Having had a good few days of very warm weather it seems very strange thinking about making pickles and preserves for autumn and winter use. Nevertheless I have been making a few things already.
All the apples which my neighbour kindly gave me are all used. I made four large jars of spiced apple and sultana chutney, and with the rest I have made a spicy apple mix for use in crumbles, muffins and pies.
Now I'm on to a big family favourite, pickled onions!
I remember watching my mother when I was little, sitting at the kitchen table. She always made her own pickles and preserves. In fact we hardly had any "shop bought" items. Bread was another item which was always homemade. Well it is better isn't it?
Anyway, back to the onions!
Once you've bought your onions, decide how many jars you need or want to make. I usually do three or four jars at a time and then do more (as required) at two week intervals.
I soak the onions in cold water, without peeling for 24 hours. This way they are much easier to peel and there are less tears!

...Once these have soaked for 24 hours, peel them, then soak for another 24 hours in salted water.......

....Now it's time to attck the vinegar!
Many people buy the ready spiced vinegar in jars or containers. I always spice my own. That way (after years of trial and error) I get the right mix. This is the way I do it. Don't go out and buy expensive vinegar there really is no need, I buy the cheapest, after all it's going to be spiced for pickles, not drunk like wine!
For each pint of vinegar I used one teaspoon of pickling spices and one dessert spoon of dark brown sugar. The sugar keeps the onions crisp and sharp. This spiced vinegar mix needs to be put into a saucepan and brought to a boil. Leave to boil for a few seconds, then turn off the heat, and put to one side to go completely cold, making sure that the sugar has dissolved.
Once the vinegar has gone completely cold, you can either pour it back into the bottles or store in a large container.
After the onions have been soaking for 24 hours in salted water, wash thoroughly, dry on a teatowel then pack into sterilised jars. I sterilise my jars by washing thoroughly and the putting them in a cold oven on a tray and then gently heating the oven. ( Some people use the dishwasher cycle, as I don't have a dishwasher this is my preferred method).

..Seal and label. These onions are usually ready to eat in about four weeks.
While the oven had been switched on I made this...

......lemon tart, another family favourite!
Back on the crafting front, I have yet to make my mind up on the colour (and fabric) for my chair. My knitting projects are still my main focus, for the moment,(yes, Christmas cards to be made soon!) as I have orders to fulfill....

.........

....and some are already in their new homes...

....

....I still have some new designs I'm working on, but they are still at the draft stage, but I'm very pleased at the way my patterns are working out.
In the meantime it's time for a cuppa and a slice of cake....

The spirit of.......

I was trying (very hard) not to think about Christmas at the moment, but as I've had requests for these......

........ it's hard not to. But now they are made, and some are in my Folksy shop, I can get on with the things at hand.
I am currently working on some new knitted projects, they are special requests so I won't be showing them until they are completed and in their new homes.
The chair I was painting for my little room is still white. This is because I can't yet make my mind up as to which of the fabrics I'm going to use for the seat cushion. I wouldn't have thought it would proove to be so difficult, but it is! Anyway, I have fabric and paints.....

....on hand ready, for when the decision has been made. In the meantime I am still stilling on my old wicker chair!
As a collector (hoarder some would say) of all things crafty, I have come up with an idea for using some of this gorgeous fabric

.....I do have quite a collection of the Christmas designs.....

.......but this one, I think....

....could be used all the year round.

Maybe I'll be using these too!
I've been given some beautiful wallpapers samples, flocks, animal and reptile prints and some really traditional patterned ones. In my effort not to waste a scrap, I've been cutting just a few squares out and trying out some ideas...

...this is just a sneak preview, (all will be revealed shortly) and I shan't be throwing anything away as the small leftover bits are going to be used in a mosaic, I have some cigar boxes to "work" on. I've also been trying out distress inks, embossing and mica powders on some cream wallpaper with a beautiful ornate raised design on it. (I have a full roll of this one). The results so far are wonderful, especially with the Cosmic Shimmer powders.
But I have to stop playing, for now. Lunch is beckoning, roasted butternut squash and red pepper soup with a crusty roll. After that, well it's housework which has to be done.
Happy days!

All kinds of everything!

Everyone who knows me would tell you that I love being busy. I can't just sit, whether it's in front of the tv or sitting in the garden, I have to be doing something. So, this is what I've been doing this last week or so.
After finishing some knitted orders...

..savoury and sweet....

....bright and pastel....

...sugary.......

...and fruity....

....I've also squeezed in some of my own personal projects. This is what I've been up to. First on the list was sorting out my colours.....

...I can (sort of) see what I have, (or need) for my next orders. It looks neater than it did, so I'm pleased I managed to get it into some sort of order...

....I managed to get all my paints/glues etc finally on the shelves...

...I can now see at a glance what I have and just take it off the shelf.
(I still have to sort my fabrics cupboard out though, next job!)
I've been printing some of my photographs for the family album and also playing with my Serif Craft software.....

....these are for some atc's which I shall be working on. I took some great pictures of birds of prey recently.
I've also been using some old cigarette cards...

...these are part of my late fathers' collection, which consists of stamps, cigarette cards, postcards, matchbox and cheese labels. I am hoping to trade some (in the near future)when they're sorted.
I've also been doing some transforming.
Take one chair (bought from Ikea for £6 in their bargain dept as it had a few dirty marks on it)....

