My 1st Sewing School Class

This week I took my first class at Love Stitch in Heswall. After ten years teaching the girls at school, it was a new experience for me teaching adults. Six lovely ladies came along and here's a little natter about our morning.

The workshop space at Love Stitch is ideal for for small groups. It is a lovely bright room, well equipped and cosy. We were even treated to proper coffee and biscuits on arrival!

The three-hour class was to make this pretty cube cosmetic purse, which is always a favourite with my customers from my Etsy shop.

Love Stitch provided this range of gorgeous cotton fabrics by Tilda for the ladies to mix and match for their purses. They all selected different combinations!

They soon got down to the business of cutting out the pieces needed.

Then on to making the patchwork outer layer.

Next quilting the layers together.

It was great to see everybody beavering away! It was so quiet with everyone concentrating, not a bit like school!!

The binding and the zip were a little more tricky, but this stage was soon mastered by all.

I think you'll agree their finished purses are amazing. Each one looks slightly different in the different fabric combinations. There could be some very lucky recipients on Christmas morning!

Some of the ladies asked for written instructions incase they forget how to make them again. I have promised I will put together a tutorial just as soon I can find a spare minute. Look out for it in the Tutorials tab on the left hand side.

I have two more classes booked in the run up to Christmas. Follow this link if you are interested in booking a place.

Embroidered Home Picture - 21st November - 9.30 to 1.30

Applique Christmas Stocking - 9th December - 1.00 to 5.00

Love to see you there. Happy sewing!

Judith xxx

Sausages in Cider

Firstly I must apologise, I'm no chef and I'm not very good at making a plate of food look 'pretty'. I'm usually hungry and just want to eat it when a meal is ready! This one is definitely one of those but it's hearty and warming and you can serve it with whatever you prefer.

I love sausages but always try to use good quality ones, either Cumberland or simple pork. I always look around the shelves in the supermarket for the cheapest cider as it's going to be cooked. Your can cut up your sausages or leave them whole. I tend to leave them whole, otherwise somebody always moans that they've got less sausage than everyone else!

You can download my recipe for Sausages in Cider here

I hope you enjoy this warming recipe as autumn sets in!

Judith xxx

Enchiladas

I first made these enchiladas with the girls at school. They are really easy to make and can be made with either a chilli con carne or a spicy chicken and pepper filling. We used to give the girls the choice and they loved making them, although the spicy aroma followed them wherever they went around the school for the rest of the day!

The rolled up tortillas are usually covered with sour cream and grated cheese but I make them healthier by using half-fat creme fraiche instead.

You can download my recipe for Chicken Enchiladas here

You can download my recipe for Beef Enchiladas here

I hope you enjoy these enchiladas. Experiment with your favourite fillings and let me know what you like by leaving a comment below.

Judith xxx

Chicken and Bacon Crunchy Top Pie

This pie is very quick to assemble as it has a cheat sauce using tinned soup. It is very tasty but you shouldn't add any extra salt as the soup is already quite salty. The topping is a great way to use up dry bread. You could also use up left over cooked chicken from your roast dinner, just add it cold to the soup before it goes into the oven. Add whatever vegetables you like to the sauce.

You can download my recipe for Chicken and Bacon Crunchy Top  Pie here

I hope you enjoy this recipe

Judith xxx