QBOTMC News - Crosses and Star Block, Applique Tips and Sweet Potato Tart
Published: Tue, 05/30/17
We hope you had another good week this week. It's almost officially winter here now,
and I still can't really complain. Beautiful clear and not-too-cold days, and chilly nights.
Perfect for all things fabric (and yarn) indoors!!!
It's a quilt-y friend's birthday too this week, and I'm tossing up what to give her. I'm
leaning more towards something I've made, as she already has lots of her own fabric.
Maybe a bag? Really not sure, but I need to put some thought into this sooner rather
than later!
We've got our big Sydney Quilt Show coming up too in only a few weeks. After three
years at a different venue, we're heading back to the brand new Convention and Exhibition
centre, and I'm quite excited to be able to go and check it out. OK - so I'm looking
forward to checking out all things quilty too at the show, but it will be all new and
exciting, that's for sure!
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This week's new block is exciting too. It's the Crosses and Star Block, and it's pretty
cool what happens when you put a few of them together...
Please click the link to download this week's block:
http://www.quiltblockofthemonthclub.com/download.php?file=crosses-and-star-block.pdf
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This week we found some Applique tips from author Kevin Kosbab:
"1. In general, for both hand and machine appliqué, start sewing an appliqué along a straight or
gently curved edge rather than a corner or point. The corners look neater this way.
2. To reduce stiffness from fusible web, cut the center away from your fusible shape, leaving a
border of about 1/4" inside the traced outline.
3. Try different types, sizes, and brands of hand needles to find the best one for you. I use a
size 11 sharps for hand appliqué, but you might find it easier to manipulate fabric edges with
a longer milliners needle. Ask for recommendations from friends or quilt shops, but ultimately
it's a personal decision.
4. Cross-wound spools of thread generally feed better on your machine's horizontal spool pin,
while stacked (parallel-wound) spools work best on a vertical pin. If your machine doesn't have
a vertical spool pin, try a thread stand-also a good idea if you find monofilament thread tangling
when sewing invisible appliqué.
5. When combining piecing with appliqué, press the pieced seams in the direction that makes
sense pictorially-that is, press seams away from whichever fabric is supposed to be the "background."
When prepiecing fabrics to sew down as a single appliqué shape, press the seam allowances open
to reduce bulk in the turned edges.
6. Interior points are the most difficult to sew by hand, so if you have a choice, it may be easier
to sew two layered pieces instead of a single one with a deep point. This trick from Jean Ray Laury
adds extra visual depth too.
7. For pieces that would be difficult or impossible to turn, use a nonfraying fabric like wool felt or
Ultrasuede instead of quilting cotton. These fabrics also offer different texture possibilities.
8. Appliqué doesn't really come to life until it's quilted. Quilting just outside the motifs or sections
of them really helps them pop dimensionally. You can also ad detail to the appliqué shapes with
quilting, but be aware that all-over quilting designs that run over appliqués often ruins their effect."
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We wanted to try something savoury this week, and this sounded good:
Sweet Potato and Pancetta Tart
Ingredients
250g / 1/2 lb kumara/sweet potato peeled, cut into 2-3cm/ 1 inch pieces
4 large (70g) eggs
1/3 cup (80ml) pure (thin) cream
1/3 cup (80ml) milk
2 tablespoons grated gruyere cheese
Pinch of nutmeg
5 Pancetta slices or bacon rashers, rind removed, cut into 1cm/1/2in -wide strips
1/2 cup wild rocket leaves
Pastry
1 cup (150g) plain flour, sifted
75g / 2.2/3oz chilled unsalted butter, chopped
3 tablespoons chilled sparkling mineral water
Method
Step 1
For the pastry, whiz flour, butter and a pinch of salt in a food processor for about 10 seconds until
it forms coarse crumbs. Gradually pour in mineral water, pulsing for 1-2 minutes, until it forms a ball.
Enclose in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
Step 2
Cook kumara in boiling salted water for 15 minutes or until tender. Drain and cool.
Step 3
Preheat oven to 180C/356F. Place pastry on a floured surface. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent
sticking. Roll out to about 5mm/3/8in thick and use to line a 20cm/8in loose-bottomed tart pan. Trim
excess. Prick base with a fork, line with baking paper, then fill with uncooked rice or pastry weights.
Bake for 10 minutes. Remove paper and weights, then bake for 5 minutes or until golden and dry.
Step 4
Increase oven to 190C/374F.
Step 5
Beat eggs, cream and milk with a whisk until just combined. Stir in cheese and nutmeg, then season.
Arrange pancetta and kumara in pastry case, then scatter with rocket. Pour in filling and bake for 30-40
minutes until set. Serve warm.
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Yum!
Until Next Week - Happy Quilting!
Regards,
Jody & Annette