2019 Q1 FAL Winners announced

 The time has come to officially wrap up Quarter 1 of the Finish-A-Long by announcing the winners and awarding some wonderful prizes from our fantastic sponsors.  We had a whopping 553 finishes for the first quarter of 2019, which is really impressive you guys, keep it up!

Without further ado, here are the winners picked by Random Number Generator for Q1 of the 2019 Finish-A-Long:

The winner's choice of One Large 12 Spool Collection from Aurifil goes to Ann who blogs at Brown Paws Quilting and she finished this gorgeous Summer Sampler quilt that she custom quilted:

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The $80 Gift Certificate from Sew Sweetness goes to Michelle who blogs at From Bolt to Beauty and she finished 11 Jane Market Bags for her children's teachers (here is just one of them):

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The $50 Gift Certificate from Mad About Patchwork goes to Sandra who blogs at Musings of a Menopausal Melon - mmm! Quilts and she finished this lovely cushion/pillow cover:

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The $50 Gift Certificate from Fat Quarter Shop goes to Melinda on IG @mamasan_gerber and she finished this large hexagon pouf:

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The $25 Gift Certificate from Sew Me A Song goes to Melinda who blogs at Quiltn in Wilton and she finished this bright and cheerful child sized quilt:

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The 3 PDF Patterns from Happy Quilting goes to Liz who blogs at Yorkshire Quilter and she finished this beautiful scrappy charity string quilt:

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The 2 PDF Patterns from Charm About You goes to Gretchen who blogs at 120 Blocks and she finished this fantastic Jelly Roll Rug:

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The 2 PDF Patterns from Blossom Heart Quilts go to Janice on IG @tangibleculture and she finished this lovely cross stitch ornament:

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The 6 Month Subscription to Make Modern Magazine goes to Anja who blogs at Anja Quilts and she finished this really fun quilt:

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The 2 PDF Patterns from Bonjour Quilts goes to Jennie who blogs at Jennie's Threads and she finished this gorgeous sampler quilt:

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The $30 Fabric Voucher from Hillstitches goes to Pippa on IG @pippaspatch and she finished this wonderful duel sided table runner:

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There you have it folks, quarter one of the year is officially wrapped up!  Congratulations to all of our winners and a big thanks to everyone that played along so far this year.

2019 Temperature Quilt

TempQuilt19

January 1 to April 22

I knew I had to join in with the #tempquiltalong using my Improv Abstraction block when the prepping posts started popping up on my Instagram feed at the beginning of the year.   A good chunk of 2019 is now behind us but hey - look, I'm keeping up!  The picture above is the 28"x98" segment to prove it - that's 112 days done! Shocking but true.

Honestly I had no idea such things existed until I started browsing the #temperaturequilt and reading the details on blogs Twiddletails and Elm Street Quilts  

Close Up

January came and went without a speck of progress so I almost gave up on the idea until it occurred to me that bringing my parts with me to QuiltCon Nashville in February would be the perfect project for the Open Sew sessions I had signed up to attend.

First strips done at QuiltCon

Each block represents the temperature of the day with the High on the left and Low on the right.  The orientation of the parts doesn't have any significance which makes the freedom of layout more fun as I build it.  Each strip is 2 weeks starting from top to bottom. We had some weird weird weather and I needed three of the coldest bracket almost immediately.

Degrees/Color Chart 

Comparing the degree brackets of other participants was helpful but our weather tends to be mild so I adjusted the most likely temps (shown in bold on the chart) to get variety. Because I promised myself that I would sew from stash and use prints the "color key" is much less obvious than other quilts out there.  Good thing I like scrappy.

Pre-Cut rectangles and Sample Block

With a set number of blocks I also had to take into consideration what made sense for a layout plan.  365 days doesn't exactly divide evenly into everything and rectangles instead of squares makes the quilt math trickier but fortunately 26x14 uses all but one and measures to 91"x98" for our bed.  The December 31st block will be the label on the back. 

Rectangles Ready and Waiting

You might be asking yourself how did I calculate how many rectangles to cut of each - well, I didn't.   Not in the least.  It's stash and it needs used up - so I'm expecting to have lots of left overs as a head start to another project in 2020.

Traditions and Changes

It's tradition. Every year we walk down to the beach and our granddaughter participates in the Easter Egg Hunt in Capitola Village.  The colors of the Venetian match perfectly as a backdrop to the scattered pastel shapes in the sand.  We love it.

Speaking of color - or more accurately lack of- I'm transitioning to my natural hair color.  It will take about a year and a half or two to grow out but I wanted to take the plunge with a sudden drastic change.  I'm adjusting to it well and excited about the end game.

April 2019

2019 Finish a Long Q2: Time to Link Up your Goals

Hello everyone! It is time for Quarter 2 of the Finish-A-Long (FAL)!

As you can see, a new quarter of the Finish-A-Long is starting today.  If you missed participating at the beginning of the year, you can join us now for a brand new start. Those of you who did join us for the first quarter, thank you and I do hope you finished some things and plan to continue on with us for Q2.

So let's get to it!
You can now link up your list of projects that you want to finish in Quarter 2 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 Q2 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 Q2 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 Q2 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 #2019FALQ2yourname (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 Q2 List

The 2019 Q2 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

My FAL Q2 Goals

2019 FAL Q2 Goals

Here's my list of hopefuls and their current status:

1. Improv Abstraction (large): Plenty of parts to play with and I can make more.  They are the companion pieces left from making three MQG QOM Merge quilts - one that was in the Special Exhibit at QuiltCon Nashville and the other two color ways for pattern testing.  

2. Eyes BeeSewcial : top is done and quilting underway by my sister, I'll need to bind and label it once she's done. 

3. Glamp Stitch a Lot Medallion:  This one is exciting because it sat for so long and is now a top.  If you want to read about the epic event from 2015 with instructors Jeni Baker, Tula Pink, Alison Glass, Sara Fielke and Katy Jones the blog post is HERE

4.  Sujata Shah, the Root Connection workshop: Blocks are made and I've messed around with layout.  Contemplating a grand mash up with some wedged, but still deciding if that is the road that I will take. 

5.  Wedges from Kathy Doughty of Material Obsession:  This top is the most likely to make it to the finish line.  Although the most recent UFO from a workshop a few weeks ago (Blog Post HERE) I am wanting to gift it now that the baby has arrived and I will be meeting her soon.

6. Plaid:  These treasures were purchased at a quilt show that I went to last weekend and have me all in a spin with ideas incorporating wedges.

7.  Artichoke Pantone challenge:  Combining two challenges into one project makes participating more manageable and they both have similar deadlines.  

Well, there you have it.  I'm going for lucky seven. Wish me luck and good luck to you!  Remember to link up your goal list before the party ends HERE.  You can check the countdown clock at the bottom right of the page to see how many days/minutes are left and if the blue "Add your Link" button no longer shows on the left, you'll know it's too late. 

Happy Stitching!

Karen