Hi there. It is good to know that we are another week closer to Spring with the early bulbs and the Winter Sweet blooming already doing their thing. I must admit I am more interested in getting out in the garden than Spring cleaning...however it does make you feel better when the weather is fine and the job is done.

This cushion I finished recently may be a good reminder of the flowers to come. This is worked on Moda’s cotton towelling. This is quite a heavy cloth and so doesn’t need any stabiliser behind it when you are stitching. However, this begs the question of how do you see through it to transfer the design onto the cloth? That is where a product called “Transfer-eze” comes in.

You can scan and print your design onto the water soluble sheets that are backed with freezer paper. Then you can peel back the paper and stick your design onto the cloth. When you are finished stitching through it, submerse the whole thing in water and the Transfer-eze will dissolve away leaving your stitches intact. This works really well with dark fabrics, wool, denim and heavier fabrics. It is a great product and is $4.00 per sheet or $36.00 for a pack of 10.

I have included a pre-printed sheet of Transfer-eze in the cushion kit “Be Full of Hope” along with the pattern, DMC threads, and fabrics for the stitchery background and prairie points ($62.00).

I am also excited to tell you that we now have the full range of Sue Spargo’s Pearl 5 Eleganza threads to compliment the Pearl 8 and Elana Wool thread ranges that she uses in her work. The Pearl 5’s are being added to the website as we speak!

This weekend we are looking forward to having Sonya Prychal (Whangarei) teach us some new skills in thread painting. Unfortunately we have lost a keen stitcher due to a family bereavement, which means I have one place available in the Saturday’s Gerberra class. If you would like to join us please let me know.

Oh..and the winner of the $50.00 voucher from Annie’s CQS for June is Rachelle Baker from Rakaia. Congratulations Rachelle, your voucher is waiting for you.

Now, on to the recipe...today I was very excited to find three young asparagus spears poking through the ground in our brand new asparagus bed. I don’t think we are supposed to harvest them this season so it is going to be a test of endurance. However here is a recipe to look forward to.

Asparagus, Barley and Broad Bean Salad

• 1 ½ c pearl barley
• 2 bunches of fresh asparagus (chopped)
• ¾ cups of double podded broad beans
• Zest of ½ lemon
• ½ c of good quality olive oil
• ½ c toasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds
• Freshly ground salt and pepper

Cook the pearl barley in a saucepan of boiling water for about 20 minutes or until just tender. Drain and set aside to cool.

Cook the asparagus in boiling salted water until just tender and remove from the pan to cool. Blanche the broad beans in the liquid and then drain.

Mix the oil and lemon zest together for the dressing and then combine all the ingredients and season to taste.

Well...that is all from me this week.

Happy stitching,

Rachel

Annie’s CQS