The Christmas Challenge. August Show and Tell.

Welcome to a wrap up of what everyone made in August!  Thank you to everyone who wrote and send in photos! There is a lovely diversity and lots of ideas!

As usual this is going to take two weeks! They are in no particular order and something from everyone.

First we have Pat. She made a quilt as a wedding gift for her nephew. Truly stunning and what a wonderful gift that will be kept forever!

Rachel sent in a picture of the pink tablecloth that we heard about a little while ago. I said I wanted to see this gorgeous op shop find so here it is! The very soft pink is lovely.

Plus her Dad's citrus jam...

Look at the colour! Since there were quite a few comments and questions on this I am enclosing the recipe that Rachel posted in comments...

Now, regarding the 'citrus jam', this could be quite interesting!

Firstly, I am thinking that the original Coles 'Taste Magazine' recipe is at the following link

http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/42897/orange+mandarin+and+grapefruit+marmalade

Secondly, Dad wrote ..... 

"Our jam session has 2 grapefruit(large), 2lemons ,2lemonades,2mandarines,
2 red oranges and 3 or 4 small oranges 🤔or what ever is on the farm.
It varies every time 🕑,another batch has just come off the line."

The above citrus fruit (the whole fruit, cut up) were soaked overnight (12 hours) in enough water to cover them, without the fruit pieces floating. One kilogram of sugar was used, but may need to be adjusted to obtain the desired taste and consistency/thickness.

So, you see, I can only pass on estimates. However, I found the resulting citrus jam, kept in the fridge, refreshing, luscious and fruity! See what you think!!

Cookie has been making amazing fabric and cord baskets...

And quilts!  Cookie is extremely creative I have discovered as she has sent me some links and photos that have given me some big ideas! 

Cookie uses almost all salvaged and recycled fabrics in her work. 

Jo has made appliquéd towels... 

She wanted to learn how to do Grub Roses and did as I suggested going to You Tube for instructions and practicing. Well done Jo you have done an amazing job.

She also makes the Banana Cake and says it is a favourite at her place!

This is a link to the recipe Annabels Banana Cake.

Jo also went to You Tube to learn this bobble stitch I use so much.  And look what she made! 

This is beautiful and turned out so well. It is really a big encouragement to see all of this and know that you can decide to learn something totally new and be producing gifts from your new skill in no time! This is so much fun too.

Chloe made biscuits. She had several occasions to feed people who were helping her and she treated them to fancy biscuits. She said how grown men act like little boys over being made cute biscuits! 

Rosanne has a son who is a massive Dr. Who fan. She made him a Dr. Who scarf! It is 23 and a half feet long! He is going to go crazy over this!

This is the most amazing gift idea for a Dr. Who fan!

I really appreciate the emails and willingness to share what you have been doing! It's really uplifting actually. And each month I end up with a list of totally new ideas.
Best of all I think seeing what others are doing encourages me to learn something new. We might all have a specialty but learning a new skill or even new stitch is so much fun and so exciting. And you never know the new thing might become your new specialty!

Some skills are useful beyond gifts i.e. soap making fills your own cupboard with soap supplies, sewing skills mean you can mend and alter things. Rachel wrote to me and was saying how she does mending and alterations for her parents as her Mother's eyesight isn't so good anymore. She also might see something suitable for one of them in an op shop and make it over for them in some way.  All these skills can be a huge blessing and used in many ways! Building up your skills is a good thing.

I hope your week is going well! I have a lot to report on my 100 day challenge! Once you start spring cleaning and moving things it is never ending! It seems to have a domino effect. And we won't talk about the dust under and behind moved furniture. Eek.

I am working on pale blue towels with matching crochet edgings in cotton. They are looking lovely and are so much fun to do. I get about an hour in the evenings where we watch something on TV and some crochet time on the weekends when we watch football! Projects grow then!

See you on Friday! xxx