Quilt Exhibition Callington

My Etsy Shop

www.etsy.com/uk/shop/DaisychainQuilter

Etsy code APRIL10

Plymstock Patchers

Thank you ladies for a wonderful time yesterday.
As promised here are the photos of the pattern samples.

Pattern 1

Pattern 2

 Pattern 3

Pattern 4

Pattern 5 

Arlington Court

Arlingtion Court is a National Trust house in North Devon near Barnstaple.

 It is worth a visit if you are in the area.  We spent four hours or more visiting today.

 The ceilings are very impressed.

 The staircase is very grand.  The railings on the stairs would make a lovely quilt pattern.

 There are two bedspreads that I thought were wonderful

 I would have to call the second bed covering a quilt.

We walk over to see the kitchen garden.  Mr D wanted to get some ideas for his kitchen garden or should I really call it a veggie patch!!

 The gardeners were busy preparing the large plots for planting.

 The kitchen garden is a walled garden, which keeps the plots protected from wind and cold.

Just in front of the kitchen garden is an ornamental garden.

 We continue to walk along the path to the carriage museum.

 The national collection of carriages is housed in the stable block .  It is also worth a visit.

 This is a very large estate.  I would recommend to walk comfortable shoes.

There is also a tea room and gift shop.  We took a picnic and enjoyed eating our lunch in the grounds.

Royal William Yard Plymouth

 Today my children and I surprised my husband with a family lunch at the Royal William Yard.

 The Royal William yard was a Royal Navy victualling yard until it closed in 1992.

 It is also the largest collection of Grade One listed military buildings in Europe.

 The yard was named after King William IV.  It was built between 1826 and 1835.  

 It was designed by architect Sir John Rennie.

There is a ferry to the yard from the Barbican. £3.00 per person each way.  It is worth paying the fee to take the ferry for a special trip.

The yard and Devil Point is a great place to view ships entering the Plymouth sound and Devonport.

 If you are interested in military history, this is a great part of Plymouth to visit.

Royal William Yard Click on the link to view the official website.

Beef Stew with Suet Dumplings

I love to use my slow cooker.  This recipe is another family favourite.

Beef Stew

1lb Stewing Beef
2 Carrots Chopped
1 Onion Diced
1 tin of chopped Tomatoes (400g)
1 tin of Mixed Five Beans in Tomato Sauce
Cup of frozen diced Swede
Stock Cube
1 tablespoon Dry Mixed Herbs
1 tin of Potatoes (optional)

I like to prepare my slower cooker meal in the mornings.
1)   Switch on your slower cooker.  I have three settings on my cooker.  I always use the highest setting.
2)   Place the contents of the potatoes, tomato and mixed beans in the cooker.  Add the mixed herbs.
3)   Dry fry the stewing beef until brown.  Place in the cooker. I like drain off any excess fluids.
4)   Dry fry the carrot and onion together until soft.  Place in the cooker.
5)   Stir the stock cube in 300 mls of hot water.  Once again place in the cooker.
6)   Boil the diced swede for a few minutes.  It is not to cook the swede but to bring it up to room temperature.   And you have guess it, place it in the cooker.
7)   Give the stew a good stir.  Cook for four to six hours.

I often will use any vegetable that need eating in my slow cooker stews such as leeks, courgettes, peppers or left over cooked vegetables.  I never use potatoes other that tin variety.  I have found that they do not cook well and taste bitter.  Why not add a glass of wine or ale.

Dumplings

4oz Self Raising Flour
2oz Suet (Beef or Vegetable)
1 tablespoon of Mixed Herbs
A pinch of Salt
5 tablespoons of warm Water

1)   Sieve the flour into a bowl.
2)   Add the suet and herbs with a pinch of salt.
3)   Add the water and mix all the ingredients together.
4)   You may need to add a little extra water.  Mix with your hands as this will help to determine if more water is needed.
5)   Divide in to eight small balls.  My husbands loves dumplings so I make six balls from the mixture.
6)   Give the stew a good stir.  Add the dumplings and continue to cook for at least 30 or more minutes.  They are cooked by a steaming method so will not change colour, but they so remain soft and moist.

I often leave the stew with dumplings to cook for much longer.  It is all right to make the dumplings
when you have time and leave them cooking until you are ready to serve.  You can cooked dumplings recipe in an gas oven.  They will become crusty on the outside and brown in colour.

I hope your enjoy making and eating this stew.

Another Charm Square Quilt

Charm packs could be used for this quilt or you could cut your own squares.  If you cut your own squares, then you can chose the size of your squares.  As I have a six inch width ruler, I usually cut my squares to the width of my ruler.

In this quilt photo I have used 24 different squares, but if you would a large quilt use more squares. I have used this method with 30 plus squares.   Arrange the squares so that no two colours are next to each other.  When you like your arrangement, sew them together.

After sewing my squares together, the finished square size is 5 1/2 inches.  So cutting down the middle of the square should measure  2 3/4 inches from the sewn seam.    

 

Rearrange the strips, making sure that no two same fabric rectangles are place next to each other. Then sew the strips together.

In this photo, one quilt top is made with 6 inch squares and the other with 5 inch squares.Then add borders, quilt and bind.

Then add borders, quilt and bind.  This is a quick project that can be made in a couple of hours.