What’s Been Happening with Me?

As some of you may have noticed, my blog has recently been peacefully taken over by my friend Sylwia. And thank goodness for that! It gave me a little time to work on a few competition projects. I wrote about one of them here. Feel free to take a look and have a read. There’s still plenty of time to enter and make something. You’re very welcome to join in!

I have also entered the competition “Jak to lnem było“, organised by the Polish Patchwork Association and the Linen Museum in Żyrardów.

These two competitions are the reason my blog activity has slowed down recently. However, I am gradually returning.

First, I’d like to show you a patchwork blanket that I made simply for relaxation. I bought the fabric from Ewa’s shop, Kiltowo. It’s called Fade In Sewing Squares Patchwork.

The fabric is perhaps a little subdued, but with my rabbits and cat it is absolutely perfect. The blanket consists only of a top and backing layer, yet it gives a remarkably convincing patchwork effect. For the backing I used flannel knit fabric. It is soft, warm, wonderfully cosy and, at 220 cm wide, absolutely ideal.

This was the fastest patchwork project I have ever completed. Apart from sewing the two large layers together, quilting them and binding the edges, I hardly had to do anything else. I must admit, however, that before stitching the layers together I basted them carefully. I was keen to ensure that the seams remained invisible, so any shifting of the layers was out of the question. The result turned out perfectly.

I quilted the entire blanket following the printed grid pattern. Simple, quick lines. Pure relaxation.

The squares turned out fairly large and did not stiffen the flannel knit fabric. The blanket remains wonderfully soft and cuddly.

It now rests on my favourite armchair, although lately the rabbits seem to think it belongs to them. Whenever I approach intending to sit down, they look at me as if to say, “What’s the problem? This is our chair!” And Łatka adds, “We’re not giving it back!” It’s a battle that’s lost before it even begins. So the rabbits sit comfortably in the chair, while the human ends up on the floor.

My daughter recently pointed out that on my blog I write only about what I do in my studio and never about my private life. So today there will be a little of that.

I’ve just finished making my gingerbread dough. It’s a special dough that must be prepared at least a month before Christmas and then left to mature in a cool place. Apparently, the very best gingerbread dough is aged for several years. Mine will mature for only one month.

Last year we had a plague of mice in the cellar where the dough was stored. Before I realised what had happened, the entire batch had been eaten. Only a tiny hole remained in the cloth covering it. This year we have a cat, and I’m hoping the dough survives until Christmas.

Here’s the recipe.

1 kg of plain flour (type 650). Add three level teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda, a pinch of salt, half a glass of milk and three whole eggs, shells removed of course. Once prepared, the flour waits for the syrup mixture.

Place 200 g of lard in a saucepan and melt it gently on the stove, stirring to prevent it from burning. Once melted, add two cups of sugar.

Then add 500 g of honey, one packet of gingerbread spice mix, and two heaped teaspoonfuls each of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and ground cloves. Stir everything together thoroughly.

Once the ingredients have combined nicely, allow the mixture to cool slightly while stirring. Pour it into the prepared flour mixture. At this stage, a helper is useful: one person pours while the other stirs.

When the dough has been roughly mixed and the saucepan scraped clean, it’s time to get your hands involved. Knead until everything is thoroughly combined. Transfer the dough to a smaller bowl and cover it with cling film.