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Saturday, 25 January 2014

Grow Your Blog 2014 and Giveaway

This is a special blog post for Grow Your Blog 2014.

Hello, and welcome to my blog. Thanks for dropping by. My name is Wendy and I live in Wellington, New Zealand. I'm in my 40's, happily married with two teenage sons. I'm an accountant, but fortunately I only work part time at the moment. so I have plenty of time for sewing. I've gained a lot of inspiration from reading other people's blogs and seeing what they are working on, so I thought I would start my own blog so I can also share my work with other like minded people.

I started hand sewing when I was quite young, encouraged by my mum who is very good at all forms of sewing, quilting and knitting. I now enjoy a wide range of embroidery and have completed pieces in canvas work, goldwork, hardanger and of course, cross stitch. My local embroidery shop offers embroidery classes and each year I try to learn a new technique each year. Below is an Elizabethan goldwork piece that I learnt to make in a class at Nancy's Embroidery in Wellington.
Goldwork 'W'
I'm currently working on the Gingerbread Village, by The Victoria Sampler. You can read more about the  pieces I have completed by clicking here.


About 10 years ago I dipped my toes into the quilting world and took a year long course to make a sampler quilt. I enjoyed it so much that I have carried on quilting. Although I machine piece, I like to hand quilt my quilts. I currently have 4 quilts on the go that I would like to complete in 2014.  Below is my Sashiko quilt which I designed and made in 2012. Each of the dark navy blocks is hand stitched with a sashiko pattern. I wrote a post on how I made it here.

Sashiko quilt

My main quilting project at present is "Your Place or Mine?". It's a wool felt applique block of the month, designed by Wendy Williams of Material Obsession in Sydney. You can read more about my progress here. I just love the bright colours in this quilt, and all the Kaffe Fasset fabrics.

Your Place or Mine? Block of the Month
I do appreciate you visiting my blog and reading about my quilts and embroidery. If you would like to be entered into the draw for two uniquely flavoured New Zealand fat quarters, please leave a brief comment below. Entries close on 15 Feb 2014.

NZ fat quarters 
One fabric has Buzzy Bee (a favourite noisy toy for toddlers to pull along behind them), and the other has Pukekos (a New Zealand native swamphen bird). I will post these anywhere in the world, because I realise that the likelyhood of the winner being in New Zealand is very low. Good luck!!

Thank you for stopping by.
Wendy
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44 comments:

  1. Cath26 January 2014 at 00:05

    Hello Wendy. I have come to visit you via the comment you left on my blog Bits 'n Bobs. I love the Gingerbread village you are working on. Consider me your latest follower
    Cathxx

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  2. Judy@Quilt Paradigm26 January 2014 at 02:17

    Hi Wendy! Visiting from the grow your blog party :) I started from the bottom of the list cuz I'm a rebel like that haha.

    The pic of Your Place or Mine BOM is beautiful!! Can't wait to see the finished product!

    Clicking follow on Bloglovin :)

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  3. Karen B.26 January 2014 at 03:09

    Hi there,
    my name is Karen B. and I am one of Vicki's volunteers and would like to welcome you to todays GYB and wish you a nice time and may followers.
    Hugs,
    Karen B.

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    Replies
    1. Wendy @ Wendysquiltsandmore26 January 2014 at 07:49

      Thank you Karen, and please thank Vicki too for organising this great event.

      Delete
  4. Beth in NEPA26 January 2014 at 03:48

    I am visiting from Grow Your Blog Party. I do quite a bit of quilting so was drawn to your blog. I am in the process of a few Block's of the Month. Haven't finished any yet but getting close. Hope you will visit my blog soon. (conversations from my house)

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  5. Sowing Stitches26 January 2014 at 04:27

    Good Morning! I am now following via email....Tried to follow via gfc but somehow the link was not working properly and wouldn't let me join. :(
    Look forward to hanging out with you and your creations this year!

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  6. Joanna26 January 2014 at 04:53

    Love your little buildings; what beautiful work you do. Everything looks precise and perfect. I had problems becoming a follower as well; the link isn't working. I will be getting your posts via email.