....give it a couple of coats of white paint....

....and then.... well, I haven't got that far. I have to decide which finish to put on it and then make a seatpad for it. This is where sorting my fabrics comes in, there's a wardrobe full to go through. Here's just s sneak peak....

.... the picture was taken quickly as you can see!
So that's what I shall be (hopefully) working on at some point this week.
I shall still be knitting, that's always ongoing.
My neighbour popped in this morning and presented me with a huge bag of apples. So somewhere in this mix of things to do, I shall be making apple and apricot preserve, with some left over for an apple and blackcurrant pie.
All this and we're expecting the birth of our 5th grandchild, any day now.
Happy, happy days!

The green man.....and other tales!

I've been doing all kinds of things since my last post. Firstly I've had quite a few orders to make. Some have been completed and are now packed up ready to ship, and some I'm busy sewing up. I have managed to get these into my Folksy shop...

.......but these........

....didn't make it to the shop and were part of the order which I've just completed. There will be more shortly in various colours and shapes!
Once I've completed my current orders I shall be making items for (dare I say the word...) Christmas, but I shall also have some Halloween ones too.
There is just one set of Halloween cupcakes ready and these will go in the shop this week, with more to follow.
I've been working on (when time has permitted) other projects of my own. One was my little wooden three drawer chest. It did look like this..

....but it's had a couple of coats of white emulsion....

.....then I dry brushed various colours into it.....

...Mick wondered what I was doing at this stage! Then I sponged it all over with stone, cream and taupe. It was at this stage I forgot to take a picture (too eager) and now after using star and crown stencils and some gilt cream it looks like this......

....It isn't quite finished, I have to decide what sort of drawer knobs it should have, and sort out the drawer linings, but it's almost there. I have another box ready and waiting to do, this time I might cover it like I did with this...

which I did a few years ago!
This ...

...I bought a while ago, from a gift shop whilst we were on holiday. They only had the one so I snapped it up. It didn't look right just plain terracotta, so after two coats of a pva/water mix to seal it, it got this treatment. One coat of white...

....then it was painted with two shades of green.....

....then he was treated to gold, silver, bronze and copper wax.
Here he is, in all his glory.....

I'm so pleased with him. I want another one now to compliment hin on the garden wall.
With all my yarns bought for the next few months knitting I now have get my storage sorted. Once my current orders are shipped I shall tackle that job. I am still sewing and did manage to get a new set of pyjamas made ready for winter. I also have some fairies to sew for our grand daughters for Christmas. I had planned to make three, but in the next few weeks I shall know if I need to make four. Baby is due anytime and it we don't know whether it's a boy or girl!
Don't you just love surprises!
Happy crafting!

Sweet treats!

An update on a few things which I've just listed in my Folksy shop.
There are three sets of ices.....

...... some of my large cream/fruit tarts..

.....and a set of cupcakes...

.....I'm trying hard to catch up with myself after having a lovely break in Dorset.
I still have lots of new things in the pipeline. I've been offered a permanent place in our local farm shop, which I'm delighted about, and also they're having a fun day in September. So I have extra items to make for that!
I'm also working on my own projects ( when I can) but we're spending quite a bit of time on the garden, changing and rearranging. We'll get there, in the end!
I've been trying to change my little room around, but that task isn't going to plan. I have managed to create two piles of fabric though. One for my jumbo knitting project, (to go with the mixed yarns in the last post) and one for a rag rug which I want to make. When I'll get to start that is another matter. But, I'd rather have too much to do than nothing at all!!

Summer projects

At last my patio set is finished. It came to an abrupt halt for a while as I had orders to finish, but here it is....

....it was quite breezy yesterday when I took the picture, but I'm very happy how it's turned out. Now all we have to do is give the patio set another coat of cream paint.
I have a few others projects lined up for the coming few weeks, one will be using these gorgeous fabrics....

.....I'm hoping to make three summer dresses and I know I'll have some fabric left over to add to something else too!
This beautiful piece was given to me by a friend....

.... it was a long green corduroy coat (1970's), and this beaded panel was down the left front. The colour is divine, (green being my favourite colour) and the beaded rose panel is just sumptuous. Take a closer look at the beads....

...what am I going to do with it? Well, I'm afraid all the beads are going to be taken off the fabric and are going to be sewn on to something else. The piece is quite heavy and measures approximately 24" x 16" so I wouldn't want to use it as it is. I wish I had the rest of the coat, it was only a size 10 and my friend had kept the coat in her wardrobe for many years ( even though it no longer fitted her) not wanting to part with it, until now. It wasn't my size either, but it would have been lovely to see it in one piece!
I am still knitting and am currently making more items for my Folksy shop. I've had quite a few shop sales and through personal contact just lately, and there are only a few items still available. My Folksy shop is closed from today for two weeks. But after then I'm hoping to be restocked with summer themed goodies.
I've also got a couple of projects lined up for this little lot...

.... there seems to be a buzz about " extreme knitting"....

.... it's nothing new, I can remember it as " jumbo knitting" when I was a child.....

....mixing strips of fabrics and yarns.....

....and creating something different....

......my late father made the large needles as at the time there were none available. I still have some, but they are easy to make and cost a lot less than buying them ready made. But more on that next time.
For now, it's back to the sewing machine!