Chocolate Cake!

It's been another baking weekend in the Evans household. This time a chocolate cake. I think you'll spot the Cressida Bell influence again. I'm really loving her cake decorating ideas.

 

It was a good friends 50th birthday. He is trying to forget his age so of course I HAD to include it on the cake design. I'm a meanie! The cake itself was a plain sponge. For the icing I used a really rich Mary Berry recipe consisting of chocolate and butter. Sounds hideous, pours on like a dream, tastes divine. I left it to set for about 30 minutes before going mad with the decorations.

 



I uses a combo of chocolates including:
Marks and Spencers Giant Chocolate Buttons
Hotel Chocolat White Buttons
Hotel Chocolat Dizzy Pralines
Gotel Chocolat White Truffles
Galaxy Counters
Maltesers
M&Ms (Browns only)
Pearlised Sugar Balls
I also used white icing to pipe a few details.

 

The Giant Chocolate Buttons made a great plaque for piping the appropriate age on it. Tim also went to town with them on the sides of the cake and it covered up any wonky bits!

 

 

The cake went down a treat at the party. Happy Birthday PK!



PS. Loved the Bouncy Castle!

Thank Kaffe Fassett for That!

I've finished my Kaffe Fassett quilt at long last. Looking back I actually started this quilt in January so it's safe to say it has taken me a bit longer than I'd anticipated. In my defence it's the biggest quilt I've made and I tried free motion quilting for the first time. See two very good excuses right there!

As the fabrics were so fussy I decided that I wanted to keep the blocks as simple as possible. Squares only. The finished squares measure 3.5 inches, I cut the fabric into 4'' strips at first and went from there. Sewing the various fabric strips together, then cutting down the blocks to size (across several strips) really saves time and I think gives squarer squares (ha!).

 

The fabrics on the quilt top are all Kaffe Fassett. I really could not resist these fabrics, I just love the bright colours and floral designs. I started out with all pinks and reds but did add a bit of green in as well to give the eye somewhere to rest! I think I only used about 10 green blocks across the whole quilt, but it just breaks it up a little.

 

It also meant that the quilt back really did have to be lime green (that's what I'm telling myself anyway). I went for an extra wide fabric by Moda. It was a godsend because even though the finished quilt is 50'' x 60'' I didn't have to piece the back. That always strikes me as a chore too far!

 

 

Baggy basting aside (not a euphemism!) I'm really happy with the quilt back. I'm defo a fan of free motion quilting and will be trying it again on another quilt. I don't know if I'm controlled enough to do anything very complicated but I think I'd be happy to try 'stippling' next time. I used the patchwork blocks on the quilt front as a guide to positioning the flowers. Each of the flowers is centrally located within a square block.

 

 

I'm loving the light grey colour of the binding fabric. It adds a subtle border to the quilt and somehow manages to tie in the slightly random colourway of the top/back. I've never seen a fabric quite this shade before but it's really lovely, I imagine I'll be using it again as a binding fabric.

 

 

These photos were taken in front of our house, safe to say the neighbours thought we'd lost the plot completely at this point! So nice to get photos in good light and weather though.

 

 

Now it's the tricky business of deciding what to work on next, whilst snuggling under my new quilt. The hardship!

 

 

 I'm linking up to Finish it up Friday. If you've popped over I'd love to hear from you. Are you a fan of the bright colours? What shall I make next?!

 

 

 





First Birthday Cake

I've bought a new cake decoration book recently called Cressida Bell's Cake Design. I'd really recommend it if you are looking for something a bit different. She is actually a textiles designer and I think it's that background which makes her cake designs really original. She uses edible decoration to achieve her designs, so although the designs can be time-consuming, they are easily achievable for any amateur (me!). It was Emma's first birthday this week so Vicky asked that I bake her a 'spotty themed' birthday cake. Yippee, the perfect chance to try a Cressida Bell inspired cake. I went a bit mad...

