2018 4th Quarter FAL Winners!

We are at the last post to round off the 2018 Finish-A-Long. Today we are celebrating 392 (!!) finished projects in Quarter 4 of the 2018 FAL. So many of you are joining in and getting their UFOs or WIPs out of that dark corner, and into the limelight to be shown off as a finish. If you are in need of inspiration go on over and have a look, there were so many great makes. And of course, thanks to our many generous sponsors, we are finishing off the quarter and the year by announcing the lucky winners!!

Without further ado, the winners picked by the Random Number Generator of the 2018 Q4 FAL prizes are:

The Q4 Winner of the $50 Gift Certificate from Fat Quarter Shop is Kate who blogs at Life in Pieces and she finished this adorable Halloween themed quilt:

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The Q4 Winner of the 3 PDF Patterns from During Quiet Time is Helene on IG @30hela and she finished this lovely rainbow solids quilt :

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The Q4 prize of the $25 Gift Certificate from Sew Sisters Quilt Shop goes to Heather who blogs at Peachy Pages and she finished this Dresden Ohio quilt:

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The Q4 Winner of the 2 PDF Patterns from Quilting Jet Girl is Cheryl on Flickr at Paisley Crazy and she finished this pretty quilt that she gifted as a wedding present:

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The Q4 Winner of the $20 Gift Certificate from Sew Me a Song is Mary and she blogs at Quilting is in My Blood and she finished this Floating Hexagons quilt with a wonderful quilting pattern:

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The Q4 Winner of the 3 PDF Patterns from Happy Quilting is Celine and she blogs at EspritPatch and she finished this Tabor V-neck top:

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The Q4 Winner of the 2 PDF Patterns from Charm About You is Teresa via IG @misdosbichillos and she finished these super cute house ornaments:

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The Q4 Winners (3x) of the 6 Month Subscription to Make Modern Magazine are:

1.  Melanie who blogs at Mel Meyer.  She finished this rainbow Sew Together bag:

2.   Kat who blogs at Craftaholic Kat.  She finished these cheery Christmas pillows:

3. Debbie who blogs at A Quilter’s Table.  She finished this Bee Sewcial group quilt inspired by Gwen Marston:

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The Q4 prize of the $25 Gift Certificate from Studio 39 Fabrics goes to Leslie via IG @sugarhousequilter and she finished this Accentuate the Positive quilt in warm colors:

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 The Q4 Winner of the $25 Gift Certificate from Tartan Kiwi is Magdalena via IG @magdalenadetz and she finished this English paper pieced pillow for her living room:

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The Q4 Winner of the Minikins bundle from Sew Sweetness is Robin via IG @robinbirdrobin and she finished this lovely Christmas tree skirt for a friend:

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The Q4 prize of the $50 Gift Certificate from Mad About Patchwork goes to Jan via IG @snell.jan and she finished this fantastic floral quilt:

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The Q4 Winner of the 2 PDF Patterns from Blossom Heart Quilts is Sheila who blogs at Chez Budsmam and she finished this cute mini tuffet:

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The Q4 Winner of the $30 Gift Certificate from Clover & Violet is Helen via IG @archiewonderdog and she finished this drawstring knitting bag for her Mother:

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Congratulations to all the winners!  Thank you for playing along with us in the fourth quarter, and we hope you are joining us in this new year. We love to encourage you to finish up all those WIPs and UFOs, and to see what great makes will be finished next time.

This post officially finishes up the 2018 Finish-A-Long and we want to give a huge thank you to all of this years hosts: Sandra, Marci, Leanne, Karen, Izzy, Lynne, Ella and Felicity.  Each of you made this task of the FAL easy and enjoyable.  A gigantic thank-you to this years sponsors, we truly appreciate your prizes and sponsorship this year.

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Blast from the past and lessons learned

But just how far back, I am not sure.  While cleaning out, and doing a little bit of purging of my sewing stuff, I came across a bag with the blocks and material from a Saturday Sampler program from my local quilt shop, Capital Quilts.  Each month there was a little kit and a pattern and lesson for a nominal fee…really nominal, two or three dollars.  I learned a lot from them about cutting,  seam allowances, pressing and construction methods in general.  I had completed the quilts from the first two years – one is on the guest room bed and my daughter has the other.  Then there was a year of baskets and one of buildings.  I had made ten of the twelve baskets and about five of the buildings.  My best guess as to when I made these is the late 1990s or early 2000s.  The first quilt was labeled 2000, and I am sure that it took me a few years to get it completed and quilted.  Plus, look at the color palette – navy, brick-red, dusty blue and mauve pink – doesn’t that scream 90s to you?

