It`s a couple of months since I linked up to Kat`s Nosey Parker in the Neighbourhood but here goes. This month, it`s all about what crafts we get up to.
1) What are your preferred crafts? Do you have one primary one that you do most of or do you dabble around in many different crafts?
My creative outlets include blogging, bead jewelery making, photography and quilting. I always wanted to write a book but I now realize there`s little chance of that. However, I do like playing with words. A year ago I started making jewelery using semi-precious stones and silver. I love pearls and this is one of my favourite necklaces, which a friend commissioned me to make. It`s cultured round pearls and stick pearls and Bali silver.
I also love photography. Living in Morocco is a photographer`s dream. The light is beautiful and the subject matter is varied, colourful and never dull. As the months get warmer, it becomes too hot to quilt and photography kind of takes over for a couple of months.
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| Wash Day in the Ourika Valley |
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| Still life of an artichoke |
2) What avenues inspire you most in your sewing/crafting that we might like to check out?
In anything I do, I`m completely self taught. The internet and particularly blogs are a constant source of inspiration and I learn new things every day. There are way too many inspiring blogs to mention and flikr and pinterest can easily provide hours of inspiration. I love quilting books and this book and this book are on my wish list as improv.piecing is something I would love to learn more about.While I can`t get magazines here I have bought a few issues of Fat Quarterly and love it - it`s the best value e-zine out there.
3) Are you a one project at a time person or do you have "craft ADD" - OR are you somehow like me and have a combination of both?
I tend to be a finisher and certainly finish more quickly these days thanks to blogging, which is a great motivator as well as QALs, which I love. I seem to have found myself in 4 bees (how did that happen?) and as 4 sets of blocks a month is quite occupying as well as being in 2 swaps , I don`t have many WiPs at the moment.
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| Lark by Amy Butler |
4) What is/has been your longest ever Work in Progress (WIP)?
Well that`s easy. It`s the first quilt I ever made.
As I didn`t have a sewing machine, it was pieced, quilted and bound by hand. My mum bought me a layer cake of Moda`s Arcadia in October 2009 and I finished the quilt in June 2011. It`s my son Zaki`s quilt.
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| Zaki`s quilt - finally finished! |
5 ) What are some of your crafty projects that you've made recently (or not so recently is ok to) that you'd love us to see?
Well like Kat, I feel like I`m bombarding you with my makes every second so I`ve made you a mosaic of my favourites...well nearly everything I have ever made - all within the last 6 months because I`ve only been quilting seriously for that long!
6) Do you have a piece of fabric or craft item of any sort with a story behind it that you'd like to share?
This quilt is special because I was commissioned to make it by my friend Lisa for her daughter Leo...again it was made entirely by hand and took about 3 months with some fairly dense hand quilting (and I didn`t know about perle cotton then). It wasn`t the first quilt I made (the second actually) but the first I finished! Quilting definitely got me out of a rut and has changed my day to day life - all because of 2 quilts made entirely by hand. Now I have a machine...a new machine and things are a lot easier and a lot quicker!
great reading - thank you!
ReplyDeleteOoh, fun to poke around your other craft endeavours, thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteGreat to get more insight. And what I love about your photos is they often make me want to see what is going on to the left, or right, or behind, and to find out more. You create so much interest with your Morrocan photos, and I love that.
ReplyDeleteIt is very interesting to read about your crafts. I really like your wash day picture - it really tells a story.
ReplyDeleteYour quilting is looking really good, you have made some wonderful quilts over the last few months.
I still can't get use of my sewing machine - maybe I should try doing it by hand. Mmmm food for though.
This was so interesting!
ReplyDeleteI have never quilted but can see the wonderful possibilities.
I love coming here for a bit of escapism; Morocco sure makes awesome bright quilts look even more beautiful, and you are the total mistress of those xxx
ReplyDeleteHello lovely Annabella
ReplyDeleteI think I have crafters ADD.
I never stop fiddling and creating.
I love coming by your "home" you inspire me to create wonderful things - though quilting hasn't been able to be discovered yet :)
Loving photography here too - I think you photos you show make me feel like I am looking at something out of National Geographic - yours are beautiful.
have a wonderful day faraway blogging friend
loulou, hereiamloulou blog
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compared to you I'm a slooooooooow quilter the only patchowrk, which isn't really a quilt, I finished ehhmmm 14 years ago, and since then I'm more or less stuck.
ReplyDeleteI like your necklace.
Your amatuer photography thingy is a big advantage, getting good pictures of projects is an art in itself.
... being nosey is fun ...
fabulous photos and great to read about what you get up to.
ReplyDeleteI love your photographs, including the quilty ones, and of course your quilts too. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteYou already know that I like your quilting projects but oh, the necklace is so beautiful too.
ReplyDeleteyou have quilted a lot in 6 months, love your blog. i get my ideas form quilters on blogs they are great but it makes me wont more blocks all the time
ReplyDeleteI heart you!
ReplyDeleteA wonderful post - it's lovely to get more insight into your crafty loves!
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I added those books to my wishlist, too, and I feel like you are a source of inspiration!
ReplyDelete