Nautical Quilt For a Naughty-cal Boy (Geddit?)

My son needed a quilt to go with his new curtains so I made one of those too, its thin so is more fo a bedspread than an actual quilt but im proud of it just the same :)

 

Firstly i grabbed as much fabric as I could that sort of matched with the theme and luckily for me I had already bought a wagon load of nautical themed fabric in anticipation of future projects....not because i loved the designs and HAD to have them honest!

 

In this instance im not going to go into the rudimentals of quilting other than to say this....

Measure everything...add a bit of fabric...... Measure again and keep measuring all the way through the process to keep your design even and not wonky when you come to attach the wadding on the back.

 

Wadding......I cheated *hangs head in shame*

While browsing on my beloved Ebay I found some wadding that had the backing fabric already attached..........HOORAYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!! What a revelation! The hard work is done for you and all you have to do is the design diva bit on the front! FANTASTIC!

I ordered quite a bit...............

 

Pin your front fabric once its all stitched together to the backing fabric and wadding and keep checking for creases as you do this because there is nothing worse than doing all that work only to find you have missed a crease and the whole damn thing is wonky (can you tell Ive done this?)

Edge with bias binding and stand back to admire your work.

 

SIMPLE!

P.S. I know its a little uneven in places but frankly.................its home made!!!!

 



Applique Curtains For My Little Sailor

I recently decided to (probably foolishly) make as much of my sons bedroom soft furnishings as I can. As a fully fledged craft and upcycling addict I love the feeling of sitting back and thinking to myself 'I made that!'

Apart from my upcycling and craft addiction i have to admit to also being a bit of an Ebay dependant shopper, so I set about the task of finding fabric's that would fit with the nautical theme that is currently becoming apparent in his room.

Now to say that his bedroom is a box room would be generous at best, it is more shoe box than box room! I bought a midsleeper bed (storage underneath, I'm not just a pretty face, I have moments of intelligent revelation) and a wardrobe in navy blue that closely resembles the Tardis.

I hit Ebay with a vengeance and found lots of really cheap offcuts, remnants and the occasional fat quarter of fabric, I started clicking like a woman posessed and as a result I now have FAR too much nautical themed fabric!

(Standby for nautical themed everything for a while........I wonder if my bathroom could stand up to a nautical blind.......)

I still have some yet to be delivered!

Its a good job scatter cushions are easy to make!

 

Im going off topic slightly.......where was I?.....oh yes...curtains!

 

Simple steps to making basic (unlined) curtains.

 

1. Measure window, length and width. Make sure your finished curtains will close and still have a slight gather. (I guessed at this and bought fabric that was the same width as the window so that a pair of curtains would add up to double the width)
2. Choose your fabric wisely. Ask yourself what you need from your curtains. Do you want them to protect your privacy? Block out sunlight? Look pretty but serve no real function? Once you have decided this you can pick your fabric (Its not all about the pattern its about the thickness and practicality of the fabric too) As my sons room has vertical blinds the curtains only needed to serve as room dressing so I selected a light polycotton blend in blue and white stripes.
3. Cut the fabric to size allowing an additional 12cm's in length for hemming (you will understand why shortly) When measuring and cutting fabric remember you cant re-cut it if you cut too short so always always always measure twice and cut once! (having a dad in the building trade taught me this, Its amazing how things can cover a multitude of purposes!)
4. Get your iron out.....No I havent completely lost the plot, It is important that yu get the hems straight and this is probably the most fool proof way of doing it. Tape measure at the ready!!! (mine is usually around my neck because my 5 month old son likes to play with it, in fact I have at least 3 of them randomly dotted about the house) fold the fabric over 1cm and iron flat (be careful to make sure it is exactly straight at the edges but dont worry if it isnt exactly straight along the length of the fold because the fabric may not have been cut exactly straight) Do this at both ends of both curtains. Do not sew yet!!!!
5. Now you need to do the length of the curtains, do as above and iron a 1cm fold down the length of the curtains and repeat to hide rough edges. Sew these folds in using a basic running stitch on your sewing machine.
   
6. Now go back to your iron and fold over the top and bottom hems 5cms and iron into place. Sew along the hem approx 5mm from the edge. Do this top and bottom of both curtains and you are almost there!
7. Attach header tape to the top and stitch into place using the same basic running stitch.
   
8. Yes I know the header tape in this photo is on back to front i had to unpick it and do it all again!!!!!!

   
9. So tape on the right way this time! We can continue!!
10. Once this is done you can hang the curtains after a quick go over with the iron, or if like me you have to go that extra mile you can add applique detail or many other things like bias binding on the edge instead of hemming....let your inner design diva go wild! 

Applique detail.

 

I picked up some nautical fabric remnants on ebay for a matter of pennies just so that i could use the designs that were printed on it. I got inspired when I saw it. So for fear of being patronising I will keep the instructions for applique simple. 

