Sunday 25 January 2015

GROW your blog 2015 and a giveaway

I’m so pleased to be a part of Vicki’s Blog Party over at 2 Bags  Full, which happens to be the third one….don’t know how I missed the first two!

Anyway, for those of you who are new to my blog…..I’m Wendy, the owner and creator of Sugarlane Designs.

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I am married to this wonderful man

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and these are our kids….

Charlie -

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Ralph -IMG_3854

and not to be forgotten, Nick -IMG_5300

They usually appear in my blog, somewhere along the line, so I thought I’d better introduce them.  I love stitching and quilting so you’ll see a fair bit of that, sometimes you’ll see a recipe or two and I feel absolutely blessed to have such gorgeous surroundings so sometimes you’ll see photos of my garden, the clouds, nature, animals and plenty of other stuff that the good Lord has shared with us.

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I’ve been blogging for around 5 years now, and can’t remember life B.B. (before blogging).  I’ve been crafting a lot longer though, sewing since I can remember, but I started quilting about 15 years ago and I was instantly hooked!

I was a primary school teacher for 23 years and I got to use lots of crafty skills there, but there was never enough time for ‘me’ stitching….. nearly 4 years ago I had to have a knee replacement, which left me unable to keep up with the necessary daily requirements of a teacher (it’s a fairly physical job!), so I had to retire. 

Since then, I’ve had plenty of time for my passion and I’ve become a stitchery and quilt designer (something that’s been on my bucket list), designing lots of various patterns which have appeared in Australian Patchwork and Stitching Magazines and can also be found on Craftsy.

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I also enjoy a bit of cross stitch now and then

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but I love to connect with my bloggy buddies.  I hold monthly Friday Night Sew Ins on the third Friday of each month which I’d love for you to join in to…..just check out the tab at the top of my page for more info.  I have some free designs (see the tab above) and I’ve got a free BOM starting up on March 1 (so watch this space). 

via Google images

I’m going to start a Double Wedding Ring-a-Long in the second half of the year too….I know this one’s on my ‘Must Complete One Day’ list, so what better way to do it than to do it with blogging buddies where we can support one another along the way.  But more of that later.

I hope you enjoyed your visit…..I’m going to be popping along to others who have joined into the Grow Your Blog Party 2015 and take in some of the fun too.  Vicki’s been a real champ having the blog links up and ready to make it easy to visit everyone.

Oh, and by the way, if you’ve got this far….congratulations!  You’ve done well…….and make sure you leave me a comment with your name and contact email (none of this no-reply stuff….I can’t contact you then!) and you’ll go into the draw to win 2 of my PDF patterns –

the Love Life bag….

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and the Give Thanks wall hanging…

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My Grow your Blog Giveaway is open to everyone, overseas included, so be sure to share it with your friends (it IS the nice thing to do, isn’t it?!).   Remember, all you have to do is comment on this post and be sure to leave me an email address to contact you if you win. The contest closes on February 15 when the winner will be announced.

Thanks for visiting Sugarlane…I hope to see you back here often.

xox Sugary hugs :o)

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51 comments:

Lyn said...

Hi Wendy..a great post . The Double Wedding Ring is one quilt I have always wanted to make but never quite got around to..will look forward to a quilt a long

Narelle said...

Wow! I can't believe your knee op was nearly 4 years ago ... time has flown.
I have no idea what I did before blogging :o)

Dawn said...

Hi Wendy, been following you for a while now but haven't commented much, love your work and hope you get a good response from Grow Your Blog.

Pinnylea Creations said...

Good to know a little more about you Wendy. Your fur babies are very cute xx

Annette said...

Luv the idea of a Sew a long for Wedding Ring quilt! Your little bag is a cutie!

Marjorie's Busy Corner said...

Nice to learn more about you Wendy....lovely works.

Mosaic Magpie said...

Vicki and I would like to welcome you to the party! Wow what lovely stitching you have created...love the Thank You wallhanging...I think everyone needs one of those as a daily reminder to be thankful. Vicki and I are thankful to have you be apart of this fun party! I look forward to reading more of your blog.
Deb

Maria said...

Hi Wendy,
Was lovely to read your post and learn a bit more about you and your family.

SuperMomNoCape said...

What a great post! I took a peek at your previous post and I love the stitchery you made for Heather!

Thanks for the giveaway and the chance to win.

OhioLori said...

What a Coooool Blog your have!! Glad for this Hop..to find you! :) Absolutely LOOOVE Both of your Patterns for this Give-a-way too!! They are Awesome!

Lauretta6 said...

The wedding ring quilt is one on my bucket list of quilts. I think I might need to stay on your quilt along list.Subscribing now.

e said...

I love your blog post and your blog as a whole. Looking forward to participating in you Wedding-Ring-a-Long. This too has been on my list of to-do's.

xx

Jen said...

Wendy, I can not wait to do the wedding ring with you and a group. It'll be my first quilt-along! Love it!

Christine M said...

Hi Wendy. It was lovely to find out a bit more about you and it was nice to meet your family. Have fun with your Double Wedding Ring-a-long. I'll enjoy watching your progress.

Yvonne W said...

Lovely to hear about you and your family. The computer does have its plusses-- allowing us to catch up all over the world.( I wont talk about the minuses-- seems to be my problem!!)All the best with your designing and creating new projects-- a real thrill when it is out there in print. Looking forward to more this year.

retdairyqueen said...

Lovely post my friend

wish2stitch said...

Lovely designs Wendy.

Stephanie said...

Hi Wendy! I found your delightful blog via the Grow Your Blog party and may I say what a lovely blog you have! I had such a great time scrolling through your posts and seeing your beautiful creations - I just love the "Love Life Bag."