As of a week ago I had the ten baskets and went through the instruction sheets -(which of course I had all nicely collected in a folder) to figure out which ones I didn’t make.I looked for a date on the sheets, but not one had a date.

Lesson #1 Date things…not just your finished quilts but when you start things.

One day I finished the two baskets and then did the math to figure out the side, corner and setting triangles and got to work.  It was finished in a jiffy!  Sometimes I wonder why I don’t finish things when sometimes it doesn’t take very long.  I know, there are lots of tugs on our time, but I obviously have made gazillion things since I made those baskets.

Lesson #2  If it will only take a wee bit more time to finish it…do it!

Here is the completed top.

Although the picture shows the top backgrounds being creamier than the bottom two rows, that is not so, and it wasn’t obvious until I looked at the picture.  The discrepancy is probably due to the poor lighting.  I want to do some appliqué to put something in the empty baskets, and I think I will use the fusible appliqué of flower motifs that I used in my scissor quilt – probably should have done it before putting all of the blocks together, but that just might have been what would bring the project to a halt.  While pressing the quilt I remembered an issue that I had with this…the background is of different white on white fabrics.

Lesson #3. Don’t over press or scorch the white on whites.

Also while pressing the completed top and clipping threads, I thought a lot about how my skills have improved.  Usually my points are better nowadays and I resisted the urge to go back and fix them.  I tended to have long threads on the back and realize that my new machine has a scissor function so I will no longer have a hairy mess on the back of a quilt, Yay!

So there you have it…the back and batting are all ready and now the top is also in the queue.  This is on my FAL first quarter list…and it might even get done!

 

Finish-Along

 

Happy New Year, everyone! It is time for a NEW round of the Finish-A-Long (FAL)!

As you can see, a new round of the Finish-A-Long is starting today. New logos (thank you so much, Marci), some new hosts (and some familiar ones), some new sponsors as well as some we have known for years now. Presumably we will have some new participants as well as many who have been taking part regularly for a long time…

So let’s get to it!

You can now link up your list of projects that you want to finish in Quarter 1 of 2019. We are hoping that the FAL community will inspire you to work on your unfinished projects this quarter, and to get them finished!

Our 2019 Finish-A-Long Hosts

The 2019 FAL is hosted by a great community of bloggers. This year our hosts are:

• Sandra – Sew of Course – Ireland
• Marci – Marci Girl Designs – USA Louisiana
• Leanne – She Can Quilt – Canada
• Ella – Throw a Wench in the Works – USA Georgia
• Karen – Capitola Quilter – USA California
• Lynne – Tinking Along – USA Maryland
• Izzy – Dizzy Quilts – Canada
• Sarah G – Sarah Goer Quilts – USA California
• Sarah Z – Cedar Fork Stitches – USA Montana
• Julie – That’s Sew Julie – USA Iowa
• Sharla – Thistle Thicket Studio – USA Kansas
• Nicole – Handwrought Quilts – Canada

For those of you who are new to the FAL, here is an explanation: The Finish-A-Long is a community aiming to motivate and encourage each other to complete those unfinished projects that are hanging around, sometimes for far too long. At the start of the quarter you post and link up a list of projects you hope to finish in the next three months. Then, at the end of the quarter, you link up each successful finish from your original list.

Each linked up finish is an entry into the draw for wonderful prizes from our sponsors. There is no penalty for not finishing a listed project, so feel free to make your list as long or as short as you wish. The 2019 Schedule and Rules for the FAL are on my permanent 2019 FAL page, let me know if you have any questions.

Our 2019 Finish-A-Long Sponsors

Here are the fantastic and generous sponsors for Q1 of the Finish-A-Long. you can see each of their prizes listed under their logo. Please think about visiting them and saying thank you for their their support of the FAL.

