15 Minute and Winter May have Arrived

 It has finally turned cold.  Most days have been high teens to low 20's up until yesterday, so we are in a bit of shock today. It has been raining all night and most of the day and the wind is pretty cold, I guess it had to happen.  We have hardly had the heater for most of May but I think that will change now, I put it on as soon as I got home from work.  

I managed some quilting on the weekend, 6 blocks are finished 3 to go and borders and sashing.  Have a couple of week until have to enter the quilt so I will wait until I have the centre of the quilt done before I make my official entry though I will have until August to finish it.  Don't think I will enter the CAL It is probably another month until it is finished and I am thinking that I will probably make it bigger so it might not be ready in time.

I finished the 2nd Loose Feathers design on the weekend.  I think I will do no 4 next and i may move the order around.   No 5 is my least favourite so I'm think about putting it in No 9' s place.  I am waiting on some more threads, though I can probably safely use substitutes but I do like the subtle colour change of the weeks threads but they do become a bit costly.  

I'm on the hunt for the correct blue for dutch sampler.  I found the perfect thread in one of my thread boxes but the number had fallen off the thread holder.  I have tried to use the colour chart for cosmo thread  but I've managed to purchase the wrong colour each time, so as a last resort I have sent off some of the thread to a shop in Victoria to see if they can match it for me as a last resort I'll see if DMC has some (I much prefer using Cosmo).

That's it for me this week.  Hope you have managed 15 minute a day.  Head to Kate's to see how everyone is going.  

15 Minute Challenge

 I've been unwell all week with a sinus infection, I try and avoid going to the Dr as he just gives me antibiotics, though after a week yesterday I really felt that I needed to go as all my home treatments weren't working, but I woke up this morning and my throbbing head had lifted.  Will still keep up the sinus washes for a few more days but I'm hoping I am over the worst of it.  Though I still feel and look like I've been hit by a truck, I have some ugly black rings under my eyes.  

I couldn't face the machine on Saturday, I tried to do some quilting but I just couldn't do it.  I did manage to get another block quilted yesterday so only 5 more to go, fingers crossed I haven't put myself too far behind.  

I've managed to do some cross stitching and a bit of crochet, I have 2 rows to go in the next week of the CAL so it was a good that I finished some rows ahead last week.  

Hopefully you have managed to keep up with the challenge.  Head to Kates' to see how everyone is going.  

15 Minute Challenge Lots of Crafting

 Mo and I went to Bowerbird Market on Friday evening.  The market is run in May and November every year, usually the May one coincides with Mother Day this one was a week later and there weren't as many people and not as many stalls this time.  We always plan to get there early and have dinner at one of the food stalls before it gets busy.  There is alway vegetarian options, I was tempted by paella (not vegetarian) but we decided to get both something from Lets Eat which is vegan.  We then sauntered round the stalls.  

Mo nearly bought a pair of earrings at one of the stalls but decided against it when she couldn't decide.  When she looked at the makers etsy shop she found she could buy the earrings singularly which she was happier with.  She has 4 piercings in each ear and she wants all the earrings to be different.  She is lamenting how much it is going to cost to replace all her sleepers with silver jewellery.  

I have finished backgrounds on 3 of my Springtime Romance blocks, I would have done more but my shoulder has been quite sore since the previous week, it was a bit better yesterday but I didn't want to push it too much and I knew it was the quilting that did it.  As long as I can get the majority of it quilted by the time entries are due I will be happy that it can be finished.  

I finished adding the small squares to Nimue and started on a few rows so I could get ahead in the CAL which is a good thing because it takes a couple of nights to finish a row now and I need to get up to row 58 in next 2 weeks I'm working on 54 now, so it is doable.  

There is a little bit of progress on the cross stitch and I think I might sign up for another SAL which will go with the cryptid one that I started last year (not finished) but I have the linen all ready (the other half of the piece for cryptid).    So what is another start when I already have the supplies.  

That's it for me for the week.  You know the drill head to Kate's to see how everyone is progressing.  

15 Minute Challenge and Expensive Week

 Had to drop the dog at the Vet today for dentist surgery, they rang a little while ago to say 2 teeth out so it was the more expensive quote they gave me.

Mo came home from Uni saying she needs a higher end tablet for animation class.  She has been struggling with the new software they are using this year and wasn't happy with her last assignment though she still got a HD but it took 10 times longer than it needed to and she still wasn't happy with the results.  So there's another expense I wasn't bargaining on.  Her friend has the one with the built in screen and she said it was so much easier to use with the software.  Glad I'm still working.

Springtime Romance is all basted and I have outline quilted all the appliqué blocks in the centre of the quilt.  My neck isn't very happy with me today.  The quilt is quite heavy which surprised me as I'm using a thin batting and backed it in voile but there is lots of layers to the appliqué and i don't trim out the back of my appliqué pieces so I think that has added to the weight.  With the outline done I only have to figure how to quilt the background, but I'm leaving that till next weekend.  

Nimue CAL is steaming ahead.  I finished all the small blocks (this is half the number) that I blocked yesterday, last night I finished sewing in ends for the final 12 squares.  These are blocked and we have some sun today so the board has been dragged out into the back yard otherwise I fear it will be a week before they are dry because winter has sort of started to set in and it has been cold for the last couple of days though it is supposed to be warming up again.  

There was even a bit of cross stitch done though it doesn't look like I have done much but it is a couple of hours work.  

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

15 Minute Challenge and Closing Up My Shop

 I've decided to close my Etsy shop, etsy fees have gone up and most of the time I end up paying Etsy for the privilege of the shop so it just isn't worth it just to have the convenience of instant downloads.  

I'm not shutting immediately, I just won't be renewing any of the patterns on there, so the patterns will gradually disappear so if you want one and haven't purchased it go ahead and do so.  I actually thought I would be sadder but I'm not, I think the decision has just taken the pressure off a bit for another BOM.

I got an email for entries to the Royal Show last week and I have decided to try and quilt Springtime Romance in time to enter it.  There is also a crochet class so I might try and enter my Nimue Cal as well.  I joined the fabric for the backing yesterday and DH got the trestle table out so I might make a start this afternoon at basting it so it will be all ready to put under the machine on the weekend.  

This weeks progress it was a 7 out of 7 week.  I managed lots of crochet and a tiny bit of cross stitch.  As well as doing some tidying in my sewing room on the weekend.  Last night I finished 3 sides of row 48 so one more row and another 8 small blocks to finish for the CAL.  Row 49 is the end of the centre square, then there is a row of the smaller blocks.  Then another 42 more rows for the outside border, a couple of people have added a few more rows to make the blanket larger, I will see how much wool I have left over I haven't used as many balls as I thought I would yet so I might have some left overs.  The last couple of rows are a little less intricate so they have crocheted up in no time, it was good to have a bit of a rest because parts of the centre quite challenging.  It's going to need blocking before I head to the next step.  

Only a little bit of progress on the cross stitch and the house is pretty much all filled in so it is going to take a while but it is cute and I found some cushion inserts while I was searching for batting on the weekend so cushions are sounding promising.  

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