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 

© Smileus - Fotolia.com  

© Colinda McKie - Fotolia.com                  

Inter Twine is born!

Want to be part of the crowd - want to be individual, always hard to decide and so we have found a solution, well for your crafting anyway.

Seek It Out have created the clever Inter Twine range, project bags full of goodies. The bags are packed full of colour themed fabric fat quarters, felt, wadding, iron on interfacing, ribbon, buttons and other embellishments. The contents allow you either to copy one of our project suggestions or just go wild and create your own masterpiece. This ability to mix and match your projects is just why we called the range Inter Twine.

We want to help people to create wonderful items, and giving them freedom and support at the same time is what a lot of new crafters tell us they want. 

So from Kindle covers to 50's aprons this growing range of project bags and downloadable instructions you can express yourself and be part of the crowd at the same time!  Inter Twine brings you the solution.

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

Craft Tips for Newbies No 13

Keep a small magnet in your sewing basket. When needles and pins drop on the carpet while you're sewing, retrieve them quickly with the magnet.

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

Two lovely ladies, one in Aberdeen and one in Cornwall, with a fascinating tale to tell of family tradition, a simple business vision and a quality of life to envy. Tea Cosies are their speciality, all hand knitted with so much love.  They create stunning masterpieces; from sheep grazing in a field a top your pot to wild Scottish thistles and more.  They have to be seen to be believed, they are unique and fun.  

Knitting by hand and living hundreds of miles apart might leave the Dragon's Den cold, but they are not aiming to be rich just content and that is one of the best reasons ever to buy their fine creations.  Own a slice of tradition, of the good life, a unique design and of course keep your tea warm to boot.  Just marvel at these wonder, we did.

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

Craft Tips for Newbies No 12

If you're have trouble threading a needle try holding the needle in front of a white surface so that the eye is more visible.

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

What heirloom are you making for Christmas this year?

Christmas comes but once a year, and if Autumn is anything to go by, it will be here before we know it.  So now is the time to think about things you want to make for Christmas, later on time will be taken with shopping, cooking and other activities. How about making your own Advent Calendar.  Just think, year on year you can bring out the precious heirloom you made in 2012. Always remember to stitch your initials and a date on the back as a little reminder.

There are clever kits which make it possible for even those starting their first project to create a fantastic calendar.  Be traditional and hang it in the sitting room or ring the changed and hang it in the family kitchen, the modern heart of the home.  You can machine or hand sew, plus we are going to introduce one especially for children to make alone or as a joint family project.  Family project such as this could take over from the tradition of stirring the puddings.

Advent Calendars go back into the mists of time, the purpose to count down the days to Christmas.  We read that the origins of the Advent calendar come from German Lutherans who, at least as early as the beginning of the 19th century, would count down the first 24 days of December physically. Often this meant simply drawing a chalk line on the door each day, beginning on December 1.  Read more of the history at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advent_calendar#History

So get your skates on and have a think, what special treasure are you going to make for your home this year?
To check out some ideas click here. For Christmas, Easter and other celebrations.

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

Craft Tips for Newbies No 11

When you're doing Decopatch, tearing pieces is preferable as torn edges blend together better than edges cut with scissors.

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

Craft Tips for Newbies No 10

Keep glue sticks for glue guns in the freezer. It keeps them from getting stringy while glueing.

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

Craft Tips for Newbies No 9

Low cost curtain linings: Use budget polycotton bed sheets in co-ordinating colour, lots of fabric for low price, try supermarkets or charity shops or even the back of your linen cupboard.

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

Are we becoming waterproof!

Rain, this is one soggy summer but we have noticed something odd.  It has not been cold so people seem to have given up with brollies.  If it is warm and nice when they set out they are leaving the coats, brollies and rain hats at home it seems.  Suddenly struck us when we had some visitors over from Switzerland, who commented how odd it seemed that everyone was walking around in the rain unprotected and so they were.  Have you given up and started to embrace the rain? 

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

© Alena Ozerova - Fotolia.com

Craft Tips for Newbies No 8

Cotton thread, you get what you pay for. Cheap is often rough & breaks easily, quality is smooth & strong.

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

Thinking ahead, take the summer into winter

Want something different for your winter wedding invites, Christmas cards or festive decorations.  Little early you say but no, now is the time to press flowers which can be stored away carefully to create totally unique cards to send or give in the depths of winter.

Flower presses are easy to come by or you could rely on two sheets of paper with the flower sandwiched between and pressed by the weight of a book.  Flowers need to be at their best, dry when picked (no rain droplets or dew on them) and pressed as soon after picking as possible.  The process takes time to let them dry out so be patient.

We think that this site is just great for information on how to so check it out http://www.wikihow.com/Press-Flowers-and-Leaves

SEEKITOUT: Changing the world a stitch at a time

Craft Tips for Newbies No 7

Dressmaking is like Chinese cooking, preparation is everything, care cutting out & time taken fitting each stage, is key.

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

How to capture more customers at craft & trade shows.

We often attend trade shows, many are huge and time is limited. If we venture past a stand and it is too busy, literature nowhere to be seen, sadly we often have to walk on and the stand is soon forgotten.  Remember you are unlikely to be the only stand selling your type of product or service.

QR codes might be one answer.  More and more have phones with NFC (near field communication) on them and so they can scan a QR code.  If on the back of your stall, there was a large QR code displayed, with a caption to tell you what it will link to, you might not lose so many passers-by when busy or away from the stand.  The QR code can be linked either to your site, contact details or a special web page just for the show. The QR code can be captured by the passers phone and saved to use later.  We know many exhibitors purposefully do not have literature in easy to take spots, as you want to engage, but you do not want to miss out altogether.

Do not get talked into expensive QR codes production, you can create them yourself for free on the net but ALWAYS check they work, especially when shrunken into a small adverts or on business cards, check before printing or publishing. Always keep a copy of the original full size. Keep the art work changes to a minimum, closer to the original QR code you remain the more chance it will work on the largest number of phones.  Being too clever will leave you, most certainly, with egg on your face.

We were lucky enough to work with Wolverhampton University to learn about QR codes and to create our site QR code, so we had experts telling what we could do and could not do.  Below a few free sites where you can create QR codes. 

·                     http://www.qrcode.kaywa.com/

·                     http://www.zxing.appspot.com/generator/

·                     http://www.qrstuff.com/

·                     http://www.goqr.me/

Seek It Out: Changing the world a stitch at a time

Craft Tips for Newbies No 6

Knitting needles come in bamboo, plastic, metal, even milk based. Bamboo is flexi so good for newbies. Metal last a long time and milk is good for those with stiff hands but not recommended for newbies as need special handling. http://ow.ly/c5zR0

Seek It Out: Changing the world a stitch at a time