Showing posts with label photography. Show all posts
Showing posts with label photography. Show all posts

Saturday, 23 February 2013

Our Saturday

Someone asked me recently whether she was going to have to wait until it was really hot here in Marrakech before she saw some more photos of Marrakech on my blog. I took that as a hint; not a very subtle one.

It has indeed been a while since I put the fabric down and picked up my camera. To be honest, I have had a bit of a downer on Morocco for a few months.   However, today I was meeting real life friend Elizabeth and her husband Robert who were visiting from New York. Elizabeth used to live here and is an incredible photographer and can capture the beauty of everyday life. She blogs here, here and this is her dog Buster's blog.  Shhhh. Don't tell Archie. Oh yeah, she's a prolific blogger.

Perhaps a couple of hours walking in the souqs with Elizabeth could inspire me to take more photos. After a coffee, we went for a walk through the souqs and I tried to capture some of the beauty, colour and interest of Morocco which once held me captivated.

I think Zaki and the chameleon fall in to the interesting category...


...as does this huge tub of  fresh snails. Mmmm.  Not.


These baskets are definitely colourful!


As are these pink painted wooden tables.


...and these big balls of yarn (Zaki was placed for scale)


These tiles are beautiful, colourful and interesting and look like perfect inspiration for quilt blocks.


I love these bowls too.


Some of these fossils are really colourful and Zaki would definitely put them in the interesting category!


Pretty sparkly sequined baskets...


...and pretty sparkly lighting glimpsed through a pink archway while standing next to a pink bicycle.


Every day street scenes still capture my interest even after 11 years, like this woman cycling through an  archway...


...or this fruit seller and his cart...


...and I love this hand of Fatima painted on to the side of a building to ward off the evil eye.


...and even when we have reached the silly face time of day, I still find this little guy beautiful and interesting.

 

Thanks Susan for the kick up the photographic backside and to Elizabeth and Robert for a lovely walk through the souqs. I hope you enjoyed it too. Here's a very short video I shot as Zaki and I were leaving the restaurant where we had lunch.



Wednesday, 7 November 2012

Travellin' Pic Stitch Blog Hop

It's my turn today on the Travellin' Pic Stitch blog hop - the brain child of Katy and Laura who have just returned from their own hop through national parks in the US.  If it's your first time here then welcome - I hope you'll take a look around!

I am a Brit but for the last ten years, I have lived in the Moroccan city of Marrakech in N.Africa. If I'm not sewing then I love to get snapping. Living here is incredibly inspiring and a bit of a sensory overload. You either love it or hate it. Some days I love it...some days I...miss the old country.


Take a look at some of the tile designs I found...you see them everywhere here...see what I mean about the inspiration?


I love those clamshells! That's my son there...when he was aged one and half.

So when Laura and Katy invited me to join them on their blog hop, it was a no brainer. Especially given that I had discovered English Paper Piecing (EPP) in the summer with this project. My 1" aqua, orange and grey hexies.
Aqua, orange and grey hexies
In Marrakech, all the buildings are painted a pinky red colour and it's known as the Red City or Rose City. So I chose this photo I took in a vegetarian restaurant to show you the type of  interior you might find here and the red/pink coloured walls I mentioned. The lantern, ornate railings and low seating are typical.

The Earth Cafe, Marrakech
Using a palette builder at play crafts, I created a palette for an EPP block. Play Crafts is incredibly easy to use.  You simply upload a photo and within seconds you have a palette which can then download it.
After pulling some suitable fabrics, I used some of Lynne's lozenge templates to create the bathroom tile block from the Fat Quarterly Shape Workshop for Quilters book.


The original block pattern was on point but I think I prefer it this way round.  After appliqueing the block to a square of Kona Regal, I trimmed the corners so that it became an octagon - the shape of many of the tiles you see here in Morocco.  I'm not so sure this looks like a Moroccan tile as the prints are too large - perhaps a 1970s Moroccan tile? I would like to try this block again using smaller geometric patterns.  I think they would look great.




This post is part of the Travellin' Pic Stitch Blog Hop.  

From 1st October - 30th November we are hopping all over the world EPP-ing in some fantastic locations.  Check out the full list here and be sure to check out the other participants.

On 30th November it's over to you to link up for a chance to win these fabulous prizes! You'll need to take a photo, create a palette and do some EPP using it.




Full details of the competition can be found here.

Tomorrow, be sure to hop over to my lovely bloggy friend Sarah at Narcoleptic in a Cupboard. She is a fabulous quilter and lives in the most beautiful part of the world!

Sunday, 21 August 2011

A To Do List

I am longing to return to some sewing. It is weeks since I did any. What with moving house, a two week holiday, 3 months of scorching temperatures and a 3 year old to care for, it has been tough to get motivated. My photography has been my creative outlet and I have loved every minute of it. I love the memes I join in with every week and I have found some incredibly talented photographers along the way.


However, after a week at my in-laws where the temperature is a good 10 degrees C cooler, I am feeling quite rejuvenated and ready to take on something else. Last weekend, I signed up to Jennifer and Sarah`s Across the Sea QAL. I am super excited as it means I will be doing some virtual sewing for the first time with lovely bloggy friends Di and Susan. They are both prolific bloggers and quilters and I get inspired every time they create so I`m looking forward to learning more from them and having some fun along the way too.  Susan also twisted my arm (she`s very strong) to enter this swap, which should be a lot of fun too!

Now I am not a person for lists (preferring to keep everything in my head and promptly forgetting everything) but I have compiled one highlighting just what I have to do and what I have committed to. I can`t wait to get started.

So here`s the list!

tie this quilt
baste, quilt and bind this quilt
post fabric choices for the Across the Sea QAL
make Zaki a pair of  PJs from Susan`s `ugly` rocket fabric
buy fabric and design a quilt for my mum (colour duck egg blue hues)
make a quilt for Baby `George` arriving November (fabric winging way from the States)
make goodies for the swap
make a coin quilt using Parisville fabric

I think that`s it...if I have forgotten something, someone let me know?