Medallion Flower Tutorial

As Islay Lass has flattered my ego and has asked to see my Medallion Flower pattern here it is. Please visit her blog, she doesn't live on Islay anymore but a slightly warmer island slightly further south, a lovely read.

I wanted a simpler decoration to finish my Tropical Bag so I came up with these medallions.

I am supposed to be painting our only wooden windows, outside on the kitchen and conservatory but obviously 2 dry days was more than our allocated quota. I'm just so relieved I didn’t start on the painting! Hark, I hear thunder, I think the golfing husband may be home early, the common is rather exposed when you have a metal stick in hand.

Just a minute, I need to go and get my mug of tea…

Medallion Flower

OK here we go, a walk through with photos then an easy to copy and paste regular pattern at the end. I haven’t done this before so please tell me if its gobbledegook. It’s dead easy to crochet, and based on the circle principle from the base of Lucy’s crochet bag pattern. I use UK terminology.

I’m using 2 colours of Rico Creative Cotton that is a light Aran weight and a 4mm hook to make it firm. I’d go down to a 3.5mm if making in double knit. 1 wooden button 3cm and a darning needle thick enough for the yarn. Any button you like with holes and 2-3 cm in diameter would be fine. The finished medallion is 9cm diameter made with trebles or 8cm in half trebles, as I did for the ones on my bag. The tutorial flower is pictured with trebles.

Leaving a good long tail to sew your medallion onto whatever you are using it for later, start with a chain of 4 and slip stitch into a circle.

Round 1 Chain 3 (always counts as 1st treble of the round)

Now make 11 trebles into the circle, holding the tail and crocheting over it. 12 trebles in total counting the 3 chains.
Slip stitch into the 3rd chain to complete the ring.

Pull the tail to close the circle.
Round 2 Chain 3 and 1 treble into 1st treble, and then 2 trebles into every stitch. Slip stitch to 3rd chain again to finish round. 24 trebles.

Round 3 Chain 3 again and 1 treble into same stitch as before. Now 1 treble into next stitch, then 2 trebles into the stitch after that, repeat until you are all the way round, you will finish with one treble and again close the circle with a slip stitch into 3rd chain. You should have 36 stitches.

Round 4 Chain 3 again and 1 treble into same stitch as before. This time you repeat round 2 by making 2 trebles into every stitch again to make a slightly wavy edge. It doesn’t look very wavy now but fear not, it’s more of a ripple effect when sewn on. 72 stitches. Fasten off.

Round 5 (Contrast) Flip your circle, what was the right side is now your wrong side. You should be able to see 3 circles that look like running stitches at intervals.

You now want to work onto the middle round picking up one thread as shown. (They are the outer edge of Round 2) It can be a bit fiddly so no getting cross! Starting anywhere, loop the contrasting colour and work 3 chains and 1 treble into 1 stitch.

Continue working 2 trebles into the next loop all the way round.

I found it easier to hold the rest of the main medallion out of the way. You will finish with 48 trebles, but it’s not critical. Slip stitch to 3rd chain to close and finish off.

That was easy!  Weave in the 3 ends (not the 4th centre one) securely and snip.

I used a 3cm wooden button with decent sized holes to finish and my darning needle allowed me to sew the button on to the centre before sewing onto my bag. The medallion squishes up nicely once sewn on, it looks worryingly flat and boring on a flat surface before the button is attached, fear not. Finish off very thoroughly!

I like my medallion, a bit more contemporary in a appearance than a ruffly flower, you could make the circle bigger and have several inner ruffles, just always make sure the last round is 2 trebles into every stitch. I made 4 different combos for my bag.

Medallion Flower Pattern

ch=chain
sl-st= slip stitch
tr=treble (dc in US)

4 ch and sl st to circle leaving a generous tail.

Round 1 - 3ch (always counts as 1st tr) 11tr into ring, catching tail as you go. Sl-st to 3rd chain to close. 12 st. Pull tail to close ring, do not cut off.

Round 2 - 3ch 1tr into 1st st, *2 tr into each subsequent st. Repeat from * to end. sl-st to 3rd chain to close. 24 st

Round 3 - 3ch 1tr into 1st st, *1 tr into next st, 2 tr into next st * Repeat from * to * to last stitch 1tr then sl st to 3rd chain to close. 36 st

Round 4 - 3ch 1tr into 1st st, *2 tr into each subsequent st. Repeat from * to end. sl-st to 3rd chain to close. 72 st. Fasten off.

