15 Minute Challenge and a Merry Christmas to All

 We had a very quiet and calm Christmas it was just the kids and us and it was probably the most enjoyable Christmas day we have had in a long time.  We are in a major covid spike here in the state, we have been free of the virus for most of the year and pretty much leading a non pandemic life style.  The state government decided to open up in December and of course Omicron has hit and testing centres can't cope with it I guess it is only a matter of time before hospital are struggling.   I managed to get booster shots booked for my hubby and me, he went yesterday and I go tomorrow.  The kids won't be due till next month but that may change in the next few days as the government keeps changing its mind about what they doing with booster eligibility.  

Mo is working a quite a bit this week which is a worry but there weren't many shoppers on Boxing Day, I think people are too scared to go out.  

I have been working on next years BOM, late last week the delivery of threads arrived.  I'm going to have to order more but all 4 threads to blend quite nicely with the fabrics.  

Mo and her boyfriend spent Christmas Eve making their annual gingerbread house.  I told her to just give it to his family as we don't eat it and just pick off the lollies every year.  Unfortunately it fell apart just after she took the picture, I'm pretty sure it is the best one they have done to date.

Below is the teapot she made for him for Christmas. The Art Society where she gets her pottery fired is pretty impressed with what she has been making.   She is working on another sculptured piece at the moment, I think it is a reef scene on a plant pot which I'm not sure if I am allowed to see yet.    Hopefully next year she will make enough to sell.  

Well that's it from me for the week round up.  Hopefully you all had a lovely Christmas and we are looking forward to a better 2022 but not really seeing it happening.  

Head to Kates to see how everyone is going.  

15 Minute Challenge and Trying to find Some Christmas Spirit

 I can't say I am over Christmas I just don't feel excited about it this year.  Mo and I headed to the city for a dentist appointment last week and she had a bit of shopping to do which luckily we were able to complete pretty quickly and head back home.  Will be getting up early later in the week so that I can avoid crowded shops for the final food shop before Christmas day.  

All the sewing this week has been Christmas gifts which I can't show.  I've also done another Asterales block and have another one started another.  

Maestro was heading out with some friends yesterday, it was his flatmate's birthday, the only time I get decent pictures are when they appear on his instagram.  At least he has his mullet tamed in this one.  

Hope you all have a lovely Christmas.  Head to Kates to see how everyone is meeting the challenge.  

15 Minute Challenge and Holidays

Yesterday was the first official day of my holidays and I forgot what day it was and so my usual blog post is late.  

DH has been a bit unwell the last few weeks and he finally went to the Dr because he was too busy with finishing up work GRRRR.  The Dr suspects Diverticulitis and has put him on antibiotics and sent him for blood tests and  a cat-scan yesterday but he can't get back to the drs until next week more grrrrr.  Although I think he is worried about it it isn't stopping him from doing stuff though he has to be careful what and how much he eats at the moment.

Mo got all her results back and she got HD's for all her subjects so I think she has pretty chuffed.  

I worked on a colour pallet for my next BOM, Mo is going to do me some sketches for some stitcheries and it will include applique and piecing.  I have simplified her first sketch and I am pretty happy with it, and once I get the threads I ordered I will start working on the first block. 

This week I have worked on some crochet the first block I finished last night so it will probably count in next week's tally for the challenge.  I haven't crocheted in a while so luckily this pattern came with a video so I got to jog my memory with some visual aid. 

I finished another cryptid monster and have started working on the next one and did a bit more of my blackbird design one.  I might need to start using a hoop for this cross stitch as the piece of linen is quite large and I am struggling with not having enough hands to stitch it at the moment.  

Today's task will be to start working on pressies for the girls we haven't scheduled a Christmas get together yet so I think it will happen in January but that is ok.  

Also I'm having a sale in my etsy Shop so if there are any patterns you need we have 25% off and if you are in Australia and need a last minute gift my finished items have free upgrade to Express postage from now until Christmas. 

Its a 7 out of 7 week for me.  Check in with Kate to see how everyone is going in the challenge.   

15 Minute Challenge and an Ending to a New Beginning

DH effectively retired on Tuesday, his last offical day is 31/12 but he's taking leave until the finish date so  he is done.  I have one more week and then I will be on leave for a month so it will be like he is on holidays for a while.  

Last week was also our Wedding Anniversary so we ran a few errands in the morning and then went out to lunch at a pub a couple of beaches away.  

On the weekend I knocked up a couple of cross stitch project bags to try and contain some of my projects. I think I need a couple more for another couple of projects that I have floating around.  I plan to make a couple of smaller pouches to store my threads within the bags.  

I asked Mo to do some sketches for me for and idea I had for next years BOM she has given them to me but I think they might become a smaller project.  I need to get some thread inspiration before I can start.     

