FAL 2018 Q2 Link Up is HERE

Can you believe it, we have made it to the end of the second quarter of the 2018 Finish-A-Long and it's time to link up your Q2 finishes.  We hope you have used the past three months to complete a bunch of those UFOs on your lists!

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

For this quarter of the 2018 FAL, we continue tutorial week.  Here is the schedule for this quarter so you can visit them all:

• July 3 - Sandra of Studio Sew of Course

• July 4 - Ella of Throw a Wench in the Works

• July 5 - Felicity of Felicity Quilts
  

The 2018 Quarter 2 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 #2018FALQ2yourname (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 Q2 Finishes link will stay open from now thru 11 pm, EST, Monday July 9, 2018 - 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 Q3 list as the Q3 list link opens on July 10, 2018.

2018 Q2 Finishes Link Up:

An InLinkz Link-up

Quilty catch up and more

I can't remember the last time in recent years - if ever - that I've gone without sewing for more than a months stretch.  April to June is too big of a gap.  

The procedure for shoulder surgery went perfectly fine but the recovery has been a pretty bumpy road.  When friends ask how I'm doing I usually reply, "I've been better, I've been worse" because honestly there is so much to be thankful for and this kind of stuff is just life being life. 

Fortunately, as of last weekend, sewing and equally important my sewing mojo has returned with the completion of the tardy April #beesewcial "Rooted" bee blocks that I'll share separately because this post is about a few big deals that came and went without acknowledgment and I wanna fix that.

First up - my quilt Bend, Don't Break was featured in the Gallery of Curated Quilts minimalistic issue.  Such an honor to share the pages with so many talented makers that I admire greatly.

While in Pasadena at QuiltCon Isabelle and I stopped by their booth to see her mini on display.   I really like this picture we took with Christine Ricks and not just because I'm wearing my handmade top.  My guild mates are probably getting tired of how much I go on about the publication but I'm so excited to see the community response to call outs.  Encouraging makers to explore and challenge themselves with each new theme - trying new things and redefining what you do resonates with me.

Isabelle, Christine and I 

You may recall from this post how excited I was to have my mini included in the Log Cabin issue so you can just imagine how thrilled and honored having a full page to myself.

Another big deal for me was to teach a Improv Abstraction workshop again.   I had the BEST time and the student work coming out of the class is fantastic.  Here's a mosaic I shared on Instagram of the group shot and my samples on display.  Everyone was supportive and enthusiastic.

Take a look at some of their makes - shared with permission : 

Lori's Show and Tell

Rochelle and sister Rhonda's collaboration

Liz's fantastic top

Lisbeth - so great

In August I'm scheduled teach again but this time for my own local chapter.  It'll be similar to Improv Abstraction but based on the Log Cabin mini. 

Anniversary and Graduation

It's a sad sign of the times when I don't even know if a mention of my Blog Anniversary made it here.      For the record, it was 6 years on March 16th. 

Quilty news aside, we celebrated our son's graduation from Fire Academy. So proud.  My mom and in-laws were able to attend.  

Hope all is well with you.  Happy Stitching.

2018 Q1 FAL winners announced

Today we are celebrating 533 (!!) finished projects in Quarter 1 of the 2018 Finish-A-Long. 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 by announcing the lucky winners!!

Without further ado, the winners picked by the Random Number Generator of the 2018 Q1 FAL prizes are:

The Q1 Winner of the $50 Gift Certificate from Fat Quarter Shop goes to  Lynette who blogs at What a Hoot Quilts and she made this stunning wall hanging row quilt for her husband:

__________________________________________________

 

The Q1 Winner of the 3 PDF Patterns from During Quiet Time goes to Helen on IG @archiewonderdog and she finished her "Not Too Big, Not Too Small" bag and isn't it lovely:

__________________________________________________

 

The Q1 Winner of the $25 Gift Certificate from Sew Sisters Quilt Shop goes to Beth on IG @blue_dragonfly5 and she finished this patriotic quilt that will be donated to a veteran:

__________________________________________________

The Q1 Winner of the 2 PDF Patterns from Quilting Jet Girl goes to Sophie who blogs at Luna Lovequilts and she made this beautiful quilt she named "Retro":

__________________________________________________

 

The Q1 Winner of the $20 Gift Certificate from Sew Me a Song goes to Kathryn on IG @kathrynjonesquilts and she finished this truly stunning (and very large) quilt:

__________________________________________________

 

The Q1 Winner of the 3 PDF Patterns from Happy Quilting goes to Kristina who blogs at Krissies Kollections and she finished this lovely quilt as you go quilt that taught her a lot of new techniques:

__________________________________________________

 

The Q1 Winner of the 2 PDF Patterns from Charm About You goes to Cath on IG @cumbrianlongarmer and she finished this rainbow Morocco Quilt:

__________________________________________________

 

The Q1 Winners (3) of the 6 Month Subscription to Make Modern Magazine goes to:

1.  Crystal who blogs at Crystal's Creations and she finished this adorable memory bear:

 

2.  Jennet on IG @featherednextstudio and she made this lovely You Are My Sunshine quilt (with minky backing) for her son:

3.  Sarah who blogs at Sarah Goer Quilts and she finished this lovely mini that represents her home town San Jose, California:

__________________________________________________

 

The Q1 Winner of the $25 Gift Certificate from Studio 39 Fabrics goes to Jen who blogs at Branch and Vine Handmade and she finished this beautiful Cosmo bag (pattern by Amy Butler):

 

__________________________________________________

 

 The Q1 Winner of the $25 Gift Certificate from Tartan Kiwi goes to Amber on IG @amberleighcrafts and she finished this whole cloth, minky backed baby quilt:

__________________________________________________

 

The Q1 Winner of the Minikins bundle from Sew Sweetness goes to Christine who blogs at Cat in the Grass and she finished these two lovely pillowcases:

__________________________________________________

 

The Q1 Winner of the $50 Gift Certificate from Mad About Patchwork goes to Terry who blogs at On Going Projects and she finished this extremely useful ID badge:

__________________________________________________

 

The Q1 Winner of the 2 PDF Patterns from Blossom Heart Quilts is Heather and she blogs at Quilting and Beyond and she finished this quilt that showcases the "license plates" she collected from 2015-2017:

__________________________________________________

 

The Q1 Winner of the $30 Gift Certificate from Clover & Violet is Charlene on Flickr (cyanh2o) and she finished these pretty felted mittens:

__________________________________________________

 

The Q1 Winner of the $40 Gift Certificate from Bunny's Designs is Brandy on IG @thirteenquilts and she finished this pretty quilt that had been an UFO for quite a while:

__________________________________________________

Congratulations to all the winners!  Thank you for playing along with us in the first quarter, and we hope you continue joining in for the rest of the 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.