 

Winner’s Choice of 1 Large 12 Spool Collection

$80 Gift Certificate

 

$50 Gift Certificate

$50 Gift Certificate

$25 Gift Certificate

3 PDF Patterns

2 PDF Patterns

 

2 PDF Patterns

1 Six Month Subscription

2 PDF Patterns

 

$30 Fabric Voucher

 

Make your Q1 List of Unfinished Projects

So now it is time to sort out the projects/UFOs/WIPs that you want to finish over the next three months. Take a photo of each one and make your list. If you like you can use our Finish-A-Long Planner to list your projects and keep track of progress. It also has all link-up dates for the year, and the hashtags that we would use. Or use any method that works for you. Please ensure that you have at least STARTED your projects – pulled fabric with a pattern is considered a project started – and remember it is only a FINISHED project that will get you an entry toward the above listed prizes. So while we love to see your bee blocks, the “finish” is when they are a completed, usable project.

Post Your Q1 List

Post your list either on your blog, on Instagram, or on Flickr if you prefer. If posting on social media (Flickr, Instagram), it will be very helpful if you tag your list with #2019FALQ1yourname (where yourname is unique to you). Using the same hashtag over the quarter when sharing project progress or finishes helps the host to make the connection to your original list quickly and easily.

IMPORTANT:
Don’t forget to link up your finishes at the end of the quarter! We will be posting a reminder on the blog and on Instagram, but do keep an eye out…

Link-up Your Q1 List

The 2019 Q1 link for your list of proposed finishes is now open below, on my blog and on each of the hosting blogs. You need only link your list once, on ONE host blog, and the link will show up on all the host blogs. If you are using Flickr or Instagram, post a mosaic of your projects and put your list in the description. Don’t forget to include your unique hashtag.

If you need a little help, Katy of The Littlest Thistle has a great tutorial on how to link up if you need it, and Marci has a post on
how to link up from Instagram.

Join the FAL Community

We also ask that you become part of the FAL community. Please check out the links of others – visit and comment on their lists. We all need encouragement to get those finishes done, so please share some of your own too.

If you want you can follow us on Facebook: Finish-A-Long and/or on Instagram: @finishalong, too. We’ll post encouragement during the quarter and reminders when the finishes link up opens at the end of the quarter.

When creating your list there is one thing to remember – No deductions for not completing something so – Aim High! Nothing to lose!! Well now, get that list together and get linked up.

LET THE FUN BEGIN!

Feel free to use and share the FAL button at the top and this one too:

 

Remember: you only need to link up at ONE hosting blog and it will automatically show up on all hosting blogs.

An InLinkz Link-up

 

Finish-A-Long Reminder

Popping in today for a quick reminder that the Quarter 4 Link Up for all your finishes closes on Wednesday, January 9, 2019, 11 pm EST. So you still have a few more days to finish a project or two and link them up to be eligible for prizes. The link up can be found HERE or on the blog of any of our current hosts.

A few reminders for linking up:

• Please only one finished project for each post that you link up, so that each finish can be an entry in the (random) prize draw.
• Please include a link to your original list in each post of your finishes (on Instagram the link is the unique tag #2018FALQ4yourname to be used in the Q4 list post, and in any Q4 finish post).
• Please visit some of the other participants and leave a friendly comment, we all love to get those!

Finally, we hope you will be joining us for 2019 to do it all over again!! So get your list ready, the link up for Q1 Lists will open on January 10, 2019.

2018 – The Year of 100s

I did two one-hundreds projects last year.  At times I feel that I am so scattered and flit from project to project, later cycling back to other things, but last year I started and kept to two projects that involved doing something for 100 days, in a row.
The first was the 100 days project.  I saw the project #the100dayproject on Instagram and then got the idea for half-square triangles from Katie @swimbikequilt.  I actually did two sets of HSTs,  Essex teal with the dusty charm pack and Essex steel with brights.  Did you know that the big Kona charm packs are in the same order as the pictures are listed on the website?  I started on April 3 and went until July 11.

At first I posted my pictures every day, but later I made them each day and then posted every few days.  That made it more fun to arrange the blocks.

Truth be told, it probably took me as long to trim the blocks as to sew them.

Currently the two sets of 200 blocks are sitting in plastic shoeboxes waiting for their turn on the design wall.