Round 5 (Contrast Round)
Using 2nd colour flip your medallion over and work into the single loop of the middle round of stitches showing (they look like running stitches, and are the outer st of round 2)3ch 1 tr into first loop. * 2 tr into next loop. Repeat from * to end. sl-st to 3rd chain to close. 48st

Fasten off. Sew in outer 2 ends. Using starting tail, sew on your button and sew onto bag, hat or whatever!

I made the medallions for my bag using half trebles, it's slightly smaller just substitute for all trebles if desired. The photo tutorial is using trebles.

©KnitKnatKnotUK A link back to this post would be appreciated if you use and/or like my flower medallion, thank you!

I am really sad that the Olympics finishes today, the closing ceremony should be amazing I would award a medallion flower to every competitor! I reckon they are digging out the Spice Girls.

Is the rain stopping? Can I go and paint? Will it be dry for the next 16 hours? Is the Pope Catholic?!

Rule Britannia!

What a day...the phone rang late on Saturday morning and it was our friends who can call on us on their way home from holiday in Devon to Northants, five of them, puppy and largish caravan! We warned them to park at the top of our street!

I started to bake, the easiest and tastiest ever shortbread and a strawberries and meringue cream Victoria Sponge. It was a miracle I didn’t mess up either as I was dashing back and forth to the living room watching all the amazing Team GB medals come through.  Apparently “to medal” is now an allowed verb according to a programme earlier on good old Radio 4 yesterday.  The Oxford English Dictionary (I think) guy was very careful not to pass opinion but stated dictionary addition/alteration is purely on documented usage by the general population and not academic opinion.  In Great Britain we medal, and we medal Big Time!

Strawberry Cream Meringue Victoria Sponge

Finally our friends arrived after a stressful few hours on the M5 and we all had tea before a lap of the common with their bouncy puppy Jasper who forced Rolo (our 12 year old lab) into a trot, he is happier sniffing in his old age.

I have been making 6 egg Victoria Sponges for a fair few years, my friend Andrea gave me the idea of doubling the size of my normal recipe, and I bought two good quality spring action loose bottomed 9”/ 22cm diameter deep cake tins years ago. I always use St Delia’s (Delia Smith) all in one method and sunflower margarine and extra large eggs at room temperature. Never ever peep in the oven until the last couple of minutes and only then if you are worried it is overcooking, you can tell that when the aroma is very definite! I only trust imperial measurements for this one. Dave asked for the recipe so he could make a cake so here you are Dave!

Classic Party Size Victoria Sponge

Pre heat fan oven whilst making the cake, fan oven 160 degrees, shelves at 1/3 and 2/3rds position

Ingredients

12oz (375g) Self Raising Flour
2 tsps baking powder
12oz (375g) Caster sugar
12oz (375g) Sunflower Margarine  AT ROOM TEMPERATURE (make sure it’s not low fat)
6 extra large eggs (or 7 medium) at room temperature
2tsps vanilla essence (optional)
300ml Whipping cream
200g strawberries
1oz(25g) icing sugar
1-2 meringue nests
2 tblspns Bonne Maman Strawberry Jam (or home made!)
Grease the tins and line the bases

Method

• Sift flour, baking powder and sugar into large bowl.
• Add margarine and crack in the eggs and add vanilla essence if using. No need to pre whisk the eggs.
• Using an electric whisk mix on low speed until the ingredients are just combined, then increase to high speed and mix for one minute only.
• Divide equally between tins (which translates to 8 very heaped tablespoons dotted around each tin I ) Do not tap spoon to release.
• Minimal handling and speed into the oven is the secret now.
• Gently smooth tops leaving a slight hollow in the centre area and raised a bit round the edge.
• Place a tin on each shelf in the oven and gently shut the door.
• Bake for 30 minutes. The cake will be light brown and the edges just curling back from the edges, and the centre springs back when pressed lightly with a finger.
• Leave to cool in tins on cooling racks for 5 minutes and then carefully turn out and finish cooling.
• Keep the best 7 strawberries back and halve 6 and keep one whole and chop the rest.
• When cool whip the cream, sift the icing sugar on top and fold in.
• Put half the cream into another bowl. Fold in the chopped strawberries to one half.
• Sandwich the cooled cakes with the jam and strawberry cream.
• Spread remaining cream on to the top and arrange halved/hulled  strawberries and one whole one in the centre.