I'm on the home stretch on a pair of socks and the cryptid cross stitch is a bit behind again as I have had to do some unstitching on the border of my next monster but there has been a tiny bit of progress.  

It was a 7 out of 7 week so all good on the sewing front.  

Head to Kate's to see how everyone is going.  

15 Minute Challenge Not Much to Show

 I have been working away on knitting and cross stitch this week no time on my machine after last weekends Project Bags making extravaganza.  I did clean up my sewing room a bit, I still think more organisation may be in order, but I cleaned all the mess on my sewing table and gave it a good spray and wipe to get rid of all the fabric dust.  I'm not sure if I am going to set up for mega quilting efforts over the holidays or try and make a few cross stitch project bags for my etsy shop.  I'll have to see how I feel over the weekend.  

It's DH last offical day of work today, here is to new beginning.  He has already warned Mo she is going to be having driving lessons ... you could have heard the crickets after that statement.  

We have been seeing a bit more of Maestro over the last couple of weeks and we cracked open the BBQ on the weekend.    It was good to see him eat so well so we will probably make it a regular thing.  He doesn't really like my cooking so I tend to order in when he comes over.  We did some roast veggies, mushrooms and corn for Mo's benefit (she supervised keeping everything separate) and sausages and hamburgers for us carnivores.  

Spring/Summer looks like it has finally made a show and we have had a couple of lovely days, today was a bit warm though.  Thats it for me I need to put up the next Quick Quilt which should be up later tonight.  It was a 7 out of 7 week even though I don't really have any pictures to show for it.  Head to Kate's to see how everyone is going.  

15 Minute Challenge Few Finishes

I finished all my Yarn Project Bags and have them up on my etsy shop.  Don't know how they will go but they are up.  

We've had an expensive week at the orthodontist, Mo's gold wire got detached from the back of her teeth, it has never been all the well attached and has always caused her grief. I really hate the guy we go to, he just seems to think everyone is an open bank account.  He shoved a referral for an x-ray at me last week for her to have wisdom teeth X-rayed and today had expected me to have had it done.  I wanted to wait and see my normal dentist because I really would rather be seeing someone else and get a 2nd opinion.   I really don't want to put her through dental surgery if I don't have to.  

Mo has officially finished her first year at Uni just waiting for the results.  

DH signed on the retirement dotted line and finishes in 6 days.  

There was more cross stitch progress and a bit of sock progress as well.  A good
7 out of 7 week.  

I'm also having a sale on all my digital patterns 50% off.  

How's your week been head to Kate's to see how everyone is getting on.  

15 Minute Challenge a finish and a few starts

Made some decision this week about my tiny business and cancelled my pattern site (which is the personal website side of my etsy shop) most months I just don't make enough money to cover the cost and with DH retiring in a couple of weeks really couldn't justify it any more.  

It was a 6 out of 7 week for me (I think) can't really remember, there was one night where I didn't feel like stitching but I may have picked up my cross stitch I'm not really sure so I have counted as a no day.

I did however get lots done over the week. Quick Quilt 5 is all finished.  I will post it in my etsy shop at the end of the month.  I will also let the next quilt pattern available which is a pattern that is already published and is made up of the final block, it is a Christmas quilt so I thought it a good idea to put it up just before Christmas because we all have plenty of sewing time at this time of year.

The yarn project bags are steaming ahead but I had a bit of a setback with the grommets I ordered.  Not sure I'm happy with them but I just might need some practice in setting them.  Will add a few more to my practice bag to see if I can make it perfect before I discount the idea.  Finished a prototype which I am happy with on the weekend (minus grommet). Now I just have to remember how I put it together, probably should have taken better notes.  

Backs and fronts are done now for 6 bags which I hope to post up on the Etsy shop by the weekend.  

Bit more progress on my cross stitches, I don't know how the women on the Cryptid Sal get them all finished they are no sooner up and the critters are done 3 and a half behind.   

1 Finished sock better getting casting on the other one.

How has your week been.  

15 Minute Challenge and something new

 I've decided to make some finished items to put on my etsy shop, or maybe just put up to sell on instagram and or my facebook page.  Today I came home from work and made a prototype (picture below), I want to add a large grommet to the side so that yarn can be fed through and put on hand loop so it can be carried while in use.  

I also want to make some cross stitch project bags just need to think that one out a bit more.  That's Thursday's job.  

Last week I got the final 3 patterns for the Blackbird Design Cross stitch I was hunting and made a bit of a start.  I am substituting some of the threads with what already have, left overs from the cross stitch project that I did through Crewel Goblin last year.  

A little bit of progress was made on the Cryptids cross stitch but no sock knitting this week.

