13 Year Blogiversary

Today, 13 years ago I started my blog.  I started it to record the stitches I was using as part of Take a Stitch Tuesday, on Pintangle blog authored by Sharon Boggon.  That blog is still going and there is another year of Take a Stitch Tuesday.  Should I start this again and challenge myself to new or not-worked-on-for-ages stitches?  I'll think a little longer about that one.

This was my first attempt.  I enjoyed (and sometimes still do) fabric weaving and added some TAST stitches to this sample, which I think must be postcard size.  I can't remember if it was actually made into a postcard - some of my samples were.

Looking back at that year I certainly enjoyed challenges.  Have a look at my 2007 posts from the sidebar.  At the time I belonged to British Quilt List Postcard Group, making several postcards at a time and Arts In the Mail, both groups being Yahoo Group lists, which, although I stopped making for those several years ago have now sadly finished due to Yahoo's.  One challenge seemed quite ambitious with layering fabrics, slashing them and distressing with a heat gun!  I do still make the occasional postcard but usually one at a time instead of half dozen and that's for a swap group part of UK Quilters United Facebook group. Below are the last two that I made which were displayed at Craft 4 Crafters in October.

I was also a member of 2 local quilt groups, but now member of one.  However since retiring year before last I have joined an embroidery group, which I quite enjoy, to learn different techniques. That hasn't changed - I still enjoy the process of learning - there is always something new out there.

There is no sign of knitting or crochet!  These are two things that have crept into my crafting life recently.  I knitted for my children (they are all well into their 30's - my eldest will. be 40 next year!) up to when they started growing up and sweatshirting became fashionable and knitting definitley wasn't!  The internet I think has changed that with a much greater awareness of wanting (rather than having) to make clothes and wanting more sustainable fashion.

There were 2 weddings and a grandson's arrival that year.  I made a quilt for the grandson, Leo, who's now 12 and have made quilts for all except for the youngest, Cecily, and my Mum has made one instead. She makes quilts for Project Linus and photos of some of her quilts appear on my blog from time to time.

That year was the third year that my friend Brenda and I ran International Quilting Day meeting at Sturminster Marshall and the following year was to be the last one that we ran together.  It was on St Patrick's Day.  We look back on those days with fond memories, but it ran on for 2 or 3 more years under Pauline and Sarah of Pauline's Patchworks, but the quilting day had run its course.  It was a lot of hard work organising.

This was a picture of Brenda and I in front of a St Patrick's themed challenge.

Lets see what challenges lie ahead for my 14th year of blogging!