The cake itself was a plain sponge. I baked two and sandwiched them together with strawberry jam and buttercream. To create a crumb barrier between the icing and the cake I then covered the whole cake in strawberry jam and a layer of marzipan. This also creates a smooth base for the roll-out  icing - I used white. 

Using various sizes of circular cookie cutters, I then lightly pressed them into the surface of the icing to give a template for laying on the decorations. To stick the smaller decorations to the cake I used a clean paintbrush and edible glue. For the larger decorations I used icing sugar and water to create a thick paste. Sticking icing to icing simply requires a little water.

Now onto the decorations, what did I use? I had coloured roll out icing in pink, blue, yellow, green and orange. I rolled it out thinly with a rolling pin and sprinkled cornflower to prevent sticking. The cookie cutters again came in handy to cut out the circles I required. I also rolled out icing 'sausages' by hand to add a ring of an alternate colour around the outside of some of the circles.

I used chocolate m&ms to add additional decoration and colour. The bonus was, as the red and brown m&ms didn't match my colour scheme, the lovely Tim and I enjoyed a bit of a scoff.

I also used some cake decorating sprinkles and sugar balls. The large flower in the picture above is formed by four sugared almonds, a yellow m&m and blue sugar 'glass' (bought at Waitrose).



I also used large white chocolate circles covered in multi-coloured hundreds and thousands, bought at the local sweet shop. Really there was no plan, I just bought anything that took my fancy.

 

Finally, here is the birthday girl enjoying her cake (she wasn't actually that keen!). She even blew out her birthday candle - a child genius for sure.

 

 

Happy Birthday Emma, love Auntie Sally

xxx

 

 

 

 

Wonderful Window

I've finally had my two stained glass panels fitted into my lounge window. It is so nice to finally see them with the light shining through after they've been laying flat for so long. My friend Nigel fitted them for me whilst I was at work so it was a lovely surprise to come home to.

Doesn't the glass just shine?

I did the larger window first and was inspired by a quilting design I saw online - I dance in circles by Traceyjay Quilts. It consists of very regularly spaced squares, with irregular spaced circles, easily achievable in glass. I measured up the space for the window and drew the outline of the window and all the regularly spaced squares in Adobe Illustrator. That way I could be sure the window would fit. After I'd printed the window I drew the circles freehand to get that irregular look, which I'd struggle to achieve on a computer.

The second panel was a bit of an afterthought and I basically just made it up as I went along! As I knew it was sitting beneath the first panel I kept the square motif running through, but then just adjusted the design until I was happy with it. I added in a few additional glass colours too, which in hindsight might have been an error as the two panels don't quite match. Oops.

I really prefer my first window but the lovely Tim prefers the second. What do you think?

Love that glass - so pretty.

A Grey Day

You are not going to believe the colour of the fabric I bought today. Grey!

Don't worry though, my love of bright colours hasn't left me. It's just that I'm nearly ready to start binding for my lovely bright pink, red and lime green quilt (I'd be doing it now if I hadn't totally run out of thread!). I was originally looking for a black and white striped fabric but then this polka dot caught my eye. I think the grey is a particularly lovely shade and will really help create a frame for the quilt. The fabric is by Dear Stella Design #37. I bought it from The Viking Loom in York. I just wish I'd bought some cotton at the same time.

Oh dear, no more sewing for me this evening.

Bits and Bobs

I got a free quilting kit with my sewing machine at Christmas, but before now I've only really used the walking foot (which I love). I decided at the beginning of the week that it was about time I tried a bit of free motion quilting. I've watched a few YouTube videos and read a few tutorials so thought, ''Sod it I'm ready''! I got a couple of scraps out of my fabric stash, created a batting sandwich and then just went for it - no plan of action at all!

