Spring has sprung

Spring has well and truly sprung in our area and there is new growth everywhere. Many of my plants have a story behind them - given by one of our lovely family, or a friend, or a special occasion gift. I even have an orchid taken from my grandmother's plant (which I have carried from house to house in our many moves over the last forty years!) 

This clivea is the great-grand-baby of a plant that I gave a friend 30 years ago, but never owned one myself. She gave me this baby a couple of years ago and it flowers every spring, bringing with it many wonderful memories:

I love hanging baskets and I was able to buy these clever retractable hanging pulleys so that the plants can be at various levels. It also means I don't have to climb on a ladder to lift the plants down. I like to put them out in the yard when God blesses us with lovely soaking rain, as they thrive on that, compared to tap water!

The Tahitian Bridal Veil has grown very quickly:

I will soon have to transfer this Silver Lady Fern to a bigger pot:

There are two magnificent Magnolia trees in the courtyard outside of hubby's room and they have just started flowering. What a sight:

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In between admiring all the plants and flowers, I have been playing with Tailwind, a great program that helps you design Instagram pictures and Pinterest Pins.

Tailwind does most of the work, and I just do a bit of editing to finish them off.

 It's a load of fun and a bit addictive, and I am happy to have my projects presented with a bit of professional flair.

My main focus at the moment is completing the 2022 Block of the Month design. I am so happy with it. I have even done some pattern-writing! There are lots of parts to the project, so no chance of being bored with it! 

Happy stitching!

Val

What’s in a name? Cupcake or Patty cake?

I have long been fascinated with how the English language can change, depending on the country in which you live, or with the varying social and cultural backgrounds that are prevalent.

Here in Australia, you can virtually just about always tell in which State someone has grown up, by what name they might give a specific item, or how they pronounce a word. For example, just start talking about the apparel you wear when you are swimming: it could be swimmers, bathers, cozzies, or togs, and the chosen word will immediately reveal a person’s location or background.

Then start saying “dance” or “enhance” and you will know on which side of the State border someone lives by how they pronounce the 'a' in the word!

So it is with those little cakes designed to serve one person, the ‘cupcake’. Growing up in

Australia, we hadn’t heard of such a word. A ‘cupcake’ is surely a cake cooked in a cup! We always called them ‘patty cakes’. Evidently this comes from the nursery rhyme:

Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker’s man.

Bake me a cake as fast as you can.

Pat it and prick it, and mark it with B,

Put it in the oven for Baby and me.

(or the initial and word ‘baby’ replaced with a child’s name).

It’s only in recent years, that the American ‘cupcake’ has taken over. (In Australian super-markets, we still buy paper ‘patty pans’ in which to cook our ‘patty cakes’!) Well, what’s in a name? They taste good, no matter what we call them!

So, in deference to my American friends, I present to you the October cupcake Hexie!

It's part of the Gentle Gems Hexies of the Month Programme. The other October Hexie is another umbrella, complete with pretty pink surrounds:

The patterns for these two Gentle Gems Hexies have been sent to all who have joined the 2021 Hexies of the Month programme. There's just one month left in the programme, but it’s not too late to join and it’s very reasonably priced, so hop over here for all the details.

I know a lot of stitchers are starting to think about Christmas, so here are a couple of patterns that might spark your interest. The "All is calm, all is bright" Christmas ornaments are very quick and fun to make and are a great way to use up fabric scraps.  

and what about this little Pudding Bauble that you could make for your Christmas tree - or as a gift for a friend, or a school-teacher:

Both patterns are very reasonably priced and meet the "fun, quick and easy" category!

After more than three weeks in lockdown, Aged Care facilities are open and I can once again go and visit hubby. It's amazing how much these visits lift my spirit and put a smile on my face!

I am working steadily on the 2022 Block of the Month project and it's coming together beautifully, or so a friend told me when I showed her!

Happy stitching!

Val