Serve with a nice cup of tea and cake forks.

It was so lovely to see our friends, but unfortunately they had to get home before dark with the caravan.

After everyone had left we settled down for some more Olympics. We are hooked…and I hook whilst watching too. On this Super Saturday we won so many medals that I lost count on my Bullseye Square so many times it took me 3 ½ hours to complete a 20 minute square, lost count of the medals too! Spectacular successes in rowing, cycling and especially Jessica Ennis in the Heptathlon, Mo Farrah in 10K and brilliant Greg Rutherford in Long Jump. 6 golds, 1 silver and 1 bronze, in one day, for lil old Great Britain!

Bullseye or Medal Squares!

They look a little like medals!

We can’t cope with any more…Sensational Sunday has seen bronze and silver in men’s gymnastics, the fantastic Ben Ainslie  tactically sailed to Gold in the Finns and Percy and Simpson still won a silver, they didn’t fail at securing a gold.

Oh…and Andy Murray has just smashed Federer into smithereens in 3 sets in the Men’s tennis singles. Gold number 16, 17 or 18?!

So how do us Brits celebrate? Well with tea and cake of course, I'd better get the roast on so we can watch Team GB this evening.

The best result; Ben in the sailing of course, that used to be my sport, the coverage was fantastic as the intricacies of sailing tactics, making a boat go fast, starting and reading the wind and waves and working out who is in the lead is impossible from the shore. Best Olympic Sailor of all time. We are learning to win in this country and not just be polite and take part!

Goats cheese, cherry tomato and caramelised red onion tart

Tonight was a first, I served a veggie dinner and instead of the normal “where is the meat?” or “that was nice but it would have been even better with a sausage” comments from “the husband” he said: "that was actually quite nice!" Whoa, this is high praise from a meat loving man who is happy with a vegetarian dish for a side dish, starter or lunch but dinner equals some sort of meat, even if it is a token amount!

This is an open style tart using bought puff pastry, with no quiche style eggy mixture, easy and delicious.

Goats cheese, cherry tomato and caramelised red onion tart

Serves 4-6

You will need:
1 packet/block of puff pastry
2-3 tblspns  green or red pesto
1 tblspn olive oil
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
1dstspn sugar
200g ripe cherry tomatoes, halved
1-2 red peppers, sliced
250 g goats cheese (not soft)
Handful fresh basil

Method

Gently heat the olive oil in a frying pan and fry the onions until soft and starting to brown, add the sugar and turn up the heat a bit, stir until caramelised. The onions should be soft and brownish but not burnt! Put to one side to cool.

Red onions are nearly caramelised

Pre heat your oven to 190 degrees (fan) and lightly flour a baking sheet.

Roll out puff pastry thinly to an oblong, place on baking sheet, wet edges and roll over once to form an edge.  Score the pastry lightly inside the edge (not all the way through.)

Spread the pesto over the pastry, then cover with the caramelised onions.

Arrange the tomatoes cut side up, interspersed with sliced peppers.

Cube/crumble the cheese and sprinkle over, tucking into gaps.

Grind over some black pepper, a pinch of rock salt if desired, and tear some basil leaves.

Doesn't it look beautiful?

Admire how lovely it all looks and bake for 20-25 minutes, until pastry is crisp and cheese nicely browned, no soggy bottoms allowed!

Goats Cheese Tart ...done!

Serve warm with salad and wait for the compliments to flood in. Tonight we broke the very strict rule of no TV at dinner time, it was agonising watching the British Men's gymnastic team go from stunning surprise silver to an amazing bronze, on a technicality, but my our boys did us proud and are true champions.

Goats cheese and cherry tomato tart

I secretly hoped my tart wouldn't be that popular and that I may have some left for my lunch tomorrow, no such luck! When L came in later from her evening shift (serving cheese at the deli counter) she also enjoyed it, but did manage to slot in the obligatory observation that it would be perfect with some parma ham/ prosciutto or chorizo in there too...some things never change! Then there was the ensuing discussion that it would have been better again without toms (S age 16) or red pepper (L age 19), it is impossible to keep everyone happy here unless it's lasagne...again!

Watching the Olympics is a perfect activity to accompany the latest knotty activity....nearly finished a...

round and round and round and...

but that is for another post another day! Answers on a postcard as to what it is do not win a prize!