1. Cut out applique
2. Iron it flat 
3. Attach it to backing fabric with Bondaweb (you can either buy the type that comes in sheets that you can cut out or if you are like me and always have some handy just pop a few lengths under the applique making sure its not sticking out and iron on in the position you want it to be on the finished product.

   
4. Sew around the applique using a zig zag stitch keeping the edge of the applique in the middle of the stitch. If you are a novice on the sewing machine (if you arent you probably find this blog somewhat boring) then dont be afraid to go slowly, it is better to go one stitch at a time than to have to keep unpicking untidy sewing because your brain has said stop but your foot has been a few seconds behind listening to it! Beware puckering too, it doesnt look pretty hence my constant ironing to keep the fabric as flat as possible!

   

Repeat this step until you are satisfied with the result, tidy up any loose threads by pulling them to the back and snipping (im pretty sure there are youtube clips available on how to do this because lets face it there are youtube clips for everything!) Iron your curtains and go hang them up!!!!

I hope this tutorial is helpful and not too rambling as I have a habit of getting off topic now and then! Ive tried to keep it basic because I find some tutorials can be a bit patronising and come across as idiots guides. My tutorials are aimed at people with a modicum of common sense! 



Doughnut Cupcakes!

I got this recipe from The Hummingbird Bakery's 'Home Sweet Home' cookbook. It is the ultimate indulgence and effectively two cakes in one, YAY! Always a good start!

 

I dont usually give the recipes for my bakes but I am in this case on request from a good friend so give it a go and enjoy the results....

If like me you are on a diet then you may allow yourself to sniff the cakes and look at them but unless you want to be on the treadmill for an extra couple of days DO NOT eat these! They are in no way low in fat or sugar....

 

 

Ingredients

 

For the sponge:

• 70g (2 1/2 oz) unsalted butter, softened
• 210g (7 1/2oz) plain flour
• 250g (9oz) caster sugar
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 210 ml (7 1/2 floz) whole milk
• 2 large eggs
• 100g (3 1/2oz) strawberry jam (or just spoon it straight from the jar and save yourself the bother of weighing it)

 

For the cinnamon sugar:

 

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 100g (3 1/2 oz) caster sugar

 

 

For the doughnuts:

 

• 250g (9oz) plain flour plus extra for dusting
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 35g (1 1/4oz) cold unsalted butter cubed
• 35g (1 1/4oz) caster sugar
• 1 large egg
• 125ml (4 1/2 fl oz) whole milk
• 1 litre (1 3/4 pints) sunflower oil for frying

 

 

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees centigrade (gas mark 3, 325 farenheight) and line a muffin tin with paper cases.

 

1. First make the sponge. In a free standing electric mixer with the paddle attachment (or hand held mixer, or good old muscle) mix the butter, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together to form crumbs.
2. In a jug mix together milk and eggs
3. Mix the wet and dry ingredients til they form a smooth batter. ( this is quite a wet mix and if like me you are used to the equal measures method of cake baking and getting quite a stiff batter dont be phased by the liquid type batter this makes)
4. Fill the paper cases to 2/3 full
5. Bake for 20-25 mins or until golden brown, check they are cooked by lightly pressing the top of the cake and seeing if it springs back.
6. Leave to cool on a wire rack
7. While the cakes are cooking get your cinnamon sugar ready, I wont patronise you by explaining in detail how, just chuck the ingredients in a bowl and stir!
8. Now for the doughnuts (in my opinion the best bit) Sift the flour, salt and baking powder together in a bowl and rub in the butter to form crumbs. Add the sugar and mix.
9. Put wet ingredients in a jug and whisk to break down the egg, add to the dry ingredients and mix to form a dough.
10. Turn out onto a lightly foured surface and either roll it out using a rolling pin or do like i did and squish it down with your hands. Cut the shapes you want (book says small rounds but i didnt have the right cutter so i just used a knife and cut into squares)
11. Heat the oil in a large saucepan giving yourself plenty of room inside it. Using a slotted spoon lower the doughnuts a few at a time into the oil and fry until medium golden brown, carefully lift out of the oil and set onto kitchen towel to drain.
12. Let them cool for a few minutes before tossing in the cinnamon sugar and setting aside to cool fully.
13. put the butter, icing sugar and cinnamon into a bowl and mix til there are no big bits of butter then slowly add the milk. Now whisk like the holy clappers of hell OR let a machine do it for you until the frosting is light and fluffy.
14. Gently cut a small well into the top of your cupcakes and spoon in half a tsp of strawberry jam before replacing the top. swirl on cinnamon frosting and top with a little doughnut.

 

It sounds like alot of work and to be honest it is if you arent used to baking on a daily basis like me but it is well worth it!!!!