Rough around the edges

Yesterday I found a nearly finished quilt that I started 4 or 5 years ago and had half forgotten about. When I pulled it out of it's bag (stuffed in the back of the highest cupboard) I could see why; many of the lines don't match up, the edges are uneven, the stitching wonky. I shoved it away back then because finishing it was depressing. I'd put so much effort in and really made a mess of it, and sewing on the edging just made it clearer to me how wrong it had gone. In the past 4 years though many things large and small havn't gone according to plan and it seems that I'm less bothered by this than I was because I saw the state of the abandoned thing, thought "Sod it, it'll be warm" and dragged it downstairs to finish it. A couple of hours later I'd sewn the last two sides of edging on, chopped off (most of) the many loose threads and was snuggled up under it on the sofa with Mr CB.

To be honest it may well fall apart after a couple of washes (oh those terrible, wonky edges!) but I'm glad I finished it and fortunately it's made from cheap remnants of fabric that cost me next to nothing when I bought it. I'm enjoying the hot colours on this massive quilt and the prospect of learning from my mistakes and making a much better one. 


I did some collaborative baking with Mr Crafty Blueberry and made something else that turned out to be rough around the edges. We had our hearts set on making a custard tart so I made the pastry and he made the vanilla egg custard. The pastry was the best I've made, the custard was smooth and sweet, the nutmeg was plentiful (there's never enough on shop bought ones). On the down side it looked like this:


...!!!!

I've looked for advice on the internet and it looks like I should have used all butter in my pastry instead of half butter and half margarine. Once again I know for next time and in the mean time am enjoying a wonky slice of custard tart on a wonky quilt and reflecting that I'm glad that these days I'm not so easily disheartened when my attempts go awry.

Comments

  1. In all the pastry I made, both sweet and savoury, I always use half lard and half marg (no lard if vegetarian though). Things usually come out okay. I gather you are also supposed to blind bake pastry at the start of this before the filling goes in. I often forget that too. I wouldn't worry about the look of the thing as lets face, your stomach doesn't have eyes!

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  2. That made me laugh,and it's true, my stomach certainly didn't hold anything against the custard tart's unusual looks.

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  3. Not made a custard tart for years. Think I my have to rectify this. Yours still looks lovely and tasty even if it is a bit bendy x

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  4. Thanks, it's vanished very quickly.

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  5. Custard tart is one of my favourite comfort foods. I havent made one since my boys were little but they are soooo tasty!!

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