Monthly Archives: March 2012

Quilt Festival

quilting
Another spring coloured star to add to my next quilt.

Hello Dear Reader,

Today, Dearly Beloved treated me to a day out, which he suffered admirably. We went to the South West Quilt Festival at the Westpoint Centre in Exeter. It’s actually a huge barn! Huge!!!! Full of quilts on display and predominantly a trade exhibition of quilting suppliers. I had a good time. I hoped to see some long arm quilting, but there weren’t any! I also hoped to see some affordable sewing machines which would be good for quilting but as I don’t have a kidney to sell and all the sewing machines were in the thousands, I was disappointed in that direction too.

It was an interesting crowd. A forceful mix of jogging bottoms and disability scooters mixed in with the great and the good of the W.I!!!! I tell you, DB and I were the youngest and sexiest there by a country mile. Nonetheless, the quilts on display made it for me. I bought three fat quarters! and if I was in the market for fabric, then it was very reasonably priced. It was basically a quilting shopping mall in an exhibition centre and all at give away prices. I’ll show you some of the quilts and this is just a fraction of those that were on show. The nicest part of the exhibition, is that they gave you cotton gloves so that you could handle the quilts and see what they looked like on the back as well as the front.

Here’s the quilts! Just a few that caught my eye and they are lovely xxx

Next week, the how to make this cushion, will be on this website……keep your eyes open for the free pattern.

All made with Liberty Fabrics

The quilt above and the quilt below caught my attention because they were so simple.

Yep, that’s Froogs getting a closer look! I think I could manage that one. It was an hour’s drive away and DB and I chatted all the way and it was just lovely to be taken to something only I enjoy and have him make the most of it for my sake. We were there and back by lunch time and I won’t hesitate to go to an exhibition there again as it’s really quite close. Also, I didn’t expect the fabric and equipment to be so reasonably priced, even if I didn’t need anything. It was a really good experience.

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs

Quorn again!

frugal food

Hello Dear Reader,

I couldn’t resist the pun! Later day today as I did some visiting on my way home. Consequently, my tummy rumbled all the way home and I wanted something to eat within minutes of getting through the door. If in a hurry? Turn to Quorn. Slice and stir fry: an onion, a pepper, some garlic, mange tout, and some mushrooms, when almost cooked add in a cup full of frozen quorn chunks per person. I then finished it off with some 10p a pack stir fry sauce I bought a while back from Approved Foods. I used Pilau rice, Lidl’s own brand and you just microwave it. A little more expensive than usual but it did mean we had supper within fifteen minutes of opening the door and crossing the threshold. I couldn’t get a takeaway delivered in that time!

There are plenty of variations of stir fry that are quick cheap and easy and just perfect for the end of a busy day or if you get in later than usual. Far too often people think that a takeaway is easier. I can’think of anything simpler than stir fry quorn with rice.

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xx

Say thank you with a cake

frugal food, frugal gifts

Hello Dear Reader,

Before I get onto today’s frugal and lovely cake, if you want, would you nominate me for a blog awards? The button is on the right of your screen. Thanks xxxxx

This is a thank you cake. I couldn’t think of a suitable present so I resorted to lemon drizzle cake. It’s a nice quick and easy cake to make.

10oz SR Four,
10oz butter (I use Utterly Butterly as it’s on offer)
5 eggs (they weigh 2oz each)
10oz sugar.
Zest of one lemon.

Put the lot in a bowl and either beat together or mix with a hand held electric mixer. Pour into two greased or lined 7″ cake tins.

Cook for 30 minutes on 180 (celius.) degrees - you can do the conversion for your cooker. Just google it.

Whilst cooling make the filling and topping.

Filling - Lemon butter icing.
Zest of one lemon,
8oz of icing sugar
3oz of butter (I use a cheap substitute)

Beat together until you have a soft frosting finish. Now leave in the fridge until you want it.

Lemon topping.
Juice of one lemon.
4oz of granulated sugar.
Mix together.

Assembling the cake - allow to totally cool. Spoon some of the lemon topping onto one of the sponges, but leave the main for the topping. Now use a palette knife to spread the lemon butter icing onto one of the sponges. Put the other sponge on top. Now carefully spoon the lemon topping all over it, some will soak in creating the sticky lemony topping.

Chill until you want to eat it.

Or………………….give to someone as a gift, or take to a fundraiser or make one for the local fete.

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs

Frothy Blossom

foraging

Hello Dear Reader,

Take a good look around you, and you may well notice the frothy and almost snowlike quality of Sloe and wild plum blossom. Sloe or blackthorn is close the ground and at hip or waist level. The wild damsons or bullaces as they are often called will require you to look up. Now is the time to remember where you see these trees and record that somewhere. In June they will be covered in green unripe fruit but as August ends and September is in full swing, they will be ready to pick.

You can also keep your eyes open from crab apple blossom, which is also at eye level. It will be mainly white but tinged with pink. It makes a great base for apple jelly, to which I add mint, or I use the crab apples for the pectin to set other jams or jellies.