I was actually quite amazed at the result. I know it's not perfect, my stitch length is all over the place and in parts the curves are totally off, but actually who cares? Nobody is except me is going to notice. Practise over, I started on the quilt (it's my Kaffe Fassett Patchwork Quilt). It's really big but that's okay as I don't think I'll do very dense stitching (mainly because it's a bit baggy in the basting - see here as to why!). I'm happy so far, I'm just doing regularly spaced flowers. I'm not sure red stitching on green fabric was a great idea for my first free motion quilting project, but at least it is fairly well hidden on the quilt top (this is the back).

 

The backing fabric I chose is by Moda, its called Dottie in the lime colourway. My quilt is overly large so this fabric is perfect as it is 108'' wide, specifically designed for quilt backs. I bought it from M is for Make. It was my first online fabric purchase and I was really pleased with the speed of service and the price! The fabric really is a beautiful lime green, I'm not sure my camera has captured the true colour.

 

Speaking of green, I had to travel to Kendal yesterday with work (I know, the hardship!). It was such a beautiful day. Yorkshire was looking particularly lush on the drive home. Yay Spring!

 

 

...finally!

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Large Quilt, Small Home

I've finished piecing my largest quilt to date. I've hit a bit if a snag with the size of my house though, it's impossible to baste the quilt when you haven't the floor space. This photo was taken yesterday after I rearranged all the furniture in my lounge. Nightmare!

Don't worry though I did get it laid out in the end. Phew. 

Sam's Quilt

Happy first birthday Sam! The birthday boy has received his birthday quilt which means I can share the finished article with you all. It's a good job he's into colour as this quilt has turned out a bit on the bright side! Primary colours, what was I thinking?! Oh who am I trying to kid - I love garish. Fortunately, it's a hit with a one year old - his Mum says that he enjoys pointing at the patterns. How cute is that?

I decided to go for the star block design by Cluck Cluck Sew. I've made this design once before for my Stars and Scraps Quilt, but I thought the stars would work well with the sputnik fabric (continuing the spacey theme, see what I did there). If you want to know more about the fabrics used for the quilt top, see my last post. It's the back of the quilt that I'm uber-excited about though - it's quite possibly the cutest quilt back ever.



I know, just how good is that? I could swoon over that fabric all day. It's Riley Blake Designs DC2836, Peak Hour by Kellie Wulfsohn for Don't Look Now. I bought it at The Viking Loom in York if you're in the area and desperate to get your hands on some! I had planned to go for something quite plain as the backing but as soon as I saw this I knew it would be perfect. I really like how it features a small amount of each of the colours from the quilt top, so ties in perfectly.

The binding was actually some leftover from my Emma's Christmas Stocking. It was just the perfect shade of green and has little stars all over. The quilting was simply stitched in the ditch and I also quilted some diagonals to add a bit more interest.

I'm so happy with this quilt. If you're visiting over from Crazy Mom Quilts, finish it up Friday please comment below, I'd love to hear what you think.

Fab Fabric

I've been very busy this week rustling up a quilt, before I share the finished quilt with you I thought I'd share the fabric with you. A couple of weekends ago my sister Anna (Minnie loves) came to York and we tried out a lovely little café that has opened in York. It's called Me and Mrs Fisher and I thoroughly recommend it for crafty types. What is so great about it (apart from the delicious cheese scones) is that it also has a small but perfectly formed haberdashery upstairs where they also hold regular sewing and crafting workshops. I KNOW food and crafts - what a great combo! The whole place really has a crafty, friendly vibe. Anyway, Anna and I had a mooch around the haberdashery and  both fell in love with this wonderful sputnik fabric.

It's a Michael Miller fabric and has the best name - Retro Rocket Rascals! The trouble was neither of us could think who would like a quilt made of this fabric so we left it. Coincidentally, only a few hours later my other sister, Vicky, phoned me and suggested I make a quilt as a first birthday present for a friend's son. Ting! Inspiration struck and I knew I had to buy the Rocket Rascals! Such hardship.

