FAL 2017 Quarter 1 and Quarter 2 Winners!!

Today is the day we are privileged to announce the winners for Q1 and Q2 of the 2017 Finish-Along.

If you are low on inspiration or maybe your sewing mojo has been missing lately, we highly recommend you visit some of the finishes from the first half of the year.  There are a lot of beauties linked up and ready to inspire you!

Thank you again to our generous sponsors. Without further ado, the winners - each picked by the random number generator - of the Q1 and Q2 FAL prizes are:
RANDOM.ORG - True Random Number Service www.random.org RANDOM.ORG offers true random numbers to anyone on the Internet. The randomness comes from atmospheric noise, which for many purposes is better than the pseudo-random ...

The Q1 Winner of the 2 PDF patterns from Just Jude Designs goes to Laura who blogs at Scraps of Life for finishing this beautiful quilt:

The Q2 Winner of the 2 PDF patterns from Just Jude Designs goes to Vicki who blogs at Vicki's Crafts and Quilting and made this lovely quilt:

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The Q1 Winner of the $25 gift certificate from Sew Sisters Quilt Shop goes to Kirsten who blogs at Gemini Stitches who made this lovely dress:

The Q2 Winner of the $25 gift certificate from Sew Sisters Quilt Shop goes to Julie (@julieschloemer) who made this cheery quilt:

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The Q1 Winner of the 2 PDF patterns from Charm About You goes to Shady on instagram (@shadylynnb) who made this pretty quilt:

The Q2 Winner of the 2 PDF patterns from Charm About You goes to Karen who blogs at Weekend Textiles who made this gorgeous quilt:

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The Q1 Winner of the $50 gift certificate from Fat Quarter Shop goes to Mandy on instagram (@burbankquilts) for finishing this lovely quilt:

The Q2 Winner of the $50 gift certificate from Fat Quarter Shop goes to Pippa (@pippaspatch) who made this fantastic Amethyst project bag:

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The Q1 Winner of the 3 PDF patterns from Elven Garden Quilts goes to Sue who blogs at Sue W Sews for knitting this cute doll:

The Q2 Winner of the 3 PDF patterns from Elven Garden Quilts goes to Anita who blogs at Quilts in a Not-Shell and she made this lovely quilt runner:

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The Q1 Winner of the $25 gift certificate from Tartankiwi goes to Aimee on instagram (@aimeeturd) for this fun quilt: 

The Q2 Winner of the $25 gift certificate from Tartankiwi goes to Karin (@kpud) who made this adorable quilt (don't you just love the little car on the bottom left!):

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The Q1 Winner of 3 PDF patterns from Blossom Heart Quilts goes to Pamela on instagram (@pamelajoyce84) for making this wonderful wallet:

The Q2 Winner of 3 PDF patterns from Blossom Heart Quilts goes to Heather who blogs at Quilting and Beyond and made this great baby quilt:

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The Q1 Winner of the $50 gift certificate from Mad About Patchwork goes to Jennie at Jennie's Threads for finishing this special quilt: 

The Q2 Winner of the $50 gift certificate from Mad About Patchwork goes to Amy who blogs at Swimming in a Sea of Estrogen and she made this super cute knit shirt:

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The Q1 Winner of 3 PDF patterns from During Quiet Time goes to Said with Love for finishing this beauty: 

The Q2 Winner of 3 PDF patterns from During Quiet Time goes to Kirsten who blogs at Gemini Stitches and made this pretty crochet shawl:

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The Q1 Winner of your choice of 3 individual patterns from Happy Quilting goes to Diane who blogs at Random Thoughts,... do or di for finishing this faux cactus:

The Q2 Winner of your choice of 3 individual patterns from Happy Quilting goes to Katy (@pudgypenguincrafts) who made this fantastic sewing date traveler bag:

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The Q1 Winner of 2 PDF patterns from Cooking Up Quilts goes to Audrey who blogs at Hot Pink Quilts for making this stunning pillow:

The Q2 Winner of 2 PDF patterns from Cooking Up Quilts goes to Laura (@drlbennett) who made this cute quilt and has an even cuter helper:

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The Q1 Winner of 3 PDF patterns from Sew Sweetness goes to Ann who blogs at Brown Paws Quilting for finishing this bright quilt:

The Q2 Winner of 3 PDF patterns from Sew Sweetness goes to Pondering It All who made this pretty quilt:

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The Q1 Winner of a $30 gift certificate from Knotted Thread goes to Heather who blogs at Quilting and Beyond for finishing this fun present for her nephew:

The Q2 Winner of a $30 gift certificate from Knotted Thread goes to Kristin who blogs at Gumdrops and she made this super sweet triangle baby quilt:

