Dipping my toes in to glass fusing ...

I have an enquiring mind & a creative streak. I don't mind 'having a go' at new things.

My friend Ellie saw a 'glass fusing workshop' at a nearby National Trust property & she said we should dip our toes in to the taster session in the morning. 

It is another completely new thing for both of us as neither of us had done any glass fusing before. 

We did a glass painting workshop together earlier this year but this is completely new to both of us. However,  we booked glass fusing & were ready to go.

Our little group of about 12 of us were prepped in an upstairs room at Wightwick manor & we were keen to have a first glance at what awaited us.

Hot drinks & biscuits are always welcome so we looked over the wares of the tutor Suzie & settled at the table. 

Being a short workshop of just an hour, Suzie ran through the basics really quickly before we were free to explore the wide range of glass materials on the table. 

The various glass elements were laid out on the table & we got to work selecting & placing our bits. 

Time was of the essence so it was important to go with what you thought without too much fussing about it. 

I opted to work horizontally on my glass strip, Ellie decided to do vertical (a popular choice at the table)

Soon we were passing, sharing, chatting amongst ourselves as we arranged the various glass elements that fire differently - some spread, some stay a blob, the fish food like ones just melt etc.

I did a small floral scene, knowing that this is just a test with very new materials & I used various glass elements because I will be interested to see how the final fired product looks. 

We took photos so we can compare the before & after to see how the glass behaved when fired ... 

Suzie had a table of some of her wares & I purchased those two cute glass Christmas trees at the back.

Then it was on to a quick glass pendant using any glass shape from the selection on the table. Being so small, it was a decisive time to arrange elements that went together. 

It was over too soon & we wrote our names & indicated a direction next to each item for when the hanging loops are put on. 

We  moved around, admiring each others work. 12 of us had access to exactly the same materials & all of them were very different. I love creativity & how we all do our own thing.

We have a 2 week wait while they are taken away for firing, before picking them up & seeing if they resemble what we hoped for. 

I will update this post ... 

I hope you are inspired to try random things too, life long learning is recommended. 

Dee 🖼️🖌️🎨

Variation on an apple theme - again ...

 

I suspect many households are finding creative ways to use up the windfall apples of late autumn. 

This is my fourth weekend of baking with them, these were some of the previous bakes -

Apple cinnamon loaf

Citrus apple loaf

This weekend I looked at the glut of apples on the sideboard & decided to do an apple & ginger loaf. 

I used exactly the same recipe as for the citrus apple cake - a double mixture which can make 2 very full or 3 medium sized loaf cakes. I decided on 3 because I was gifting to 2 different friends.

I chopped up 7 assorted apples in to fine pieces, then chopped 6 stem ginger balls from a jar I had. 

The ginger was chopped finely & added to the mixture, before the apples were folded through last. 

I peeled 4 further apples & took out the centre core, then cut them in to rings. The apple rings were pressed on to the top of each of the loaves before sprinkling demerara sugar on top & baking for about 45 minutes until a knife came out cleanly. 

In the end I only needed half as many apple rings, the others were chopped as stewed apples

I warmed some of the ginger syrup with some sugar to make a light syrup for the tops when the loaves came out the oven. 

Not a lot, just a little spooned over the hot cakes. 

The cake mixture had risen through the apple rings so the cakes looked a bit like upside down pineapple cakes which they clearly weren't.

The gifted cakes were well received - the first friend sliced some thickly & had it with cream.  The second friend served hers as a cake with tea. 

Our loaf - well hubby is enjoying every slice with his tea too so it is not wasted at all.

I think apple crumble might be the next bake. What is your favourite way to use apples? Tell all & thank you for stopping by, 

Dee 🍏🍎🥮🍁🧑‍🍳

Some random slow stitching ...

I do love doing some random stitching, I am not a good pattern follower, preferring to intuitively stitch something. 

This week was such a week when I caught up with podcasts on the ipad as I got out a selection of fabrics at the little desk upstairs. 

I have an all day gentlework sewing day next weekend with the lovely Christine & there are some stitches I want to perfect ahead of the day. I have some favourite stitches but find changing threads on the blanket stitch is not as neat as I would want. 

I have done several workshops with Christine - she is so inspirational. 

So much fabric & choices 

Our Gentlework is all complete 

Picking up pieces of fabric 

I find lettering to be challenging too but like to include it at times. However, it takes me ages to do it because I find it does not always look how I want it to look. Who else has this issue & what tips do you have for me? 

I worked on a vintage cloth for this one - in muted colours that went well together with just a pop of colour in the pinks. However, I used 3 strands of embroidery thread when I think 2 could have been neater. 

The second piece was this one two hearts. Some years ago I bought some silk panels from a local person whose work I greatly admire. They were the type used in vintage dressing table sets, the ones under the glass on mirrors, brushes etc. Viv had some she was selling off. I also used her bunny outlines when I sewed a tribute to our bunnies. 

However, I remember putting them with some other bits I had bought from her & for the life of me I couldn’t find them. 

This week while tidying up my fabrics, there they were. I used some on the front & back, they add a delicateness to the pales fabrics. 