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  7. Karen26 January 2014 at 06:45

    I love your masthead quilt. It's so joyful with all of it's colors.

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  8. Lisa26 January 2014 at 06:46

    Love everything and toddler fabric is welcomed here with a one year old around. Think I will follow by bloglovin

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  9. Sandi26 January 2014 at 07:34

    Congratulations on Grow a Your Blog party and your Wendy Williams quilt. It is lovely. I'd love to see a couple of closer pictures of the centre.

    Have fun with your blog, it is highly additive, please come and checkout mine. I'll check back on your progress.

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  10. Sandi26 January 2014 at 07:36

    Hey! I'm your first follower! Now you have to come visit!

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  11. Averyclaire26 January 2014 at 09:22

    Hi Wendy...nice to meet you. Your work is beautiful....lovely blog also. It's so nice to meet so many wonderful talented women thru this blogging world!

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  12. barbara woods26 January 2014 at 09:31

    i am a old follower by bloglovin

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  13. Stitches and Seeds26 January 2014 at 10:25

    Hi I popped by via GYB and I love the work you have used as a header. I need to have proper go at all things quilting but ahh the time, where to find the time? I'll be back to have a proper look round soon. Eleanor x

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  14. Accroquilt26 January 2014 at 13:32

    Hello! It's a good day to find new friends. Hope you will stop by my blog too. Have a nice day!

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  15. Sherry26 January 2014 at 13:50

    Your Shasiko quilt is just amazing. I love hand work and do appreciate all of the work that has gone in to this beautiful project. Your gingerbread village is quite a project too. I am happy to visit your blog today and look forward to coming back again.

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  16. Emily C26 January 2014 at 16:42

    Love the gingerbread village. Very cute. I imagine quite time consuming.

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  17. Carol D.26 January 2014 at 16:46

    Visitor from the GYB. Love the Sashiko quilt but looks like a lot of work. I am a new follower.

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  18. judith26 January 2014 at 17:09

    Great way to meet people all over the world and quilting like so many other crafts, is a great therapy. You do great hand work, and I will follow you so I can continue to see your work.

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  19. Lisa Yang Jewelry26 January 2014 at 18:26

    If only I had the patience to sew. I love the quilt in your header. Lovely work.
    Best -
    Lisa
    http://www.lisayangjewelry.com

    ReplyDelete
  20. Donna Heber27 January 2014 at 00:13

    Hi Wendy,

    I'm visiting from the Grow Your Blog party. It is nice to meet you - you are very talented! I wish I knew how to sew or quilt, but I am more into papercrafts. Your gingerbread village is adorable! I plan to look around a bit more and then be on my way to visit the others. I do hope you will stop by for a visit and enter my giveaway. Have a wonderful weekend! Hugs – Donna

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  21. Bernadett 27 January 2014 at 02:22

    Hello,

    Nice to meet you.:)
    I would like to participate in your giveaway.
    petitearmoire2@gmail.com

    Greetings.

    Bernadett

    ReplyDelete
  22. Anonymous27 January 2014 at 05:37

    Hello, I found your blog via the Grow Your Blog Party, and I am very happy that I did! Your blog is so wonderful. Your quilting and other creations are simply lovely! I would like to participate in your giveaway. I am now a follower via Bloglovin'. :) Thank you for the opportunity to win such cute fabric!

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  23. Lorraine27 January 2014 at 06:42

    Hi Wendy. Your header captured my interest immediately. I am awaiting with anticipation Wendy William's book and I recognize this piece from it. I see you are also working on another of her projects currently so will look forward to seeing your progress. Cheers.

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  24. liniecat27 January 2014 at 13:11

    Love your header quilt and the sashiko one is wonderful too
    Im GYB visitor whose now following along : )
    Lyn

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  25. Monique (A Half-Baked Notion)27 January 2014 at 13:16

    Hello, Wendy, I have referenced your blog via GYB. I have done only utilitarian patchwork quilting in the past, and greatly admire the lovely art quilting and embroidery you share here. I hope you aren't superstitious as I am now your 13th follower :)

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  26. Angie in SoCal27 January 2014 at 16:23

    Such cute fabrics. Really like all your projects. And I'm a new follower. Just love the quilt in your header!