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The Q1 Winner of the Camp Bag Pattern Pack from The Littlest Thistle goes to Magdalena, on instagram (@magdalenadetz) for finishing this beauty:

The Q2 Winner of the Camp Bag Pattern Pack from The Littlest Thistle goes to Jennifer (@crimsonconfection) who made this adorable dress for her Niece:

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The Q1 Winner of the $15 gift certificate from Green Fairy Quilts goes to Judy who blogs at Sew Some Sunshine for making this bold quilt:

The Q2 Winner of the $15 gift certificate from Green Fairy Quilts goes to Katie Mae Quilts who made this lovely log cabin quilt:

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The Q1 Winner of the 2 PDF patterns from Quilting Jet Girl goes to Helen, (@archiewonderdog) on Instagram for making this beautiful cushion:

The Q2 Winner of the 2 PDF patterns from Quilting Jet Girl goes to Linda who blogs at The Pieceful Kingdom and she made this lovely winter themed quilt:

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The Q1 Winner of the $30 gift certificate from Sunny Day Supply goes to Swooze who blogs at Swooze's Quilts and Tall Tales for making this lovely charity quilt:

The Q2 Winner of the $30 gift certificate from Sunny Day Supply goes to Jenna who blogs at The Thorned Rose Sews and she made this holiday Marcelle Medallion pillow cover:

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The Q1 Winners (3) of a six month subscription each to Make Modern Magazine goes to

1. Veronica, (@vdizzledazzle) on Instagram, for finishing this lovely mini quilt:

2. Teresa who blogs at Aurea's Kitchen for finishing this adorable mini quilt:

3. Saskia, on Instagram (@saskia253) for this finishing this amazing blanket:

The Q2 Winners (3) of a six month subscription each to Make Modern Magazine goes to:

1.   Teresa who blogs at Aurea's Kitchen and she made this lovely (with cute details) pouch:

2.  Christina who blogs at Christina's Handicrafts and she made this great table runner:

3.  Audrey who blogs at Hot Pink Quilts and she made this precious knit Geranium dress:

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The Q1 Winner of a $30 gift certificate from Clover & Violet goes to Ellyn who blogs at Ellyn's Place for making this lovely shirt:

The Q2 Winner of a $30 gift certificate from Clover & Violet goes to Beth who blogs at The Anonymous Blueberry Muffin Thief Sews and she knitted this amazing shawl:

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The Q1 Winner of the $20 gift certificate from Sew Me A Song goes to The Running Hare for finishing this beautiful quilt:

The Q2 Winner of the $20 gift certificate from Sew Me A Song goes to Beth (@blue_dragonfly5) and she finished this lovely seat cushion:

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The Q1 Winner of the $40 gift certificate from Imagine Gnats goes to  Melinda, on Instagram (@mamasan_gerber) for finishing this stunning quilt:

The Q2 Winner of the $40 gift certificate from Imagine Gnats goes to Rachel (@intelligenceatplay) and she made this unique baby quilt:

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The Q1 Winner of a $25 gift certificate from Studio 39 Fabrics goes to Staci who blogs at The Confused Quilter for finishing this amazing quilt:

The Q2 Winner of a $25 gift certificate from Studio 39 Fabrics goes to Brown Paws Quilting who made this great quilt and honestly you should look it up because the back is just as fantastic as the front:

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The Q1 Winner of two pin bowls from Laurel Bee Designs goes to Cathy who blogs at Sane, Crazy, Crumby Quilting for finishing this beauty:

The Q2 Winner of two pin bowls from Laurel Bee Designs goes to Terry who blogs at On Going Projects and she made all of these fabric stars for her retreat mates (how nice):

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The Q1 Winner of $25 gift card from Frangipani Fabrics goes to Crystal who blogs at Crystal's Creations for making this cute baby quilt:

The Q2 Winner of $25 gift card from Frangipani Fabrics goes to Dianne (@quiltova) who made this beautiful quilt:

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Congratulations to the winners and thank you to the sponsors!!  I hope you are having a successful Q3, be prepared to start linking up those finishes starting September 24, 2017.

FAL 2017: Meet the Host #10

"So, tell us a bit about yourself."

Aren't those fearsome words?  I get all a bit tongue tied, don't know where to start and wonder how on earth to make myself sound even mildly interesting.  Sweat beads form, my voice wobbles a little and 20 seconds later I've usually run out of things to add!  But, one of things I love about meeting people in a sewing context is that already we have something in common.  I find it's great ice breaker and conversation flows much more naturally.  So, here goes for my 2017 FAL 'Meet The Host' post.

Hi everyone!

I'm Sarah

and this is my family.

The handsome one and the mischief maker!

