Hi. This weekend we returned to the markets. Winter is behind us and the long daylight hours keep us outdoors.  From early in the morning until around 2pm, you will find us in our regular spots. We met up with regular market goers yesterday at Deloraine market and Evandale market today. We've also met some wonderful new customers too.

 C'est moi, Genevieve. I'm modelling a tunic-style top made from silk lengths using colour blocking. I'll share more about that top soon. I have another one I've started to cut out.

 This is how we display fabric lengths at our stall. They look gorgeous fluttering in a breeze. The amazing backdrop is an old Boy's Day flag. It is hand-painted and was made in the 1950s.

We have several unused Japanese fabrics for sale too.

Some of our table runners made from silk obis.

This is a boy's kimono on display. We sell kimono we have not yet unpicked. Most people buy them for displaying as a wall feature. We also sell girl's kimono and kimono for adults.

After we have finished setting up our stall in the morning (it takes us about 1 1/2 hours for a complete set up, at a relaxed Sunday morning pace), I go and find breakfast then have a walk around to see what's around.
Check out Noel's beautiful irises for sale. Noel was shy and hid from the camera. Noel runs Bonnie Banks Iris & Perennial Nursery & Gardens, just out of Launceston.

Some bunny loves you, so the saying goes.

If you are going to come out of hibernation and post on your blog for the first time in months, it may as well be about something quite extraordinarily different. Okay?

Recently I made my first soft toy/comforter, for a lovely work colleague's baby. I found an old pattern I had picked up from somewhere probably a couple of decades ago and gave it a major overhaul. It took a few goes to get the head and embroidered facial details to a level I was satisfied with. Take a look at these photos.

A bunny that drank too much?

Getting better, but still needs work.

Oh dear. Ears on back-to-front.

Here she is. Hopping around the garden.

Tired now and having a snooze in the cyclamen patch.

These bunnies will be available in my Etsy store soon. Baby's name is machine embroidered down the front on a piece of Japanese silk. Made from soft bamboo and cotton fleece and soft-as dotty fabric. www.etsy.com/shop/sugoi07

Mother's Day this Sunday 13 May

Last open market for this season at Evandale

This Sunday, Mother's Day, will be our last Evandale market for a while. We are hoping the weather will stay fine, although currently there are showers predicted. Mother's Day is traditionally a friendly day at the market, with lots of people out with Mum for a walk before going for lunch. We are then going into our 'winter hibernation' for the cold, frost, fog, rain, wind. Early October we shall return for the spring/summer season. More time on the weekend will give me a chance to sew and add more stock to the Etsy shop. I look forward to adding sewn items to this blog too. See you soon, Genevieve and David.

This Easter Sunday is the time to launch one of my other great enjoyments to the world....
Sunday night in the kitchen...
We have spent many enjoyable hours at the markets over the weekend, meeting local people and others from so many places around the world.


Besides selling at the markets each week, I buy fresh, in season produce. Today I bought several kilograms of tomatoes (he was selling right opposite me, how could I not)? A quiche, I first thought. That would get rid of a few. But the box holds several kilograms. Browsing through a couple of my favourite Autumn cooking/preserve books, I then remembered. This is the time to make tomato based sauces for bolognese sauce, lasagne and so on, rather than relying on tinned tomatoes through winter. So we've begun the process tonight. A couple of dozen tomatoes, chopped, several onions, chopped, a whole knob of garlic, crushed in my super-duper garlic crusher (purchased recently at my local Habitat store and changed my life), some red wine and the secret ingredient: 41 south Ginseng Spice (one of its secret ingredients is Tasmanian mountain pepper berries), because I had no fresh oregano, parsley or other herbs I wanted to add available. I did not want to go out again. It is now slow cooking on the stove. When it is ready I shall freeze it into smaller containers, ready to use over the coming winter months.

Jake visiting from London, found this enormous acorn leaf.

The fantastic garlic crusher, and ginseng spice

Lots of tomatoes still in the box. Ready for another batch.