Sorry I haven’t been around for a while – everything seems to have exploded into life in the garden, whilst Rhubarb and Custard have had lots of bookings – which has all kept me rather too busy! Which is a shame as I really enjoy sharing all the goings-on here at Bustle & Sew HQ with you. Here I am now though, and please forgive me if this post is a little on the long side – I feel as though I have a lot of catching up to do!…..
In the Garden
After a cold, grey and muddy winter, the weather here for the last month and a half has been extremely dry and relatively warm (though today the heat has dropped away and a cold north-easterly is blowing across the garden). I can honestly say that I don’t think I’ve ever had to start watering my garden quite this early in the season, but the results so far have been worth it. I like to grow my herbs in an assortment of old containers – my grandma’s old flour bin (with a rusty bottom), my washing up bowl from Coombe Leigh, my home in Devon which again had developed rusty patches and leaked – not good when you’re trying to do the dishes, and a variety of old buckets and tubs. They all stand on some railway timbers which means the herbs are the perfect height for picking without having to bend down too far. I’m very proud of my rhubarb bed this year and recently baked a most delicious rhubarb tart…..
And here’s the recipe if you’d like to try it for yourself. I haven’t included the recipe for the pastry as it’s just a standard sweet shortcrust pastry case..
Rhubarb Tart
Preheat your oven to 190C. Lightly beat 3 eggs and mix them with 275ml double (heavy) cream, 50g sugar, the grated zest of one orange and a few saffron strands. Cut 450g rhubarb into roughly 2.5cm (1″) lengths and arrange them on your pastry base (I must admit I just randomly chucked my rhubarb chunks into the pastry case with almost no attempt at arranging them!). Pour over the custard mixture and bake in the oven for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 180C and continue to bake for about 10 minutes until the filling is firm with just a little wobble at the centre. Serve at room temperature. I found the custard was sufficient to fill two shallow 8″ cases.
The March of AI in Embroidery Design
If you are a regular newsletter reader you may remember that I wrote about the use of AI (artificial intelligence) to create embroidery patterns just before Christmas. In the last six months however, the number of AI patterns available has grown exponentially. Indeed if you search for embroidery patterns on Etsy it’s likely that the first three pages of your results will be AI patterns offered at ridiculously low prices. It’s really hard for human designers to get a look in – our patterns simply aren’t being seen and Bustle & Sew sales on Etsy have reduced by 70% this year – a massive decrease in a very short space of time.
I have recently come across an excellent video by Kylie of Saint Rogers Street, another Etsy hand embroidery seller in which she discusses the rise of AI, the threat to independent designers and the environment as well as offering lots of guidance on spotting AI patterns. If you’re interested then please click on the link below to watch her video.
The Twelve Days of Christmas
I thought you might like a quick update on my progress to date on my human-designed Twelve Days of Christmas project. So far I’ve completed six flags…
Which I have absolutely loved doing! Though I feel like the little grey cat on the last flag should be named Piper, and the title be Piper’s Piping – it’s amazing how my mind can wander when I’m in the stitching zone!
I’m still on target for pre-orders towards the end of this month, and will sending out printed panels during the early part of June, as well as listing the digital pattern around then, so leaving plenty of time for stitching before Christmas.
Leave a Reply