It’s been a lovely sunny (if rather chilly) week here at Bustle & Sew HQ. I remember writing a week or two ago that I’d enjoyed a little stitching sitting outside in the warmth of the early spring sunshine. Not this week, no. with frost on the ground this week has been all about snuggling up in front of the woodburner, though the weather has remained bright and sunny. But there’s no denying that spring has made her entrance. In the garden, though the snowdrops are over now, there are daffodils, hyacinths, pansies, and tiny wild violets cluster around the garden gate.
I have been busy with my Twelve Days of Christmas project too. The samples are back from the fabric printers, though I’m not entirely happy with any of them and have asked for more….
I think the natural coloured fabrics are too yellow in tone, whilst the plain white cotton fabric is too plain. I do like the linen fabric though (the centre one in the image above) so have ordered another sample printed on white linen and hopefully I’ll like it when it arrives! I am a bit of a perfectionist, especially as I want to offer the printed panels in my Etsy shop, so everything has to be just right. Fingers crossed I’ll be able to start stitching next week!
Meanwhile I thought I might share my Spring Bunny Wreath pattern again. If you’ve been a newsletter reader for a while you’ll probably remember this one – I was amazed to find that it’s now more than a decade old, dating back to 2014! It’s still really pretty though and makes a great decoration for Easter. You can download the free pattern here .
And finally, it won’t be long until this season’s rhubarb is readily available again, so I thought I’d leave you with one of my favourite tried and tested recipes. This one’s for Rhubarb and Apple Crumble…
For the filling
● 450g rhubarb, cut into 3cm slices
● 350g apples (Bramley or Granny Smith work well), peeled and cut into 3cm chunks
● 1 vanilla pod, split open or 1 tsp vanilla paste or extract
● 120g golden caster sugar
● ice cream or custard, to serve
For the topping
● 200g plain flour
● 1 tsp ground ginger (optional)
● 100g cold salted butter, chopped
● 70g light soft brown sugar
Serves 4-6
Method
● Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Toss the rhubarb, apples, vanilla and sugar together in an ovenproof dish and roast for 10 mins.
● Mix the flour and ginger, if using, together in a large bowl. Rub in the butter with your fingertips to create a chunky breadcrumb textured mixture. Stir through the sugar.
● Sprinkle the crumble topping onto the fruit and cook for a further 30-35 mins or until the topping is lightly golden brown. Serve with ice cream or custard.
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