The front is very pale, the reverse fabrics are still neutral but darker. However, they go together rather well.

Definitely pleased with this make. 

While folding the fabrics I came across some bright fabric I liked & thought - why not. 

I cut out elements then rearranged them in a new pattern, looking for ways to unify the elements. 

I used colours that matched the sections & used a variety of stitches, mindful they would be back to back so needed to work together. 

I am not wild about this one but it was a good time to work on unifying stitches, fabric composition etc

Time passes quickly when you are busy with things. I added a few beads to this one. Beading is haphazard for me but my lovely neighbour has arranged tea & bead time so I hope to get some tips from her. 

I think I am more inclined towards the muted fabrics for my Gentlework workshop. 

Christine will have a pack for us to work from but I like to improve techniques (lettering, beading, edging etc) so I can use my time well in her workshop. 

These are some of my vintage threads in the muted colours that favour. 

I have a good selection of embroidery threads too, I just find these easy to use, especially for edging. 

What is keeping you occupied at the moment? My thoughts must turn to festive ones soon. 

Thank you for stopping by, you are always most welcome. 

Dee 🧵📍🪡🧵

Time for an Autumn sideboard change ...

 

I love my conservatory sideboard; it works hard all year round with things we use at Easter, Christmas, summer entertaining etc. We use things straight off of it & it is a great backdrop to our various meals or entertaining in that space. 

It is changed several times a year . 

However, my pocket watch TIME plates have been on there too long. Much as a really love them, it was time for a change. 

While out in the woods yesterday afternoon for a walk, the same woods we gathered at in June to watch the eclipse, I picked up some beautiful autumn bits - very prickly conker shells & conkers, delicate branches with changing leaves, curly bark & some banded stones. 

I am a gatherer - I love to be in nature & to pick up little bits. 

This  reminded me that the sideboard needs a change. 

Some years back I bought a few of these Spode Woodland side plates from their factory shop in Stoke on Trent. The traditional wildlife design is instantly recognisable but I feel just these few suffice as we use them as side plates or for cake. 

I see they now have the most adorable Spode Woodland accent plates to go with the plainer ones I have. 

Be still my crockery loving heart, they really are cute ... 

Once the sideboard was cleared, the autumn selection came out of the other sideboard, the one in the dining room. 

I do like to mix things up so the red platter with the beaded insert came out - a gift more than 20 years ago from my sister in Africa. 

The woodland plates made an appearance, along with 2 yellow deer plates with their floral details. 

I was pleased that the new square platter with its bright autumn colours could go with this too - it came from a local market, new but useful for nibbles.  

The darker nights lend themselves to using more candles so I moved around some candleholders from the kitchen windowsill where they are en masse. 

What is Autumn without our windfall apples that like the coolness of the conservatory? 

The change in the seasons comes slowly, almost unnoticed until you have to put on a light earlier in the morning when you get up & suddenly realise the 4 minutes a day change in light is catching up quickly.

I hope you are also leaning in to which ever season is upon you, thank you for stopping by.

Dee 🍎🍏🍁🥮

Variation on an apple theme - apple citrus loaves ...

We still have a glut of apples at home, mainly thanks to hubby & the windfalls at the golf course. 

There are several trees, all different so the bag that comes home with him has a real mixture of them.

The little red ones have quite a tough skin but are less prone to bruising. 

The ones that show marks / bruises after a day or so are cut up for the grateful blackbirds & the squirrels seem to have a liking for them too. Better they are eaten up by us & the wildlife than wasted under the trees.

This morning, I decided to make apple cakes again, the third weekend in a row. However, a grapefruit was on the side ready to be eaten so I thought - why not, variation on a theme. Apple & citrus go well.

I washed then zested the whole pink grapefruit, lovely pink strands of peel. I only juiced half a grapefruit & put the zest & juice in a dish. I peeled about 8 different sized apples, cutting 6 in to smaller cubes this time. The cubes were tossed in the juice & zest. 

The other two slightly larger apples were sliced in to thin slices, I left the peel on the red one. 

I made up a double mixture of cake using the same recipe as before.

Below is for 2 apple loaves 

Preheat oven to 160c

Mix 300g of light brown butter with 350g of butter until fluffy. 

Beat in 6 eggs, adding some of the flour if the mixture curdles slightly.

Mix in 400g of self raising flour, 2 tsp baking powder, spices to taste (I used vanilla & cinnamon.)

Fold in the apple cubes as well as the juice & zest mixture with a large spoon.

Spoon the mixture in to 2 lined loaf tins.

Arrange the cut apple slices on the top of the mixture, lightly pressing them in. Sprinkle with some demerara sugar & then bake for 50-55 min in the centre of the oven. Check with a sharp knife after about 45 min, then bake until it comes out clean.

Cool slightly on a rack, pop on the kettle & enjoy. 

This time, I cut the apples smaller & they did not sink as much in the batter, they were more evenly spread out. 

This variation is rather delicious with just a hint of citrus & not as sweet. Really worth a try if you have lots of apples about. It could easily be served as a pudding with a dollop of cream, custard or ice-cream. 

Thank  you for stopping by, it is always appreciated.

Dee 🧑‍🍳🥯🍎🍏