Wednesday 29 May 2013

WIPW - Tårtspade & skedar

For the Work In Progress Wednesday today Sharon of Pintangle has an item made of plastic to show you. No crazy quilt block! What a tease!

On the other hand I have some items made of 'silver'.

Kafferepet

Last week I introduced you to a green cake, Prinsesstårta.

At a coffee party in Sweden such a cake is passed around the guests and it is up to each and every one to cut their own piece. For that you need a 'tårtspade', or cake server in English.  Many old ones are made from silver with beautiful engravings or patterns.


The Princess cake is fluffy with cream and has a lid of green marzipan that can be difficult to cut through. Nevertheless, we seldom use sharp knives but try to cut a reasonable piece with the cake server. You then need to place the piece of cake on your plate carefully and try to make the wobbly cream cake stand.
The saying goes that if your cake falls to one side you will not become married. Happily married people make their cakes flop over on purpose!
To eat the cake you use a spoon; only few people own cake forks. These spoons are also used for stirring your coffee, of course.
I have put the initials Q, P and S for Queenie Patch Stitches on the spoons.

In the two pictures above you can also see some of the handmade bobbin lace from my mother's collection. I have placed the lace on top of either blue or yellow fabric; the national colours of Sweden.

This week's border flowers look flat and uninteresting. They will be stung by needles, tied down with thread and burdened with beads. Poor flowers! Or will they like the body piercing?

21 comments:

margaret said...

so interesting reading about Swedish traditions, Queenie. That is a lovely piece of fabric for your cake slice, this piece is getting more and more interesting as you add to it.
I see where you get your creativity from, your Mother`s bobbin lace is beautiful.
Sure the flowers will be great when you have done all the embellishment on them that you have planned to do.

Cynthia@wabisabiquilts said...

This is just so charming, from the tradition you describe, to the initials on your little spoons. I love the fabric you chose to depict the silver cake server; and using your Mom's lace with the yellow and blue is just so special!

City Krafters said...

Like your cake server and spoons they look really cool.

Elizabeth's quarters said...

I love your cake inspired textiles–so much easier on the hips than actual cake! Textiles with stories behind them are always fascinating, especially when they include heirloom items, such as your mother's lace. Sting, prod, and pierce your flowers, I'm sure they'll look great what ever you do.

Stitching Lady said...

Hello Queenie! Thanks firstly for your comment on my sari thread bag - I am doing the thinking about it. I should wirte my thoughts into my diary not to forget ideas. And what you are showing above is so so wonderful and funny and happy and optimistic. I lovwe it. I love the story with the fallen piece of cake for married people, hahaha, I won't through mine on the side...... I am admiring also the bobbin lace of your mother. The silver spoons are wonderful and also the "shovel" - the fabric just lovely for them. I am waiting with my comment on your stung flowers.

Annet said...

I enjoy reading about your Kafferepet every week. I think your new flowers will be very happy with their new look when you're done with them!

carorose said...

Oh, this is the most fascinating tea party. Do you have characters like those who came to Alice's? I can see lots of people ( and animals) sitting at the table and I can just imagine the conversation. They would be talking about all the wonderful things on your supper cloth!

latha said...

Really love the words and work ..The cake server is lovely and the fabric used is wonderful which gives the real silver look!! The bobbin lace made by your mother is very pretty.Cant wait for your next post.

Queeniepatch said...

Thank you Margaret
As soon as I saw that fabric I knew it would be perfect for engraved silver or pewter so there just had to be a cake server.
Yesterday I started sketching the floral embellishment; I hope to make use of a lot of TAST stitches. The pace in which we are learning new ones it is so easy to forget, so must practice.

Queeniepatch said...

Thank you Cynthia.
It has been great fun to blog about this WIP, there are actually more traditions and thoughts behind a coffee party than I ever thought of. Coffee/tea is drunk all over the world but in such different ways I hope it can be of interest to those not familiar to Swedish customs. Or am I getting homesick, ha, ha?

Queeniepatch said...

Thank you.
These are items one doesn't use for a quick cup of instant coffee, nor a Nespresso, I guess, but fun to include in the quilt.

Queeniepatch said...

Thank you Elizabeth for your kind comments.
I find it very meaningful to make a quilt on a theme, and have needed to check and recollect customs and traditions around the traditional Swedish coffee party.
What would you have included in an 'Olde Worlde' Cream Tea quilt? Cucumber sandwiches and a silver tea strainer? A cracy quilt tea cosy and a Victoria sponge? Should you pour in the milk or the tea first?...
I started sketching the embroidery and embellishment designs for the flowers last night, so they will need to get out the ice pack to reduce the pain, ha, ha!

Queeniepatch said...

Hi Anneliese,
A notebook to scribble down ideas as they come into your head is useful.
Yes, isn't the Swedish word 'tårtspade' fun; who would want to cut a cake with a shovel? The fabric lends itself for silvery items. How to treat the fallen piece of cake, that is all up to you!

Queeniepatch said...

Thank you Annet,
I hope the flowers will like what I sketched for them last night. I am trying to make use of as many TAST stitches as possible before I start forgetting them; do you think I can bedeck the border with 68 TAST stitches?

Queeniepatch said...

Hi Carolyn,
Thank you for your comments. Ha, ha! I am not sure who could come to this party, animals are probably not invited but you know birds and squirrels and wasps... A magpie would come for the silver, a squirrel for the cinnamon rolls and the wasp for the raspberry squash... However, YOU would be most welcome. Welcome!

Queeniepatch said...

Thank you Latha, you are always saying such kind things.
Yes, the fabric was perfect for a silver cake server and I am so glad I could make use of some of the lace I found in my mother's stash. I am sure they were once meant for bed linen but these days we use different kinds of sheets...

Annet said...

I think the slipped detached chain will look nice on your border, it has many different looks!

Anonymous said...

I love all your little stories, I think that I would like a big slice of that nice cake! Your mother's lace is beautiful, they don't make it like that anymore.

Marjolein said...

The fabric used for the cake server is very well chosen. It surely gives the impression of engravings.

Queeniepatch said...

Thank you, it is nice to keep a 'quilt making diary' to remember why and how one made a certain quilt. I am happy to have been able to use some of that lace in this quilt.

Queeniepatch said...

Yes, doesn't it? As soon as I saw it, I knew how to use it!