(For those of you who have never travelled on public transport in the UK, I apologise for you not entirely ‘getting’ the title)
Happy New Year!
Whew, well 2013 was quite a busy year, where I found myself doing the following:
- Taking part in 3 bees – Brit Bee, Stitch Tease and Modern Stitching Bee
- Taking part in 5 blog hops – A Season By Hand at Clover and Violet, Craft Book Month on Craft Buds, Purse Palooza on Sew Sweetness, FAL Q3 on She Can Sew, Big City Bags Hop for Sew Sweetness
- Hosting 1 QAL – EATKS
- Hosting 4 giveaways
- Making 4 bears
- Making 7 quilts
- Making 2 quilt tops
- Making 24 pouches and bags
- Making 36 bee blocks
- Making 10 cushions
- Making 3 minis
- Making 11 other random things, such as ironing board covers
- Making 3 items of clothing
- Appearing in 3 magazines – Creative Bag Making, Fat Quarterly and British Patchwork And Quilting
- Teaching at 2 big events – The Stitch Gathering in Edinburgh and Patchwork In The Peaks in the Alps
- Learning innumerable new things, but long arming being a stand out
- Attending 2 big events I wasn’t teaching at – the British Quilt And Stitch Village and the Fat Quarterly Retreat in London
- Entering 2 competitions – the British Quilt And Stitch Village in Uttoxeter and Jo’s Scottish Modern Quilt exhibition (where my Brit Bee Retro Flowers won 1st place)
- Taking part in 2 skills exchanges – with Trudi for quilting my Brit Bee Retro Flowers, and with Jenelle for my pattern layout and branding
- Taking part in 5 swaps – Ali’s ATC Swap, the FQR Name Tag swap, the Stitch Gathering Ticket and Name Tag swaps and the Brit Bee Secret Santa swap
- Taking part in 2 secret baby showers/gifts, for Ceri and for Sarah
- Redesigning my blog (did you notice?)
Huh, that was quite a lot! I’ll not torment either of us by pulling together mosaics of them all, but here’s the edited highlights:
Looking forward to the new year, there are a few exciting things which will keep me going, and which will be bringing about a few changes here on the blog:
- The 3 bees will continue
- I will be hosting the Finish-A-Long for 2014 – look forward to a host of prizes, sponsor posts and tutorials in relation to this
- I will be running a Bag Along for my first commercial pattern (available shortly)
- I have been asked to be a regular contributor on another blog, which I will explain more about when I do my first post
- I have some new teaching opportunities coming up
- I will hopefully be getting to do some quilty travels this year
- I hope to get some more patterns written, preferably at a rather faster rate than the Whole Lotta Bag went!
To coincide will all the new and exciting ventures, I also have some rather busy times coming up in the day job, so I have made some decisions:
- I won’t be posting daily any more. This has been a great challenge for me over the past couple of years, but I have been painfully aware that there are times when I’ve just been wittering on about nothing, so I’m going to remove the pressure to come up with 365 days of fabulous content, and work on more quality, less quantity. I will still be randoming though, for all you Thursday addicts ;o)
- I would like to get more tutorials up here. Initially that will be fulfilled by the bag along, and my post in a couple of days for the Modern Bee Book blog hop, but I’d like to do a little more later in the year. I may yet ask for suggestions on what they will be
I hope you will continue to stop by, and look forward to chatting with you all this year on and off the blog :o)
I love your new blog layout and logo! You have had a great year and I look forward to the next.
I only been here few times so I haven't noticed, ooops 🙂 I see you got new clock as well, am I right?
well my goodness, you didn't get much done last year……OMG do you sleep?????
I have always been so impressed by the amount of "work" you get done. Lovely and plentiful. Congrats on all your accomplishments.
Love the new look. Joy, health and happiness are wished for you. Oma Linda
I immediately noticed the new header…so crisp! So many accomplishments…and so many good things coming up this year! Perhaps I should give the Finish-along a shot…I certainly need to finish things up!
That's an impressive list of accomplishments! Hope 2014 turns out to be even better for you.
