hen

a calling bird

The first four have found homes this week (as above).

Yes, my inspiration for this wall hanging is limited to singular characters. You can see that the fabric you choose will make a big difference to the style of your wallhanging.

You will be cutting out pairs of the baubles and creating the applique fronts for 4 of the characters from fabric scraps.

It's week 2: are you keeping up ?

PS. Follow the pattern. There is a Template B in your pattern PDF - if you're wondering why... we will be padding the bauble with pelon or batting and Template B is the template to use when doing this. You can ignore it for this week.
Cut Template A as directed.

Also, my applique drawings are drawn inside Template B for the simple reason that it keeps me inside the seam allowance of Template A easily.

Template B is the finished size (no seam allowance)
Template A includes seam allowance

And it does not matter if you have not reversed your diamond template. It will be fine.

About the diamond template

For those of you who are wondering about my cut strip sizes:

Yes, they are wider than the pattern. The simple reason for this is so that when paper piecing, I would like have more room to position. I would rather cut off the difference than not have enough.

Yes, there is a 3/8 seam allowance. I prefer to cut down to 1/4 inch allowance later on. I prefer to trim down rather than be left short.

You don't have to make all 12 blocks with the same fabric. I recommend that to keep a 'style' you should keep the 1st fabric in the diamond block the same - it just looks more uniform.

Feel free to choose your own technique. I work comfortably with paper piecing but if anyone has a preferred technique, please do use it.

The diamonds are worked up in green as they will be representing a tree.

Printing your diamond block: a little difference in printing % wont make a difference if all 12 blocks are the same. From the PDF file, the pattern is set to print at the correct size. Please ensure your printer is set to print at full A4 size.

It is a mystery, but as so many of your have asked ...so I can say that the finished size of this wall hanging is approx. 42 x 56 inches, depending on a few inches here or there owing to border variations.

PS
You will need ADOBE ACROBAT PDF READER version 7 or later to open any of my PDF files.
It can be downloaded for FREE from the side bar of my blog. Simply go to http://www.adobe.com/
Sorry MAC users, I have no recommendations.

12 Days of Christmas

Ready for some festive sewing?

This free mystery BOM will be released in 6 parts over 6 weeks

Each Wednesday

It’s nearly Christmas and that means there’s just a little time left for some seasonal sewing. At this time of year I give up ideas that my UFO shelf is going to be finished…and move onto sewing something simple (ish) for Christmas. Every year when I unpack our decoration box, I always find something that I forgot we had – I love these moments. We usually also find out that our lights have gone missing again…(we end up buying new ones each year!) and every year without fail, we decide that we need more Christmas themed tablecloths, table runners, wall quilts…. Home sewn items that make Christmas special.


It’s like Christmas baking, you could buy most of what you make, but there’s something special and enduring about making it yourself. In a way, this wall hanging is a bit of a UFO – I have been meaning to make it for a few years and now it’s finally going to arrive. And it’s definitely a stash buster so that’s good too.

I think that the 12 days of Christmas is a charming carol and I love imaging all the presents arriving each day with a big bow over them.

Aside from the fun, some argue that this carol dating back to the 1600’s was sung to secretly teach and represent religious doctrines. (If you’re interested, you can read more about this here: )

This first week is all about paper piecing in tree themed greens ...

Let's get started!

Button to share...if you can

Feel free to take this pic and post it on your blog or website, simply 'save as' the above pic and link the image to this address: http://www.estheraliu.com/current-free-bom.php the more the merrier!

I can't supply you with a code - that is too advanced for me.

Coincidentally, if any tech savvy quilters out there know of easy to use software which allows you to generate / create 'buttons' please let me know as I am always struggling in this area. Any advice much appreciated.

UPDATE:
You may have noticed the button is looking shinier and better all of a sudden. Well, it's thanks to Brenda from Serendipity.

Brenda has been wonderfully generous and re-worked my button in a matter of minutes and sent it back to me via email. Wow! Of course, I'm not suprised... as Brenda always answers my cries for tech help.
Thank you so much!

Sweet little bird

This sweet little (baby?) bird has been singing all morning - and I was lucky enough to get a picture of him swinging on his branch. How can you work with such glorious distractions outside your window? Time for a contemplative coffee I think...