bit of Baking - Flourless Chocolate cakes :)

Hi 

It's that time of year where I seem to be constantly baking something - kids stuff - family stuff - school stuff and it will keep going till just around new year. 

I've made this batch of cakes several times over the last few weeks - its the easiest fool proof recipe I know and it tastes delicious.

Today I feed 6 teen boys lunch and this was the requested dessert.

 

Over the years its been adapted from several recipes.

This is my version. You will find lots of different versions all over the place 

This mixture will make 24 individual cakes

Ingredients

180g salted butter

300g good quality dark eating chocolate

1 1/4 cups of raw caster sugar

100g hazelnut meal

1 cup cocoa powder

5 large eggs

Preheat the oven to 150c. 

Place the sugar, chocolate and butter in a saucepan over a low heat and gently melt until smooth.

In a mixing bowl place the almond meal and cocoa.

Add the cooled chocolate mixture to the dry ingredients and beat to combine.

Add the eggs one at a time whilst the beater is going and mix each egg in well (the mixture will be warm and you don't want the eggs to cook).

Once all the eggs have been beaten into the chocolate mixture you will have a glossy stiff mixture, using a table spoon - spoon the mixture into your muffin pan.

I recommend using a patty case or baking paper in your muffin trays as I have done for the photos.

Bake for 25 minutes

The serving size is on the small size as the cakes are incredibly rich!!

Serve with Clotted cream and fresh raspberries

Enjoy Xx Siobhan 

Windham Fabrics Houston Quilt Market 2012

I'm home plodding along - working on some new quilt patterns and the usual family stuff. Whilst a whole bunch of other people in the Quilting Community are over in Houston at the Trade show - Quilt Market!

Whilst I'm not in Houston one of my quilts is :)

Going back a month or so....

When I was in New York I popped over to Jersey City to Vist Windham Fabrics, I had been doing some quilt design work for them and thought it would be nice to put names to people and have a look around.

I also picked up some fabric to make a quilt for the Houston Quilt Market which is currently in full swing!

This range is called "Phoebe". The full range has 13 print and 5 solid fabrics. I added in the yellow as the backing.

When you don't have yardage it can be tricky to piece together a quilt. I was given mostly samples and cuttings - I went with a random large piecing to try and show off all of the new line

I really like the purples with grey and white.

I nearly added a bright red backing which looked great too - but yellow won out in the end, It reminded me of a painting I saw at the MOMA when sight seeing.

Artist Joan Mitchell from The MOMA New York 

I would have liked to use more of the light colour prints as binding - it looks lovely and fresh, 

the only reason I didn't do all the binding in the light print was because I ran out :(

Below are some pics of Windham Fabrics Head Quarters 

 Me with wonderful Lara!

I wish I had more time to hang out - everyone was so nice & fun.

If your interested in stocking or using the "Phoebe" range give them a yell
and if your at the Houston Quilt market right now then go check out the Windham Fabrics booth :) tell them I said hello!

 here are some other fabrics I took home with me :)

I was looking through my other picture, one week is no way near enough time to see everything - Hopefully I'll be back again soon 

 Xx Siobhan 

Pixels, Hexies & Roses

I've been working away

I had a bit of a shock when I looked at the date of my last post! 

Time gets away sometimes - I cant even tell you what I've been doing, its a blur. 

Lots of teaching which is a good thing and lots of sorting out kids.

I'm currently attempting to finish off a pixel quilt - its for a friends Mr 2yrs. 

 I've also re-caught the hexie bug and I'm crazily planning a big single bed quilt all in hexies.... lets see how my enthusiasm and attention span goes this time... 

my Hexie table from Freedom Furniture Australia

The Pixel quilt design is emerging as I go.

I was inspired a while back by some paintings Matthew Johnson did and truth be told Pixel art is everywhere at the moment. Uppercase magazine did a nice little homage to the pixel in issue 15 (very cool Canadian magazine)

To start with I had a fat quarter pack of solids from the Fat Quarter Shop and cut it all into 2.5 inch squares. With this I used 6 X 6 - 2.5inch squares to create 1 block. I pressed all my seams open as it will be long arm machine quilted and Kim prefers the seams open, I think its sits flatter too.

I spent the afternoon messing around with the lay out - so far I have 16 blocks made. 

I think I want 4 more blocks? and maybe different colours? 

I like my single bed quilts to be big - almost double bed size. It makes it easier to make the bed and stays on wiggling sleeping children in the night.

I'll have a play around tomorrow :)

 and look at my roses!

This is the first flush for the season. They smell divine.

before I forget!

Martine from Home Industry asked me to pass on some workshop info in Sydney, If you have ever wanted to try out Furniture Upholstery or maybe need a refresher - check it out.

