Monday 6 September 2010

Here's some I made earlier

Morning all - hope you are well? Good weekend?


We had quite a pleasant weekend.  Still in my making preserves mode, I set too and made some Autumn chutney on Friday afternoon.  I was pleased to read in the list of ingredients, that you could substitute apricots for blackberries.  As there is a huge glut still on the hedgerows near us, the boys and I hopped on our bikes and picked what we needed.  I love it when you can use free ingredients.


It's such an easy recipe, a case of pretty much chucking it all in 1 pot - sugar, vinegar, pears, cooking apples, onions and blackberries.  Hopefully you'll be able to see the recipe if you click to enlarge it.  In fact you can pretty much use any fruit you have.




Here we go, bubbling away.....looks great, but I'm not keen on the lingering vinegar smell chutney leaves, as you make it.




60 minutes later, you end up with a couple of jars.  They suggest leaving it for 3 months, so it'll be good and ready in the run up to Christmas!



Saturday was off on a jolly to wander round Laycock Abbey, and what glorious weather it was.  Yesterday saw us standing in the pouring rain watching Toby play a football match.  Amazingly the rain started as we got there, and finished as we left - typical.


I did manage to complete another favourite project of mine - a cushion.  Bit more tricky this time as it was round and I wanted to envelope it on the back - straightforward enough, and use fabric segments for the front so I traced the cushion onto paper and drew then cut segments for templates.  I did remember to make them a little larger to allow for seam allowance etc......somehow it all went a little askew as the front ended up bigger than the back. I think it eventually turned out OK!




You would think trace, draw, cut and sew would be easy...em.


See you later in the week.

10 comments:

Marigold Jam said...

Hope the chutney is good - I know what you mean about the vinegary smell though! The cushion looks great too.

Jane

Carmel's Closet said...

I know where you got that fabric from! I'm off to London next week unexpectedly, and will be popping into the fabric shop in Kew, when I call into all my old neighbours.
A very sweet cushion.
Carmel

mother of purl said...

Ooh Wonderful- that is a great recipe! Hope it tastes nice x

KC'sCourt! said...

You would wouldn't you.......I had a patchwork kit for a cushion all pre-cut all the seams met in the middle.........NO..........all skewiff!!!
Not happy at all. Yours is a lovely cushion is very pretty
Julie xxxxxxx

Thedarkerside73 said...

Sounds like a great weekend. And very busy in the kitchen with the chutney making. It looks like a great receipe.

Love you cushion. I am always doing stuff like that though. It all seems straight forward enough in my head but then I usually overlook or muck up something before I get it right! Still it would be boring if it all went right everytime. Wouldnt it??? Lol.


MBB x

Loo xx from Jumbles and Pompoms said...

I heart free ingredients too!

Mr J and P was very busy this w/end too - making spiced apple chutney and blackberry and apple jam. It's very satisfying doing things like that (even more satisfying when someone else is doing them!). A

dore your cushion. I'm keen to attempt a patchwork ensemble but I think I'll go for a square one as a first attempt.

Have a good week. xx

...Nina Nixon... said...

Ooooooohh chutney and blackberries at that.

We have a real shortage down here and have had to scrape as many as we could together to get a couple of jars of jam.

Love the cushion by the way - after seeing a round patchwork cushion at a friends over the Summer I have been thinking about making one myself.

take care and have a lovely evening,

Nina xxx

Hesta Nesta said...

My goodness, that chutney looks gorgeous, lovely with home made sausage rolls or pasties - YUM!! I too have found making round cushions really difficult, but yours still turned out better than my attempt, it looks fab!, and a great choice of fabrics.
Jo xx

silverpebble said...

Oh yum. I love a good chutney, and what a great idea to put blackberries in it!

Your cushion is divine.

Andrea said...

Lovely chutney! and I love your cushion, all your images are lovely and a great blog to follow.
Andrea at Fin and Gabs