Author Archives: mlwilkie

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About mlwilkie

Software Developer, Mother, Wife with keen interest in art, design and crafts of all kinds.

My kiwi cushion – first paper piecing project

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I have wanted to try paper piecing for a while now. The results always look so precise and amazing. There are so many options but I decided I wanted to try this kiwi pattern by Juliet & Tartankiwi, as this was the design that inspired me to give paper piecing a try. It also brings memories of home. This is my work in progress this week….I am linking up with Freshly Pieced.

WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced

So the plan is to make another cushion for our grey sofa, that co-ordinates with my spoonflower cushion. I am using yellow and grey for my kiwi. I wanted to give a little more dimension to the kiwi itself, so I made patchwork blocks of yellow and grey to use like a piece of fabric. Here are the blocks.

This is for the body of the kiwi:
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The grey will be for the legs and beak:IMG_6949

I am 1/2 way through the block and I love paper-piecing. The pattern for a beginner has been relatively easy so far and I think it is turning out well. I am hoping to finish the cushion cover up by Friday.

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Blueberry Muffins

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These blueberry muffins are a family favorite and they work for breakfast, snack or dessert. The recipe is from “Essential Vegetarian Cookbook” by Rachel Carter.

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Ingredients

3 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
3/4 cup brown sugar
125 g butter, melted
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
1 cup blueberries
icing sugar (powder sugar)

Pre-heat oven to 415 degrees F (215 degrees C). Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Add the brown sugar. In another bowl, lightly beat the eggs, add the milk and butter. Add the liquids to the flour mix and mix until just combined. Add the blueberries.

Spoon the batter into a greased muffin tin. Bake for 20 minutes or until skewer comes out clean. Place muffins onto a tray to cool. Serve with a coat of icing sugar.

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Small weekend finishes

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I managed to get a couple of small projects done this weekend in preparation for our modern quilt guild monthly meeting – nothing like having an incentive :-).  I showed my “four seasons in one day” quilt for the first time at our meeting.  It was funny how nervous I was, showing my quilt and other projects. I present on a daily basis and usually have no qualms…..but not this time – it was like the first time you ever present to a “large” audience. I got great feedback for my quilt though, its nice getting that validation.

The small projects I was able to complete include:

  • The second pot holder for our kitchen. This has been a fun project trying out different techniques and using new materials, for example, quilt as you go technique and using the insul-bright material.
  • A name tag for quilt guild meeting. This was the first time I have used hexagons which I can see can be addictive. I was able to sit down in front of the tv and hand-sew this together in an hour or so. I used leftovers scraps for the front and backed the name tag with felt, using fusible web for the adhesive (first time using fusible web as well), and then quilted on my sewing machine. For the name part, I followed the same process I use for my homemade labels. I thought it turned out cute 🙂
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  • I fixed my son’s monster I had made, some stitching had come loose and needed a quick fix (it only took me 4-6 weeks to get around to doing it)
  • Finally, quilted the first straight line for the “four seasons in one day quilt”.

I am hoping to start a couple of my other March goals this week – I think I am going to try the kiwi paper piecing from Tartankiwi and also cut the fabric for the triple zipper pouch.