The second project was making Tula Pink’s 100 blocks.  I had purchased the book a few years ago and even had taken it to the printer to have it made into a spiral bound book – highly worth the few dollars.  It is a thick book and now each page opens and lays flat.  The goal of that project was to post the completed block on the correct day, and then keep going until the end.  I worked on them daily at the start, and then worked a week at a time and then jumped ahead to the blocks for when I would be on vacation.  I used some Tula Pink fabric – thanks to my guild mates for offering up some of their scraps.  I also used this as a chance to dive into my stash and use some of the bits of novelty fabric that I have.  Here are some of my fav blocks.  These are the pics that I posted, sorry that I did not go back and recrop them all, but if you want to see all one hundred blocks, you can go to #tinkingalong100days on Instagram.

2019…I don’t think that I will do any more time sensitive projects.  After all, I have all of these blocks to put together as well as a few block of the months going on, but more on that later!

Finish-Along 4th Quarter Link-Up

Can you believe it, the year is over!  We have made it to the end of the fourth quarter of the 2018 Finish-A-Long and it’s time to link up your Q4 finishes.  We hope you have used the past three months to complete a bunch of those UFOs on your lists!  If not there is always next year…

The 2018 FAL has a community of bloggers across the world jointly hosting and this year’s hosts are:

• Marci – Marci Girl Designs – USA

• Sandra (also Social Media Director) – Studio Sew of Course – Ireland

• Leanne – She Can Quilt – Canada

• Ella – Throw a Wench in the Works – USA

• Felicity – Felicity Quilts – Canada

• Karen – Capitola Quilter – USA

• Izzy – Dizzy Quilts – Canada

• Lynne – Tinking Along – USA

Before the link up, let’s give a huge thank you to our fantastic sponsors:

$50 Gift Certificate

3 PDF Patterns

$25 Gift Certificate

2 PDF Patterns

$20 Gift Certificate

3 PDF Patterns

2 PDF Patterns

3 Six Month Subscr.

$25 Gift Certificate

$25 Gift Certificate

A Minikins Bundle

$50 Gift Certificate

2 PDF Patterns

$30 Gift Certificate

$40 Gift Certificate

The 2018 Quarter 4 link for your finishes is now open below on my blog and on each of the hosting blogs – you only need to link on one blog for your finish to appear on all host blogs.

Link-up “Rules”:

Add one link for each finish.  If you want to link a round up post of all your finishes, use that link to enter one of your finishes and then link the rest of your finishes separately.  Please, only one link per finish, as your link is an entry into the randomly drawn prize draws.

Please ensure that the photo (Instagram or Flickr) or blog post you link up contains a link or reference back to your original list so that we can verify your entry (make sure it is from the appropriate quarter, too). On Instagram, tag your photos with #2018FALQ4yourname (where yourname is unique to you),
this makes it easier for us to match your finishes with your list, which also should have this tag.

Please become part of the FAL community.  Check out the links of others and leave a comment. We all need encouragement so let’s applaud each other.  The 2018 FAL Facebook page is HERE and you can follow us on Instagram @finishalong.

Our hosts will also link up their finishes to share in the community but they are not eligible for any of the prizes.

The Q4 Finishes link will stay open from now thru 11 pm, EST, Wednesday, January 9, 2019 – as we are global, you might want to check your time zone to determine your last possible time to link (you can also see how much time is left below the linked up images on the right).  It is best to link up your finishes early and if you have a last minute one, add that one later so you don’t miss out.  The prizes will be awarded as soon as we can verify all the entries and do the drawings.  We will post the winners on each host’s blog.

Lastly, don’t forget to start making your 2019 list as the Q1 list link opens on January 10, 2019.

2018 Q4 Finishes Link Up:

An InLinkz Link-up

2019 Finish-a-Long

 

It’s coming!  Soon!  You might still be finishing up some WIPs from 2018, and that would be awesome, but I wanted to let you know that things you don’t finish can be rolled over to 2019.  In 2019 we will have 12 hosts.  Woo hoo!

