Busy, Busy, Busy....not just eating too many biscuits

Upside down biscuits!

I don't know what's come over me - I've been doing all sorts of random cooking and sewing!  I think it's having the evenings to myself but not being able to run as there is no one to look after the little ones if they wake up!  Arty has a cold so I've been smearing him with vicks, including on his feet which I remember reading somewhere was meant to help.....lets see.

So last night, I set about learning something new - quilting.  I had this great idea to make coasters for Xmas presents.....mmmh.  To help me out I opened a box of waitrose biscuits (on special - £2.75 a box) and they were so yummy I ate a few too many....it was Mrs WP's fault - texting me that her waters had broken whilst sitting on the sofa!  Mine broke with Arthur (not really with Isobel) and it was quite a hollywood moment - gutted that I wasn't in John Lewis or Marks and Sparks with potential for a trolley dash (is that an urban myth???).

Anyway, I think the biscuits addled my brain.  My first attempt at quilting was not that successful.  I was trying to make these bound edge coasters which required 3 layers of batting sandwiched in two layers of fabric and then really tight quilting....and clearly with a steady hand so you can make it vaguely straight...something I don't have.  So if you look at the pictures on the link and then look at the picture below, you'll see why I decided that frankly Arthur could just have an unfinished one as a toy!

Completely not straight

Much better as toy!

But I perservered - and tried a slightly less tricky one which only had one layer of batting....not great but better than the previous one.  Don't think coasters are going to be the Christmas present of choice somehow!

Health Health, low calorie!

And today was another new day.  Isobel was in nursery for the day and as Arthur was full of cold I continued on my making spree.   Finally rid myself of the butternut squash in the fridge and made a squash soup, then turned my attention to the massive box of apples which are slowly going a bit mouldy in the garage!  One lot turned into an apple, sultana and cinnamon stew for Arthur and Isobel, and with the other I decided to try out and review the cake release spray I found at the lovely Lakeland:

£3.99 from Lakeland

 I was a bit dubious about getting it but someone had mentioned that it worked really well.  I'm a bit slapdash normally when it comes to greasing cakes so they end up getting stuck.  This only needs a tiny bit and you then brush it round the tin with a pastry brush.  Pour in the mixture (in my case an apple cake) and then bake.  The result?  Well, the cake just popped out.  It was great.  So, a good investment if you bake a lot.

Here is the finished cake with lovely smooth edges!

And finally, I decided to have a go at sewing another purse - this time with a flat bottom.  Now I found the instructions on a website somewhere and now can'tfind the link.  I'll add it when I do.  It's a good set of instructions and I'm quite pleased with the result.  Might make some more - practice makes perfect!

And this is the flat bottom