As well as stitching my Twelve Days of Christmas flags (nearly finished now!) I've also been working on the designs for the July edition of the Bustle & Sew Magazine.  There will be a bit of a coastal theme going on between the covers, and as part of this, one of the designs is motifs for embroidered napkins (though you could use them on anything you wanted of course!).  But what, I hear you ask, has this to do with the title of this newsletter, "Grandma would be pleased!" 

Like many stitchers of her generation, Grandma (who taught me a great deal about sewing) insisted that the back should always be as neat as the front.  And this is most definitely the case when working on a project where the back is just as likely to be visible as the front - like my seashore napkins....

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The motifs are all worked in stem stitch as it's robust and, as the individual stitches are quite short in length, unlikely to be caught and damaged during either use or laundering.  These aren't the best photos as I snapped them quickly this morning, but I think it's possible to see how closely the backs of the embroideries match the fronts - Grandma would most definitely be pleased!  I stitched them onto plain cotton ready-made napkins as I rather liked the edging.  I think that adding the motifs has turned quite ordinary napkins into something rather more special (as well as on-trend right now!)

Just a few thoughts on keeping the back tidy....  I am not as rigorous as my Grandma was, but I do think the back is worth taking at least a little care over since this does affect the finished appearance of your work.  Securing your thread properly at the beginning is better than simply using a knot as knots can wobble and come loose, whilst carrying thread too far across the back of your work is unwise for a number of reasons, including that long threads may show through to the front of the work, they may catch as you work and also make it harder to unpick if you need to rework any parts of your design.  

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And finally, as this newsletter has been all about Grandma(!) I thought I'd share the recipe I included in last month's magazine for her lemon drizzle cake.  Perfect for afternoon tea in the garden...

LEMON DRIZZLE CAKE

Preheat your oven to 180C. Grease a 22 cm round cake tin and line the base with baking parchment.
●    Cream 225g butter and 225g sugar together until light and fluffy. Slowly beat in 3 large eggs, one at a time. When the eggs are fully incorporated, add 2 tablespoons of milk and fold in 275g self-raising flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder and the grated zest of two lemons.
●    Pour the cake mixture into the tin and tap the sides to release any air bubbles. Bake for 35-40 minute until the sponge is light golden brown. Check if it’s cooked by inserting a skewer into the centre - if it comes out clean the cake is cooked.
●    While the cake is still hot and in the tin, prick it with a skewer and pour over the juice from the lemons. Leave in the tin to cool.
●    To make the drizzle, mix the juice from a third lemon, a little at a time, into the icing sugar to make a smooth paste.
●    Remove the cake from the tin and smooth the icing over the top.
●    Sprinkle over the remaining lemon zest for decoration.s

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