The Wanderer Returns!

Whatever happened to my New Year's Resolutions? It seems like they took a 6 month holiday. Well enough is enough!

I have just celebrated my 44th birthday - and if I don't give my life a kick up the backside NOW ......

So as with the start of a new year, I have made a list of "improvements" I am GOING to make.

1) Lose weight

2) Get Fit

3) Be a better wife, mother, daughter, sister, crafter etc

4) Blog more

5) Blow my own trumpet more

6) Grow my "business"

7) ENJOY LIFE!!

There have been some highlights since the start of the year.

After 6 long stressful months, my hubby has got a new job. "Yeah!" I hear you all cry. And yes it is fabulous news - but the downside is that we have to relocate from Shropshire to Yorkshire. "Boo!" I here you all cry. Not, I should clarify that Yorkshire is a horrid place to live, it's just the rigmarole of selling the house and uprooting Little Miss H from school etc.

So if anyone wants to buy a 5 bedroom detached house in Newport - just let me know!

Another piece of good news was that my son passed his A'Levels and secured a place at York St Johns University to read Media Studies. He has got himself a tiny little flat to rent that he will be sharing with his girlfriend who will be training to be a Primary School Teacher.

The lovely ladies of my Modern Quilting Bee provided the blocks to make a quilt to take with them. I just need to get it backed, quilted and bound in the next fortnight!

It has been the year of "big" birthdays. My son and 2 of my nieces turned 18, so here is the quilt I made for one of the girls.

My Mum turned 65 (and got engaged), so I used the same pattern as above - and with the help of my Quilting NewBEEs Bee Ladies - made the top of a quilt for her that will be professionally quilted as it is just too big for my little machine to cope with.

And as my youngest sister - who has just turned 40 - has taken up surfing, I decided that she had to have her own Camper Van!

I have joined in the new obsession with "Mug Rugs", and joined in a couple of swaps.

I've also kept my participation in the Flickr Doll Quilt Swaps going. Although it is always stressful trying to make something that you hope a total stranger will like, it does make me think "outside the box".

And last but not least, is my continued enjoyment of all things Retro, that can be turned into mini quilts made up of tiny squares instead of Pixels!

I'm still a member of a couple of quilting Bees, so I shall be keeping you more up-to-date with what I sew for them and all the other gubbings I get up to.

Talk soon

Leah x

I went a little swap mad!

At the start of the year I signed up to participate in 4 swaps - eek! 2 were due on Feb 14th - double eek! But as both my partners and I have received our respective parcels, I can now tell you about them.

The first swap was Round 5 of the Placemat Quilt Swap. My partner was Isaacsmama, and we decided to make placemats for each other's children.

Her little boy likes robots, and when I saw a pattern for one that's in Dare to Be Square Quilting I knew it would translate well into a placemat. I kept the colours bright and the quilting simple and was chuffed how well it turned out!

In return, I received a fabulous little birdie placemat

that has the word "tweet" quilted over it!

The second swap was a new one for me and it enabled me to join in with the new craze of making Mug Rugs. "What's a mug rug?" I hear you ask. A mug rug is an oversized coaster for your mug/cup/glass with room for a treat on the side! So with great excitement I joined the Scrappy Mug Rug Swap.

In this swap, participants only know who they are making for, and I got Ljs742.

After having a look in her Flickr favourites, I decided upon a Union Jack pattern made using citrus colours.

I had so much fun making it that I am making another one in different fabrics to hopefully sell!

A few days after I sent my rug off I received a package from SleepytimeSewing filled with gorgeous goodies!

She had had a crisis of confidence with the linen rug (the one on the left), so made me another! She also sent some charm squares in my favourite colour - purple. I am one lucky lady!

I'll keep you updated with the happenings in other 2 swaps.

Pay It Forward

Some time ago I signed up to received a Pay It Forward gift from Modernjax.

I promptly forgot about it until an unexpected package, sent from America, landed on my doorstep! "What's this?" I asked myself as I opened it up. Then imagine my surprise when I found these goodies inside!

I got a lovely dotty tote bag, some ironing starch, a couple of beautifully intricate origami hanging decorations and a packet of Buckeyes - which are little chocolates with peanut butter inside - yum yum!

As is the tradition with Pay It Forwards, it is now my turn, so here is how it works.

1. I will make a little something of the first 3 people who comment on this post. It will be a surprise and it will arrive when you least expect it.

2. I will have 365 days to do it in. What's the catch? To get a handmade present from me, you have to play too! This mwans YOU pledge to send a little handmade something for 3 readers of your blog. It doesn't have to be quilty - just handmade!

3. You must have a blog.

4. Once you comment here, you must post about your Pay It Forward on your blog to keep the fun going - with the Pay It Forward badge.

Let the fun begin!

A New Year = A New Beginning!

Isn't it odd that I said this last New Year!

And then how many posts did I make on my blog between then and now? 5!

It's not even like I've done nothing. I'm part of 7 Quilting Bees, have done numerous swaps, plus sewn some bits and bobs for actual paying customers.

We ended the year quite low as my husband lost his job 2 weeks before Christmas, plus he, our daughter and myself all had flu over the Festivities. We are all on the mend but I am still coughing continually which is mega annoying!

As I was bought a website package for my birthday, I have resolved that I WILL MAKE SOME THINGS, and SELL THEM ONLINE. My biggest reason for not venturing into ready-made so far has been a lack of confidence in their ability to sell. I've always felt to wait until someone asks me to make something is safer - as then I won't have spend time and energy plus materials making items people don't want to buy!

I have a few ideas for making some monster softies, so perhaps I'll start with them.

I hope that 2011 is a great year for you all, and I PROMISE you will hear more from me on a regular basis from now on.

Love Leah x