I'm wife to my hubby (first love and childhood sweetheart) and mum to our two children - a teenage boy, who has long since has passed me in height, intelligence and wisdom too it seems (what do mothers know?) and my Cutesy Tootsie daughter who is now two years old.  Yes, big age gap, long story and no, I am not the older, wiser and more mellow mother people kindly assured me I would be during my second pregnancy.  Well, older yes, but not the other two.

We live our hectic daily routines out here in a tiny little crossroads of a place called Annahilt in Northern Ireland, where it rains a lot I'll admit, but oh my, is it beautifully green when we are lucky enough to have sunshine to appreciate it!

I prefer tea to coffee, chocolate or cake before crisps, suburbs rather than city, white wine not beer, Buble rather than Bieber, (don't judge).  I cannot dance but I make a great chocolate cake!  I don't seem to choose favourites easily which makes me feel a bit odd when I can't answer what my favourite book or movie or colour is.  Colour might be red, but a good pink is in contention too.

I work to feed my fabric habit!

Sadly, there is a day job - how else could I afford to keep those fabric orders coming?  I work in finance and administration from home for the company my hubby and his business partner own.  There's a knack to working and living with your spouse. Since we haven't strangled each other yet we must be getting the hang of it reasonably well.  Of course, I'd love to "retire" and sew all day but really, it might get dull if my WIPs actually made it from beginning to end with no 10 month lulls and 3 more projects started in the meantime, right?

Oh yes, I dream of stitching more, much more, because I love it.  Knitting needles, crochet hooks, binca and floss, cross-stitch - they have all been part of my journey with stitching and getting creative.  I look back very fondly, though with cringing embarrassment, at having tortured my Aunt every Christmas first to teach me and then to help me with my knitting.  I remember getting excited in the senior primary school classes when Friday afternoon needlework came around and, as I got older there always seemed to be some kind of needlecraft project on the go at our house.  It fell by the wayside a little when I started working and had my son, but it wasn't too long before I was looking for some crafty outlet in my life.  I tried a few things that I thought might work for me.  Soap making, and card making were fun for a while but they weren't quite the long-term fit I was after.  I enjoyed them but they weren't quite "me".

In the summer of 2010 I pulled out some fabric I'd bought 9 years earlier (!) and started making a hexagon EPP quilt (pic above).  As I stitched and stitched that summer I knew I'd found my creative, soul-feeding hobby and if that wasn't enough of a sign, just before I went on my summer hols armed with pre-cut hexies and papers, an email dropped into my inbox telling me that my lovely friend, Judith was just about to start teaching classes.  Patchwork on a sewing machine?  Was I up for it?  Well, I'd try it and if it was a disaster I could always stick with EPP .  Fair to say, I've not looked back since that first night at quillow class.  My creative spark was fully alight and soon my cup and house began to overflow with fabric and spools and ribbons and I even learned a few designers names and could tell you what that fabric line was!

Discovering blogs was a MASSIVE game changer of course, because there was so much out there to learn, and generous and talented people were willing to share.  Blogging myself was another epic  moment in my stitchy life.  I joined the online community at just the right time (2010) I think, to catch a wave of flickr groups, online bees, swaps and general bloggy interaction with other people who share my passion.  It has been amazing!  And, of course the FAL is all part of that.  Sharing the journey of project finishes and having virtual cheerleaders is definitely better than sitting at home talking to a pile of UFOs alone!

Most of all, I love to make quilts.  Simple quilts, tricky quilts.  Big quilts, small quilts, mini quilts.  Machine piecing, hand-piecing, embroidery, EPP.  All have their place in singing to my heart. I enjoy bag making and crocheting and making small items too, though I need to draw myself away from the quilts to do them.  I think I have quite a broad range of tastes and likes when it comes to designs and fabrics but will admit to a particular penchant for Bonnie & Camille fabrics and colours (which I'm sure is no surprise to regular readers).

I love that when I sew I can switch off from the world for a while and just focus on what I'm doing.  I love that I can choose, depending on my mood, to sew intricate and brain-fuddling foundation pieced blocks or just simple squares and the results of each will be equally pleasing to me.  I take pleasure  that in my sewing, the creative and the intellectual come together (quilt maths, anyone?) and I adore that I have a hobby that the internet has allowed me to share and make friends through.  This is much more "me" than soaps and cards, it's "Sew Me".  See?

Anyway, my lovely readers and FAL friends, I hope you feel you know me a little bit better now after all that. And remember, tea or white wine when we meet, ok?

Now, I've kept you back from your stitching for long enough, so off you go and keep making progress towards those finishes!! I'll be cheering you on from here.

