My Q2 FAL List of projects to be finished

Well, I wish I had finished more from my Q1 list, so I am rolling a lot of it over. Here is the Q2 list:



1. Bee Sewcial year 1 quilt: Back, quilting, binding.



2. Improv stripes: finish top, back, quilting, binding.



3. Improv circles - More blocks, back, quilting, binding.

4. Bee Sewcial year 2 blocks - There are more blocks than in this photo. This is a long shot as it takes me a while to get the composition of these bee quilts the way I want them but I would love to have it done.

5. Tula Pink Tabby Road Quilt - Back, quilting, binding.

6. Rainbow strips: Originally this was going to be the back for the first quilt on this list, but it is too nice, so now it needs a back, quilting, binding.

There are a lot more projects in my sewing room, but I will stop the list here, which I am rushing to add as there is only about an hour left.

Best,


Leanne

Introducing the Let's Bee Quilt'n Hive!

As I have told you, I am one of the co-hosts this year for the 2017 New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop. This a group of new bloggers who have joined me and my two other co-hosts, Yvonne from Quilting Jetgirl and Beth from Cooking Up Quilts, for a blog hop over April and May.

The whole group of new bloggers have been connecting since March 1 to share ideas about blogging and to learn tips and tricks to make blogging more fun for everyone. The group recently divided into three hives for the actual blog hop and my hive has decided to name itself the Let's Bee Quilt'n hive. They also created hive buttons and you see the one that my group designed and selected at the top of this post.

During April and May, we will be getting to know the 2017 New Quilt Bloggers better through a series of blog hops, divided among the three hives; Yvonne's hive is called Blooming Quilters and Beth's hive is called Better Bloggers. Each week of the blog hop, we will feature 4 - 5 bloggers from each hive so that you can get to know these new bloggers better.

This is why I joined this fun project, to get to know some fresh new blogs and the bloggers behind them, and I think you will enjoy it too.

The Let's Bee Quilt'n hive members are:

Amy	AmyScrapSpot
Andrea	Goofin' Off Around the Block
April	JANDABendQuilts
Barbara	Crazy Red Quilts
Becca	Pretty Piney
Emily	The Darling Dogwood
Gail	Quilting Gail
Gina	Quilts and Cakes
Gwen	Tillalili
Kara	Sunshine Kwilts
Kathy	Kathys Kwilts and More
Nancy	Grace and Peace Quilting
Nicole	Handwrought Quilts
Rita	Posterity Quilt Company
Samantha	Aqua Paisley Studio
Sharon	Yellow Cat Quilt Designs
Vivian	Quilting with Vivian
Wendy	Pieceful Thoughts of My Quilting Life

Be sure to stop by Quilting Jetgirl by Yvonne and Cooking Up Quilts by Beth to meet their hives too.

Our sponsors:

InLinkz.com

And yes, we will have giveaways that you can participate in for each week of the blog hop from those generous sponsors - consider clicking through on their buttons to check them out and say thank you.

A big part of the New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop is the sharing of available information about blogging. We will share advice posts from seasoned blogging veterans as part of this event with you too. I have started a page for the Advice for New Bloggers gathered in the Blog Hop. For today we are sharing:

Jen from Faith and Fabric:  Blog Evolution and Design

Do you have a great advice post that we can link to? Send me an email or leave a comment and we will add it to our resource list!

2017 New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop Schedule:

• Blog Hop Week 1 - April 10
• Blog Hop Week 2 - April 17
• Blog Hop Week 3 - May 1
• Blog Hop Week 4 - May 8

I hope you will be joining me in getting to know all of the members of the 2017 New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop, it starts next week.

Best,

Leanne

2017 FAL - Q2 Proposed Finishes Link Up is Open!

It's time to link up your list of unfinished projects that you propose to finish in Q2 of the FAL. I truly hope you are facing a new quarter with a brand new list - because you finished so many UFOs in Q1!

The FAL is hosted by a community of bloggers across the world. Our hosts are:

• Rhonda - Rhonda's [Quilt] Ramblings - USA

• Nicky - Mrs Sew & Sow - Great Britain

• Jess - Elven Garden Quilts - Australia

• Abigail - Cut & Alter - Great Britain

• Izzy - Dizzy Quilts - Canada

• Ella - Throw a Wench in the Works - USA

• Lucy - Charm about You - Great Britain

• Sarah - Sew me - Northern Ireland

• Judith - Just Jude - Northern Ireland

• Felicity - Felicity Quilts - Canada

• Marci - Marci Girl Designs - USA

• Karen - Capitola Quilter - USA

• Leanne - She Can Quilt - Canada

Social Media Director

• Sandra, Sew of Course - Ireland

For those of you who are new to the FAL, it is a place to find motivation and encouragement to complete those unfinished projects that are hanging about becoming UFOs. Every quarter you post a list of projects you hope to finish in the next three months, and then at the end of the quarter, you post a link from your blog, Flickr or Instagram of each successful finish from your original list.

