August 2007

To all my dear friends

I have been meaning to write to you all for ages but I have special Holyoake news. Trent Koch asked Belinda to marry him and we are thrilled. The photo shows them at the Camden Show ball in 1998 when Belinda was Miss Camden Show Girl. They have been good friends for a long time and the romance has blossomed over the last year. They are planning to marry at the end of this year so it will be a busy and exciting time. We had a celebration dinner with the Koch family the day after Belinda said "yes" and it was very special. Trent’s parents, Tammy and John Koch are very hospitable and they are a lovely family.

We can only wish Belinda and Trent all the best of happiness, love and joy for their future.

Fiona and Huntly are getting on very well in Singapore and although she was sad she couldn’t be here for Belinda and Trent’s engagement, Belinda has asked Fiona to be matron of honour at her wedding so once again the fabric and gowns will have to be organised. I am looking forward to the challenge.

Fiona and Huntly have been on a 4 day holiday in Cambodia. One of the advantages of living in Singapore is having these breaks away and exploring Asia and beyond.

When Fiona was home in Australia at Easter I gave her the "birds of happiness", quilt I had made for her. I think the heart border makes this quilt design so special. She was thrilled with it and has it on the visitor’s bed. Apparently the air conditioning means you need a quilt on your bed in Singapore.

I have several heirloom quilts being made at the studio so in a future letter there will be a picture.

The cool nights encourage us to stitch and it is so good for the soul and I hope you will catch up on all those UFO's. Maybe you need a trip to the carriage for inspiration. I would love to see you.

I am working on my projects for the Martha Pullen School in February. Go to www.marthapullen.com and click onto "School of Art Fashion" to see what I am doing.

 We have vacancies for our weekend sew and stay on Saturday 6th and 7th October. If you have been thinking about coming just let me know. It is a time when you can focus on a project with no distractions and it is great value. 2 days Tuition, 2 lunches, dinner, a comfortable bed and breakfast $165.00.

Sewing Tip for August

When gathering your fine heirloom garments, use a strong thread like Rasant 120, 70 needle, reduce the tension to 2.0 and use a stitch length of 2.0. Make sure you pull up the bobbin thread which should pull up very easily. This allows you to get small gathers on your fine fabric garments.

Sometimes it is worth using the gathering foot or the Ruffler, experiment with these feet, they can save you a lot of time.

I am including my recipe for Pumpkin Soup which is quite delicious on these cold winter nights.

2 T butter

2 onions chopped

Cook till golden and add

1Kg pumpkin cut into pieces

250gms sweet potato cut into pieces

250gms potato cut into pieces

add

1litre milk and simmer till pumpkin and potato cooked

When cooked allow to cool and blend in small quantities

Add 1 litre of chicken stock and heat to boiling

When serving add a spoonful of cream and chopped parsley.

I have included the Optimist Creed which Martha Pullen had in one of her newsletters recently:

The Optimist Creed:
To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.
To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true
To think only the best, to work only for the best and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.
To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.

I am looking forward to seeing you soon

Love and God bless you and your families

Lynne

Patchwork's First Day Back - 1st Feb 2007