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 :-/

2013 FAL - 1st Quarter

We're home! We arrived back home on Monday and while the sun is shining, it's chilly and I'm really struggling to settle back in to our normal routine.  However, before we left I was delighted to be reunited with my machine.  It was fixed under warranty and as suspected, it had a faulty bobbin casement.  She is clean and shiny and purrs while sewing like a dream!

With a to-do list as long as my arm, I'm linking up with Leanne's FAL (Finishalong).  Perhaps this will be the kick up the butt that I need!

So what would I like to get finished this quarter?

First up are the two quilts for the Care Circle of do.Good Stitches. I promised Rachel that these will be done by the end of January. Before we came home, I bought thread, backing and batting so these should be among the first finishes of 2013.

There's the already pieced X and Plus quilt top...



...and the unpieced Patchwork Wheel quilt top



Another important finish for me and long overdue is the Stained Man with a Curious Nature quilt for my husband. It was the last thing I quilted with my machine before it broke.  I hated the quilting and so it was a relief to unpick it all so that I could steal the batting and use it for my mum's quilt, now known as the Turning Corners' quilt (thanks Flo!).  I have new batting for it, a recovered machine and no excuses!



Another one languishing sadly in a plastic body bag is the Drunkard in Central Park quilt top.  I finished it in December 2011 and loved it.  Only it was too small.  Then in a serendipitous moment last month, Amy was having a destash of Central Park and I snapped it up! It arrived the day after we left but I shall ask my mum to send it over and somehow use it to make this quilt bigger.  It may mean some deconstruction but it will be worth it as I love the colours in this top.



Lastly, it is almost a year since I made my granny squares - I jumped on the bandwagon and made a few and then there may have been a kona white crisis and I stopped making them.  So I would like to finish this one too. This is a little ambitious as there are quite a few more blocks needed.



So I'm linking up with Leanne and crossing my fingers. This is very optimistic I know.  I have a gagillion bee blocks to figure in as well.  Wish me luck! So what are you hoping to finish?  If you fancy joining in and haven't yet done so, the linky is open until Sunday January 13 at midnight MST.

Treat Me Like a Lady

Perhaps my machine had overheard me saying how much I was enjoying a little handsewing but today while I was sewing up my x and plus block quilt top, she sent me a message loud and clear.  Treat me like a lady.

You see I had woken up in a bit of a cold sweat this morning thinking about all the x and plus blocks, which I had asked for back in April when I was queen bee quilter in the Care Circle of do.Good Stitches.  I hadn't received the final blocks until July due to the possessive nature of the Australian and/or Moroccan postal system and then due to the summer heat and a million other excuses I could no doubt come up with, they languished on the spare bed.  As it is my turn to be queen bee quilter again this month, I knew that I had to get them sewn up in to a quilt top and sharpish.

Halfway through sewing the seams, there was a crunch and a judder and everything came to a stop. I looked at the bobbin casement and found that it had been pushed upwards.  This has happened before a couple of times and I had kind of ignored it.  Today the casement wouldn't go back easily and unless I sew fairly slowly, it pops out again.  Gah.  I would liken sewing at present to driving a car with a loose exhaust.  Noisy and unsettling.  So there is nothing to do but buy a new one.  That means ordering online from England. There goes that new fabric I was going to buy.

This is one bright and cheerful quilt - much brighter than I normally go for but I love it and really believe it will make a young person happy - once it is basted and quilted!

This month as quilter, I have chosen this patchwheel block by Don't Call Me Betsy.  Click here to see the blocks made so far.  It's going to be a beautiful quilt - thanks ladies!

Yesterday morning I had a bit of a fiddle with my blog and added some pages showing my finished quilts (9 apparently!), some of my favourite photos of Morocco and some recipes (a work in progress), so if you fancy a snoop round - feel free!

The World`s Postal System In Harmony

This is my 298th post and I have over 300 followers.  Surely we need to have a giveaway soon!

The postman returned yesterday.

Fabric enabler Di, or Super-Di, who lives in sunny Southern California offered to pick up some Denyse Schmidt fabrics and send them to me.  I said yes please, she did and they arrived! Thanks Di!

If you don`t know Di`s blog you should.  Hop over and say hi.  There is eye candy of all kinds over there. I only wish she was able to come to the retreat in June.
 
There were also X and Plus blocks from Kat and Kris in Australia for the Care Circle of do.Good Stitches.  There are 11 people in the Care Circle. These blocks are contributions from 4 of us. So we are well on the way to making a big quilt or 2 smaller ones. This quilt will be given to the Siblings Together charity, which you can read about here. Here`s a group photo of the new blocks with mine and Cindy`s.  They look very happy together!

A few weeks ago, an incredibly generous woman called Jennifer (Bessiemae on flikr) put a whole load of fabric stacks on flikr, which she was prepared to post anywhere in the world to people who had the time to make quilts but perhaps not the stash.  I quickly snapped up this pink and orange bundle and it finally arrived.  Thank you so much Jennifer for your amazing generosity! It will hopefully be backed with some fabric which is winging its way from another incredibly generous person, Katy!

I am responsible for piecing another Katy`s quilt in the round robin bee, Stitch Tease and she sent me her starter blocks, which are just so cool. Katy is after blocks which replicate the vehicles in her chosen fabric in yellows, teals, oranges and grey.

Katy`s block for the Stitch Tease bee

Katy`s block for the Stitch Tease Bee

How I`m going to do that in batiks and Civil War fabrics, I`ll never know!
Katy lives in Glasgow where my mum`s side of the family come from.  Knowing my love of Highland Toffee but unable to find any, Katy sent me some tablet and Edinburgh rock.  Tastes of my childhood.  As I said in an email to Katy last night, having teeth is seriously overrated. I couldn`t include the sweeties for technical reasons.  Uh em.

My winnings from Kati (yes, another one) arrived - These gorgeous cards based on Kati`s designs.

...and I whipped up this little Curious Nature pochette for a friend.  Why is it that one end is okay and the other is squishy?  Is there a sewing law that I`m unaware of?

Front

Thank you for all your suggestions for the Curious Nature stained quilt - I think I`m leaning towards a mustard colour for the binding at the moment...

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