Getting started

This year is off to a slow start due to a bad cold/flu virus that I've had since New Year.  I struggled back to work as I'd already had a fortnight's holiday and it seemed pretty bad show not to go back, but I got through it OK.  This virus really got to my sinuses so not only  did I have a headache for days but a face ache as well - yeauch!  Anyway I'm getting back to normal and I have been making a few postcards and making progress on a sewing machine cover (more of that later).

Made any resolutions?  Mine is to try and "get out there" more - get to know of challenges, giveaways and other things going on out there.  This might also be the year that I'll sign up for City and Guilds, which has been a long held ambition for me.   Family and work have previously got in the way of this - I still have the work but only for 4 days a week and the children left home a few years now so the timing might be right for this.  I'll do this by distance learning and it'll either be the School of Stitched Textiles or Designmatters, must weigh up best move for this.

I've also got a course lined up thats run by West Country Embroiderers at the end of February using the embellisher machine and looking at the tutor Sandra Coleridge's website looks like it could be very good.  I'm going with my friend Brenda, or rather it was Brenda that talked me into it! But I am really looking forward to it.

Meanwhile in the gap between Christmas and New Year I made an iron cozy for my travel iron following the instructions here on Sew We Quilt.  It looks like a very cute iron shaped mob cap!

I've also signed up for BQL Postcard group's birthday swap again and with 3 birthdays this month - one in a couple of days I've made some postcards.  I bought a new Really Useful Box to keep my postcard supplies in as I make the backs in advance with the fusible already ironed on.  Another thing that I've tried is using the T-shirt transfer paper to make "Postcard" and also return address labels for the cards here's the mock up on paper

And above are the finished labels on the back of one of the cards.

This one is for the birthday girl, Lois whose choice was butterflies, flowers or cats and I managed all 3!

BQL's challenge was to make useful items each month, either to keep or to make as a present for someone (hopefully to be prepared for Christmas) and the first one set this month was a sewing machine cover.  If you read my blog post here I already made a start on this - now I have a deadline so I am progressing this further. This will be for my small sewing machine and another resolution - I really must get my main sewing machine serviced - it hasn't been done for at least three years!