Sunday Catch-Up


Today is shaping up to be one of those sunny yet very cold and windy days. In this part of Australia, around August / September each year, it's wind season. Crazy strong westerly winds that sweep in and seem to blow for days and nights. Then we'll have a couple of days reprieve before it gets windy again. This goes on for weeks until one day you realise that it's been still outside for a couple of days and the last of the winds have passed and spring is right on our doorstep.

There's not been a whole of sewing going on here this week. I finished a few hexies for the July scrappy rainbow challenge and am slowly appliqueing those to their backgrounds. I'm not a fan of dark blue or brown so this month has really been quite challenging for me. Hopefully next month we return to a brighter, happier colour.

I have a new-found confidence in sewing zippers to the back of cushion covers after finding some tutorials online. Some of the cushions that we have on the couch get squished and misshapen so badly that I've begun the process of replacing the envelope style back of cushions with zipped backs. 

This Hip to be Square pillow is one of my favourites (tutorial here) and I usually put it behind my back when I sit on the couch in the evenings. It was losing its shape and becoming elongated with the unsupportive envelope back opening up. 

It was still okay and the cushion still did it's job, but it wasn't the square shape it once was. I unstitched the backing fabric, added a zipper and it's now got a new lease on life, holding its shape beautifully.

I have a few other cushions on the couch that can do with some of this zippery attention, so I'll take a few photos as I go and share them here. It'll be good for anyone who'd like to have a go at zips or just as a reminder for myself to refer to.

We've just started our 5th week of lockdown here in Greater Sydney. Some people become super productive with their time and create lots of gorgeous projects. They use their unexpected time at home to tackle projects that they wouldn't normally take-on. I'm the opposite. I rush around preparing and taking food over to my parents house before rushing to the grocery store or chemist and then back home to check that the kids are doing okay with their home learning. If I manage to get all of this done by 11am, we sit down to watch our state premiere give us the Covid news and numbers for the day. Each day, the news is worse that the previous day, so it's about time things turn around and we hear some better news, right? 

With this home extra home time, we've been baking and eating. Yesterday, we thought we'd make some cinnamon scrolls. I used to make these years ago but it was always a long slow process as I used a recipe that required long proving times. Recently, I found a recipe online that uses self raising flour  - it gives us deliciously warm, sweet and sticky cinnamon scrolls in half the time. 

It's a thermomix recipe, but can be easily recreated using a food processor. It's right here if you'd like to make some of these scrolls too.

The "It's a Guy Thing" blog hop begins tomorrow and I'm excited to share my project with you. My husband is also looking forward to it because I made the project for him, but won't let him have it until after I post it on the blog. Hah!

21 comments

  1. I love your hexie backgrounds - so neat. Your baking and pillows too all looks really good. Sorry you are in lockdown - it is getting bad here again too and I mainly stay home and keep busy. I do have my vaccinations but now they are saying vaccinated people are getting mild cases also and I am on immune suppressants so I try to stay home a lot and away from crowded areas and vaccinated people.
    we are in the hot time of year here

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Karen. It's such a scary illness and this new variant moves so quickly and silently through the community. I have my second jab next week, so once that's done, I'll feel more protected. Yes, good idea staying home and away from the summer crowds.

      Delete
  2. Your Hexies look great.
    Stay safe and well.
    Oh and enjoy your scrolls. Yum.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Lou. Those scrolls were very yummy and were gone in the blink of an eye.

      Delete
  3. Good point about the zips on cushions to help hold the shape... I never thought of it. I have a layer cake marked with a label saying HIp to Be Square by Anorina .... so one of these days I will make it...
    Hugz

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yay! I look forward to seeing your Hip to be Square project.

      Delete
  4. According to my children its freezing in Melbourne. I can never understand the Melbourne seasons. Apart from that the lockdown is not helping. The children are going stir crazy and driving the adults nuts too!
    The hexies look great. I do so like the color combinations.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's been quite cold lately, though I honestly don't know why we complain so much as it is winter. I hear Melbourne's lockdown is going to finish tonight which is lucky for them. Ours is meant to finish Friday, but with the high numbers, I imagine it'll be extended again. Hope you're well :)

      Delete
  5. The hexy blocks look fun. I discovered that zipper method last year. It gives such a neat finish. Thanks for sharing the cinnamon scrolls recipe. I’ll have to have to give it a go.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've decided that I'm going to only add zippers to my cushions from now-on. I have a bag of old zippers which i bought from an op-shop which has been good to play with. The cinnamon scrolls are delicious and I hope you enjoy them :)

      Delete
  6. Love your hexies and your cushions. I find the cushion inserts always squish too easily. Hopefully the zippers will help. Lots of baking happening there. Lol last year here in Vic many people had to diet once lockdown stopped. Hope you achieve lots of things during lockdown and that you don't end up like us last year. Keep safe.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Ondrea. Yes inserts seem to be less "structured" (if that's the word) than they used to be years ago. I've started buying the cheap 2 packs of pillows from kmart or Big W and making my own inserts in the size I need.
      I hope you're well and enjoying your first day back to freedom. I think we've got another few weeks.

      Delete
  7. I love cinnamon rolls but they do take forever, I must have look at the recipe for these.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. These are very quick with the self raising flour - possibly too quick because then we make and eat them too often ;-)

      Delete
  8. I do like zips on things they are easy if you do them first. I think I will try those scrolls too. I bought a sourdough fruit loaf from a market stall up here and it is so delicious. I knew you could do some "ugly" colours well done

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hope you like the scrolls. They're really yummy and the kids love them. Who am I kidding, we all love them. Sourdough fruit loaf sounds good!

      Delete
  9. You have been baking up a storm. Those cinnamon rolls look delicious! Love your hexies, too, even the brown ones. =) The cushions is gorgeous. Yes, a zipper seems to cause a cushion to hold together beautifully. Hopefully, you will achieve all the things you want during lockdown. The Sydney Covid situation is certainly worrisome. Take care.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Your hexi blocks are so vibrant and beautiful as is your pillow. I have never sewn a a zipper before. Thank you so much for the link to the tutorial . Happy quilting.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Your hexie blocks are great, your cushions will get a new lease of life with zappers. Your baking sounds wonderful. Keep safe.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Oh, I'm excited to see you appliqueing your hexies to a background. I just thought of doing that with some blocks and pieces I inherited and wasn't sure how it would look. If mine look anything like your fantastic blocks I'll be happy. I'm going to blanket stitch around the edges of mine because I find that easier than applique.

    I'm finishing up some embroidery on pillow kits I picked up from the thrift store over the years. I might have to consider putting zippers in the ones that I think will get a lot of use. I've never done that but put many a zipper in clothes back in the day.

    Your bread and rolls look delicious. We make most of our bread. And I have an overnight cinnamon roll recipe that raises in the fridge over night so I can just pop in the oven in the a.m. Yummm!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hi Anorina, good luck with the lockdown. We've had 3 in Ontario but it looks like things may be getting back to normal...but who knows. Everything is open but filled only to half capacity with marks still the fashion :-) I really like your cushion (and cinnamon rolls). Take care.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for your comment. I truly appreciate the time you've taken to leave me a message. I will attempt to answer comments via email.