Q1 2013 FAL - Thank you to our Sponsors!

Today I am going to tell you about the wonderful sponsors who have volunteered to supply prizes for the first quarter of the 2013 Finish-A-Long. As this is an international group, I set out to find sponsors from around the globe, and I hope to continue that for the other quarters. 

I have shopped at almost all of these stores myself and will be placing orders at the ones that are new to me. These shops  are excellent in every way and are run by the nicest people. I hope you will support them while you participate in the FAL or even just send them a quick email to thank them for sponsoring Q1 of the FAL.

I personally thank each and every one of our sponsors for their generous support. Let me tell you a bit about each of them.

$75 Gift Certificate from the Fat Quarter Shop

I am guessing you all know about the Fat Quarter Shop, but if you don't you need to. The selection is huge - they sell pretty much everything you can imagine needing for quilting, including patterns, threads, rulers, notions and the like. This American shop is quick to stock a large range of the newest fabrics and their service is impecable. It is always a pleasure to shop at the Fat Quarter Shop.

$50 Gift Certificate from Green Fairy Quilts

Green Fairy Quilts is a wonderful little treasure. It stocks a carefully chosen selection of pre-cuts, and also provides the opportunity to pre-order the upcoming fabric lines, all at excellent prices with frequent sales. This American family business is friendly, helpful and quick to get your order into your hands.

£20 Gift Certificate from Avery Homestore

The Avery Homestore is both an online and a bricks and mortar store in Edinburgh, Scotland, and I so wish I could visit it in person. There is a beautiful selection of fabric, yarn, craft supplies of all kinds, homewares, prints, and other beautiful things. You can purchase many of those online too, where you will receive lovely service, even if you live far away. Jo also runs a nice selection of classes at the store too. 

£20 Gift Certificate from Simply Solids

Simply Solids is an excellent UK source for solids in cotton, linen, cross weaves, etc. Justine has been thoughtfully adding to the collection lately too. I met Justine in London and she is so nice, has the cutest baby and my sources tell me she provides excellent service. I am going to sign up for the Sew Solids Crew Stash Club, which is a lovely way to expand your solids collection, one colour a month.

Fat Quarter Bundle of The Birds and The Bees by Tula Pink in 

colourway of your choice (forest, sunset or mist) from Fabric Spot

Fabric Spot is a wonderful Canadian online store with excellent service. Karen has set out to make  organic fabrics widely available at reasonable prices. She also has a huge range of popular quilting solids, including almost all of the Kona colours. Fabric Spot has an expanding selection of designer quilting fabrics, patterns and books.

Full kit to make Tea Time Clutch (TM) bag and bonus Reversible Patchwork Bag pattern from While Baby Naps 

While Baby Naps is an Etsy store that is new to me. They sell really lovely classic frames, chains and glue to make frame purses and clutches, as well as complete kits, including tutorials and patterns, to make a clutch. There is even a kit packaged for international shipping leaving out the glue that is difficult to sell over the borders. Rhonda orders her purse frames from While Baby Naps and speaks highly of the service and the products, so I am going to be placing my own order this week. 

€20 Gift Certificate from Fluffy Sheep Quilting

I met Cindy in London at the Fat Quarterly Retreat. She is fun, interesting, generous and smart and I consider her a friend. Her Irish online shop focuses on providing a well curated selection of modern quilting fabrics and threads. Her newsletter includes guest tutorials - she even included one of mine last fall. Cindy's personalized service makes shopping with her a dream.

$25 Gift Certificate from Knotted Threads

Jennifer has a lovely shop and blog but recently she is probably better known for her call to the internet quilters for help making blocks to make a couple of quilts for family who had been hit hard by Hurricane Sandy. Jennifer was going to be seeing them at Christmas and wanted to bring the quilts. The response to Jennifer's request was overwhelming. The quilts, and several more, were made - people across the globe sent blocks, Jennifer and other people quilted, and Jennifer took those quilts and delivered them as promised, and she told us all about it on her blog. She is a gem and her little shop is excellent too.

Surprise Package from Rhonda at Quilter in the Gap

I am not sure what to tell you about Rhonda. She is funny, friendly, kind and helpful. Rhonda often digresses onto some other thing, but she usually has a good reason to do so. The Finish-A-Long is her brianchild and it worked brilliantly for all of us last year. I am just hoping I can live up to her legacy in hosting this year and thank you to  Rhonda for all the help she continues to give me this year. She is just the best. Oh, and she has a great podcast, feel free to remind her that we want more episodes.

The prizes from each of these sponsors will be awarded at the end of Q1 of the 2013 FAL. Each qualifying finish will qualify as one entry in the random draws.

There is still plenty of time to sign up for Q1 of the FAL. Go to this post and enter your link before midnight, MST, Sunday January 13, 2013, if you have not yet done so. You can also join the FAL flickr group which is here. I hope you will join us and get some of those UFOs out of the sewing room and into use.

p.s. I will be making it to each and every linked post, but give me a few more days to catch up. First week back to school and to work, broken internet requiring several hours on the phone, one repair guy and another coming, and the usual hustle and bustle of life have been taking more than their fair share of my time. I am hoping some semblance of routine will resume shortly. I am excited to see all the projects that have been linked up.