The 2019 Finish-A-Long Hosts:

Sandra of Sew of Course – Ireland

Marci of Marci Girl Designs – USA Louisiana

Leanne of She Can Quilt – Canada

Ella of Throw a Wench in the Works – USA Georgia

Karen of Capitola Quilter – USA California

Lynne of Tinking Along – USA Maryland

Izzy of Dizzy Quilts – Canada

Sarah of Sarah Goer Quilts – USA California

Julie of That’s Sew Julie – USA Iowa

Sarah of Cedar Fork Stitches – USA Montana

Sharla of Thistle Thicket Studio – USA Kansas

Nicole of Handwrought Quilts – Canada

What is the Finish-A-Long

The Finish – A – Long is the brainchild of Rhonda (Rhonda’s Ramblings) and was started back in 2012 as a no pressure linky event that allows you to make a quarterly list of the works in progress (WIPS) that you are hoping to finish during that quarter of the year.  You create a list (big or small, short or long) at the beginning of the quarter and link up via one of the Finish – A – Long hosts blog linky post.  You then use that quarter to finish your projects, and at the end of the quarter you link up any of these finished projects and become eligible for prizes (randomly drawn.)  There is no penalty for not finishing these projects and they can be carried over to the next quarter.  Win, win!  One of the best aspects of the Finish – A – Long is the community involvement via the host blogs linky, Flickr, Instagram and Facebook.  Once you have linked up take some time to visit other links, leave comments and participate!  You can encourage, meet and make new friends, trust me, I have!  Ready to participate?  The schedule, rules and sponsors are below.

Here is the schedule so that you can start your lists and planning.

The 2019 Finish-A-Long Schedule:

Q1

10 January (Thu) Proposed Finishes List – Linkup opens

18 January (Fri) Proposed Finishes List – Linkup closes

1 April (Mon) Finishes – Linkup opens

2-6 April – Tutorial Week

9 April (Tue) Finishes – Linkup closes

Q2

10 Apr 2019 (Wed) Proposed Finishes List – Linkup opens

18 Apr 2019 (Thu) Proposed Finishes List – Linkup closes

1 July (Mon) Finishes – Linkup opens

2-6 July – Tutorial Week

9 July (Tue) Finishes – Linkup closes

Q3

10 July (Wed) Proposed Finishes List – Linkup opens

18 July (Thu) Proposed Finishes List – Linkup closes

1 October (Tue) Finishes – Linkup opens

2-6 October – Tutorial Week

9 October (Wed) Finishes – Linkup closes

Q4

10 October (Thu) Proposed Finishes List – Linkup opens

18 October (Fri) Proposed Finishes List – Linkup closes

1 January 2020 (Wed) Finishes – Linkup opens

9 January 2020 (Thu) Finishes – Linkup closes

Rules and how it works…

– At the start of each quarter there will be a linky party for you to link up your proposed list of finishes. You must link up in order to be able to be eligible for those prizes at the end.  Please only enter ONE blog post, Flickr photo or Instagram photo at this starting link-up. If you use Flickr or Instagram please describe your plan in the description.

– In order for your projects to be eligible, they must be a tangible project at the start of the quarter.  That means, at the very least, a fabric pull matched to a pattern, a quilt top needs to be quilted, or a half knit jumper, etc. We love seeing your bee blocks, but they won’t count unless you happen to be turning them all into a fully completed quilt THIS quarter.  We are looking for a proper UFO – UnFinished Object – which means it has to have been started.

– As you complete each of your projects on your list, write a post about it on your blog, or a description with a Flickr or Instagram pic.

– At the end of the quarter, link up each individual post/Flickr pic (please link back to your original list from the start of the quarter in some way). For each finish/link you complete, you get an entry into the prize draw, and therefore it’s in your best interest to write up a separate post for each!

– A finish is defined as a completely finished project, eg. a quilt, quilted and bound, a bag that’s fully lined and functional, or a jumper that one could wear out in public. We’re happy for you if you get a quilt top completed in one quarter, but hold onto it for the next quarter and see if you can get it quilted and bound before entering as a finish please.

– You won’t be punished if you don’t finish your entire list, so feel free to make a big list and roll projects over from one quarter to the next if you need to.

– All qualifying finishes will be put into a prize draw, and the names/numbers will be drawn at random for each of the prizes donated by our sponsors for that quarter.

– The finish linky party will be open for approximately a week, and then the linky party for the proposed finishes list for next quarter will open on the following day.

– The FAL is open to anyone, anywhere in the world.

Be on the lookout for another post soon with news about our wonderful sponsors and the starting linky party.  Get those lists ready!