Help Wanted!

It started with Zaki...then my husband went down with it and a couple of days ago I got it - something between a cold and the flu.  Coupled with the fact that I sliced part of my left thumb off while chopping an onion, I had a couple of sewing-free days and I'm behind with replying to comments.

Today, boosted by brufen, I thought I would do some no-brainer stitching and make a quilt top for Siblings Together.  

I used a couple of charm packs that I got from my partner Jeanette as extras in the For the Love of Solids swap last year and supplemented them with a few of my own scraps and some low volume charms. It's a pretty mix of blues, oranges, yellows, greens and pinks. It measures 49.5" x  49.5"

*edited to add* I have a lovely helpful now - thank you so much to lovely Jude!

I'm going to put a thread in the flickr group but thought I might mention it here first.  The postage like many places now is prohibitive here in Morocco - especially when sending internationally.  If there is a UK peep who would like to help Lynne's drive for quilts for Siblings Together but perhaps hasn't got the time to make a whole quilt but could, if I sent them this top, assemble it and quilt it then please email me at ajlzeiddaratgmaildotcom. Thank you! Please leave a comment even if you can't help :)

Linking up with Let's Get Aquainted!

Solve

Solve the equation. What does n represent? 

n = x + y (+Care Circle) 

Ughh.  Algebra. Mathematics and I didn't get on well at school and it was only when I had to teach the subject to 6th graders that I started to enjoy it.  6th grade math is. as. far. as. I. go.

I've been a little quiet over the last week or so but I have been a busy bee I assure you.  Last weekend I decided to have a computer and sewing machine 'lite' weekend so that I could have some time doing fun stuff with Zaki.  Then on Monday he appeared with his 'dossier' - a huge tome of all the things he had done since September.  It had a whole end of term feel to it and yes, he was on his holidays (having only been back at school for 2 weeks).  Somehow, we hadn't got the note. If I checked my husband's coat pockets, I'm pretty sure I might find one in there as he usually does the last school run of the day (there are three as Zaki comes home for lunch). Thanks honey!

Anyway, I have had Zaki at home and have been sewing although trying not to be chained to the machine.  I do have another, yes another finish for you!

I know, I know, I'm starting to spoil you as this is my third finish since December 24, 2012.

n = finish!

Last year, I was a quilter in the Care Circle of do.Good Stitches - a really lovely group of women.  I asked the circle to make super sized scrappy x and plus blocks based on badskirt's original tutorial but a bit bigger.  They did good.  Very good.  So on Tuesday, I whipped up a quick back using a couple of spare blocks, basted it and then started quilting it using 1" straight line quilting.

I finished the quilting on Thursday.  As I too go to the school of  'we'll cross that bridge when we come to it' I then had to figure out some binding.  I ws thinking of going scrappy to  match the whole scrappy vibe going on but then found a half meter of some Sherbet Pips' fabric in amongst the huge box of mystery fabrics I had bought from Lynne when she had a destash last year. I like how the binding kind of just blends in.

So this quilt was destined for last year's Siblings Together appeal by Lynne. Siblings Together is a UK based charity which provides camps for siblings separated by the care system. However, for one reason or another I didn't receive all the blocks until July and the moment passed.  Lynne has just started her Siblings Together appeal for this year and I'm very happy that this is done and will go back with my mum after her visit here in April and to the summer Siblings Together camp.  I'm really hoping this will make a young girl very happy! If you want to join in by making a quilt or donating fabrics or batting then the flickr group is here.

Oh, and I almost forgot - this is my second finish of the first quarter of Leanne's Finishalong!

Quilt Stats

Quilt Design x and plus blocks

Quilt Front Fabrics Scrappy!

Quilt Back Fabrics White sheeting and 2 blocks

Binding Sherbet Pips

Measures 55" x 65"

Linking up with TGIFF over at Nat's, who is hosting it this week...even though it's Saturday :-/

London

*Warning* For readers in rainy and/or cold climes, this post mentions both sunshine and beaches.

I was so afraid my name tag would arrive after I had left for England but I need not have feared.  It arrived today.  So this Cinderella will be kicking her heels up at the FQ Retreat in just over 3 weeks time! A huge thank you to Elisabeth (lemon s
hark on flickr) who made my name tag. I`m sure she must have been hoping for a Kat or a Mel but instead got an 8 letter name of someone living in N.Africa.  I love the embroidery and the fussy cut bus, flag and taxi!  I love Britain and I really love London.

She also popped in a very cute pouch and a couple of model airplanes for Zaki. What she doesn`t know is that every time we`re waiting in a bank queue, Zaki hands me the leaflets they have lying around so that I can make an paper plane for him.  Thank you Elisabeth - I shall wear my name tag with pride!

There was more happy mail in the shape of bee blocks being made by the Care Circle of do.Good Stitches for the Siblings Together quilt. These beauties came all the way from Kylie (Three Honeybees on flickr) in Australia...

...and these lovelies from Karen at Listen to the Birds Sing in N.Ireland...

 ...who also sent me this adorable pouch made from the HST scraps of the corner units of the x and + blocks. What a fab reminder I shall have of the quilt we`re making for Siblings Together! Thank you Kylie and Karen!

Here`s the obligatory group photo.  I`m still to receive from 5 members of the Care Circle, so we should have enough for a decent sized quilt!

It`s still silly hot here and so hubby suggested this morning that we head to the coast for the weekend, so with all the talk of London buses and holidays (well teensy mini ones), I shall leave you with this.

Take it away Cliff!

It`s Friday tomorrow.  Have a great weekend!

There Were Times...

...today when I thought I was already in the Iron Man Challenge (a challenge I`ll be participating in at the FQ Retreat where teams compete to finish a quilt top in the quickest time).