Best,
Leanne

2013 Finish-A-Long - Q1 Begins!

Welcome to the first Quarter of the 2013 Finish-A-Long. I am excited to be your host this year for the FAL, as it moves along from Rhonda at Quilter in the Gap. There are already some wonderful sponsors and tutorials lined up for this year. I will be sharing more details about the sponsors later this week, they are excellent and deserve their own post. If you would like to be a sponsor or to write a tutorial for any of the four quarters, please let me know. 

The Rules for the FAL are here, and let me know if you have any questions. When Rhonda started the FAL last year, the intention was to make a low pressure, fun group with the goal of getting already started UFOs out of the sewing room and into use. So round up those projects that you do want to finish over the next three months, take a photo of where you are at now, and make your list. You need to link that list to this post to have the projects eligible for the prizes at the end of Q1 - each finish will be one entry into the random draw for the prizes.

If you are not a blogger, you can link a flickr picture, pictures, or a mosaic of one or more projects too, your picture just needs to have some details about the project and that you are entering it into the FAL. I will put some details about how to link a flickr picture in our FAL Flickr group too, but if you have trouble, let me know and I will help you out. 

So part of putting up the link is for me to make my FAL list for Q1. After my dismal performance in Q4 - clearly being a fast finisher was not part of Rhonda's criteria for this year's host - I am reluctant to put up much of a list or you will fall off your chairs laughing. So my list for Q1 is:

1. King Size Mod Pop -  I am still quilting this monster king size quilt. I have done the long wavy background parts and am moving onto the middle of the circles. We are setting a completion date in the Mod Pop QAL soon, so I need to make sure I meet it as I am the host.



2. Windmills and Trees - this is Lynne from Lily's Quilts' pattern which I was pattern testing. I pulled out the background fabrics, and debated how to finish the back. I stalled in debate. I am going to finish that back and get this one finished.



3. Low Volume top with circles on it. This is the quilt behind the 2013 FAL button, it needs to be done. And I love it, so it is on the list. Oh, and you can grab and show off that button too, you can get the code to do that here.



4. Quilt the Mystery Quilt - I am going to use this quilt this spring. I love it, I am so tired of being afraid to wreck it. I am going to quilt and bind it in Q1.



5. Scrappy Trip Along - Yup, I am all in for this recent internet craze. Also now on instagram where I am shecanquilt and still trying to figure out how it all works. I have 11 blocks done, and lots of strips cut now, so this will be for the "I just want sew something easy" days. I am going to quilt it in one big concentric circle like Laura Jane did, so there is nothing to slow me down (well, except all those other projects).



6. Modern Stitching Bee Quilt - I am going to make sure at least one quilt made from bee blocks is on my FAL list each quarter this year. Look at those blocks, they are all wonderful. I am thinking I will lay them out in 5 block rows and maybe make a couple more to finish off a 6th row. This quilt is for me, and I can't wait to finish it. Also, did you notice how I had each person put the sashing on so I don't have to either deal with the stretchy bias edges or let the sashing slow me down.

So are you still in your chair, I know six quilts in three months, well just wish me luck because it would be so good to cuddle under each of these.

Now it is your turn. Make your list and link it up. I hope you will also post your pictures in the flickr group and get to know the folks there too. Do try to visit a few of the links to people you don't yet know, these projects are inspiring too, despite being a bit dusty and forgotten, and we all need as much encouragement as we can get to get them finished.

The link will be open until the end of Sunday January 13 at midnight MST. I am going to open it early so most of you are east of me and your days start considerably earlier than mine. In fact my friends in Australia have been enjoying their Monday for some time now and it is only supper time on Sunday at my house.

And Rhonda at Quilter in the Gap will be announcing the winners of the Q4 prizes later this week.

Last of all, finish those projects, and tell us about it as you go.

Best,

Leanne

Whatchadoing?

Resistance was futile. I have joined the scrappy trip along. The siren call of quilters called me, and I am up to block 7, but no more pictures at this moment. I stopped to cut some strips. If you want to make these like everyone else, the pattern is here. They are fast, fun and colourful. (I know, I know, that startitis acting up again.)

So with the scrappy trip along came instagram. If you wanted to view my contributions I am "shecanquilt" there, also I am "shecanquilt" on twitter although I have yet to tweet much. This weekend I seem to be learning social networking, along with how to make soup. I am still not at all sure what instagram really is all about but I only have 16 followers there so I don't think I can mess up that much.



I am also admiring this beauty. Katy from the Littlest Thistle sent it to me because I won her giveaway. I met Katy in London, she brought me her extra sewing machine something like 450 miles so I could use it at the retreat. Besides being incredibly generous and helpful, Katy is a capable woman - she even knew where to find the most amazing cupcakes while we were in London.



I have to show you the details. The mittens are adorable.



