Review of 2010 and Looking Forward to 2011

(This is a longish one, I suggest a cup of tea first!)

I thought I would end this year with a review of what I've made and look forward to the sewing challenges that lie ahead for 2011.

I've taken part in 4 workshops this year, 2 of which were with Philippa Naylor back in January after which I felt I gained a wealth of piecing and quilting knowledge. The next was a handbag workshop with Barnsley Embroiderer Sheila which was really good. This followed in November by a Pat Archibald weekend workshop of Ghost Images at the Silver Thimble, which despite the challenges of the weather was very enjoyable and again learnt a lot from this.

I took part in 8 postcard swaps plus 14 further postcards for birthdays with the BQL postcard group and some more postcards were made for an exhibition and sale in Norfolk for the Teenage Cancer Trust back in April.  In June BQL itself had challenge it's members to a postcard swap and a further 6 were made for that.  So an awful lot of postcards were made this year, so for next year I will be cutting back on this and just sticking to making cards for the birthday swap on BQL Postcard group - that is, of course, if I can resist the other swaps that come up during the year.

I have made some other things though - Freddie had a quilt made for his first birthday earlier this month.  Isobel also had a bunny and quilt that I made for her first birthday in March.  For August's Festival of Quilts in Birmingham I made 2 Pennants for Patchworkers. I bought tombola tickets for that at the Festival but didn't win a pennant. I made 10 "Wiggly bags" for the Liberty Rose Trust, for young cancer patients , which I sent off in October.  For a change I made a bag from fabric constructed on my embellisher machine, but that was the only embellisher make that I have done this year.

There was a Secret Santa on BQL this year, for which I made a Biscornu pin cushion, a mug mat and a small notebook, which I sent of at the end of November for delivery by the beginning of December and to my shame I didn't take a photo!  I also made a couple of cushions for my brother-in-law and his wife and took a photo of one, but not the other.  Another Christmas make was a puzzle block called Kath's Kubes which I  made for Isobel, who likes fiddling with things (a bit like me - I don't often have idle hands).   Here are some photos of the different sides.

I nearly forgot I also made a present for my Dad - a bottle bag from Susan Briscoe's Sensational Bags book, which did very nicely for the bottles of wine and sherry that I know he likes.

And also a Christmas stocking for David's cousin's baby, Samantha, who was born in the summer, which was sent over to Canada at the end of last month.

Lastly here are some things I received for Christmas from the BQL Secret Santa - a cushion cover with 3" square blocks and the last of the Touch of Bling postcards.

For 2011 I will be returning to Poole (more of that in another post very soon).  Before then Philippa Naylor returns to Barnsley Embroiderers for another Saturday workshop which will be the last one that I will be going to before I leave Yorkshire and is called Contemporary Curved Piecing which I am really looking forward to.

As mentioned earlier I am cutting back on the postcard making as I would like to make a large bed quilt next year to replace the 10 year old one that we already have - not sure at present what form or even what colours this will be but feel I want the challenge of making something larger.  On BQL Kandy (the moderator of the group) will reveal what her 2011 challenge is tomorrow. If it is what I think it is I might enjoy that too as previous challenges (the bags and the calendar quilts) have been completed items and I think this one will be.  I will be going to Exeter for the Quilters Guild AGM and conference for that Saturday of the conference weekend in April.  I hope too that I can get back into the fold of quilters in Dorset once again.