I am happy to now be following along. Have a great week! Hugs - Stephanie from The Enchanting Rose

Kathy E. said...

Hi Wendy! It's nice to meet you and your family! Your work is beautiful! I love hand-stitched items knowing that every stitch is placed with love.

Lynn - JnL4God said...

Hi Wendy - been following you for a while now. Love your blog, and your posts about get togethers with the girls. Thanks for the give away!
Lynn
jnl4God@live.com

Sarah said...

Nice to read your post! I signed up to follow you. sarah@forrussia.org

Anonymous said...

Great introduction, Wendy. If I didn't already love you to pieces, I'd certainly start now. ;) Somehow I didn't remember that you'd been a teacher, too! Be sure to send me blog buttons for the BOM and the QAL and I'll publish them with details on my <a href="http://quiltbom.wordpress.com</a>Quilt BOM blog</a>. =)

Susan said...

Lovely wrap up of you and your life!

Flickenstichlerin said...

Hi Wendy,
thank you for the bright introduction and the lovely give-away.
What I am really looking forward to ist the double wedding ring project. This one has been on my to-do-list for a long time as well and second half of the year the Flags of the American revolution should be close to finish.
Greetings,
Sylvia

Jenne said...

What a lovely giveaway! Hope I win :)
mmyheartishere@gmail.com

Gill said...

Lovely to meet you - your Love Life bag is gorgeous!

Peg's Place said...

Hi Wendy, The Double Wedding Ring quilt is on my bucket list! Have fun with it. You seem to live in paradise compared to me in Canada with our freezing temperatures of late. It is nice to meet you and for sure I will be back!
Peggy (mindji@yahoo.com)

Kay said...

It is lovely to drop by today on the blog hop. I love the hexagon bag, making bags is one of my favourite things to do and hexagons are fun so this looks just perfect for project. x

barbara woods said...

hi i am a quilter from Ga, Visiting from Vicki's and following you now

mumbird3 said...

Happy Blogging!
mumbird3(at)gmail(dot)com

Julie said...

I like your mix of quilting with embroidery/cross stitch. Time consuming for sure, but a lovely combination.

Julie
pinkdoxies.blogspot.com

Nancy Page said...

Thank you for this great giveaway! Count me in. npagequiltsdotgmaildotcom I enjoy you blog and look forward to future posts. Your prizes look like great fun. Thank you again for this great giveaway.

Have a super great sewing and stitching day!

Julie's Lifestyle said...

Hi Wendy, I'm visiting via GYB party and love your blog and meeting new friends. I joined via google friend connect. I do hope that you will visit Julie's Lifestyle and enter my giveaway too. Thanks so much.
Julie at Julie's Lifestyle

Tammy said...

Great post. Love the quilt. I have always loved wedding ring quilts....I follow via Bloglovin. And thanks for the chance to enter your giveaway. conn_and_vans_mom@yahoo.com

Jeanneke said...

Hi Wendy, thanks for offering a chance to win in the give away.
Your designs are beautiful and so is your blog.
Sending greetings from Dokkum in The Netherlands,

Jeanneke.
musselkanaal55@knid.nl

Threads of Inspiration said...

Hi Wendy, I enjoyed reading your blog posts! The double wedding ring quilt is gorgeous...I have a top that my great great grandmother made. It really should be quilted but it's a bit wonky - not being cut with a rotary cutter and all. lol

Baa. xxx said...

Love the pear you made for Jenny! We made your give thanks wall hanging last year for grandma - gorgeous!

Sue Kosec said...

You throw a great party. Thank you for inviting me!

So that you know, I've become a Follower and when time permits, I'll be back to see what other beautiful things were made by your hands!

What this party is all about is to GROW your blog and I'm hoping to do the same. When you get to Section One, check out A Country Chic Retreat and SuZeQ Creations, my personal blog, in Section Fifteen I'd love for you to follow and subscribe to.

Happy crafting!
SuZeQ

Unknown said...

Thanks so much for the giveaway! I'm fairly new to all things sewing and I'm still amazed by how generous quilters are! I'm loving quilting even if I'm not very good but I see improvement since I started, so I'm getting there! Thanks for the inspiration and the giveaway!

tdkcarpenoctem@hotmail.com

KimM said...

Hi, popping in from GYB. You have such an amazing blog! Talent oozes out of every pore you have, doesn't it? I've become a follower - and would be over the moon if I won one of your give aways! Looking forward to your future adventures.
Best
Kim at WisdomwithNeedleandThread

Magpie's Mumblings said...

Hi there! So glad to meet you and to see your blog and some of your projects (and recipes!). I'd love to be included in your giveaway (marmic1954 AT hotmail DOT com). Enjoy the tour!

Terry said...

Hi, nice to meet you. Enjoyed my visit to your lovely blog and am a new follower on bloglovin. Thanks for the give away

Cheryll said...

Congrats Wendy...on a wonderful post!
You certainly make it easy to return... Xox

Käthe said...

Hallo,
Tasche und Quilt sind ganz zauberhaft !
Liebe Grüße Käthe

Carin@Ullhärvan said...

Thanks Wendy for all the sharing! It's always a pleasure to read your blog!

Maria said...

It was lovely reading all about you Wendy!

Sherry said...

I enjoyed learning a little about you and now follow by email. I love your designs, they are just the type of projects I enjoy.

Carole @ From My Carolina Home said...

Great patterns, like that bag. Lovely rose photo, I like photography too. Visiting from GYB hop.

Jusmom1 said...

I LOVE YOUR PATTERNS. Thanks for the chance to win!

Carol D. said...

Enjoying your blog and quilt designs. Will start following you too.

Lee said...

I enjoyed your blog and love your designs and stitchings!