Looks like lots of fun.

Hope your enjoying your week & wish me luck with my Pixels and Hexies!

Xx Siobhan

Finished Quilt

Im a bit short on words....

but wanted to show you all this :)

One little Quilt coming in at 55 inches square.

Machine pieced half square triangles.

Long arm machine quilted by Kim.

All 100% Cotton

Xx Siobhan 

What?

What drives you to make stuff?

I recently did an interview with an Australian Magazine and I had to answer so many questions.... Things I hadn't even thought of.

What drives you?

How do you create?

Whats your style?

Why do you do what you do?

these all seemed like very ordinary standard questions - but ones I hadn't give any thought to until they were asked.

The story proof came back today - gosh its strange to read about yourself...

even stranger to see a big fat portrait of myself glaring back at me!

some of my fabrics available on spoonflower

Xx Siobhan

Schools back!

Once upon a time I could do work whilst the kids were home on holidays - something changed these holidays. Not sure what...

anyway needless to say not much work was done over the last two weeks

I'm sure if i had this conversation with my nana she would have told me they have worms and I should give them all cod-liver oil.  

Maybe I should have.....

really I think they just desperately wanted all of my attention - Thats what I get for galavanting off to New York...

Just as well they went back to school today as Kim had two of my quilts ready to be picked up and I needed to finish them.

Quilt number one is a baby commission

quilt two is being couriered to the USA for photography and quilt market in Houston.

and if your my Down Under Dolly Quilt Partner - expect this in your mail box in the next day or two :))) cant wait to see what my partner made me!

Xx Siobhan 

Dolly Quilt swap

Truthfully I have never really had the need to make a Dolly Quilt - They look cute, but.....

I tend to make big quilts that go on beds.

But after having a bit of a look around and seeing the Down Under Dolly Quilt Swap flickr group - I had to give it a try.

They look cute and its nice to try tricky techniques but not be committed to a whole big bed quilt. 

Sarah Fielke has a bit of a thing for Dolly Quilts and also has a recent book that looks at the very idea above that I was talking about.

This little quilt took me two days! 

I fully intend on making a few tweaks and creating a bigger version - I love the colour combination and have some more coming my way.

I need to track down my fav liberty print - I've used it as the sashing and it was my last little bits.

first step - Choosing fabrics - searching through my scrap basket

& cutting

I could have left it at this - but decided to add some white

Then I wanted to add some fun with the tabs.

 At this stage I could have put on the binding and be done - but I decided if I had no binding the tabs could stick out.

Hopefully fingers crossed my Down Under Dolly Quilt Swap secret partner likes it!

Xx Siobhan 

Wombat Wonderland Blog Tour

Living in Sydney I sometimes bump into Saffron Craig - Saffron is incredibly approachable and full of enthusiasm for what she does.

I was lucky enough to have a peak at the new range Wombat Wonderland earlier in the year and loved it straight away - the pattern/ shapes and colours are wonderful (Wonderful-Wombat Wonderland!)

Anyway I'm honoured to be part of the Blog Tour & hope you like what I came up with

Xx

I'm the last stop on the 

Wombat Wonderland Blog Tour!

so far I have really enjoyed everyones projects.

Friday the 31st of August Katia of Plushka

made some incredibly cute softies

Friday the 7th of September Toni Coward of Make it Perfect

made a gorgeous children's bean bag pod & Cute summer dress

Friday the 14th of September Amy Gunson of Badskirt

made an amazing little baby outfit

Friday the 21st of September Katy of I'm a Ginger Monkey

made some very chic scalloped bunting & a cushion worth stealing

 and Now it seems its my turn

Friday the 28th of September Siobhan Rogers of 

Bespoke Quilts

I had the Wombat Wonderland fabrics sitting in my studio for a while - I like to look at fabrics and imagine what they can be.

I like making quilts with large piecing - its a nice way to show off great fabrics.

Above is the range of fabrics I had

I wanted to add in some solid coloured fabrics and make it into a large single bed quilt.

 My youngest Ms 6 has fallen in love with the Wombats and requested they go onto her bed.

This is the mix I ended up with 

To start with I framed some squares, randomly placing the solid colours and Wombat Wonderland prints.

I made 20 squares all up

It looked fine - But I wanted to mix up the colours again and decided to use a pattern I did a little while back called Eton Mess 

& Voila!

one finished large single bed quilt top

Its currently at the long arm machine quilters having the lovely final touches done.

I'll keep Saffron posted about the finished product - I cant wait to see it quilted and on Ms 6's bed.

I'm eyeing of the Blue Sunrays fabric or the garden stripes as the binding - maybe even both? 

Hope you enjoyed everyones creations & Thank you to Saffron!

Xx Siobhan