Never Mind Spring...

...summer has been declared. Yes, the socks have been put away and the shorts are out.  Well at least for some of us. It`been 38 C (102 F) here today and even though it`s ten years this month that we moved out here, the return of the intense heat is always a shock.

It`s way too hot to sew.  I have to plan some summer hand sewing and would like to have another go at Trish Harper`s Camelot pattern.  With all those Y seams it should keep me busy. I think it could look very pretty in some of Jenean Morrison`s Silent Cinema.

Tomorrow is registration for Rachel`s Handstitched class - registration opens at 9 EST.  Now if we are on GMT +1 here in Morocco, will 9 EST be 1.00 PM here?

After the success of her Curves class, which I didn`t actually do but heard it was great, this looks like huge fun.  Rachel has spaced the classes out more and is even selling a kit to go with the class so that you have everything you need. The course includes hand quilting, embroidery, applique, reverse applique and English Paper Piecing.

But there`s lots to do before that. I am working on Di`s block for the Stitch Tease bee and trying something new for the first time.  Yes Di, you are my guinea pig! But I can`t show you anything yet, and then it will only be sneaky peeks.

So I really have nothing to show you.  Just popped in to say `hi`.

Winter Stitching - It`s a Wrap!

6 months ago back in October 2011, I committed to writing a list of sewing that I wanted to do over the winter by linking up with Sarah`s Winter Stitching.

Back in January, I gave you my mid-term report here.

Back in January I had failed in making a quilt for my mum.  I`m ashamed to say that I haven`t yet made it.  I have plenty of ideas but I can`t commit.  It has to be done by her next birthday in July.  So far, it`s a big fat fail.

Another unfinished project back in January was my Drunkard`s Path quilt.  While I really love it, it remains a top.  No further progress on that one either.

I also committed to continuing with the Blogger`s BOM.  I have done 2 blocks.  Another fail.

Let`s see what I did do.  I must have made something.  I must have finished something.

• Make a mini quilt for the For the Love of Solids swap - DONE.

Mini back

•  make a zippered pouch for Mouthy Stitches.

• I have joined a new bee. I was writing about Stitch Tease - an international mystery bee. I have made my starter blocks - the theme of my quilt is all things curved.

Stitch Tease Block 1

Stitch Tease Block 2

• Another secret project - details to be revealed soon. This was Jennifer`s Mini Quilt Challenge.  I participated in the blog hop and made this mini using all solids and improv.piecing, inspired by the Gee`s Bend quilters.

• I pledged to finish my Lark quilt, which sadly remains a top - FAIL.

• I really want to swoon in the Swoonalong and I really want to do the Made in Cherry QAL but I need to get on as they are both well under way! - FAIL!

• I did run my first series - the My Modern Muse series in March and interviewed some wonderful and inspiring bloggers about what inspires them!

• I participated in Sunni`s Farmer`s Wife in my Life series and made this notebook cover based on Cindy`s tutorial. 

learn how to applique.  Another big fat fail, but I did do some embroidery.

 What else did I do that wasn`t on the list?

• I made a quilt top for my hubby using Curious Nature by Parson Grey as part of Sarah`s Stained QAL.

I made a quilt top for Siblings Together, which I shall finish when I`m in England.

Last month, I hosted my first month as quilter in the Care Circle for do.Good Stitches and asked my lovely ladies to make super sized x and plus blocks. These blocks will be made in to a quilt for Siblings Together as well. Here are the blocks so far.

As I`m against the clock to link up my Winter Stitching, here are a few other things that I managed to get done.

1. Curious Nature Pouch (Front), 2. April Block We Bee Modern too, 3. Group Shot of Blocks for Hive 4, 4x5 Modern Quilt Bee, 4. Parisville Pouch, 5. Scrappy Grannies, 6. Kaffe Fasset Selvedge Pouch, 7. March Block for Kat, 8. FTLOS2 Mini and front of Matching Pouch, 9. We Bee Modern Too - February Block, 10. do.Good Stitches (Care Circle) February Blocks, 11. January Blocks for Care Circle, do.Good Stitches, 12. Lark Selvage Pouch, 13. First Attempt at a Zippered Pouch, 14. Blocks Received So Far in the 4th Quarter, 15. For the Love of Solids Mini Front, 16. March Block for Heather

With 7 minutes to go, I`m linking up with Sarah`s Winter Stitching.

Absolutely Fabulous

Firstly thank you so much for all the well wishes for my brother Will.  He had an emergency operation to his back on Tuesday and there has obviously been some nerve damage.  He faces months of rehabilitation but the doctors are confident he will walk again.  As one of his friends said, "Those energy balls work so keep them coming!"

It`s our beautiful boy`s 4th birthday tomorrow but we are doing most of the celebrating today - the luxury of being young enough to not really know what day it is! I ummed and ahhhed about a birthday party but decided on starting that next year.  Today, he`ll have 4 cousins and various uncles and aunties over fr cake later and he`ll love it. We`ve moved on slightly from dinosaurs to marine life.