I am halfway through the binding on Quick Quilt 5, hopefully it will be all finished tonight and I will take some photo's tomorrow.  

Thats it for me this week.  Check out Kate's page to see how everyone else is going.  

15 Minute Challenge & Quick Quilt 5 Link Fixed

Looks like there was a problem with the link to Quick Quilt 5.  The links all fixed and should be able to download the pattern. I leave it up till the end of November so you have plenty of time to download it.  

 It was a 7 out of 7 week.  There was more progress on the Cryptidsal and there was even a little bit of sock knitting.  

I have used aurifil thread for quite a few years but it is getting quite pricey and I would prefer to buy it by the cone which is usually a special order so I haven't bothered.  Last year I decided to try Wonderfil Konfetti which I like, its not quite as fine as aurifil and doesn't have the colour range but that's ok I tend to stick to a couple of colours anyhow.  The only problem is availability, the one shop in Adelaide where I found it only had one reel of black.   Desperate I did a search online and it turns out you can order from Wonderfil Australia direct and you can get cones from them.  So last weekend I ordered a cone of black of the Konfetti and a cone of Decobob to try and it arrived by Friday which is superfast at the moment.   

Decobob is a polyester thread that acts like a cotton, is superfine, I'm just using it in the bobbin and it seems to go forever.  There was no need  to adjust the tension it just is perfect working with Konfetti in the top.  I quilted for an hour or so yesterday and there was no thread breakages which is amazing.  

I'll probably go and do some more this afternoon.  I will have heaps of thread left over to quilt Springtime Romance which is going to be my summer project.  In fact I'm hoping to keep the Juki set up in quilting position for the next few months.  

Head to Kate's to seek how everyone is going.  

15 Minute Challenge Things starting to Slow down

Not much to show this week.  It was a 6 out of 7 week for me.  Just didn't feel like doing anything one night but have been slowly working on socks and cross stitch progress below but i'm way behind but will just keep plugging on.  On the weekend I prepared the backing for Quick Quilt 5 and basted the layers ready to quilt it. 

I had a massage on Thursday and I was pretty sore afterwards today is the first day that I've been without back and neck pain.  My neck was pretty jammed up so the pain was expected, thankfully the headaches that have plaguing me on and off for the last couple of weeks have gone.  

Mo got a heap of pottery fired last week and they all came out quite beautifully.  A couple of the pieces were experiments and some are for gifts but they have turned out lovely.  

Work appears to be turning a corner and we are in slow down just about so I am hoping to be able to catch up on things over the next couple of weeks and am planning my summer holidays.  

Head to Kate's for the round up.  

15 Minute Challenge

 The quilt top for Quick Quilt 5 is done I've decided not to add a border this time.  Will have to search the stash for some suitable backing and get it quilted hopefully I will get a chance on the weekend to start that.  Quick Quilt 6 is done as it is a pattern I have already got on file and it is Christmas theme so this is the last quilt to finish for the year.  What ever was I thinking.  

There has been more progress on the Cryptid Cross stitch. The next monster is nearly done.  I got a delivery of Blackbird Patterns today, its from a 2017 Loose Feather's I have managed to track down 6 of the patterns there are 9 in all any they can be all done on the same cloth, will see if I can get the other 3 if not I will do them separately who am I kidding I will be 101 by the time I get them all done.  

Sock knitting is going along I'm onto the foot of the first green sock and up to the heel on the red.  

Finally get to go out to dinner with the girls this week, we've all been hibernating so we haven't had dinner for at least 6 months, should be good to meet up again.  

Head to Kate's to see how every one is going in the challenge.

15 Minute Challenge and a Milestone

 Maestro turned 21 yesterday, he took some friend out to dinner on Friday night and is planning to take out people from work later in the month.  He didn't want a party or presents so we just gave him the money to pay for his friends meal.  He sent us a picture of himself that his coworkers took of him asleep on his break the next day, I think he had a good time.   

Mo has only a couple more weeks of Uni and she is finished her first year.  

My husband hopes to finish up at work soon though the official end date is end of December he is going to take leave for as much of the remaining months as possible.  Things are going to be changing for us.  

So what have I been up to.  All the blocks are finished for quick quilt 5, this one has only been a semi quick quilt but we will go on with the theme.  This will be the last quilt I need to make as I already have a quilt done for the final block.  The last couple of months have been a bit of a slog a quilt every 2 months has been a lot of work I think there will just be one quilt next year.  

More sock knitting this week and some more work on my cryptid cross stitch.  I found a group of Black Bird Design patterns on instagram that I just had to get.  I managed to find 5 patterns at the one shop there are 9 all up so I will be on the hunt for the next 4 or maybe just 1 more for an even 6.  

Check out Kate's page to see how everyone is going .