And look at that cute button on the hat. Thank you Katie, this is just perfect. It is going on my wall where I sew, which is also where I sleep, so I will see it every day.



Today I got to make a secret project, so I am just showing you a very colourful sneaky peak. I never get to make secret things, but now I have one. I get to share it with you later this month.



That is the Free Bee bee block for my friend Marianne who blogs at The Quilting Edge. She is an awesome quilter and I get to have lunch with her in real life from time to time, so I was really worried about letting her down. The assignment was to be inspired by urban architecture and images and also Elizabeth Barton. So this is my impression of the City Hall in my city - which is a stunning building - and Elizabeth Barton style night sky and reflections - there is a pond in front of the building which reflects it. It is made with many Oakshott shot cottons, including some of my leftover liparis.  Marianne said she likes it, so now I am all caught up with my bee blocks.

I have also been reading the tutorials that Rhonda at Quilter in the Gap has been hosting for the wrap up of the 2012 FAL. I have been seeking sponsors and tutorial writers for the 2013 FAL and I am learning how to host a linky party. We have some great sponsors and tutorials coming and I am still looking for more too. I hope you will be joining me, the 2013 FAL fun starts on Monday. And don't worry, the link to post those projects you intend to finish will be open for a whole week.

That's what I have been doing. How about you, whatchadoing?

Best,

Leanne

Q4 Finish-A-Long Report - C-

Despite all my crazy sewing this last year, it is time for me to confess that I only finished 1 - that's right one - thing on my Q4 Finish-A-Long list. Clearly I suffer from a serious and chronic case of startitis. Let's take a look at that list and see what has been done. My Q4 blog post about my ambitious and now failed plans is here.

1. Mouthy Stitches bag - It's finished and what a wonderful finish it was. Susan, from Patchwork N Play, my Mouthy Stitches swap partner loved it.



But for the rest, well not done. Some progress to report on some, best that I fess up. I think that my grade is C-. Not good.



2. Large Mod Pop - That photo above is what it mostly looks like these days. I am quilting this monster king size quilt. I have done the long wavy background parts and am moving onto the middle of the circles. We are setting a completion date in the Mod Pop QAL soon, so I need to make sure I meet it as I am the host.



There it is spread out on my king size bed, it is big.



3. Windmills and Trees - this is Lynne from Lily's Quilts' pattern which I am pattern testing. I pulled out the background fabrics, and debated how to finish the back. I stalled in debate. No progress.



4. Low Volume top with circles on it. I used this quilt top to make the 2013 FAL button, does that count as progress? It will be on my next FAL list.



5. Polaroids - I did not even take these out of the bag. How bad is that?



6. Dresdens - I need to figure out where these got put in the last clean up, I really want to make this one. Next list.



7. Quilt the Mystery Quilt - I don't know why I am so scared of wrecking this quilt. I think I have a simple quilt plan now, I really want to have this one to use. Next list.



8. This is another repeat FAL project. LBSP blocks, again designed by Lynne from Lily's Quilts. Not touched. Next list.



9. A stack of Liberty tana lawn fabrics. Yes, some progress on this one. I picked a nice - not neutral - solid and pieced the top, at least.



This one is not going on the list as I see it as a long term fmq practice quilt now. So it is about the process, not about finishing - right, am I fooling anyone but me?

So, for Q4 of the FAL I did not set much of a finishing example. Clearly, some of you might think the grade of C- is generous. I am an easy marker but I wonder what Katy will say. I did a lot of other things, but that really does not count on the FAL front.

I am linking this up at Quilter in the Gap for the Q4 FAL finishes, I did get one done after all. Other people did better, you might want to check the wonderful finishes out.

I will do better next year, I am hosting the 2013 FAL. That is a good thing, I sure need the FAL!

The link to post your Q1 2013 FAL plans will open on Monday January 7, 2013 and stay open for a week. I hope you will join me in the FAL, it will be fun.

Best,

Leanne

My Wonderful Holiday Swap Package

Look at that wonderful package that I received from Jill in the year end holiday swap in the Bee a {Modern} Swapper group. This group has had alternating months of optional swaps with months of bee blocks and it wraps up after January's bee blocks.



This is the wonderful wrapping for my package. Even a stocking - made I think for an old sweater, isn't that a great idea.



Jill made me everything I hinted at wanting. A perfect bright pink sunglasses case - this is already in use and is large enough to slip my reading glasses into too. The hot pink tape measure has a far better chance of being found than my usual 10,000 lost tape measures. And a really lovely journal. I think I will keep this journal on my cutting table and use it for quilting notes, sizes, ideas, and such. I have been meaning to do that forever but never got around to getting the journal.



I started quilting just too late to get some of my favourite Heather Ross fabrics and I don't have any of the four Jill featured in the quilt. The fish in bags are my all time favourite, and look she included one for me.



This mini is perfect and will hang in my sewing room. Thank you Jill for such a perfect package!

Tomorrow I have to fess up to my Q4 FAL results. Not stellar.

Best,

Leanne