Colour and patchwork are synonymous. Gradations of the one can determine the other and vice versa. So imagine the colour shock of arriving at the airport in Marrakech and being confronted right from the airport with a feast of colour and contrast that blew away the English cold I had arrived from. This was the first time I had set foot in Africa and as much as one can be primed for the colour and extravagance Moorish culture throws at the visitor, what was delivered by the Moroccan sun, sea and sand scape went way past expectations.
The carpets of the Medina, the fabulously formed indigenous furniture created by local crafts people and artisans made the heart sing and the eyes water. In the souk in Essaouira the profusion of colour in the material as on sale made me the slowest moving shopper of all. Everything had to be inspected and viewed.

It was the stunning colours of the desert lands and Ourrzazate in particular that had my creative heart in palpitations. The ancient civilisation seemed to know precisely the profusion of richness in their buildings and the surrounding landscape needed to bring function and pleasure together. The Berber heart felt closer to me at that moment than ever. Of course a love affair had started almost as soon as I stepped off the flight. As it developed and became passionate my mind visualised chairs using carpets, pouffes hugged with patchwork fabrics I drank in each day, chairs with the precise piece of sunshine fabric adorning them. My husband displayed the sort of patience a saint is reputed for. But then he is my greatest fan!

Knowing a return was an absolute certainty for both of us made the chosing, or more to say, the not choosing due to travel constraints, the less painful. Becoming new BFFs with the sweet Carpet Cooperative in Marrakech assured us that future deliveries by transport meant we could be assured all our desiers would be seamlessly delivered to the UK for processing into new creations for both the teddy bears that are Made by Grandma™ and the reupholstered orphans we have such an abundance of to bring back to life and new beginnings.to life and new beginnings.

How this all transpires into new and wonderful creations is the thrill of the unknown meeting with an imagination fired up to the hilt in expectations and known delivery potential.

So the guidance I can pass forward is never let any trip, be it down the road or across the ocean, leave you with the slighest doubt that ideas, creations future and sparking of creative juices can be gained. Every crevice of life will always reveal the hidden potential just awaiting discovery.

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