Keeping the status quo!

With the avalanche of our 23 family and visitors for Christmas week, I realised how much I like my quiet normal state of existence. It was so lovely to have everyone around us and we now miss the happy interaction of the children with their cousins, but I am very content to have my clean, organised, tidy home back to normal!

So, being a person who doesn't really care for change, I haven't set any goals for the new year, nor made any resolutions, nor made any big plans for altering the stitching side of my life. I am happy with the status quo - having enough time and energy to design and stitch when I feel like it, without any pressure!

So you can expect more of the same from me in 2014 - eg my new designs appearing in Australian craft magazines. Not that  I want to remain static - I am always aiming to keep my designs fresh and vibrant, whether they be vintage, romantic, country, cottage or shabby style.  Sometimes I even do modern! The new Cherry and Chocolate table runner is relatively simple and the addition of white fabric gives it a modern touch:

You can find the pattern in Handmade Vol 32 No 2:

Something else that won't change is that

  I will again be offering a new free Block of the Month Wall Quilt for 2014:  

 It's all finished ready to write up the pattern:

It's quite different to the last couple of years' quilts and will be very quick to do each month:

Keep a look out next week for the first installment.

Of course, I'm already working on the next design, have the fabric organised for the one after that, waiting for some fabric to arrive for the one after that, and have one design spare in case I run out of hand-stitching to do at night. That's what having two weeks away from the sewing machine does to me!

I hope you have a wonderful 2014.

Val