What's in a name?

Happy April Fool's Day, I hope you have had a few chuckles this morning.

Today I am playing The Name Game at Live a Colorful Life so pop on over there if you have ever wondered why I blog as Celtic Thistle :)

It has been a while since I have been organised enough to write a post looking back on the month, so I am delighted to finally have the time to sit back and reflect on what was a busy month, although not always for sewing reasons.

1. Challenge Wash Bag, 2. Scissors button brooch, 3. Completed Fabric bag, 4. Seam Ripper block, 5. In Color Order BOM basted, 6. Designer Shoe block, 7. Craftsy BOM sept 2, 8. Craftsy BOM Sept 1, 9. Craftsy August 2

Linking up to Fresh Sewing Day.

Baking and Bunnies

As if Easter wasn't a calorific weekend at the best of times, I had to watch the Great British Bake Off's Easter Masterclass didn't I? Cakes, breads and desserts galore. Our middle son loves his fruitcake so Mary Berry's Simnel Cake seemed like the perfect thing to have on hand for his visit back home.

Despite making fruit cakes at Christmas for more years than I care to remember, I have never made a Simnel cake, even although it is essentially a Christmas Cake with a layer of marzipan baked in the middle. I think that may change as it was delicious!

The eleven marzipan balls on top of the cake traditionally represent the apostles minus Judas. Apparently it is traditional to have the cake on the middle Sunday of Lent, but we had already missed that by the time the programme was broadcast.

The Easter Masterclass was full of tempting recipes, so the Hot Cross Buns are currently proving in the kitchen, ready to be baked for the sports fans return and the Easter Lemon Pavlova will be a new twist on another old favourite. Pavlova and chocolate mini eggs, truly a match made in heaven :)

And talking of Chocolate mini eggs, here is the proof that the Dremel Drill bit arrived in time to make a gift for my daughter-in-law.

I practised first on a glass jar, so this is technically my second attempt at glass etching. Although it was scary at first I really enjoyed my first attempts at this. I am thrilled that it is recognisably a rabbit!

You can see them better here.

I also had a go at some tulips using an applique pattern that I found in a magazine.

The bud vases were just under £1 each from a local supermarket, so not only were these quick to do, once I had the right tools, but also very cheap to do too. I am now on the lookout around the house for more glass to etch, after the Hot Cross Buns and Simnel Cake have been polished off of course :)

Don't forget to link up here to New to Me in 2013

if you have tried something new this month too!


Happy Easter!

Linking up to

Crazy Mom Quilts

 

 

The Perfect Block

If you assume from the title of this post that I have actually made a perfect block, I am afraid you are going to be disappointed!

In actual fact, I have just finished February's block, the Seam Ripper, for Quiet Plays SAL



The reason it is the perfect block though is nothing to do with my sewing, or paper-piecing, but all to do with the subject of the block - the Seam Ripper. The idea is that you can have a mistake in your block and it looks like it is meant to be. Genius!

So my upside-down mannequins are not the disaster they might otherwise have been :) That is definitely my kind of block, thanks Kristy!

The rest of my time sewing has been spent on making bedroom curtains to have the newly decorated room ready before the family arrive for Easter.

They are nearly finished just waiting to be hemmed. It has been a while since I have made any curtains but the long straight seams were strangely relaxing, even if the pattern matching wasn't :)

Guess what is next to do!

Have the fabric and the ring from the previous lampshade, just have to have a go at putting them together.

So this is how my WIP list is looking now:-

• In Color Order HST BOM - Backed and Basted!
• (Almost) Irish Chain quilt basted
• Tsatime quilt pieced, backed and basted COMPLETED
• 5 blocks of NY Beauty QAL completed and fabric cut for remaining 5 blocks
• 18 blocks of Craftsy BOM completed (only 2 more to go!) 
• Sunday Morning Quilt Bee blocks received
• Sunday Morning Quilt2 Bee blocks sent (on schedule)
• Star of Africa Bee blocks completed and sent (back on schedule)
• Friendship Bag Swap - Bag made ready to be filled COMPLETED
• Modern Scrappy Bits Swap 3rd Round COMPLETED
• Triple Zip A Long pouch  COMPLETED
• Fancy Feet Challenge signed up COMPLETED
• And And Sew On BOM - two blocks completed (back on schedule)
• Everything but the Kitchen Sink SAL - 2nd block sewn
• Crafty Cooks Apron and Recipe Swap  sign ups completed and partners allocated
• Umbrella Prints Trimmings  received   

Hope you have had a productive week. If you have tackled anything new this month don't forget to add your like to the link party here I am really loving the variety of crafts that have been attempted.

Linking up to