We’re a week into August already! A little late, but here’s my report on how I’m doing with my challenge, Eighteen for 18…

• 1 Etsy store opened; Still no further, I think I really need to take the plunge and just put a few things on, test the water a bit!
• 2 Tutorials; Nothing written but I have got two ideas!
• 3 Sessions a week in the garden; I’ve not done as much as I would have liked in the garden this month, mainly because it was just so hot and dry, but if you include my times spent watering then I probably have managed my three sessions a week!
• 4 Quilts;I made a wall quilt of a peacock in July, it was a practise piece for the FMQ class I’d watched on Craftsy, so my total is now three. I’m planning to buy fabric to make my niece a quilt on Friday at the Festival of Quilts, so hopefully soon there will be another one!
• 5 Craftsy Classes; I’m still at 1.5 classes, as I’ve not managed to watch any this month, not helped by the internet problems we were having, now hopefully resolved; my internet speed has apparently gone from 2 to 35!!
• 6 New Patterns; I have stitched a new pattern called Clementine, a denim skirt by Merchant & Mills, but as it was one Minerva Crafts gave me to try I can’t share it with you until they publish it. So I’ll leave it at four until I’ve posted about it.
• 7 Kits stitched; I finally finished Bertie the Blackbird, a kit by Nicola Jarvis which I started at a stitching retreat in May. I’ve just collected it from the framers, he does look handsome! I also stitched a moon gazing hare in Kantha stitch.So I’ve now stitched six kits and I’m just starting a mini one.

   8 Pages in my stitch sampler book; I’ve almost finished a page on outline stitches and I’ve also started one on filler stitches, so my tally is still at six, with two on their way. I made the decision not to add beads to the edges of the pages last month, this was a good decision, I’ve quite a few pages stitched together now, I’ll give you an update soon.

• 9 Pounds Lost!!! No change, which I suppose is better than gaining!
• 10 Mini Embroideries; I’ve stitch one this month, a phoenix in flight for the Travelling Sketchbooks so with my total at seven so far I’m ahead of schedule. I’ve two to create this month for another project with Embroiderers Guild, I’ve to do a poppy and Pudsey Bear.
• 11 Letters to friends; I’ve been really bad at this, it remains at two!
• 12 Boxes or Drawers sorted in sewing room; I’ve done bits and bats of sorting, but not one area I can say I’ve finished, so my tally is remains at ten, I’m ahead of schedule on this one, shame my sewing room doesn’t look tidier for it!
• 13 New Recipes; Nothing new this month so still just five.
• 14 Less Lengths in my stash! Mmm…I think I may as well forget about this one, I went to Sew Dewsbury last weekend with the intention of being restrained! Well…I could have bought a lot more!
• 15 Posts a month; I’ve just done a quick tally and I counted 26 posts, must be a record for me!
• 16 cross-stitch smalls; I finished one cross-stitch, but I haven’t made it up yet, so I’ll leave my tally is fourteen, well ahead on this one!
• 17 items of clothing made. I made my Liberty dress earlier in the month and I’ve also made the denim skirt which I can’t count yet! So my tally so far is six (plus one!)  so not bad, but quite a bit of catching up to do.
• 18 Walks; We’re training in earnest now. I walked part of the Ribble Way with friends and also two parts of the Welcome Way. WI had a short walk too, so my total is now eight walks so far and lots of dates in the diary for more practice.