After a busy week spent packing orders, updating my Etsy shop and picking lots and lots of blackberries (2025 is shaping up to be a bumper harvest!) it's great to be able to sit down and welcome you to a newsletter packed (in my opinion anyway) with delights.... 

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Free Shellfish Pattern

It's been a while since I offered you a new free pattern and, as Rosie assures me that lobsters and other shellfish are very on-trend, I thought you might enjoy my Shellfish Napkins design from last month's Bustle & Sew Magazine. I stitched mine onto ready-made napkins from English company Next, but you could make your own or else stitch the designs onto all kinds of items....

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This is a great way to spruce up inexpensive plain napkins - I've seen some really quite expensive versions to purchase online!l

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Wheel of the Year 

Offering the Twelve Days of Christmas flags with a downloadable stitching guide rather than a printed booklet definitely seems to be the way forward.  It's been great being able to keep production costs down - so making the flag panels a much more affordable option, without in any way having to compromise on their quality to reduce costs (a definite no-no for me).  I've decided to offer my Wheel of the Year panels in the same way which means I've been able to reduce their price by a massive £10 per panel, from £24 to just £14 each! If you'd like to take a look then please just click on the button below...

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Twelve Days of Christmas

I've been absolutely blown away by the amount of interest in my Twelve Days of Christmas panels - I'm so pleased you like them.  I sold out again earlier this week but have now restocked and have been making multiple trips to the village post box to send them on their way. (Ted and Alfie's paws are feeling quite tired with all the walking there and back! But I say it's good for them and me too!)ll

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Blackberry Bakewell

This is another great way to use some of the lovely juicy blackberries that are so abundant in the hedgerows right now.  There are so many I have already frozen loads (what's not to love about free organic food) and I'm looking for ways to use them too...

Because I'm always in a rush I very often use a pre-made and pre-blind-baked 7" or 8" shortcrust pastry case which makes this recipe even easier.  If you prefer to make your own pastry, it's just a standard shortcrust.  

To make the frangipane filling beat together 100g butter (at room temperature), 100g caster sugar, 1 large egg, 100g ground almonds and 1 tablespoon plain flour. Spread a couple of tablespoons of the jam of your choice onto the base of the pastry case and then fill it with the frangipane mixture.  

Smooth down and then press in as many blackberries as you like - or have room for in the case! Scatter over 25g of toasted flaked almonds and bake at 180C for 15-20 minutes until lightly golden.  Remove from tin and serve warm or cool, with cream (or lovely thick clotted cream if you're feeling super indulgent).

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