Dear Jane: F-6, H-6 and H-7

So, my Dear Jane is probably the slowest project on the planet but I do have three more little blocks to show you.

This is F-6.  I'm being a bit cheeky to call this one complete because I haven't quite finished it.  The original block has four melons (or orange peels, if you like) appliquéd to the centre red square.  Mine did too, but it looked so awful that I unpicked the appliqué and am still mulling over whether to re-stitch them.  Ultimately, I do want to, but the pieces are so very tiny (the red square is 1.5" just to give you an idea of scale) that I'm not sure I will ever get them neat enough.

So, for now, I've added the block sans melons and have made a wee note to come back to it at some stage and decide how to finish it.  Perhaps there's scope for me to do something different in the difficult spots, thereby stamping my own mark on Jane's design?

I loved piecing the H-6 block.  At first I wasn't looking forward to those quarter circles but they weren't that bad at all.  Have I mentioned before how much I adore red and white?

H-7 is a bordered Ohio Star and came together without any fuss.  Even though these 1930s fabrics aren't my normal style, I am enjoying them immensely and dipping into my stash for different colours and designs for each block is a lot of fun.

It's growing!  Slowly, but still growing ...

FAL 2017: Meet the Host #9

Ready to learn a bit more about another of your Finish-a-long Hosts?  This month we will have two Host introductions.  First up is Lucy who you may have come across on all sorts of quilty media. She's everywhere, and today she's here!

Hello! I am Lucy, Charm About You blogger and one of the Finish-A-Long hosts, here to share a little more about myself.

I come from a creative family, everyone is an artist or crafty type - whether it's by profession or a hobby. My creativity and love of art was encouraged as I was growing up but it wasn't until I was at university when I made my first quilt. It was really, really bad. I used the type of wadding meant for furniture, it was nearly impossible to quilt and it put me off for a long time. Fast forward and after breaking my elbow in a roller derby accident, with two small children to look after at home, I needed a safer hobby and I returned to quilting.

Eager to learn, I got some great advice and support from the two women in my family that quilt, I read lots of blogs, tutorials and quilt books and then went for it. I made simple quilts and a sampler quilt, building up my skills trying out new patterns and techniques. The addiction gripped me and the more quilts I made the more I discovered which elements I was good at, enjoyed and wanted to do more of!

I live in Manchester, UK with my husband and our three kids. They are wonderfully supportive of me and put up with the piles of fabric and works in progress that have filled the house. During the evening I love to do hand sewing, whether that be English Paper Piecing, hand piecing or quilting. It's my time to relax and I find it really hard to sit without sewing now!

I was lucky enough to get a job at Patchfinders, a local quilt shop, where I also began teach quilting classes (and still do!). It was brilliant to be able to 'talk fabric' with so many people - I learnt a lot about style, colour, print etc. from being in the shop and witnessing the whole process of how people chose fabrics for their quilts. The same sort of inspiration and delightful insight into creativity comes from the people in my classes and is one of the many reasons I enjoy teaching.

Then this year I also started doing demonstrations on the Sewing Quarter shopping channel. It involves travelling to work and train journeys equal sewing time! One of my recent finishes was the Everything In It's Place Bag, which I wanted to make to hold all the sewing 'stuff' I can't live without. It feels so good having my supplies with me and there's such a buzz that comes with using handmade. 

The tangible products we create, the snuggly comfort of quilts and the fact that they are enjoyed and used is a big part of the joy of making. I am also drawn to all the possibilities of patchwork and quilting, the various techniques you can use, the choice of fabric - prints / solids / colours and all the patterns. Machine sewing is my choice for quick sews, the precision of foundation paper piecing and meditative chain piecing. More recently I have had to hone my skills at machine binding because I just don't have the time to hand sew binding on the quilts I make for work. Hand sewing would generally be my preference for patchwork and quilting, though I really love being able to switch between the two and do machine sewing when I have that need for speed.

Having insatiably explored various patchwork and quilting methods I share tutorials and tips on my blog, from cross hatch quilting to cleaning your cutting mat;  free patterns and fun things to make.

Visit my Etsy shop for patterns like the popular Stitchy Pie needle case and my most recent A Piece of Me pouch. Later this year I will be adding quilt patterns too, all being well!

I have a 'to sew' list, along with a notebook of design ideas - making them into patterns is my intention and my goal for the next few months is to make time to do that. I would love for you to come and visit me at Charm About You or jump over to Instagram and follow me there, I share all my finishes and everything I'm working on.

So how is everyone getting on with their Finish-A-Long list? Any finishes checked off yet? If not, don't fret - there's still about 7 weeks before the link opens... just remember that time flies when you don't stick to one project!

Hope you all have a great week! 

Lucy

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