Innehållsförteckning för Autumn 2025 från Ideas

I don’t know about you, but I definitely become lazier in the winter. Wrapping myself up in a warm blanket cocoon and reading a book or watching a movie is definitely more appealing than perhaps hitting an ice-cold finger with a hammer while doing some DIY around the house. So over the years autumn has become a time of preparation for me. Make the stock for the soup and freeze it, and wash the rolled-up carpet while there is still enough sun to dry it. It’s a bit like the enthusiastic nesting of a pregnant woman before the arrival of her baby. But it’s much more than a personal choice. Mother Nature decides when to give abundantly and when to adapt her menu to the season. Those of us who…

Special thanks to Meuse Farm (meusefarm.com) for supplying the fresh vegetables. KIMCHI This spicy Korean side dish (banchan) is packed full of flavour as well as being very healthy. It is made using a fermentation process that allows the good bacteria to transform the vegetables into a probiotic-rich lacto-fermented food. Use it as an accompaniment to grilled or roasted beef or pork or serve with Asian dishes. Makes: 2 medium-sized jars Preparation time: 45 minutes, plus soaking and fermentation time Cooking time: 5 minutes ♥ 1 large Chinese cabbage (napa cabbage) ♥ 60ml sea salt (non-iodised) ♥ 30ml cake flour ♥ 1 medium-sized daikon radish, peeled (or use 6-8 small pink radishes) ♥ 1 carrot, peeled ♥ 6 spring onions, trimmed and cut into 5cm pieces ♥ 5ml sugar…

BOTTLE COVERS Decorate the lids of your preserving jars in one of these ways: 1 A botanical illustration. 2 Fabric circles. 3 Cupcake wrappers. 4 Brown paper. 5 Embroidered napkin. 6 Vintage image of the type of jam or preserve. SPICE IT UP 1 Write the name of the spice on the lid. 2 Attach a store-bought label. 3 Attach a bought sticker or write the name with a marking pen on a strip of adhesive tape and stick it to the bottle. KEEP IT SAFE 1 DATE IT: Buy or make your own labels to write the date that you made the jam or preserves. 2 SEAL IT: If you’re gifting or selling your preserves or jams, add a seal sticker to the jar to indicate that it hasn’t…

HOT CROSS BUN LOAF Makes: 2 small loaves Preparation time: 40 minutes, plus rising time Baking time: 15-25 minutes Temperature: 180 ºC YOU WILL NEED ♥ 2 loaf tins 20×11cm ♥ piping bag or freezer bag DOUGH: ♥ 250ml lukewarm milk ♥ 115g (125ml) castor sugar, plus another 10ml ♥ 1 × 10g sachet instant yeast ♥ 1 large egg ♥ 75g melted butter ♥ 15ml ground cinnamon ♥ 10ml mixed spice ♥ 2,5ml salt ♥ 125g (200ml) raisins ♥ 60g (100ml) soft dried fruit (we used apricots), finely chopped ♥ finely grated zest of 1 large orange ♥ 560g (4 × 250ml) white bread flour TOPPING: ♥ 100ml white bread flour GLAZE: ♥ 50ml castor sugar BUNNY EARS POT TEMPLATE (page 76) 1 block = 1 × 1 cm…

For tutorials on the figure eight cast on, Kitchener stitch cast off, and tips for stranded colourwork knitting, please Google and refer to tutorials on YouTube. COLOURWORK TIP: Leave long, fairly loose floats while doing colourwork so that the work doesn’t pull in at the colourwork sections. DIFFICULTY: intermediate knitter TIME: 20-30 hours Skills: knitting on a circular needle, magic loop knitting, stranded colourwork knitting Size: 130cm long and 24cm wide with light blocking YOU WILL NEED ♥ 350g of DK/Worsted weight yarn -African Expressions Harmony (87m/50g) ♥ 5 x Main Colour MC: 2062 Dark Grey ♥ 2 x Contrast Colour CC: 2000 Natural ♥ 6mm, 50cm tip to tip length circular needle for continuous knitting in the round (or longer length circular for magic loop knitting) ♥ scissors ♥…

SOFT AND ROMANTIC The wooden floor immediately brings a cosy feeling to this dining corner in the kitchen. The white walls, kitchen cabinets and shelves keep the look fresh. The large, open windows allow heaps of light into the room. The little white table with its lacy crocheted tablecloth introduces a feeling of nostalgia. Complete the scene with white bentwood chairs, fairly easy to find at second-hand or antique shops. Sand the chairs, give them a good undercoat and paint them with white enamel paint. Bring in a spot of colour with accessories such as the plates and jars on the shelves. And of course a bunch of flowers as a finishing touch. FRESH AND CLEAN White is always a good starting point to work from and lends itself to…

RICOTTA Makes: about 1 cup ♥ 1 litre (4 cups) fresh milk (not UHT) ♥ 250ml (1 cup) cream ♥ 2 small organic lemons Line a mesh sieve with cheesecloth and place over a deep bowl. Pour the milk and cream into a pot over medium heat and bring to a simmer at about 90°C, stirring frequently. Remove from the stove and squeeze in the juice from the lemons. Stir gently. Pour the mixture into the cheesecloth and let the whey trickle through for about an hour. Tie the cheesecloth into a bag, hang it up over a bowl and let the remaining whey drain for 10-15 minutes. The longer the cheese drains, the firmer it will be. ❁ Ricotta is a very versatile ingredient used for savoury dishes as…

