ramadan journal - days 4 to 10

Day 4 - currently reading

In Ramadan the focus is on Qur'an.

Day 5 - something crafty

Something my kids got up to without my knowing!

Day 6 - workspace

It's boxes galore here!

Day 7 - white

a surprisingly cloudy sky for Jeddah

Day 8 - handwriting

It's funny finding old notes as I pack everything up!

Day 9 - this happened today

A delicious Egyptian iftar (after sunset) meal prepared by a dear friend

Day 10 - grateful for ...

... the roof over our heads, the clothes on our backs and the bread on our table!

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the quilting and artisan fair

As I mentioned in my last post, two weeks ago I stopped in at the Quilting and Artisan Fair at the Quilting Arts Studio. The fair exhibited the work of local quilters and members of the quilting guild, which had me awestruck! 

There were amazing details and vibrant colour combinations. 

This one was made by a friend of mine.

Funds were raised for various charities via the sale of some products, a raffle and even a silent auction of these beautiful pieces. 

Local individuals had an opportunity to sell their handmade wares too.

There were cakes and beverages, of course!

And I won something! 

I met some really warm and wonderful ladies. Some had been quilting for years and others were beginners. They were from different parts of the globe, of various ages, yet came together to stitch, chat and share. One lady has said that the guild has even saved her marriage! Debra Dennis, the creative soul and proprietor of the studio saved a space for trocheted items to be displayed and took the time to chat with me about her ideas and thoughts on trocheted products! 

What an amazing little place! The studio itself, is jam packed with beautiful, high quality fabric that can be purchased and lovely items on display. 

This was my daughter's favourite: a miniature sewing room!

There are classes held at the Quilting Arts Studio. So if you are in Jeddah and have a love of all things quilting, you should check out their facebook page. 

Recently my days have been busy! Work was chaotic, my in laws came and went and now my parents are in town! Ma sha Allah! I'm looking forward to a little rest and relaxation and spending time with them. I have been keeping an eye on the Dubai Art Week Yarnbombing efforts on instagram though! Amazing stuff! Magda Sayeg is involved! And yes, I could spot some of my hexagons in amongst those pics!

More creative spaces here!

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my creative space - a mix of crafts

It has been a busy work week and we have relatives visiting, so carving in time for "luxuries" has been difficult. 

Nevertheless, we got to have a peek at the Quilting and Artisan Fair held at The Quilting Arts Studio. What an amazing place! 

They made room for some trocheted goodies too! 
I'll tell you more about it soon in sha Allah.

We also had a quick trip to Madinah. 

 I loved seeing the roof slide open above me as I walked through the mosque.

I finished the Virago shawl on our 4 hour road journey. 

And I hooked up some hexagons too to send off to Dubai!

Three are trocheted, two are your usual acrylic yarn and one is made out of paper! 

And oh, google reader says it's retiring in July! What to do! Any suggestions on a good reader I can use? 

More creative spaces here! 

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currently loving ...

... working on this 

another northbound knitting pattern and THAT yarn!

the idea of this crochet retreat in Marrakech that I found out about at Crochet Concupiscence

A creative event in Jeddah!

this bag

this clever idea - Tashkeil is a local organisation and this infographic highlights how they help independent designers. You do have to have some knowledge of the Arabic script and the vowel system to fully appreciate the concept. To give you an idea, the red icon at the top is "fat-ha" which, in Arabic, gives the vowel sound similar to the "a" in "apple", obtained by the opening of the jaws. Here it is used to depict the opening of minds!

The seven habits of calmness

and cleaning out my inboxes! 

What are you in to these days?

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my creative space - at the courtyard

The Courtyard in Jeddah that is! Ogling at the trocheted products that have come together and are on display for all to see!

Yes, I have more photos but I don't want to spoil it too much for anyone who's planning to visit this week! But tell me something, do YOU expect trocheted projects to be priced in line with their fabric/stitched counterparts? Does the fact that it's not only the purchase of a product but the support of women in a society, the support of handmade goods, along with the recycling of waste plastic, affect your decision? Do share your views!  

And in case you haven't seen the videos yet, here they are again!

Collecting the bags ...



... and what happens next ...




A BIG shout out to Kathryn of Crochet Concupiscence, for always showing support for the project! Thank you!!!

More creative spaces here!

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trochet news

Do you know the feeling when you see someone you used to baby sit years ago? You watched them as a kid and perhaps read stories to them. You played games with them and took them to the park. You had a role in nurturing their early days, albeit a small one. And then you see them a few years later, growing up, developing their own unique character, a little attitude, maybe. Do they even remember you? Probably not.  The trochet project is a bit like that. It started off as a "crazy" idea, I babysat parts of it, it's still early days but it's definitely growing up! 

