Pumpkins past!

Pumpkins looking sorry, odd tooth missing and dumped out in the garden!  Just shows how time passes so quickly.  How fast the dark nights have swept in and the last of the autumn colours are fading away.  Life does not stop, it keeps going at a pace but a little less publicly.

Ready for the cold we have been busy here at SIO HQ making curtains, double lined ones to be exact. Fabulous Clarke and Clarke dotty fabric to the front, coloured sheeting to the back and just as our last tip told you, old poly cotton sheeting in the middle, hidden from view but adding a layer of warmth.
Often wonder why folks, especially in drafty old houses, do not have thick curtains, makes a great deal of sense.  After all, curtain linings need not be sewn in all round, they can if you make at a separate time, be a separate element, connected by a simple row of stitches just below the heading tape or even by single heading tape which can be hooked up at the same time as the main curtain.

You can make heavy curtain backing using fleece or old blankets, cheap picnic blankets or even mega thin quilts as long as you stitch them to stop sag.  Stop those drafts and keep toasty warm this winter, plus save a fortune on fuel.  Remember those sausages to put at the bottom of the doors, make them in fun designs, add little faces or pretty designs to spruce them up.  Everyone forgets to put them back in place, so when making add a couple of little loops so you can pin to the door.

Keep warm in front of the fire with a nice cuppa, not running around trying to plug draughts. Happy home making!  Remember to compost those old pumpkins.

SEEKITOUT: Changing the world a stitch at a time

Who says colours clash?

 Every day we are told that some colours just do not work together, who forgot to tell nature?

Just marvel at a few of the autumn blends, wild shades of orange mashed with pink, greens blended with gold.

The magic works despite different textures, levels of sheen or shapes.  This proves, if we dare, we can be a little radical and break the rules.
Marry the oranges and reds, say yes to the brown with black, cream with white, why not.  Nature pleases the eye, so careful combinations can work.

Every colour has a thousand shades and by using those shades you can make unlikely matches.  Fabric texture and finish also plays a part.  Rough with smooth, gloss with mat.  Try out snippets together  
to see the effects.

Remember if working on curtains, for example, then try out your snippets in that room in both the natural and the electric light.  Colours play tricks depending on the light.  Grey day and the autumn colours can almost look one shade of orange, sun out and the true range of colours shines out.

Have fun, go wild - it is only nature!

Craft Tips No. 16

Press & dry colourful autumn leaves, then stick to cards for unusual gift tags.  Cut around or simply make a small presentation card, tie with ribbon or string to your parcel.  Clean pressed leaves also make a nice base for a plate of nuts in their shells on a festive table.

SEEK IT OUT: Changing the world a stitch at a time

Feast on Autumn

The wonders of Autumn have arrived, the stunning burnt oranges, the deep reds and the golden tones of the trees are finally here.  When the sunshine shows through the world looks wonderful.  Many fruit and vegetable crops are well down this year all due to the weather hampering everything from the pollenating bees to rotting the potatoes in the fields. In the SIO HQ garden we have a lovely old apple tree but only 5 apples this year, which is a huge shame as normally it is laden.  

However, there is fruit out there and recently we went in search Wimberries (Bilberries), only found a handful or two, not enough for a pie but enough to flavour one.  Add any of the tart fruit to apples, the greatest bulker of pies or crumbles, and you can enjoy the flavour of your red fruit however little you have.  Often, berries and fruiting currants are expensive, so eking out with apple is a really cost effective way to make lovely food go further.  These days you can even buy tinned apple slices in supermarkets if you have no time to peel, these tinned apples are not the gooey pie filling, that is something totally different.

Crumbles can be made more exciting with some of the flour being replaced with oats, adding a little sweet spice such as nutmeg, a touch of honey or even some crushed nuts.  When replacing flour with oats it is normally double flour to oats - so for 8 oz. of flour it would be 4 oz. of oats.

Serve with lashings of hot custard for a real winter warmer.

We found some good examples at http://www.recipes4us.co.uk/Crumble%20Toppings.htm including some excellent savoury ones.  Crumble is so easy to make and you can even store uncooked crumble topping in a air tight box in the freezer to save time later.  Naturally you can also freeze, if well covered/sealed, a fully made crumble too.  Why not stock up when autumn fruits are at their best.  We decided to try out some packet toppings, they vary greatly and only one we really tried we felt we would recommend to stand in for home made and that was Greens. Of course this was not a scientific test and we only tried a few. http://www.greenscakes.co.uk/recipes/desserts/rhubarb,-strawberry-and-coconut-crumble.aspx

SEEK IT OUT: Changing the world a stitch at a time 

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