Life's Rich Pattern

I've been feeling a little bit in the doldrums the last few days.  I have completely and utterly lost my mojo. Zilch. Nada. Zip.  It may be to do with the fact that my machine has broken down (it judders in quite a scary way and Error appears on the screen) and will have to come back with me to the UK in December.  Luckily, it is still under guarantee (it turns out that it is 2 years rather than 1 year as I originally thought) but whether they will be able to repair it in the 3 weeks we are back is another thing.  My old machine is not behaving either and I have uhmm... lots on my to-do list.

So in an effort to revive my spirits, what better than a giveway? If I can't sew, at least others can! My followers are approaching 400 and that makes me super happy as does this whole quilting and sewing caboodle, the support, the generosity, the humour and the wonderful comments that my readers leave me. This is a thank you from me to you.

So when this morning I was basting some templates for some EPP using some Liberty tana lawn and saw  Annie's newsletter announcing that the 2nd Liberty Lifestyle collection, Stile had arrived, I thought I would give one of you lucky ducks 4 fat quarters.  Using Annie's Build a Bundle, I chose one each in:

Newbury

(Photo - Village Haberdashery)

Cranston

(Photo - Village Haberdashery)

Herbert 




and Rennie

(Photo - Village Haberdashery)

The collection is of course based on Art Nouveau designs and the Scottish designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

So to be in with a chance of winning 4 fat quarters of these fabrics, simply leave a comment. Followers get a bonus entry.  The giveaway is open internationally.  I shall draw a winner on Thursday November 22.

I`m sorry to be late in posting details of the giveaway winner but it was my birthday yesterday and so we were out and about!

The winner of the 8 FQs of kona solids is...


the lovely Janine who is a great quilter and one of my lovely followers!  Congratulations Janine - I have just emailed you for your details.  Thanks to everyone who entered and told me all about what they were up to and welcome to my new followers! 

We`re back!  We`re in England.  We`ve escaped the incessant high temperatures, leaving poor hubby behind, although we clearly brought a little with us in our suitcase as it has been beautiful the last few days.

As promised, I have a back to blogging (well almost) belated 300 followers pre-birthday giveaway but first, let me tell you what I`ve been up to or just scroll straight to the bottom and look at the pictures!

Before we left Morocco, I dragged the machine out of its summer hibernation and fulfilled a couple of bee obligations.

First up was a stargazing block for Nicole in the We Bee Modern Too - a bee using blocks from Modern Blocks.  Nicole sent us all fabric from Kate Spain`s Joy collection. The block is made up of 3 different sized wonky stars and Nicole asked us to alternate the points of the stars in red and green.


It was a little strange making a Christmas block in Morocco in August but here it is - ready to be mailed off to Nicole.

Next up were blocks for Dolores who is queen bee for August in the Care Circle of do.Good Stitches.  Dolores asked for granny squares in hot pink, orange and yellow.  I love grannies as the effect outweighs the effort involved but this was a challenge as I had very little yellow and most of my orange had been used in my hexies.  I did however have pink. I then remembered the Silent Cinema FQs I had bought back in May and I`m hoping that the yellow prints will be okay for Dolores.


 My aqua, orange and grey hexie flowers continue to grow - I`m loving the slow relaxed progress. Here are some of the latest to join grannies flower garden...


...and here is a close up of the variagated versions using up the fabric which I love but don`t have enough of to make a whole flower.



...and lastly, here are some gorgeous fabrics which the lovely Susan generously donated to my hexie quilt and which came all the way from Australia in a record breaking 3 days!!  So I won`t hear a bad word against Aussie post anymore.  Thank you Susan - I love them!


Now you`ve been patient enough. Let`s get down to the giveaway. I was looking around the UK fabric shops for something to give away and then I saw this fabulous bundle of loveliness in Cindy`s gorgeous shop. A fat quarter stack of eight Kona solids -  Kona Basil, Teal, Turquoise, Peacock, Azure, Bahama blue, Lime and Jade..

Under the Palm Tree FQ Bundle (photo - Fluffy Sheep Quilting)

I love this bundle of cool sea colours and the name just spoke to me. I may just have to go back and buy a bundle for me! I would love to make an improv.pieced quilt using these.

So you have 3 chances to win - no hoops.

1. Leave a comment about what you are making right now.
2. If you are a follower, leave a comment and say so.
3. For an extra chance, tweet or blog about the giveaway and come back and tell me.

That`s it!  I shall post anywhere after choosing a winner on my birthday - that`s next Tuesday August 28 (there`s always a bank holiday in honour of it don`t you know).  Good luck! (Make sure to leave an email address if you are a no-reply blogger.)

...so were you?