So keep your eyes open for blossom, record where it is. Keep an eye on the fruit as it ripens and make sure you get to pick it and make jams and chutney before everyone else does. Keep it to yourself, most people don’t know what they are looking for, or even looking at. If you’re well prepared, you can keep yourself in jams, jellies and chutney for at least a year and the fruit will have cost you nothing.

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxxxx

How little do we actually need?

no spend days

Hello Dear Reader,

A slow, sunny kind of day. We chopped and stacked wood. I chopped bags and bags of kindling, whilst Dearly Beloved spilt the larger logs.

All of the laundry, even the backlog, has been washed and hung outside.

I then retreated to the summer house, feet up, some Louis de Berniere, a cup of tea and even a doze in the spring sunshine. No money spent, no where to go and just time to relax and enjoy what we have.

Some days, we need very little…………..days like today, we need nothing but each other, our home, our garden and the peace we share together.

O

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs

Pasty tax

cornwall

Hello Dear Reader…………..well one in particular…………..wavy Dave!!!!!!

Now, I’m not for one moment suggesting that Wavy Dave is a regular reader, but if he had any sense, he would start listening to the people who pay his wages. Now I know posh bods like himself would never be seen dead, pasty in hand, in the office canteen, eating his lunch with the normal folk. He’s never likely to hitch up his overalls and head to Gregg’s for a hot savoury. Why would he…………….chef will sort it!

I would like anyone who cares to, to sign the ‘No VAT on the Cornish Pasty’ petition! CLICK HERE IF YOU WANT TO It’s being classed as hot takeaway food, just as fish and chips, or burger and chips and 20% VAT is being added to the cost! It’s hot Dave…………you ninny, because you can’t eat it raw and it’s still warm from being baked!

The last time a government imposed a daft tax that no one agreed with, a huge ‘fuss’ was made! In recent times, the Cornish pasty has been given the same status as Stilton cheese, or even Champagne. To be called a Cornish pasty, it must be made in Cornwall. This has helped secure local jobs and has boosted the local economy. Food costs do not include VAT but what next? 20% tax added to your hot crusty bread, will it be cheaper an hour later when it’s cooled down? This tax is just silly and certainly, a bunch of posh toffs who get someone else to cook lunch for them will never feel the impact of this!

Is this a frugal issue? I think so. Many people can still afford a freshly baked pasty for about £2 and it’s a meal in itself. This will now make Cornwall’s favourite food a lot more expensive!

On a lighter note, here’s Kernow King and his tribute the county’s favourite food!

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxxx

Where did you get that shirt?

charity shop bargains, quilting

Hello Dear Reader,

I managed to get out and about for a while in the middle of the day, walked around the block and went to the charity shop that was having a sale, all clothes were half price. I had a browse in the men’s shirts and found a donation that could only have come from some one as flashy as Lawrence himself! One shirt is lilac and gold, one is a standard red check and the other is every shade of purple and lilac. I’ll soon have enough fabric cut up to start another quilt. As ever, I paid £1 each for them!

Thanks for the good wishes yesterday, still feel ropey today but I now only have one more day to look as if I’m fit and well and I can rest up on Saturday. If you’re wondering why my sewing machine is in a bag it’s because it’s been on an outing today and I’ve taught someone how to make……….

a cushion, also how to knit and got them reading a quilting magazine.

I’m now off to put my feet up!

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs

Don’t stop me now!

quilting, Recycle eco

Hello Dear Reader,

I’ve had great fun tonight, I’ve been ironing and cutting up shirts! I’ve also learnt how to make pin wheels. I’ve never been to classes and have learnt it the frugal 2012 way……….from blogs, websites and You Tube. Here’s the tutorial I found to make these.


I’ve got lots of smaller pieces of fabric that I just can’t waste and it will be fun to have a no specific colour but a quilt all in pin wheels. I started by cutting 5″ squares and the end result, with seams, is an 8″ by 8″ square. Who knows where this is all going? Free motion quilting………..I can but dream.

Sorry about the quilty blogs, but we still have long dark nights and I like to be purposeful in the evenings. I listen to a play on the radio or a concert on Radio 3 whilst I sew.

So, with this very short blog, I’ll hand this over to you. What have you learnt to do the 2012 frugal way? Dearly Beloved learnt how to replace the motor on the Dyson from a You Tube tutorial. Have you ever watched and learnt and then tried it?

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs

Recycling it my way

quilting, Recycle eco
Spot the dog?

Hello Dear Reader,

The postman came early today, I don’t usually see him before I leave the house. Shagrat has sent me a box of shirts to recycle. Thanks so very much, these will be put to very good use. I can see a colour scheme of pink and orange in my next quilt as I’m making good progress on collecting and cutting. I think I’ll cut all of these up into 10″ squares; I have a different design in mind for my next quilt.

I had some spare time in my day today so I had a root around three charity shops. I found some sheets for quilt backings, or sashing?

I then found a lovely little sewing box……………I have something in mind for this………watch this space.

It even has some thread and needles inside. It really is lovely.

I’m still relishing the time, being home by four every day, being able to get the supper ready in a leisurely manner and living a much simpler life xxx

I shall have fun tonight, cutting up shirts - thanks again Shagrat xxx

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xx