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

• Nicky - Mrs Sew & Sow - Great Britain

• 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

• 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 Q4 of the FAL - you can see each of their prizes listed under their logo (think about visiting them and saying thank you):



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 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 #2017FALQ4yourname 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.

It might be hard to believe but we have made it to the end of the third quarter of the 2017 FAL and it's time to link up your Q3 finishes!

The 2017 FAL has a community of bloggers across the world jointly hosting the FAL. Our hosts are:

• Nicky - Mrs Sew & Sow - Great Britain

• 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

• Sandra - Sew of Course - Ireland (also Social Media Director)

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

For the 2017 FAL, we continue tutorial week. Here is the schedule of fantastic tutorials, so you can visit them all:

• Sept. 26: Nicky, Mrs. Sew and Sow, mystery tutorial

• Sept 27: Lucy, Charm About You, Cord Keeper

• Sept 28: Marci, Marci Girl Designs, Improv Piano Keys Block

• Sept 29: Sandra, Sew of Course, Taming Seam Allowances

• Sept 30: Stacey, Slo Studios, Sewing Over Thick Seams

The 2017 Q3 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 each blog. 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 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). Feel free to and tag your photos #2017FALQ3yourname (substitute your name), this makes it easier for us to match your finishes with your lists.

• Please become part of the FAL community. Please check out the links of others and comment. We all need encouragement so let's applaud each other. The 2017 FAL Facebook page is here and follow us on Instagram @finishalong. 

• Our hosts will also link their finishes to share in the community, but they are not eligible for any of the prizes.

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:



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 Shandy on instagram (@shandylynnb) 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 fromSew Sweetness goes to Ann who blogs at Brown Paws Quilting for finishing this bright quilt:




The Q2 Winner of 3 PDF patterns fromSew 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.

Click to set custom HTML

"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.

Hi - I'm Izzy from Dizzy Quilts and it's my turn to tell you a little about myself!


I'm a mother, step-mother and foster mother to six children, grand-mother to one gorgeous little girl and wife to my soul mate. During the day, I manage a team of e-Learning designers/developers at a global financial company.

All of this keeps me pretty busy, but I've always made time to be crafty - when I was a little girl, my mom taught me how to knit and I made all my teddy bears knitted sweaters!

During my teenage years, I was a little too busy with school (and with boys!) to craft, but a few years later, when I had my first child, I started sewing.  I made some baby clothes and I made curtains mostly. I even took a sewing class to learn how to make garments for myself, but I never got the hang of that - nothing ever really fit right.

About 9 years ago, I walked into JoAnn's to get fabric for new curtains and spotted the cutest little quilt kits. I bought one, put it together and haven't looked back since! I was completely and totally hooked.

The first few quilts I made were very traditional - lots of small pieces, small florals, etc. I really had no clue what I was doing, but learned so much with the making of these quilts.

A lap size log cabin quilt made for my step-mom

I started making these quilts for pretty much everyone in my family.  And pretty soon, every bed in the house had a quilt on it.

Quilt I made for my sister-in-law - this is Bronx testing it.

I even made quilts as curtains!!

Around 2010, I discovered quilt blogs and the online quilting community.  That literally changed my quilting life!!  I started my own blog, met some amazing people and a couple of years later, found the Montreal Modern Quilt Guild.

Through the members of this guild, I learned about modern quilting and I fell in love with quilting all over again.

I started making modern quilts and building a stash of really colourful fabrics and solid neutrals.



When I first started quilting, my least favourite part of the whole thing was the actual quilting. My sewing machine was pretty small and wrestling with a big quilt in that tiny little space was painful and I very often ended up with puckers on the back of my quilts.  And then I changed two things: my sewing machine and my basting method.


I purchased my Juki TL-2010Q. It is literally a dream to quilt with. Lots of room to the right of the needle and super consistent, fast stitching.

I also learned how to board baste my quilts - which has saved my knees, my back and to a certain extent, my sanity!  :-)

And now quilting is actually my favourite part. I look forward to finishing a top just so I can get to the quilting. My dream is to some day own a long-arm machine, but I would need to get a much bigger house before that could happen!



Last year, I became the Vice-President of the Montreal MQG and that has been a lot of fun. The group is growing and we have such amazing people and quilters.  Each meeting is a great source of inspiration and I'm learning so much.



When I was approached to become a FAL host last year, I was so flattered and so happy. I love hosting these link-ups - so much inspiration and so much talent every quarter.

Thanks for reading and if you have questions, please leave a comment!  :-)

Izzy