Hi there...the bag is (almost) packed and we are off to Melbourne for our annual catch up with our Australian suppliers and designers, many who have become friends over the years. Some warm summery weather will be welcome too as we play tourists for a day and catch up with family.

As we race towards Christmas everything seems to be picking up speed so it is really nice to have a little bit of hand stitching to do...call it sanity value!

We still have places in our Dancing Chickens Block of the Month, and a little bird told me that Anni Downs is about to release a new BOM – more news about that next week.

We have just had a brand new shipment of stunning fabrics arrive from Kaffe Fassett including some really useful stripes which I am excited about.

Speaking of bright fabrics, I am starting to see some of the stunning fabrics that have been released at Quilt Market in the US including a range from Free Spirit and French designer Odile Bailloeul. Think Mexico/Eastern European embroidery with shades of India. This fabric will look stunning for clothing, furnishings, bags and in combination with wool embroidery..the possibilities are endless! This is the link to her new range Broderie Boheme which we will receive early next year, however I have to say these images don’t really do it justice – it is stunning!

http://www.freespiritfabrics.com/coatsb2b/en/Collection/Broderie-Boheme/c/BRODERIE%20BOHEME

Annie's Lemon Dessert

Anyway...on to the recipe, a very tasty and easy dessert using some of the gorgeous lemons that are dripping off the tree at the moment, but you could also substitute oranges or limes.

• 1 pack of store bought sweet short crust pastry
• 1 ¾ cups of sugar
• 4 eggs
• ½ cup fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons of lemon zest
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 cup sour cream

Preheat the oven to 180 C. Roll out the pie crust and press this into a large greased pie dish. Prick the base and sides of the crust with a fork and par-bake for 10 minutes.

While the crust is baking, put the sugar and eggs into the food processor and whizz on high. Reduce speed and add the lemon juice in a steady stream. Add in the rest of the ingredients and blend again.

Pour the mixture in the par-baked tart shell and cook for another 35 mins or until it is set.

Cool and enjoy with icecream and fresh berries.

That’s all from me, happy stitching!

R