Fingerless Thursday

Well almost.  With a Kona solids drought chez nous, I decided to cut out my Drunkard`s Path blocks for the QAL being hosted by Kate and Kristie. It`s going to be one crazy mix up of Central Park with no solids.  That`ll be because I basically don`t have any until the big silver bird brings some over the pond.  So until that happens, I can only make blocks using patterned fabric.

So today I printed off the template.  Call me old fashioned you gals with your Go! Babies but I used my hands, picked up a rotary cutter and cut some curves.  All fingers on my left hand are still intact and it took less than 20 minutes.  Phew.

So I had a little play this evening and got myself completely befuddled by the amount of options available as to how to lay these pieces out. I`m not sure why I`m worrying as it is going to be a big crazy mix up of oranges, yellows, greens and purples.  And you thought I was going in the direction of muted. Shame on you.

What else?  With fingers intact it meant I was still able to tap away on the computer and use a credit card.  So I bought Lark in the Glamor colorway and to say I`m excited is a slight understatement.  I love Amy Butler and all that she comes up with and this collection is so beautiful.  Here are 3 of my favourites.

and I forgot to mention that the other day I also ordered the Swoon pattern so as soon as my Kona white arrives, I`ll be whipping up a block or two.  I wonder what I`ll use.

November promises to be another busy sewing month.  I have my modern Christmas tablerunner to start working on.  I`m shamefully behind everyone else but while I wait for fabric supplies for the back and binding,  I am going to offer my secret partner an alternative design involving stars.  I saw the most beautiful Christmas star block today and am very excited as it could look beautiful.  I`m quite `starry eyed` about it. More on that tomorrow.

I think I`ve kept you long enough.  I`ll just quickly mention that I`ve made it to the gym 3 times this week and that means my lovely fitness buddy won`t be making the 8000 km trip over here to give me a pep talk.  I had the old weights and measures taken yesterday and they did not make pretty reading.  Hoping next month may be better!

Thank you for all the lovely comments about my FMQ. Keep fit and happy - it`s nearly the weekend!

My Name is Annabella. I`m a Fabraholic.

At one time, I had very little fabric.  Now I seem to have quite a lot.  That`s the problem with ordering fabric from the States and having it sent to my mum`s home in England. You kind of forget.  Forget how much you have ordered.  Until it arrives.

Terrain in foliage by Kate Spain 

Central Park by Kate Spain charm pack and scrap packs from M is for Make

1001 Peeps by Lizzie House

Innocent Crush by Anna Maria Horner

Pick a Bunch by Nancy Mims

I`m coming out of denial. I think I may have a problem. If you find yourself looking at fabric stores online rather too often or in secret, stroking fabric, having thoughts about fabric just before you sleep and first thing in the morning and being unable to make that first cut, let`s sit in a circle and one by one stand up and make that declaration. 

I. AM.A FABRAHOLIC. 

That`s if you want to recover that is.  Do you?  

 

City Quilts

I love receiving brown packages in the post.  There is something uniquely exciting about seeing a parcel with your name on it. One of the many advantages of living here in Morocco is that there is little if any junk mail. Apart from the odd bank statement and utility bill, our postman has a fairly light load and for the most part, that suits me just fine.

About a week ago, I ordered City Quilts by Cherri House and it arrived yesterday- a book showcasing quilts designed and made by Cherri and inspired by the urban landscape.  I`ve never been able to decide whether I`m a city girl or a country girl.  Before I went to college, I grew up in the countryside in a Victorian farm workers` cottage in beautiful Warwickshire surrounded by cornfields, with a wood at the bottom of the garden and a spinney at the top of the drive.  If it sounds idyllic that`s because it was although of course I didn`t appreciate it at the time.  After college I moved to London and then on to Marrakech so for the second half of my life, I have lived in cities...and there is definitely something about the city.  Perhaps that`s why I was drawn to the title of this book.

Like The Gentle Art of Quilting by Jane Brocket, and Kaffe Fassett`s Simple Shapes, Spectacular Quilts, Cherri shows us how stunning quilts can be made using simple shapes with beautiful fabrics.  However, unlike the fabulously funky designs of Kaffe Fassett and the bold florals so often used by Jane Brocket, Cherri uses the best quality Kona cotton fabrics in solid colours by Robert Kaufman.

I had previously and foolishly dismissed solids for the quilts I plan to make, but after reading City Quilts, I have been googling Kona solids to find stockists who can dispatch fabrics to me as quickly as possible. Cherri often uses black in her quilts, not something I would necessarily have chosen, but it works - making the colours in the blocks truly pop.

One of my favourite quilts, City Tracks

By reading Cherri`s book, I have learned a lot about colour and how to use it to its best effect in quilt design and she has left me inspired. `Nature is the best teacher...take a walk and really see the colors around you...I say that if it works in nature, it will work in a quilt!`, which is what I guess I was trying to say in this post. Each quilt can be easily adapted to suit individual tastes and many of the quilts would be great presents for the men in our lives who may not appreciate Amy Butler and Kate Spain as much as we do!

City Bank quilt inspired by a building in the film The Bourne Supremacy

This is a lovely book.  If you`re looking for a book to explain quilt making in detail, this is not for you.  While Cherri gives lots of great advice on the basics and using tools and resources, this is really a book about inspiration -  and contains 12 fabulous projects for those of us dipping our toes into the world of solids.

You can buy or order City Quilts from your local book store or from here.