Anyway, I mentioned a few weeks ago that I wanted to get back to my first sewing love, dressmaking.  I`ve ordered some books on pattern cutting and getting a good fit, a pattern and some fabric. These bundles of loveliness are all waiting for me at my mum`s in England. Yesterday I signed up for this course over at Craftsy - the Couture Dress with Susan Khalje. I have looked at this course before but waited until it was offered at special price.  Yesterday I got an email saying it was $39.99 as opposed to the regular price of $79.99. Woo hoo.

Once you have signed up, you can watch the course videos as much as you like, there are full written instructions and the price includes a Vogue dress pattern, which will be sent to you.

I have only had the chance to have a quick look at the first lesson but I like what I`ve seen.  It`s all done in real time so you really get to see Susan at work.  I like her too.  She has a nice soothing voice. She`s full of tips - for instance, did you know the width of the metal end of a tape measure should be 5/8ths of an inch - useful when marking your stitch line. I like the way how you can make notes below the video as you watch it.  As soon as you type, the video pauses until you`re ready to resume watching.  I shall let you know how I get on.  I don`t have that much use for couture dresses if the truth be told but I think I shall learn so much from this course that will be useful for dressmaking in general.

I quite fancy whipping something up for Jennifer`s Summer Sewing Contest, which looks like it`s going to be a whole lot of fun.  She has a fab lineup of bloggers taking part in the hop!

If you are a beginner dressmaker or are interested in taking it up, you might want to check out this great post by Sara of Sew Sweetness as part of Sarah`s excellent {Sew} Get Started series.

 Lastly, a few weeks ago I received an enticing email from Moo saying that they had a sale on and so duly inveigled, I ordered some mini cards and had them delivered to my mum`s.  There has been a slight delay in showing you these as my mum mislaid her new camera. Anyway, she found it.  Where?  In her sewing scraps.  Go figure.

Hope you are all having a great weekend.

Partay

Zaki and I are just back from a friend`s daughter`s 6th birthday party held at one of my favourite places in Marrakech - the organic Flower Power Cafe at Casa Botanica.

There was a treasure hunt amongst the pretty bunting...

...and tea in a traditional tent...

...designed especially for small people, with flower strewn wooden crates tables...

...and a 5 tier cupcake cake (with gingerbread bases and edible flowers)

When you are seated between a couple of cuties, the paparazzi are not welcome...

...but a vanilla cupcake with sprinkles most certainly is.

There was even a pinata...and everyone got a turn.

But the pinata was a tough old bird and with the temperature still 29 C (84 F) at 5.30 PM, a mid-pinata sit down was necessary for some.

...but it went eventually and there was the usual unseemly scrum...

...and that`s when small elbows and hands come in useful!

Happy Birthday Maria!

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.

Fresh Sewing Day - April

 1. Embroidery Detail, 2. Curious Nature Pouch (Front), 3. Back of Name Tag for Partner , 4. Scrappy x and plus blocks, 5. April Block We Bee Modern too, 6. Embroidery, 7. Parisville Pouch, 8. Stained Quilt Top, 9. Group Shot of Blocks for Hive 4, 4x5 Modern Quilt Bee, 10. Scrappy Granny Block, 11. Curious Nature Pouch (Back), 12. Embroidery, 13. Scrappy Grannies14. Not available15. Not available16. Not available

How is it May...I mean, how is it May?? It`s still unseasonably cool here.  Long may it continue but how can it be?

April was the month when I tried something new. I attempted embroidery and have to say that I really quite like it..I`m surprised!  It`s so restful and slow and takes me back to this time last year when I didn`t even have a sewing machine so everything was hand-stitched - blocks, seams, quilting and binding!

It was also the month when I fell behind in the Stitch Tease Bee.  I don`t like getting behind especially when it`s on a project with good bloggy friends.  You see I haven`t been able to even start my blocks for Di - the swap mama of Stitch Tease.  I ordered some white solid as all I had was a small amount of snow and it still hasn`t arrived. I`ve made my excuses and will get started as soon as the solid arrives.  Do I sound like a broken record? So this month I still have Di`s blocks to make as well as Susan`s. Help!

April was my month as Queen Bee in the Care Circle of do.Good Stitches and I asked my lovely ladies to make me as many x and plus blocks for a quilt of Lynne`s Siblings Together.  They lived up to expectations and then some.  We are going to have ourselves a great quilt or quilts for someone at camp this summer.  There was also bee blocks for the 4x5 Modern Quilt Bee and We Bee Modern Too.

I also had to make a name tag for my secret partner in the FQ Retreat Name Tag Swap.  I have a fabulous partner. Ideas came very easily.  The hard part was executing those ideas.  I can`t show you the front as to do so would give the game away.  You`ll just have to sit tight until she has received it.  I hope she likes it!

May is already shaping up to be super busy  - my head is already starting to spin. With the usual bee obligations, playing catch-up in the Stitch Tease Bee, quilts for Siblings Together and preparations for the FQ Retreat - help!

It`s May 1 and it`s a public holiday here so we are off out for a spin in the new (used) car!

Linking up with Lynne for Fresh Sewing Day!