Each finish is an entry for wonderful prizes from our sponsors. There is no penalty for not finishing a listed project, so feel free to make your list long or short, as you wish. The 2017 Schedule and Rules for the FAL are on my permanent FAL page, let me know if you have any questions.

Here are the fantastic and generous sponsors for Q2 of the FAL - you can see each of their prizes listed under their logo (think about visiting them and saying thank you):  

Just Jude Designs - 2 PDF Patterns	Sew Sisters Quilt Shop, $25 gift certificate	Charm About You - 2 PDF Patterns
Fat Quarter Shop, $50 gift certificate	Elven Garden Quilts - 3 PDF Patterns	Tartankiwi - $25 gift certificate
Blossom Heart Quilts - 3 PDF Patterns	Mad About Patchwork - $50 gift certificate	During Quiet Time - 3 PDF Patterns
Happy Quilting - choice of 3 patterns	Cooking Up Quilts - 2 PDF Patterns	Sew Sweetness - 3 PDF Patterns
Knotted Thread, $30 gift certificate	The Littlest Thistle - Camp Bag Pattern Pack	Green Fairy Quilts - $15 gift certificate
Quilting Jet Girl - 2 PDF patterns	Sunny Day Supply - $30 gift certificate	Make Modern Magazine - 3 six month subscriptions
Clover & Violet - $30 gift certificate	Sew me a Song, $20 gift certificate	Imagine Gnats - $40 gift certificate
Studio 39 Fabrics - $25 Gift Certificate	Laurel Bee Designs, 2 pin bowls for 1 winner

InLinkz.com

As you may recall from last year, there was a return of tutorial week at the end of each quarter, between the opening of the link for finishes and the day that link closes. Are you enjoying this? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below! This will take place each quarter. Each host works hard to put these together so I hope you are visiting their blogs to encourage them. If you have a tutorial that you would like to share, please let me or another host know.

It's time to round up those projects you want to finish over the next three months, take a photo of each one and make your list. Please ensure that you have at least started your projects - pulled fabric with a pattern is now considered a UFO, and remember it is only finished projects 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.

It is very helpful if you tag your list as #2017FALQ2yourname when posting on social media: Flickr, Facebook & Instagram. Using the same hashtag over the quarter when sharing progress or finishes before the link, helps the hosts find your original list quickly - especially when this is done over a 3 month period. IMPORTANT: Don't forget to link your finishes up when the quarter closes.

The 2017 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 blog - and that link will show up on all of the blogs. If you are using Facebook, Flickr or Instagram, link a mosaic and put your list in the description. Katy of The Littlest Thistle has a great tutorial on how to link-up if you need it.

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. 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 those lists together and get linked up. 

The Q2 proposed finish linky party will stay open until 11 pm EST, April 8, 2017- as we are global, you might want to check your time zone to determine your last possible time to link. Remember: you only need to link up on ONE hosting blog and it will automatically show up on all hosting blogs.

Best,

Leanne

An InLinkz Link-up

Bella Skill Builder, April Block 3 - Pineapple Block

There are my Bella Skill Builder blocks so far, kalidoscope blocks from month 1 and my orange peel blocks so far from month 2. This free block of the month is available from the Fat Quarter Shop and was designed by Sherri McConnell from A Quilting Life



Month 3 is pineapple blocks, seven of them. You can get all the information to make this block from the Fat Quarter Shop's blog the Jolly Jabber here. The instructions call for you to cut and then make all seven blocks at once, so I thought I just follow the instructions.



The pattern explains how to use a special ruler called the Creative Grids Pineapple Trim Tool. I don't have this ruler so I just trimmed with an ordinary ruler. But if I was going to make a lot of pineapple blocks, I would definitely get the ruler.



I'll be working on these blocks over the month.



That is my orange peel appliqué block from last month.



I'm hand appliquéd the orange peels, and I still have quite a few to finish. My appliqué is quite slow but these blocks are giving me enough practice to become reasonably proficient at it.

I'm loving this quilt so far, and it is definitely a skill builder.

Best,

Leanne