This 12" March House Block is part of my Calendar of Houses Bee Quilt. A friend and I organized this on-line bee a couple of years ago after being members of two previous on-line bees.
There were twelve of us in the bee - from the United States as well as England and New Zealand. Every month, each of us made a block for a member and a different member made a block for us. The house design was to represent that month. I absolutely love the Irish castle with the shamrock flag, the rickrack rainbow, the pot of gold, and the leprechaun made for me by an amazing quilter from Kansas. I know she didn't have a pattern - she just made up the design herself. Isn't she wonderfully creative?
Ireland has the perfect climate for raising oats. This recipe comes from my mother, whose grandfather immigrated to America from Ireland when he was 12 years old.
First Gathering
Ireland has the perfect climate for raising oats. This recipe comes from my mother, whose grandfather immigrated to America from Ireland when he was 12 years old.
Oatmeal Bannocks
2 packages yeast
½ cup water
2-1/2 to 3 cups flour, divided
1/3 cup sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
1 cup oatmeal
½ cup milk
¼ cup oil
1 egg
1. Dissolve yeast in warm water.
2. Mix ¾ cup flour, sugar, salt, and oatmeal in mixer bowl.
3. Stir in milk, oil, egg, and yeast-water mixture. Mix 2 minutes.
4. Add rest of flour as needed. Knead 7 to 10 minutes.
5. Cover and let rise about 45 minutes.
6. Divide dough in half. Pat each half into an 8-inch round greased cake pan. Cut dough with sharp knife into 8 wedges (cut almost to bottom). Let rise 30 minutes.
7. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Bake about 20 minutes.
First Gathering
Child, take your basket down,
Go and find spring,
Earth has not lost her brown,
Nor wind his sting.
But in the morning
The thrush and the blackbird
Sing to the sleeping town,
And to the waking woods
Sing:
take your basket down,
Go and find spring!
Now where the ground was bare
Only last week,
Now where the flower was rare
And the hedge bleak,
Reach for the catkin
And stoop for the primrose,
Seek, if you want your share
Of the first gathering,
Seek,
where the ground was bare
Only last week.
Eleanor Farjeon
You might also enjoy my previous blog post:
I think your leprichaun block is so cute! My castle quilt is the post right next door to yours on Connies Freemotion By the River Linky. They look good together!
ReplyDeleteHow fun! Thank you for stopping by my blog, Gail.
DeleteWhat a lovely block--cute little flag and I really like that rainbow rickrack! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI loved the block when I received it in the mail. I thought the rickrack rainbow was very clever.
DeleteSo cute! Love your rainbow and little leprechaun.
ReplyDeleteIt was fun to be part of that on-line bee and receive blocks that I would never think of making.
DeleteWhat a cute, cute block and the little leprechaun....precious! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteFreemotion by the River Linky Party Tuesday
Didn't the quilter do a wonderful job? I love having this block in my quilt.
DeleteWhat a cleaver little block! I love to see what people come up with when they don't use a printed pattern. (or even how they tweak a pattern to make it original).
ReplyDeleteI thought this block was so creative. I never would have thought of an Irish castle and a rickrack rainbow. I was so excited to find it in my mailbox.
DeleteThank for sharing. Is the Leprechaun fuzzy cut from a printed fabric?
ReplyDeleteThis is so cool.
Yes, the Leprechaun is fussy cut from a printed fabric.
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