Elderberry Ink

Ingredients

• 1/s cup ripe berries [elderberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries.... as an example]
• 1/2 tsp vinegar
• 1/2 tsp salt

Method

1. place the berries in a bowl.
2. Use a potato masher to begin to crush the berries.
3. Remove the berries placing the berries over a sieve or lining the 2nd bowl with muslin cloth.
4. Carry on crushing the berries while using a sieve or cheese cloth to hold onto the berry seeds and skins.
5. Very gently squeeze the pulp every so often to encourage the juice to come through.
6. Let the juice drain and drip out through the sieve /muslin.
7. When finished dripping use the pulp in the compost.
8. Add vinegar to the juice to retain the colour. 
9. Then add the salt to help prevent the moulding.
10. If too thick just add a few drops of water. 
1. Check constancy. 
11. When satisfied use.
12. After use keep remaining ink in a small glass jar [with a lid on] in the refrigerator.

Similar Posts

1. Elderberry Cordial
2. Elderberry Jelly
3. The Elderberry

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References


The Crunchy Chicken

kaftans were the rage then.

In the 1970's my mother used to wear Kaftan's.  these were easy to make, loose fitting a cool along with comfortable.  Also it did not matter how many layers you wore underneath [clothing or natural additions] you also could keep warm in winter.

Check out this pattern as it is the easiest one that I have seen around.

A sand-filled Pyramid Door Stop

You will need

• Cardboard [from empty cereal packet will do]
• Ruler
• Marker pen / dress makers chalk
• Paper
• Fabric
• 20 cm  wide
• 12cm by 1mm matching ribbon
• Medium weight iron on facing
• General sewing supplies
• Funnel
• Sand
• A copy of illustrations sheet in thispost.

What to do

1. Make templates.
1. Base
1. Draw then cut a 15.5 cm square piece of cardboard.
2. For the four height triangles using the 2nd piece of cardboard
1. Make a Triangle base template by drawing two pare 15.5 cm lines 15.5cm apart from each other.  now you have the base line and have measured for the triangles  height as well.
2. Find the midway point on what will be your top point line.
3. From the two end points of the base line draw from each a straight line to the mid way point of the top line.
3. Cut out the triangle template.
2. Connecting the interfacing
1. Using a hot dry iron press the interfacing onto the wrong side of the fabric. 

1. Cutting out the pattern.
1. With interfacing face up and using the templates trace out the fabric base.
1. Cut out this base.
2. Now draw around the triangles twice.  Once directly around the template.  The second line 1 cm on the outside of the template. 
1. Follow the fabric direction when planning out which way to cut the material or you will end up with some patterns going one way and others up side down.
2. This second line is the hem area. 
3. The template line is the sewing area.
3. Cut out the four triangles which are the pyramid sides.
2. Sewing everything together.
1. With the correct sides facing each other sew along a long side of two triangles.  This is the first upper seam.
1. Now sew two other triangle [along their long seam]  so that each triangle is connecting to the initial ones. 
2. At this point all four triangles are sewn together and the material is able to be laid out still.
3. Iron open all the seams. Carefully trim a little off the apex of all four triangles. Iron back the apex so that the interfacing is touching the inside.
4. Fold a small piece of ribbon over itself.
5. Pin the sew this ribbon near the apex of the triangle.
6. Sew the last triangle seam together. Take particular notice of the ribbon re the ribbons security of placement.
7. Now pin and tack the base onto all four triangle bases having left a small opening, big enough to turn the pyramid inside out, so that all the correct material sides are showing when you have machine sown the base to the pyramid base to the traiangles' base.
8. Machine sew around the base.
9. Gently snip the four base / triangle corners twice.  Scissors pointing towards the sewn line.  Stop the snip a few m away from the sewn line. This allows less of a bunching effect to occur. 
10. Turn the pyramid inside out [interfacing now faces inwards.]
11. Place a funnel into the opening.
12. Funnel sand into the inside.
13. Hand sew the opening closed.

Now you have one  really handy door stop.