Our daughter was talking to me recently about the 10,000 Hour Rule. She very kindly said that I "get it right with my designs because I have reached the 10,000 hours of practice". You probably have heard of Outliers:The Story of Success, a non-fiction book written by Malcolm Gladwell. He considers the key to success in any field is practising a specific task for 10,000 hours, whether it be 20 hours a week for 10 years or 40 hours a week for 5 years or however long it takes you to reach the number. This year marks 10 years since I had my first ever design accepted for publication so yes, I guess I have well and truly filled my 10,000 hours of practice. Thinking about this 10,000 hour idea made me realise that it is no wonder that Free Motion Quilting and I aren't best friends. I really have never had the desire or been prepared to give it the practice that it really deserves. Interestingly, on my recent attempt at FMQ, I DID actually improve with practice. I have now found the type of quilting that I can cope with and I now know that I could achieve a reasonable outcome if I am prepared to put in the time. The thing that really surprised me, was that I actually really LIKE my completed quilt. If you don't look too closely, it is quite pretty and the quilting has really enhanced it in spite of all the imperfections! I get to look at it often, as we are using it as a tablecloth! I had quite a productive week and designed, made and wrote up the pattern for a Christmas apron that I originally had no intention of making! It was one of those designs that just happened! A wall-hanging that I have been working on is now ready for binding and I have started work on another Christmas design. I decided to put a couple more patterns in my Craftsy store. French Connection Etui is a delightful way of storing your stitching accessories: You can find the pattern here. The Singing Heart is a lovely stitchery that can be framed, or used for a pillow or wall-hanging or whatever takes your fancy: The pattern is available here. If you are looking to make an Easter basket for your favourite child, here's a sweet one you might like: Pattern is available here. I'm eager to go and finish my wall-hanging and get into my next projects, but first I have to put on my apron and preserve a case of pears. The William Bartletts are really lovely at the moment so it's worth the effort now to enjoy them throughout the rest of the year. Val