Apple Muffins and Petite Fours

By special request , here is the recipe for the apple muffins featured in the last blog.

Apple Muffins
3-4 apples, peeled cored and diced.
12oz self raising flour
7oz sugar
4oz butter, melted
1 egg, beaten
cup of milk 9 fl oz


Heat oven to 180C Mix flour, sugar and apples together in a bowl, stir in melted butter then stir in beaten egg. Then add the milk Don't mix too much. Dollop mixture into about 12-15 muffin cases in a muffin tin. ( using an ice cream scoop, 2 scoops per muffin case keeps the muffins the same size and the cases nice and clean. I did not have a scoop hence the more rustic look). Bake in the middle of the oven until mixture is set and they have turned golden on top. Eat the first day for a fresh baked taste but the second day they are sticky and yummy.


And these are the Petite Fours. New in the Moda bake shop range , they are pre cut fabric squares 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" 160 squares in all. I found them last week on the Moda bake shop website here and then when I was shopping and sewing at The Fat Quarters on Friday, there they were just waiting for me to buy them. Delicious and entirely free of calories.


I got stuck in on the pin wheels and got the quilt top sewn together, with some reduced fabric from Hobbycraft, its all layered up and ready to quilt.

I have decided to quilt by hand quite simply with perle cotton. This has been made much easier with the purchase of a new pair of reading specs, I can see what I'm doing - although I still can't thread a needle without a needle threader. I wanted a soft feel to the quilt rather than the stiffer feel that machine quilting gives.
And finally I didn't have to go far for this weeks scenic shot. The view from my bedroom window is of the lovely Autumn colours of the cherry tree in the front garden.

Happy Quilting. xx

What a way to spend an afternoon!!

Really - what more could a girl want? This months new patchwork and quilting mag, a cup of tea and an apple muffin.


In an unaccustomed moment of domesticity yesterday I made these apple muffins. With plenty more apples on the tree still to be used they made a change from apple crumble and apple pie and they are much more easily transported in lunch boxes (or down the garden with a cup of tea and a magazine)

I did deserve the break though as I had just had a long walk down the river to Wylam. Instead of the short walk 20 minutes along the riverside path and back to the car , I packed my sandwiches and walked to Wylam intending to get the train back.

Unfortunately the train pulled out of the station just as I got there but it did give me time to go back and photograph this heron and cormorant sitting on a rock in the river. Believe me that's what these 2 dots in the middle of the river are. Earlier I saw a kingfisher - the first time I have ever seen one in the wild in this country- but it didn't stay still long enough for a photo opportunity.
I just love the autumn colours of the berries
and these teasels growing wild by the river were quite autumnal too. Apparently their seeds are food for finches.

Oh and I have done some sewing too. More pin wheels and more lavender bags. With the plaid ones I was going for a masculine effect but my dear son informs me there is no such thing as a manly lavender bag!!

Happy quilting xx

Lavender sachets

With a good crop of lavender this year I have made some lavender sachets to hang in the wardrobe. There was an underlying reason for this - I went to the class at the Fat Quarters on Friday with my sewing machine and a bag of scraps instead of the fabric I needed to work on the pin wheel baby quilt.






A quick trip into Oxfam on Saturday to buy some cards and I found they now do a range of craft materials. These Zari patchwork pieces come from Varanesi. The India shop works to provide sustainable employment for disadvantaged producers in India. I used two of the patchwork squares to make a pretty little coin purse - lined with calico and a short zip ( 20% off all haberdashery at Robbs of Hexham).






I did eventually get around to doing some more of the pin wheels - they are a bit tedious. I have decided to modify the pattern and only use 30 blocks not 36, making the quilt rectangular rather than square. 27 done - only 3 more to go!!









This weeks scenic shot is of the Tyne Valley looking North towards the Roman Wall.












In the distance we saw these ....












and followed the sign...

Well who could resist??



Happy quilting xx