QUILT DIFFICULTY: easy TIME: Depends on the size of your project and how intricate your designs are, but plan for roughly a month if you don’t work on it 24/7. YOU WILL NEED ♥ backing fabric or duvet cover (if you choose this option) ♥ various pieces of fabric in colours and patterns that complement each other ♥ floral designs (see the page overleaf) ♥ embroidery thread ♥ embroidery needle ♥ embroidery hoop ♥ sharp scissors ♥ fabric glue ♥ anti-fray solution OPTIONAL ♥ tracing paper or fabric marker (to sketch designs) ♥ pins or clips (to hold fabric pieces in place if you don’t opt for the fabric glue option) ♥ iron (to press fabric for smooth application) TO MAKE Whether you want to decorate a plain duvet cover…

During a recent drive through Worcester and the Hex River Valley, the array of vineyards and orchards reminded me of my mother-in-law Tina’s large patchwork blanket, packed in among my daughter’s possessions in the removal truck behind us. This was once mom-in-law’s world. Worcester was the safe haven that she fled to every time her marriage hit a wobble. Here, behind the patchwork of the Hex River farmlands, is where she always came to restore her soul. We and the removal lorry were on our way to Noordhoek. I wanted to give my daughter a heritage piece to take on her journey to her new future. So I gave her the blanket in the plastic bag that smelled of mothballs. It is an exceptional blanket. King size. If you had…

INSPIRATION AND GRAND IDEAS I am so delighted. My kind family friend gave me this frame confirming my subscription. It is on my work table as she did the lovely collage in it and it inspires me so much. I love Ideas magazine. Keep the grand ideas coming. Have the best year! Georgie Walker CREATIVE CHRISTMAS Many thanks, Terena and the Ideas team, Oupa and I and grandchildren Milan and Vera really enjoyed preparing our Christmas table from your Christmas edition. We’re looking forward to a creative 2025! Karien, Charl, Milan and Vera van Deventer *Send your letter by email to terena@ideasfactory.co.za with ‘Ideas/You said it’ in the subject line. Remember to include your full name and address. * If your letter contains questions, please provide your telephone number as…

JUST LIKE ART We looked to the Far East for inspiration and used a combination of Japanese and Korean artworks as well as vintage Chinese posters to print on our fabrics. You can use the images on the pages overleaf for your projects, if you wish. ON THE WALL Hang pretty printed fabric on your wall to create a focal point in a room. Or use it as a bedspread or throw. Wall decoration printed by Alma Thomas Studio. ROMANTIC CURTAIN We had an image of a beautiful Oriental woman printed onto a curtain made of chiffon to use as a room divider. PRINT YOUR OWN FABRIC: You can easily create your own gorgeous fabric – a digital printing company can print any photo or picture onto material. Cushions and…

EMBROIDERY HOOP HANGER Raid your sewing room for twine and an embroidery hoop for this drying rack. DIFFICULTY: easy TIME: about an hour YOU WILL NEED ♥ freshly cut herbs ♥ embroidery hoop (the inside circle part) ♥ twine ♥ scissors ♥ pegs 1 Cut 3 equal lengths of twine, longer than 30cm, and tie onto the hoop, evenly spaced apart. Tie the ends together. 2 Gather some herbs together in small bundles. You can mix herbs or tie stems of the same kind of herb together. Use the pegs to attach your bundles at equal intervals onto the embroidery hoop. Hang to dry. CRATE DRYING Repurposing old wooden crates to dry your herbs is a great way to make sure they are well ventilated as they dry. DIFFICULTY: medium…

SET THE SCENE We chose a wildflower field as the venue for our Easter-themed party. Use pistachio green and dusky pink with touches of yellow as your base colors and add snacks, crafts and games to keep the kids busy. The grown-ups might even want to get involved. Who doesn’t like an Easter egg hunt? A FEW IDEAS ❁ Carry the table decorations to the site in crates and then use the crates as seats for your mini guests. ❁ Use ribbons tied to dowel sticks to mark out your party area. ❁ Add more flowers in pots. ❁ Punch a hole through cupcake papers to slip upside down over the straws and cover the top of the drinks to stop any bugs from flying in – and to avoid…

DIFFICULTY: difficult TIME: 2 weeks to 1 month YOU WILL NEED ♥ 7 balls (50g each) Elle Cottons DK Natural ♥ 3 balls (50g each) Elle Cottons DK Bamboo ♥ 3 balls (50g each) Elle Cottons DK Blush ♥ 3 balls (50g each) Elle Cottons DK Crimson ♥ 3 balls (50g each) Elle Cottons DK Duck Egg ♥ 4mm crochet hook ♥ tapestry needle ABBREVATIONS ch – chain stitch dc – double crochet rep – repeat rnd – round sl st – slip stitch sp – space st(s) – stitch(es) tr – treble TO CROCHET Basic small square (make 36) Rnd 1: With Natural, 4 ch, sl st into 1st st to form a ring, 2 ch (count as 1…

❁ Create beautiful patterns with the Japanese tie-dyeing technique called shibori and use the fabric for unique notebooks or stylish bookmarks. Give plain wooden beads a colourful makeover and transform bamboo sushi mats into vibrant placemats by dip-dyeing them. ❁ Experiment with different methods for dyeing various natural materials such as cotton and linen fabrics, wood or bamboo, twine, raffia and even dried flowers and shells. Checks and stripes created with the ancient Japanese shibori tie-dyeing technique where you obtain a pattern through folding and binding off fabric in different shapes with string, elastic or clamps. Dip the tied fabric into a dye bath. The dye will be absorbed into the fabric that's not covered. Remove the fabric from the dye bath and let it dry before untying. Rinse under…