I went back to Me and Mrs Fisher and not only bought the Retro Rocket Rascals, but also a second Michael Miller fabric. This one is called Toot Toot (loving these fabric names). I have since noticed that Allison Harris of Cluck Cluck Sew (and one of my favourite quilters) has used this fabric in her new book, so it must be good!

I knew I wanted a third fabric, but just couldn't find anything that really matched. Anna came to the rescue when she found this lovely red and lime splodgey fabric from John Lewis in Sheffield. It's part of the Katherine's Wheel collection and is designed by Nel Whatmore for Free Spirit Westminster Fibers.

I'll blog about the finished quilt as soon as I hear it has arrived safely. The birthday boy's mum sometimes read this blog and I don't want to ruin the surprise. Ooh I hope they like it!



Another Guest Blog

Do you remember the evening I spent with sewing with my sister (Vicky) cutting out fabric for a little dress for her daughter? Well she has finished the project and has kindly written a guest blog about it! The pattern she followed is Simplicity 1924. Over to Vicky...

 

Well the little dress is complete and I must admit I am rather pleased with it. It is absolutely not perfect, there are plenty of mistakes but even so I think the finished article looks great. I hope you agree?

 

 

In order to try to stop you making some of the same mistakes I did, I will give you a little overview:
1) The scalloped piping is a nightmare, it just doesn't flex well enough. After several attempts (I think at least 4), I ended up snipping all the seam allowances and handstitching the piping in place. This then kept it in position well enough to be able to machine stitch.


2) If you look closely you may notice the ties and shoulder straps are sewn on the wrong way round. My advice is to take care here, unfortunately for me I didn't notice this error until I had moved on too far to be able to unpick it.

3) I made an error with the lower piped bodice section in that I should have turned the raw edges inwards and made a nice seam with the raw bit hidden, instead I just folded the fabric over so it isn't as neat as it should be. Luckily it is hidden away behind the bodice section and I will have to hope it doesn't fray.

 

 

I really enjoyed making this dress and it was very quick to put together once the fabric had been cut and I had finally worked out the bodice piping. A lovely little project, I would definitely recommend having a go.

Vicky (thought Vejazzle)

Thanks for that Vicky, the finished dress is really beautiful. Love, love, love the horse riding photo! What are you making next?

I'm linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts, Finish it Up Friday. Normal quilting will resume shortly!

Wonderful Window

I have finally finished leading up me second stained glass window. It has taken me an age because I kept missing my Wednesday evening lesson because of work - boo. It has been worth the wait though as the colours in the finished window really pop. Can we all just ignore the bit of matchstick that I failed to notice when taking this next photo? Oh, and it's upside down, hmm.


I've actually already soldered the joints on one side. If I get the remaining side soldered by next Wednesday I'll be onto the cementing. I just can't wait to have my two windows installed now.

Primary Colours

I've been doing a whole lot of cutting and stacking today! That is all.

May Day

It's May Day weekend, which means three whole days off work. Yippee! What better way to spend it than with my sister and her family? It also meant I could give my niece, Emma, the little dress that I've finished making for her. She has learnt to walk this week so here she is posing (or struggling to balance?) in her new polka dot frock.



 

Emma was so cute when I handed the dress over to her, she just kept giving it cuddles, so sweet. I hope that means she likes it! I must admit, I'm really pleased with the way the dress turned out, especially the gorgeous ruffles around the arm and neck holes. The overlapping front is very cute too. For the back I chose bright green buttons to match the green fabric I'd picked for the ruffled hem.

 

 

I think I've mentioned (but will do so again for those interested) the pattern is by McCalls, pattern number M6494. I can highly recommend the pattern as it's easy and it doesn't take too long to make up the dress. The only place where I got totally lost was the 'continuous lap' part (turns out it's where the button band is on the skirt, who knew?), but this YouTube video really helped me out.

I've had such a lovely day!

I'm linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts -  Finish it up Friday. Sorry it's not a quilt this time!