Unlucky for Some

..but thankfully not for us.

I got married and thirteen years later we're still married.  Yep, it's our 13th wedding anniversary today.  On 5th February at 5 o'clock on a beautiful bright wintry day in central London I said my vows during a beautiful candlelit ceremony.

We got married at Browns Hotel - famous for its afternoon teas! This is me and my dad (not my husband).

It's strange how I can almost still feel the energy of the day when I pick up these place setting cards from the top table - written by my dad and still bearing the smudges from hot hands or a spilled drink...

...or touch the dried petals of my bouquet.

Such precious memories.

The 13th year anniversary gift is lace or textiles.  So the man quilt was quite appropriate after all...in that it is textiles...not lacy! No special plans for today.  Nobody goes out on a Tuesday night in Marrakech so with empty restaurants never having been a favourite of mine, we shall save our celebrating for the weekend!

What's Written Down Gets Done

As I continue to work on my outstanding bee blocks over the next couple of days I confess my mind is already wandering to the next project...

Anxious not to lose the momentum gained over the last few weeks, I have decided to link up to A Lovely Year of Finishes hosted by Melissa.  I missed January but the idea is that you publicly pledge to a doable  one finish for the month, so I am digging up the scrappy grannies.

These babies are on my FAL list so by signing up to Melissa's linky I should be able to keep on track for the first quarter.  Now the grannies were probably started almost this time last year when granny mania was sweeping this comfy corner of the blogosphere.  Since then, they have lain abandoned poor things. This is even more disgraceful given they are lovely blocks to make!

My mum is visiting in April and we are about to do up the spare room and make it hers.  It's a small bijou room but we can make it lovely I'm sure. Up until now, she has shared Zaki's room but they are both getting a bit big for sharing.  I'm thinking of this quilt for her room. Grannies for granny.

So that's it.  Oh and if you fancy linking up there are prizes too!

Follower Friday

Today I'm in Hawaii (how cool is that?) with my bee mate Jennifer who is featuring me on Follower Friday!  Pop over and say 'hi' if you have a mo.

Fresh Sewing Day - January Edition

'January - sick and tired you've been hanging on me' 

Forgive me for feeling ever so slightly smug but last month I turned 2 quilt tops and a pile of blocks in to three finished quilts. This is a personal record.  Likely never to be repeated.  

I continued to work on my bee blocks and still have a couple of outstanding ones, which I shall finish over the next couple of days.

1. X and Plus Block for Nicole in the Sew Euro Bee An Bee, 2. EEEP EEP Bee Block for Helen, 3. Strip for Hadley in the Stitch Tease Bee, 4. X and Plus Block for Nicole in the Sew Euro Bee An Bee

January was the month I celebrated my 2 year blog anniversary, or rather didn't.  Keep your eyes out for a belated giveway...coming soon!

And here's a mobile phone snapshot of our non-sewing January.

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Tomorrow I shall link up with Lynne and her Fresh Sewing Day.  Head on over there for lots of inspiration of the sewing variety.

Less UFO Sightings Reported

You wouldn't believe the mayhem going on behind this quilt as I was taking photos.   Short of a responsible adult to hold the quilt, I enlisted the help of Zaki (age 4) and his cousin Salma (7 years old).  Behind the quilt, one of Zaki's 'big' cousins was restraining another 'small' cousin from jeopardising the photo shoot.  Light was going and I had to be quick.  Hence the wonky tilt to the quilt!

I have definitely made a big old dent in the UFOs lying around since I joined Leanne's Finishalong 2013. This is my third finish of 2013.

Last October, it was my second turn as quilter in the Care Circle of do.Good Stitches.  I asked the lovely members to make bright scrappy patchwork wheel blocks. The blocks look so pretty when assembled together - there is just the right mix of dark and light in this quilt.

When you look at the quilt sometimes you see hugs...

...and sometimes you see kisses...

I made a backing using white cotton and some of Tula Pink's Birds & Bees, and used some for the binding too. I bought some half yards last year and never did work out quite how to use them... 

...especially these squirrels...so it makes me happy to see them off the spare bed and in a quilt.

When I returned from England at the beginning of the month, I was uncharacteristically slack when I gathered up my sewing kit and caboodle and left behind fabric (*gasp*) and my hera marker at my mum's.  So I chose simple straight line quilting again and as this is a smallish quilt (48" x 48"), it was done in a flash.

Thank you to all the wonderful women who contributed to this quilt.  I am sure it will give lots of quilty hugs and kisses to a sick child when I hand it over to  Project Linus UK.

Things will be a bit slower on the quilt making front but it has made me realize that if I lived somewhere where I could buy batting or thread at a local quilt store or online and have it in a couple of days then I would probably be much more productive.  I bought 4 kilometers of thread (4 x Gutermann's 1000m spools) back with me along with 3 lots of batting - the batting has gone as has over 1 kilometer of thread but I'm looking forward to finishing bee blocks and working on some quilt tops - after all my favourite part of the process...

Linking up with TGIFF being hosted by Laura this week!

Over Two Years

Have you ever forgotten your birthday?  No, I haven't either.  However, it appears I have forgotten my blogiversary, which in blogging terms is forgetting your birthday. Clearly I was too busy entertaining a 4 year old on his holidays and making quilts.  It was on January 20 apparently.  Yep - one week ago marked two years since I started my little blog.  My witterings.

I have also been hovering around the 400 follower mark for a while now.  So together with my blogiversary I think that calls for another giveway.  I shall get back to you on that one very shortly.  I have a cunning plan.

Today, I assembled the blocks for my second Care Circle quilt top. Last October, I asked the circle to make bright blocks using Elizabeth's Patchwork Wheel block.  You can find the super easy tutorial here.

I still can't get over the fact that these blocks were made with lots of different stashes - they just go so beautifully together.

This won't be a very big quilt - it will be 48" square. Once made, the quilt will be donated to Project Linus UK and give comfort to a young sick child.  I'm hoping to make the back, get it basted and start quilting it tomorrow or Tuesday and perhaps there might be one last finish for January.

I'm not promising as I have some important bee blocks to attend to including a paper pieced one.  Have I paper pieced before?  No.  What am I paper piecing?  A Union Jack from the book, Modern Blocks. Off to find my seam ripper...

Linking up for the first time with Plum and June and the Let's Get Acquainted Monday Link Up!

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 :-/