Jam Season Has Taken Over And Patchwork Is On Hold

The preserving season is now nearly over, but I have been busy over the last few weeks and made a nice stock for the long winter. I love to make jams, it is not complicated and I use less sugar. This time I did some more experiments with combining different fruits and spices. When I came back from my trip to Prague, our fig tree was full of ripe fruit. Not only do I love to eat these dark delicious figs, but also the birds. They did get their fair share as the quantity hanging on the tree was enormous. So it was once more time to get out my tools, ingredients, glasses and start to cook. Fig jam is very tasty when adding ginger, cinnamon, star anise or cardamom. All 4 spices at once or combinations of any 2 or 3 gives the jam a distinguish taste. And of course adding lemon, lime or even orange juice is a welcome option and a small undertone for the tongue. I always leave some fruit flesh in the finished jam.

Here is the true connection between patchwork and jams : colour imagination in quilting or taste options in preserving have no limits! Use the colours, use the spices – the world is open to all new things.

On the local market we get a lot of different fruits. Nearly all of them are grown not far from here in the Murcia region. I have already worked with apricots and peaches. Vanilla pod goes really well with both. A touch of star anise gives the jam an exotic taste. This year I had a premier and tried working with nectarines – this is for me “the” perfect taste, the jam has a wonderful orange color and a smooth texture. My favorites are also a mixture with figs and peaches or figs and red plums. Now I have time to think about new spices and herbs to try out next year.

Patchwork was not completely on hold, this is what I have finished :

Please find the listings for this Baby Quilt Bazaar Style Mini on Etsy and Dawanda

Half Rainbow Pillow Covers #1 and #2

See  Dawanda  and Etsy listings

Happy sewing with no sweet fingers, till next time Barbora

The Wonderful Voile Fabrics Little Folks

Since receiving the Little Folks Voile fabrics a month ago I was thinking about a new project. As this material very soft and smooth I wasn’t sure how to piece it. I do not have any experience with this kind of material. It was a small challenge for me, but in the end it went well. I had to be carefull with sewing – keeping the stitches straight and leaving an equal seam allowance. I am very happy with the result. I used Warm and Natural Wadding and a pink wavy backing.

This quilt is for sure very soft and smooth. Just the right piece for a little baby as a play mat or for changing diapers when on the way.

With the two integrated slings it can be also used as a wall hanging to decorate the kiddies room. Pacifiers or toys can also be attached.

Please find the listings for this quilt on Etsy and Dawanda. This quilt has been sold!!

Happy sewing, Barbora

A quilt named Lollipop and a new stash

A lot of time has passed since writing the last post. We have had my husbands niece Andrea on holidays. And this was all about a lazy week with visits to the beach, ice-cream and restaurants and not to forget some girlie shopping. There are not only sales going on but also the new collections for fall/winter have arrived in the shops. So in between the light summer clothes you can find now the heavy wool pullovers – and the feeling that summer is over very soon.

I have also been in Prague to visit my parents and afterwards went to Germany, Bonn to stay with my husband’s family. Here some impressions from my trip :

Since coming back I also had a 3 months check in the hospital and everything is OK. This is really great!!

Lollipop Quilt is finally finished and posted on Etsy and Dawanda SOLD !!

Quilt size :  43″ x 64″ ( 110 x 162 cm ) approx.

And of course a new stash has arrived from USA : Little Folks Voile in Berry from Anna Maria Horner. This is my style : fabric in bright colors, all together there are 13 different patterns and I am looking forward to work with this soft new material.

 

Well it is time to start again with a new project, untill then Barbora

The heat wave is here

Every cold winter I am looking forward to the heat and sun in the summer. But of course when it comes, I am also happy that we have a powerful air-conditioning in the house.

It has been some time since I came back from my visit to Prague. I haven’t been really into sewing. Just made 2 pillow covers with a Dresdner plate theme so that I do not forget how the sewing machine works.

We had also a friend from Holland staying with us for a week. Martein and me went for a nice days trip to the nearby Sierra Espuna that is situated near the town of Murcia. It has a wonderful, nearly undestroyed nature. The day was overcast – but this was ideal for hiking. We made a small tour to a viewpoint :

Last Saturday I went to visit a small craft show in San Juan. This was a nice change and I met some interesting people. But in July and August in Spain the clock stops to work and everything and everyone goes into the summer sleep (at least in the Alicante region). Beach, Med, water and ice cream are more important than business. Summer is fun, serious work can wait for later.

But nonetheless I have started with a new quilt, once more with bright colours. The top is finished and I need to buy some more batting and fabric for the reverse. This time it will be a nice solid fabric combined with a few colorful triangle blocks or just plain stripes.

Pin Wheels So these are all news for now, Barbora

Volcano excitement and the colour grey

Just days before my scheduled trip to Prague to visit my parents an Icelandic volcano came back to life. Hopefully this time the chaos up in the air will not last for a long time.   A year ago in April I got trapped in the Prague and had to wait a few days to fly back home to Spain.

This time I am exited to see the city in all the different spring greens and enjoy the radiant colors of flower blossoms and of course also some sunbeams. My last visit was  half a year ago in December and the landscape had just one prevailing colour : white. Masses of snow and ice and all this mixed with grey clouds in the sky. But a combination of all these colors would make a nice patchwork. After all, it is an idea that I should follow. A white/black combination underlined with various grey shades. The longer I think about it, I must have a look on some greyish patchwork fabrics and think of a corresponding pattern. Please make your own judgement about the monotonous hues :

This is the view my parents have from their house. They overlook a big part of central Prague including the large Petrin Park and its mini copy of the Eifel Tower.

At the 2010 Prague Patchwork Exhibition I bought an interesting book with patchwork patterns. The colour schemes were carefully selected according to diverse photos. For my next post I’ll take photos of the book and give the more details about the author and name. I think it is an interesting idea and it can make a decision for a color scheme a bit easier.

The plan for my next project : look at all these wonderful white/grey/black fabrics and just go for it !!

Barbora

P.S.: Working hard on the Bazaar Style quilt, all is pinned and also the first quilting stitches are done!!