• One of this region's top photographers, Mokhtar Chahine, has come on board and taken shots of some of the trocheted products.

• Diana has been interviewed on Rotana, where she describes how it all started and what it's all about (in Arabic).

• Recycling bins have been placed in different parts of Jeddah, aiming to collect 40,000 plastic bags! Check out the plastic bag counter!

• Trocheted items are being exhibited at The Courtyard (Khalidiyyah, on the corner of Rawdah Street and Prince Sultan Street) starting TODAY and running through to the end of next week! It's a lovely, little exhibit. Photos coming soon!!!

• UPDATED TO ADD: Have a look at the latest video!!! I LOVE it! And yes, that's our big, blue beanbag collecting the bags!

As I said, it's early days still, but I can see that this was an idea that someone had, just like ideas that you and I have, more often than we realise. She then went out and did whatever she needed to, to make it happen. Some people were brave enough to support and encourage the project. But she was determined and passionate about it anyway and even when things were rough, she didn't stay down too long, dusted herself off and carried on again ma sha Allah. And it doesn't stop there. Go ahead and like the trochet facebook page and follow along on twitter. Stay in touch, get involved and see what happens next. AND let's not allow negativity, both in ourselves and others, to snuff out our creative ideas! OK?

   

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community

Trochet (local)

Thank you everyone, for your encouraging words about the article! Now, there's a short video too!


*Do note that the ladies are covered in the video, but they are not dressed like that while they work, as they are in the privacy of other women.

If you'd like to help and are not sure what to do, don't fret! You will soon! For now, just hold on to those plastic bags! 

Book Collection for Algerian Action (local, inernational and online)

Emma of Algerian Action is collecting books for a travelling library in Algiers, for children in hospitals, orphanages and various community venues. What a noble cause! Do you have new or gently used children's books that you'd like to donate? The books should be suitable for children between the ages of 0 and 14 and can be in English or Arabic. There is a link on her website for the address in the UK to post to, or a contact number if you are in Algiers. 
But if you are in Jeddah, you may drop me an email (fruitfulfusion AT live DOT co DOT uk) to arrange a drop off or pick up. 
Farhana of Sketched Soul, over in Canada, is also collecting funds to puchase books, so you can take a look if you'd like to donate that way. 
Algerian Action has a Wish List on Amazon, so you could donate the books that they need in a few clicks!
Don't forget that if you are in Jeddah and would like to donate books, perhaps Arabic books in particular, get in touch!

An Art Exhibition (local)

Manal Al Dowayan's first solo exhibition at the Athr Gallery in Jeddah. Read more about it here.

FREE Kindle download ONLY today (online)

Crochet Saved My Life by Kathryn Vercillo is available as a free kindle download ONLY for the rest of the weekend (ie. TODAY). I'm reading mine! 

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my creative space - finding ...

... that crocheting with plastic is FULL of challenges but it's growing on me!

... that it's great to do something different on the weekend

... that I don't always appreciate the nature of glowing, pre-dusk sunlight, even if it is in amongst the concrete

... some tiled patterns on a walk

... that I don't miss this kind of thing as much as I thought I would

... that even after shopping for that dress, I keep having the urge to take pictures of dresses. Is my subconscience telling me something?

... a nice day bed, not buying it, just admiring it

... that after 14 years of marriage, I didn't know that my husband once had a summer job carving traditional, wooden furniture and that his mother used to make her own looms, all by herself and weave mats, some of which were made out of recycled plastic bags ... YES, she was in the game well before us trocheters! 

... that it's been raining today!

... that Palestine is in the thoughts and prayers of many

And here my other new and not so new "finds":

a shop full of handcrafted items, where they have done new things with traditional Arabic accessories (yes, those wrap-around trousers)

and they have this great gift idea of a recipe and spice mix (this is one is for Kablie Rice)

and everything is made by needy women!


a creative mint - beautiful, creative blog

annie's place - and another one!

alternating cast-on for ultimate stretch - a knitting tutorial I'd like to try!

a great way to use up those awful adhesive book covers that I didn't have to use this year because our paperwork hasn't come through and so we decided to homeschool the kids full time!

thought walking - a great way to solve problems (article)

My contributions to #amonthof #mycreativespace can be found on instagram! I'm Fruitful Fusion .... what else? Look me up! 

And more creative spaces here!

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