I have so much to do this month that there is only one way to work.  Quickly.

So I left you yesterday with a pile of cut up orange and pink fabric - the yummies provided by the wonderful Jennifer so that I could make a quilt for Lynne`s quest to gather together 50 quilts for Siblings Together. I used Jennifer`s (another Jennifer) curved ruler on Tuesday.  Yesterday, I pieced the blocks (so easy with Jennifer`s ruler) and squared them up. They come in at 8'' x 6''.

I was originally going to join all the blocks together with no sashing so there was a huge riot of pink and orange but then the Kona white I had been waiting on arrived and sashing became an option.

Today, I joined the blocks in to groups of four. I was going to sash both vertically and horizontally but then I actually really liked the vertical only sashing.  It reminded me of alien pods going toward the space ship.  Or is that only me?

I then added a border and the top comes in at 69'' x 51''.  Here it is on the kitchen floor.  It is a beautiful sunny evening here but the terrace is dusty and I just didn`t want this baby getting dirty during the photo shoot!

So I shall take this with me to England in 3 weeks time and baste and quilt it before sending it to Siblings Together.  Another tick off the list.

Talking of siblings, I received some worrying news about my younger brother yesterday morning - he is in hospital in France and has a long recovery ahead of him. Please think positively for him. This quilt top has kept me busy and I`m very grateful for that.

Lakeside

No, not the shopping centre! So yesterday, my husband took a few hours off work and we went `en famille` to Lake Lalla Takerkoust for lunch, a reservoir 30 odd miles away from Marrakech. After a dry winter, the water level looked low. As we left Marrakech, we had passed 3 golf courses being constructed in a space of 10 kilometers.

With it being a gorgeous day and a holiday I thought the lake would be busy with day trippers and pic-nickers ...

...but apart from a few boys swimming and a lone pedalo, a very squeaky pedalo, it was deserted...

We ate a simple lunch at a simple little restaurant.  Zaki seemed happy enough..

.
but was a little nonplussed by the arrival of the salad. Perhaps it was the orange slices? Nope. Vegetables.

Later, I sliced in to the pink and orange fabrics Jennifer sent me for a Siblings Together quilt.

I`ll show you how I got on tomorrow.

I Have (a) Curious Nature

Firstly, I`m loving all the positivity about the dressmaking plans.  Thank you for all your comments. The books are ordered and a pattern too but they are going to my mum`s so not much will happen before we go back towards the end of May for you.know.what. We`ll be back in England for 3 whole weeks and just can`t wait!

Anyway, with pre-school hols there hasn`t been much sewing at all.

The postman made a welcome return today with this little package of loveliness.  I knew as soon as I saw Parson Grey`s Curious Nature that fabric diet or no fabric diet I had to have me some. I bought these 12 FQs from The Fat Quarter Shop and it came with a coordinating Kona Solid in Herb. I`m thinking a man quilt for my man and perhaps I`ll use my curved ruler.

Curious Nature by Parson Grey

Yesterday, I made a couple more x and plus blocks for the Care Circle of do.Good Stitches...it`s my month as quilter and the quilt(s) will be donated to Siblings Together.

...and the postie delivered a couple more from Cindy who hangs out on the emerald isle, and they fit in very nicely. Thank you Cindy!

Cindy`s blocks (top middle and bottom left)

 

 

I`ve been playing with embroidery stitches. I hope to be able to embroider my partner`s name on her tag for the FQ Retreat.  It`s definitely harder than it looks. I`m sure I must have embroidered initials on a felt purse or needle case as a young child at school, but I`m counting this as a first attempt so be kind.

I was rubbish at back stitch.  How could that be?

I was better at Stem Stitch.

Passable French knots

Star stitches

A wonky lazy daisy

and there were attempts at letters of the alphabet but that would be telling...

That`s all for now - hope you are having a great week!

Annabella

Supersize Me - Siblings Together

No please don`t supersize me.  I`m supersized enough thank you very much.

It`s my turn to be head honcho of the Care Circle of the do.Good Stitches group this month. I was struggling to come up with a cohesive plan and then in a serendipitous moment, I saw this post by Lynne at Lily`s Quilts. I immediately knew I wanted the Care Circle to do their bit.

That clever Lynne at Lily`s Quilts had gently pushed a small pay it forward snowball which quickly turned in to an incredible avalanche across blogland.  She had put a call out for quilts to benefit a charity called Siblings Together.  It helps children in the care system who are separated from their siblings.  A staggering 81 per cent of children in the UK care system are separated from their brothers and sisters. Amongst other initiatives, Siblings Together arranges for some of these separated siblings to go to camp together.

Lynne`s idea is that children attending camp will go away with their own special quilt. Something that is theirs. You can read about the camps here.  The next one is in July and this is where you could come in.  Can you make a block or two for the group projects which have started on flikr here and here?  Do you have the stash but no time and could donate fabric?  Do you have a quilt which you could donate? Are you living in the UK and could turn a quilt top sent from abroad in to a quilt?  Then check out the flikr group here.

So the Care Circle - a group of amazingly giving and talented women scattered across the globe, will do their bit by making supersize X and Y blocks. Using Amy`s tutorial for construction, the blocks measure 11 and 3/4 " unfinished unlike the original 8 and 1/2" of Amy`s blocks.

Here`s my first two blocks but as I`m hoping we might be able to make 2 quilts, I shall make some more.  Excuse the wonk - they really aren`t wonky. Promise. This block is great fun to make and comes together quickly and easily.  I`ve asked for scrappy gender neutral blocks but I`m thinking we will inevitably have one more masculine than the other. Hopefully for a brother and sister.