Hi there, from sunny Golden Bay, where we are visiting family. 

Well it has been sunny for the past two days, today there is a severe rain warning for the area – but it is summer!

Rosie, Jane and Jack are doing a great job of looking after the shop, so it is business as usual there and very busy with lots of out of town and overseas visitors, as well as our regular customers who are excited about a new year of patchwork, quilting and embroidery.

Alice Caroline’s quilt, Alice’s Wonderland, has been hugely popular, and we are currently sending out the first posting of this Liberty BOM.  If you missed this, we still have a good supply of books as well as Liberty tana lawn and cotton fabrics in metreage or FQ, 1/8ths or 16ths.  These are on our website or you can always give us a call at the shop and we can put together a pack of fabrics for you.

https://www.anniesquilts.co.nz/cms/shop-online/category/48-liberty-fabrics.html
https://www.anniesquilts.co.nz/cms/shop-online/product/4559-alice-s-wonderland-sampler-quilt.html?search=alice%27s%20wonderland

I am also excited about the long awaited arrival of my new thread stand of Gutermann Silk threads.  With a full range of colours these are my favourite threads for English paper piecing, applique and sewing on bindings as they are very strong, glide through the fabric, are less inclined to knot up and are a pleasure to sew with.  The sheen on the thread also make it beautiful to machine sew, overlock or topstitch with.

If you are a cross stitcher and work on very fine count linen, these silk threads also work really for one over one detailing.
https://www.anniesquilts.co.nz/cms/shop-online/category/69-gutermann-silk-thread.html

Preparations are now well underway for our Annual Mid Winter Stitching Retreat here at the Hotel Ashburton 17-19 July.  This has been a very popular event and this year we have extended it to three days at the hotel with VIP shopping opportunities on Thursday the 16th.  If you attended last year, you should have already received your registration form.  Let us know if you are keen to join us for three days of sewing, shopping, guest speakers, demonstrations, shopping opportunities, great food and good company.

If you are a keen stitcher and are interested in “slow stitching” want to up your skills or need some help with knowing where to start, check out the Stanley Class that we have coming up at Annie’s with the very talented Oamaru textile artist Maria Morressey on Friday-Saturday 27-28 March.  

For this project Maria has started with the “Stanley” preprinted panel from Kasia Jacquot Designs and then has taken it to the next level with threads, textures and handmade buttons which you will also get to make in the class.  You could make it into a bag, the centre of a quilt, wall hanging, table runner, or perhaps a feature panel on the back of a jacket.  More details on the website or you are welcome to give us a call.
https://www.anniesquilts.co.nz/cms/classes.html

As we are now into February I can tell you the winner of our monthly lucky customer $50.00 draw is Elli Lippert from Kaiapoi.  Congratulations Elli, your voucher is waiting for you in the shop.

Now, on to the recipe, another quick mid-week meal.

Sticky Pork with Fresh Green Beans and Rice

• Pork steak (about 600g for 4 people)
• 2 cloves crushed garlic
• 2 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
• 1 Tbsp Hoisin sauce
• ¼ soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp oil
• A couple of handfuls of fresh green bean or broccolli,  or zucchini
• Rice to serve

Mix the garlic, ginger and sauces together in a small bowl.  

Trim any fat from the pork and then spread the marinade onto the meat and let it sit for a few minutes.
Heat the oil in a fry pan for a few minutes  at medium heat and cook for 4-5 minutes each side.  Set it aside on a board and cook the remaining marinade in the pan for 1 minute.
Cook the beans and the rice separately.  Slice the pork thinly and serve together with the remaining marinade and pan juices.

That’s all from me this time, happy stitching!