Flying Blind was!  She said `Congratulations honey! I am awaiting the Pezzy Prints and Half Moon Modern scissors.`  Congratulations to you Hadley.  I have just emailed you and as soon as I get your details I shall pass them on to Julie at The Intrepid Thread and she will get this bundle of loveliness of to you pronto.


A huge thank you to Julie for generously agreeing to sponsor this giveaway, to my in excess of hundred new followers and to everyone who joined in.  It`s Friday - have a great weekend!

Apologies for the smudgy photo but we learned a year or so ago not to pack a bottle of milk with a lap top in hand luggage!

Block 1 by Sherri McConnell of A Quilting Life

I never imagined 8 months ago as I started this blog that anyone would read it, or let alone follow it but I did it! I reached and passed 100 followers. Thank you so much to Di for her big shout out yesterday, to all my new followers who took a peek and pressed the button and all my wonderful existing followers who have been there along the way! Enough of the Oscar speech, let`s have a giveaway!

For the last 9 years I have lived in Marrakech, Morocco at the western tip of N.Africa.  It`s known as the red city as all the buildings have to be painted in a pinky shade.


It`s a city you either love or hate.  It is sensory overload on overdrive.  It`s beautiful, vibrant, hot, spicy, noisy, crazy mad, in your face and a little bit wild.  Just like the new fabric line  Moroccan Mirage by Kristian A Howell.

Moroccan Mirage in Marrakech colorway

I love the retro feel of the top fabrics and then the more sedate souk and screen patterns. I`m using this fabric line in the Duo QAL I have signed up for and will team it with some Kona solids. Red is a colour I don`t have much of in my stash and I was naturally drawn to the blue and green colourway of Casablanca, but I had to use the Marrakech line didn`t I? I`m looking forward to the challenge of using a colour I haven`t used much before!

I am thrilled that the lovely Julie at The Intrepid Thread has agreed to sponsor this giveaway by giving an FQ bundle of Moroccan Mirage in the Marrakech colourway to one lucky reader.  Thank you so much Julie! Intrepid Thread have a beautiful selection of fabrics.  Just take a look at what is coming soon.  I have my eye on Lark by Amy Butler and Pear Tree by Thomas Knaur arriving next month and who can resist a little Kate Spain, with Good Fortune arriving in January. Julie is so helpful, answers emails in minutes and will help you in any way she can.

• go over to this page at The Intrepid Thread and see what takes your fancy and then come back and tell me in a comment
• for a second chance, go and follow the Intrepid Thread and leave a  separate comment
• for a third chance, leave a comment saying you are following me
• and if you blog about the giveaway, leave a link in a new comment

The giveaway will be open until Thursday September 29 at 5PM GMT.  Julie will ship direct to the winner.

And the winner of the 100th postaversary giveaway is...Susan!

When leaving her comment Susan said, `Annabella, I told you I was going to hold out so I wasn't the first comment for a change! Now to answer your questions -
I love both the necklaces but the acquamarine would go with my pale freckled skin better.
I do not have the Farmer's Wives book and if I won it I would love to quilt along with you. Just may buy it myself anyway if I don't win it so we can do that.
Books I have enjoyed are many but here are three you may not have read: The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd; Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky; Guernica by Dave Boling
The last two books might not be 'beach reads' but they are so well written that I thought I would recommend them anyway.
Right, time to go and leave comment number two!`

Congratulations Susan - I`m delighted you won as you were an early follower and have stuck with me regularly commenting on my posts.  Please email me your details and I`ll arrange getting these goodies to you as quickly as possible.


Now for a spot of housekeeping. To be fair to everyone when calculating No.17 I had to discount Nadilah`s second comment as she was only entitled to one and Lis` third comment as she was only entitled to two as she is a Brit Quilter.  I hope that makes sense to Nadilah, Lis and everyone else.

Now for a surprise giveaway.  As Susan chose the purple and green necklace which I actually really wanted to keep, I thought I would give away the carnelian and garnet necklace which I don`t really think suits my colouring.  So I asked Mr. Random to pick again and he came up with...


No.28 which is Judith - a worthy winner as she has a big birthday today, so happy birthday Judith...email me your details and I`ll get the necklace off to you!  When calculating No.28, I discounted Hobby Lass` third comment as well as Nadilah`s and Lis`.

That`s enough giveaways for the moment...thanks to everyone who took part. Apologies for the smudgy photographs but milk spilled on a laptop screen doesn`t come out. Have a great Friday!

Sidi Bouzid, Morocco

Thank you to everyone who has entered my 100th post giveaway here.  It's still not too late to have a go.  I'll draw the winner on Friday 9.00 AM Morocco time (GMT +1) and announce the winner shortly afterward.