the smartie effect

I helped to cater for forty hungry young rowers (as in boats, not arguments) one day last week. So I turned up at the boathouse ready to help cook vast cauldrons of chicken casserole and huge trays of potatoes with my wonderful cake-carriers full of Smartie-decorated vanilla butterfly cakes and chocolate butterfly cakes.

Then, when I was compiling a list of the fabrics used in the quilt I made last week, I saw they were of a similarly pretty, sweet hue with lots of pale colours and just a few brighter highlights. (I have to stress that this is me working deliberately to create a pale quilt and it is in fact the palest I could manage from the fabrics I own; anything paler and I would be yawning all through the sewing.) Of course, it's the little Smartie dots and details of deeper colour that keep the whole effect lively and  interesting.

Just think how pale and uninteresting the cakes would be without the Smarties and that's exactly how I feel about a purely pale quilt. Which leads me to conclude that the quilt that has resulted from these yummy fabrics most definitely benefits from the Smartie Effect (as, indeed, does life).

Comments

[The Antidote]

There was outrage at work one day last year when I dared to put tooti fruities on my fairy cakes instead of smarties, a mistake I won't repeat again!
I have lusted after your cake carrier since you wrote about it last year, at last they have something similar in Lakeland x

[Sasha]

I once saw a really beautiful all-white quilt. It was made entirely of white fabric, with really subtle damask-type patterns in the fabrics. As wonderful as it was, and as into texture over color as I typically am, I just don't have it in me to make a quilt like that. My eyes would give out, to say nothing of my will to stitch! Your smartie-quilt looks like a lot of fun! :-)

[Laura]

Will you display a photo of the pale quilt with pops of color? It sounds delicious!

[Debbie]

Gosh I love that fabric and long for the day when I can afford to get a bunch of lovely fabrics to start a new quilt or pillow. For now I am using fabric I got for free at a yard sale last year. It was remnants from L.L. Bean. The woman who gave it to me used to work there. Companies that make the fabric, send it to Bean's to be tested in small and large amounts. I have a ton of it but the colors are not of my choosing.:( I did make a nice folk art pillow from it...actually two...both on my blog (if you go back far enough!) and many pincushions and other pillows. I love how you included the color of food with your quilt fabric...both are gorgeous! And...you are absolutely right!...The cakes would be soooo boring without the smartie effect! I always enjoy coming here and am glad I found you again.:):)

[willow]

I'm thinking a chocolate smarties butterfly quilt would really pop the colors.

[kitschen pink]

Am I the only one so undiscerning as to suggest I'd eat your cakes even without the smarties?! They look delicious! Lucky rowers (non-argumentative ones). t.x

[sherri]

Those fabrics are yummy!!! I love them!

[The 6 O'Clock Stitch]

I've spent hours on the road this weekend, crammed into the back seat with a rambunctious toddler and your book. Thanks for helping me keep my sanity!

[Lindsay]

Lucky rowers! That cake carrier looks very handy, but I fear I would get my wrist slapped for further cluttering up the kitchen if I were to get one.

[beth]

That's going to be one lovely quilt!

[susan hall]

I would guess the rowers wolfed those cakes pdq,men never ever get too old or figure concious to eat cake! they look yummy.
And the quilt mmmm even yummier.It seems a long tantalising wait for this quilt book but the little glimpses you give are a treat.

[Teish]

My kiddos went nuts over the photograph of the cupcakes, while I swooned over the fabric photo. Both are beautiful!

[Shan]

After reading this post I scrolled down and noticed the similarities in your petal shot and your bin shots. Both shots of leftovers of sorts with lots of repetition.

[Julie]

Is there a special secret at making butterfly cakes - mine never ever turn out like that :(

[mathea]

I soooo agree with you about pale quilts. Everybody around me seem to be making them at the moment, but I can't go there. I just "need" bright colours to make them pop. I have a pile of japanese taupe fabric that I was lured into buying last year, but I just realized a couple of days ago that the only way I can make a quilt with them is if I add some hot pinks, lime greens and a bit of turquoise ;-)

[Candy Schultz]

It all looks quite yummy to me but then I am starving at the moment. No it is all beautiful.

[Cynthia]

Great colors. The fabric and the food.

[Tilly]

'The Smartie effect' I like that- and it holds true for so many aspects of life.

[xue]

I love your cupcake carrier but it doesn't make sense to buy with the costly international shipping so this is one item I'll be dreaming about! Next week, I have to make 30 cupcakes & we're going "spiders" or "butterflies".