Charm Square and Layer Cake Bag

I went to a class at Barrington Hall and learned to make this bag, which I am now adapting as I think a quilted lining would be better than loose.  Anyway, here it is -

I plan to make one with 10 inch squares instead of 6 inch and a smaller one with 5 inch squares, as examples for the first class of the Improvers Quilting Group.

Plum Opside Down Cake

17^th August 2001

Plum

Opside Down Cake

I had too many plums, so I made this cake. We had a smashing plum tree in Stoke Road, Slough and another in AppleTree House. There is nothing like a Victoria Plum eaten sunwarm from the tree on a lovely day in Somerset, or Buckinghamshire if it comes to that. Everyone needs to grow plums, and damsons. They are fantastic for jellies. Back to the recipe.

Oven: 170 for 50 minutes

Ingredients:

6 plums

Demerara sugar

6 oz Granulated Sugar

6 oz butter

3 eggs

12 oz SR Flour

3 Tablespoons milk

1. Butter the cake tin (7-8”) and sprinkle thickly with Demerara sugar.
2. Lay the halved plums face down into the sugar.
3. Make a sponge – beat the butter and sugar until light, gradually add the beaten eggs and then fold in the milk and the flour.
4. Put over the fruit, smooth the top and cook until it is firm and a knife comes out clean (don't go too far in or you will get to the caramelized plums).
5. Turn out and cool.
6. Serve with custard or cream.

This is especially good as the sugar caramelizes really well on the plums. If you want more flavour you could add 2 oz of ground almonds and leave our 2 oz of the flour.

Vintage Rouge

The garden is nearly finished, well as good as I care to have it really, and so I can go back to writing and quilting, hooray.
I find that writing this blog each morning is helpful for loosening up the brain and today I am going to show you my latest project, well I have two really.  One is called Vintage Rouge and is a block of the month and I am hoping the first block will turn up today.  Here is the finished quilt -

Lovely and pink.  Here is the first block of which I need to make four -

And here it is finished and quilted up -



I think they are the first blocks away from the centre medallion.  I love the fabrics, but of course you can't really tell the colours on the net.

I have found instructions for easier piecing on a lovely website in the States, this started in May 2012 and the blogger is going to put on instructions for each month - it is a 6 month block of the month.

I am also going to make two more twisted bags, as in the day class I attended.  I will take a photo of the almost finished one and put it here.  I woke up this morning thinking how to improve it, and I do think that incorporating the lining into the quilting is the way to go.  Anyway, will give it a go with 10 inch rather than 6 inch squares to make a much bigger bag.  Photo later.  I am looking for a lovely layer cake (40 ten inch squares of co-ordinating fabric that will make two bags) to use for the bigger bag and when I find it I will let you know.