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  27. Peggy28 January 2014 at 04:04

    Stopping by from the Grow Your Blog party. Love the gingerbread village, I'm currently working on a village too!

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  28. Heidi28 January 2014 at 04:27

    Gidday from Las Vegas, NV:-)
    I am hopping around the GYB and found you and your wonderful Sashiko quilt! I am a new follower and hope to see some NZ photos from you now and then, as well as your creative endeavors!

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  29. Derrith28 January 2014 at 06:48

    Your blog is super cool. I love you projects. I'm a new follower.

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  30. Gill28 January 2014 at 07:56

    Hi Wendy
    I'm visiting from England - it's good to meet you!
    Great projects and I love the pukekos fabric

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  31. Wendy28 January 2014 at 15:30

    You have some great projects on your blog...love the gingerbread houses....thank you for a great giveaway...

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  32. ~ Toni ~28 January 2014 at 22:36

    Hi Wendy, I'm stopped by for the GYB Party and have enjoyed looking at your quilting and stitching projects. Your giveaway is quite unique, love the fabrics. Have a great day!

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  33. Sarah and Dan29 January 2014 at 07:51

    Wow, I thought the candy cane cottages were actually edible!

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  34. Tanya 29 January 2014 at 08:55

    Hi, Wendy - ALWAYS happy to meet another quilter...dropping in from the Blog Party - off to read about the Sashiko quilt below, and the enchanting Victorian village. Newest follower - Happy Tuesday - Tanya

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  35. macmillanmarie29 January 2014 at 15:48

    Hi, what lovely work. As I have said before in this hop I am so in awe of quilters. Your needle work is amazing too. It is so nice to meet you here. Hope to see you again soon. Happy hopping!

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  36. Judy Cooper Textile Artist30 January 2014 at 11:39

    Greetings from St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada. Your work is lovely. Thanks for sharing.

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  37. Unknown31 January 2014 at 09:32

    Hey Wendy, I have never seen anything like the pillow/cushion you have posted In the above post, it is amazing. Your little Gingerbread Village looks like it is going to be so much fun. It has been lovely meeting you.

    Hugs
    Caroline

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  38. Kathy H31 January 2014 at 16:28

    You have some beautiful quilts and the gingerbread village is amazing.

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  39. Dasha31 January 2014 at 22:16

    Wow! A New Zealander! I haven't come across one of these rare birds in the couple of years that I have been trawling blogs. :-) We are almost neighbours Wendy - I'm from OZ, and there aren't many of us either. I love the header on your blog, and also the BOM you are doing. Visiting via GYB

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  40. Wendy3 February 2014 at 00:53

    Your work is beautiful and such a variety! I'm a new follower

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  41. Unknown5 February 2014 at 07:55

    Your blog is very cute and your giveaway fabric is adorable. I would love to win it. Thanks for the chance Jackie

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  42. Val's Quilting Studio6 February 2014 at 10:05

    I'm a new follower through GFC and so happy I found your blog! I love your whimsy BOM especially!!! (keeping my fingers for the give-away...cute!!!) :)V

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  43. overboardcreations10 February 2014 at 07:44

    1. Hello , my name is Dawn your my one stop on the blog party, Hope that I soon will be friends with all of you cyber neighbors. Here's some bread crumbs to follow me to My site http://overboardcreations.blogspot.com/ and contact info is ovr_brd@yahoo.com
    I don’t have a lot of blog time in. but I like all things creative n thrifty. I hope to stop back again, you look like you have a lot of good reading for a whole afternoon. I am on my pit stop of 339 good blog reading. But, I am sure wondering how you find the time to blog. With all that fine detailed work , classes, you do.

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Thank you for visiting my blog. I do read all your lovely comments and always reply to questions, either by direct email or by leaving a comment on the blog post if you are a no reply blogger. Sometimes there are just too many kind comments to reply to everyone. I hope you understand.