QBOTMC News - New Star Block, Batting and Strawberry Swirl Cake
Published: Tue, 05/09/17
We hope you've had a great week. It's been getting colder here this week, and we've finally
reached the point where the electric blankets are on at night, and we're snuggling up with
blankets and the heater on. This is of course, kind of good for me - I'm still working on a
crochet blanket, and snuggling up with all that wool is oh-so-nice on a cool night. It is a
bit like going over to the Dark Side, but I am alternating with some hand stitching, and I
do play with fabrics during the day...
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This week's block is a kind of surprising one. The New Star Block is a modern looking pieced
block, but the 'wow' factor really kicks in when you lay a few out together in a grid.
Please click the link below to download the block and see what I mean.
http://www.quiltblockofthemonthclub.com/download.php?file=new-star-block.pdf
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I found this interesting too - a look at some of the main types of batting available:
"100% Cotton
The loft, or puffiness, tends to be lower in 100% cotton batting so quilting lines don’t rise up as
high, making the quilt much flatter. When washed, cotton shrinks 5-8% so the quilt top will have
more of a crinkle, giving it an air of shabby chic. This shrinkage means your quilting will look
significantly different once washed. This batting may not be the best choice if your aim is to
highlight your free-motion quilting skills.
Polyester
Polyester has a higher loft making your quilted lines pop up more, showing off all that hard work
spent quilting. This batting also doesn’t have the shrinkage of cotton, leaving your quilted motifs
crisp instead of crinkly. If you really want to make your quilting pop, layering a high loft with a
low loft polyester batting will give the visual punch you desire.
Cotton/Polyester blend
This is a batting most often made in a ratio of 80% cotton and 20% polyester. There is a little bit
of shrinkage, only about 3%, but the batting has enough loft to help make the quilting stand out.
Wool
The reviewer's personal favorite is to use two layers of batting, one layer of cotton/poly blend with
a layer of wool on top. The wool has wonderful loft that makes the quilting pop! The addition of
the 80/20 blend is really helpful because it prevents the wool from bearding, or getting punched,
out the back of the quilt when it’s quilted. Unlike cotton, wool doesn’t remember its fold lines
making it perfect for quilts you plan to ship or store."
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And since it's Mother's Day this weekend, it's time for a special cake.
Strawberry Swirl Cake
Ingredients
Melted butter, to grease
150g /5 1.3oz unsalted butter, at room temperature
215g (1 cup) caster(fine white) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 eggs
300g (2 cups) self-raising flour
300g (10.5oz) ctn sour cream
160g (1/2 cup) strawberry jam
300g (2 cups) icing sugar mixture
15g (1 1/2 teaspoons) butter, at room temperature, chopped
1 1/2-2 tablespoons hot water
2-3 drops pink food colouring
Method
Step 1
Preheat oven to 160ºC/320F. Lightly brush a 2.5L (10-cup) capacity bundt pan with melted butter.
Step 2
Use an electric beater to beat the butter, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl until pale and creamy. Add
the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Use a large metal spoon to fold in the flour
and sour cream, in alternating batches, until well combined.
Step 3
Pour half the mixture into the prepared pan. Spoon over the jam. Use a skewer to make a swirl pattern.
Top with the remaining cake mixture.
Step 4
Bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Set aside to cool for
10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 5
Sift the icing sugar into a medium bowl. Add the butter and water, and stir until smooth. Stir in the
food colouring. Spoon icing over the cake. Set aside until set.
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This week's bag is a bit of fun, so keep an eye out for it to arrive in a little while.
Until Next Week - Happy Quilting!
Regards,
Jody & Annette