Thursday, January 10, 2019

The 2019 FAL Begins - Game On! Link up your Q1 list now




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:


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.


Aurifil Logo
Winner's Choice of 1 Large 12 Spool Collection
Sew Sweetness Logo
$80 Gift Certificate

Mad About Patchwork Logo
$50 Gift Certificate
Fat Quarter Shop Logo
$50 Gift Certificate
Sew Me a Song Logo
$25 Gift Certificate
Happy Quilting Logo
3 PDF Patterns

2 PDF Patterns

Blossom Hearts Quilts Logo
2 PDF Patterns
Make Modern Logo
1 Six Month Subscription
Bonjour Quils Logo
2 PDF Patterns

Hillstitches Logo
$30 Fabric Voucher
2019 Finish-A-Long Logo

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.






Saturday, January 5, 2019

Don't forget, link up your Q4 FAL finishes!


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.

Best,

Leanne

Tuesday, January 1, 2019

Q4 FAL Link up is open, time to add your finishes!


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:


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

Fat Quarter Shop Logo
$50 Gift Certificate
During Quiet Side Logo
3 PDF Patterns
Sew Sisters Quilt Shop Logo
$25 Gift Certificate
Quilting Jetgirl Logo
2 PDF Patterns
Sew Me a Song Logo
$20 Gift Certificate
Happy Quilting Logo
3 PDF Patterns
Charm About You Logo
2 PDF Patterns
Make Modern Magazine Logo
3 Six Month Subscr.
Studio 39 Fabrics Logo
$25 Gift Certificate
Tartankiwi Logo
$25 Gift Certificate
Sew Sweetness Logo
A Minikins Bundle
Mad About Patchwork Logo
$50 Gift Certificate
Blossom Hearts Logo
2 PDF Patterns
Clover & Violet Logo
$30 Gift Certificate
Bunny's Designs Logo
$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.

Best,

Leanne

2018 Q4 Finishes Link Up: