Still quilting...

I feel like I've been sewing FOREVER but hopefully I'm on the home stretch... here are some WIP pics:

Note to self: next time mark the lines so they stay straight. Or maybe the wonkiness is part of the charm of home-made by mum?

Fresh and beautiful

I took Natti out to the shops for a treat the other night. She insisted we treat me, too - and she chose these flowers. They make me smile!

A little pink distraction...

Nat was getting fed up waiting for me to finish Zander's quilt - especially given that she remembered buying metres and metres of pretty pink fabric in the Spotlight sale...

After we decided to have a go at the tutial found here we had a rumage through the fabric cupboard and the Vinnies bag. Here is the result:

I made it longer than the tutorial, but it's still not quite long enough.  Old shirt + remnant + 0.3m of fabric = $0.70 ! So I'd definitely do this one again, but next time I'd make it longer and less full.

Mr Z's quilt...

Well, after much umming and ahhing (procrastination of the worst kind) it's finally starting to take shape... Heather, you asked how on earth I was going to get the little spaceman from the napkin onto the quilt and I'm happy to say I'm almost there! I'm about to start the scary part now - the actually permanent stitching into place... wish me luck!

The girl has been cooking again...

A couple of weeks ago I baked too many a LOT of brownies in an effort to find the perfect recipe... It had to be:

* easy enough for Nat to help
* quick enough to make late on a school night
* chocolately enough to satisfy my family of chocoholics
* not over-sugared.

I ended up making my own recipe (we all know I'm not good with following other peoples' instructions) and here is the recipe I came up with:


Sam's Never-fail Brownies

1 1/2 cups of sugar (castor is best, but works ok with plain white)
85g of butter
3 lge eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 cup cocoa
1 cup flour
pinch of salt

Method
Preheat oven to 180C
Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar
Add eggs and vanilla
Add (sifted if you have time/inclination) dry ingredients
Pour into baking trays (2cm deep)
Bake 18 - 20 mins (20 mins will give a firmer, less fudgy result)
Allow to cool slightly before cutting (although Nat and I have been know to attack with a spoon straight from the pan)

 Here are some Nat and I prepared earlier! A lamington tray works well, although I prefer to use several smaller pans (so they fit in my convection oven and also it means less cutting and therefore more uniform shaped pieces)

We've baked these a number of times now, given them to people to try - even sent away one tray as a care package. All reviews have been favourable :)