Love your makes especially the bears. They have the most lovely faces! So looking forward to the FAL!
You did all this and held down a full time job. You are amazing and quite talented.
Love the new look but what am I going to do now each day at 5 with no blog to catch up on?
Love the new blog layout – and pleased you're continuing the Thursday randomness – looking forward to seeing all you do in 2014 (can't believe how much you managed along with a full time job in 2013!)
Loving the new blog not least because it loads like everyone else's blog now ie doesn't take forever and a day any more! Glad you're not kicking Thursday randomness into touch too!
Great fresh new blog look for the new year! You've certainly been a busy bee in 2013 and looks like you have fab plans for this year too. Hope you have lots of fun with all of them!
I need a lie down after reading that exhausting list of things you did last year. Do you ever sleep?
Love your new header.
Amazing year!! Love the redesign! Happy New Year Katy 🙂
I thought I had clicked on the wrong link to your blog! I love your new look for 2014. With all your accomplishments in 2013 I can understand why you are opting out your daily blog. I will still follow along and look forward to your new projects with interest. Sorry about the deleted post above tried to correct a spelling error oops!
Thanks Audrey :o)
Ooooh! Love the new look! Here's to another great year of fabulous makes (& a little less pressure!) Jxo
Wow! I love the new layout! Fantastic! Sounds like you have a very exciting year coming up and I can't wait to see where things go for you. I am really glad Random Thursdays will still be happening because I would definitely miss them 🙂
Happy New Year!!!
I'm exhausted just reading that list !!! I check in on my phone with Bloglovin so I don't see blog designs 🙁
( unless people have mobile version option switched off )
Your list is fantastic, your makes are fantastic, your teaching is fantastic ~ sense a theme here? Happy New Year doll!
Love the blog redesign. Mine is getting an overhaul by the summer. Did you do it all yourself?
Your blog looks great! I hope you continue to be one of the premier Randomeers in 2014.
Lovely work and I adore those teddies
Love the new look of the blog. I think you are amazing to have blogged every day on top of a very demanding full time job! Here's to a fabulous 2014
oooh – fancy new look! Me likey!
Love the new look blog. Looking forward to seeing your creations in 2014
Happy New Year Katy! Your blog really looks 2014 now!!
Looking forward to having you as the new host for the Finish-A-Long!!
I don't know how you've managed to post everyday. Seriously, I'm in awe!
And I'm in awe that you were able to get done in 2013. Suddenly, I feel so lazy…. 🙂
PS – I love the new blog layout!
Wow, great redesign, I love it! Happy new year! : )
Its looking great Katy 🙂
Oh wow you are hosting the FAL this year! I had better pull my finger out as my FAL progress last year was woeful. Love the new blog look and glad to hear there will still be lots of Randomness to brighten my Thursdays 🙂
You really are a pocket rocket . When I look at everything you got done in 2013 I feel like I achieved almost nothing ! I was lucky in 2013 to post every week let alone every day!
Love the changes that have happened over here – looks very professional!
Happy New Year, Katy. I love your new blog banner – très chic!
Oooh, nice thistle. I'm excited for you for 2014! Have a great year x x
Looks fabulous Katy! It's been a great year looking back, and such excitement ahead too! Here's to a happy creative new year!
Great year for a great blog. I love your giant indie quilt and may have to make one for myself soon. Fabric hugs xx
Thank you so much :o) Be warned though, those stars are quite addictive, I've got another one in the works now!
I love the new blog look!! I was always amazed that you posted everyday. In fact I'm always amazed at how much you get done. May your 2014 be just as productive and full of fabulous projects, Katy style!
Fabulous new look! Stylish, slick, fun and beautiful — just like you! Keep us amused and inspired, even if it's not every single day. But, personally, I love the chatter! xx JJ
Aww, thank you, I'm sure I'll still be frequent, but just not every day, so I may even talk more when I do post ;o)
Over achieve much? 🙂
Reducing your blog post frequency will make it easier for me to catch up after my periodic long absences. So, thanks