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Marci Girl Designs

2017 Finish-A-Long - Quarter 4 Link Up Now Open

10/1/2017

1 Comment

 
The fourth quarter of the year is here, oh my dare I say Christmas!  Eek!  Are you ready to link up a new list of WIPs?  I know I am, and I'm ready to get some things finished before the end of the year.  All of the details can be found below, along with the link up.  If you have any questions or need help, don't hesitate to ask, I'm happy to help.


It's time to link up your list of unfinished projects that you propose to finish in Q4 of the FAL. We are hoping that the FAL community will be finishing a lot of projects as we move into the last quarter of the year.

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
  • 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):

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
Frangipani Fabrics - $25 gift certificate
LinkDeli.com


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.

The 2017 Q4 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 Q4 proposed finish linky party will stay open until 11 pm EST, October 7, 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. 


An InLinkz Link-up
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Improv Piano Keys - A Tutorial on Unique Curved Piecing

9/28/2017

12 Comments

 
This tutorial is part of the 2017 Finish Along Quarter 3 Tutorials Week.

Find the link up to the Quarter 3 Finish Along HERE or on any of the other hosts blogs.
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A few years ago (November 2015 to be exact,) one of my Bee Sewcial mates, Leanne requested "No Negative Space, Maximalist" blocks in all the colors.  Above is what I designed.  At the time I had several ask how I did it and a few months later when participating in a swap I documented the process and was all prepared to give a tutorial on Instagram.  At that very same time is when Instagram switched to non-chronological order and I just couldn't stand to do a tutorial that would show in everyone's feed all out of order, so I just sat on it.  Well here we are today and I'll share this process on my blog (and I'm not sure why that never occurred to me before. LOL)  As you will see my tutorial block looks extremely different from above, but the process is the exact same, just different fabric choice, which really shows the versatility of this block.

A Few Notes:
For this tutorial I won't be giving dimensions, as you can do this technique in a variety of sizes.  The first time I made this block my "piano keys" were around 7"-8" long, for this tutorial they were around 5" long so that I could use a charm pack I had on hand.  I'm sure you could make them even smaller or a lot longer.  Play with it and have fun.

I'll also not be going into depth on the technique of sewing improv curves.  There are a ton of tutorials already in existence and you can find some good ones here -
Red Pepper Quilts - Cutting and Sewing Free Hand Curves
Gefilte Quilt - Curvy, Modern, Red, Improv Scrap Quilt
Elm Street Quilts - Improv QAL Strips and Curves

All that being stated, let's get started!
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1.  Gather Supplies - Variety of scraps, strings are perfect, but smaller chunks can be pieced into longer strips.  These scraps in the upper left corner are in the 1"-2" wide and 5" long range.
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2. Sew Together Smaller Scraps - I took my little scraps and sewed them randomly to each other to create at least 5" long pieces.  Press seams open. Don't trim anything at this point.
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3.  Cut Piano Keys - Once you have a pretty good sized stack of scraps, start cutting "pie" shaped pieces as seen above.  Use scissors and not a rotary cutter or ruler and just make sure one end is thicker than the other end.  Make sure the smallest end is at least 3/4" wide.  You can see above I have a variety of shapes and sizes.
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4.  Playing With Layout - Start laying out your "piano keys" in segments of around 5-8 pieces all with the wide ends on one side and the skinnier ends together on the other to start creating a nice curve as shown above.  I alternated solid scraps with pieced ones, or at least tried to stagger the seams.
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5.  Sewing Together The Piano Keys - Once you are happy with your layout, start sewing the segments together two at a time, pressing the seams open.  I usually try to line up the narrower ends, but it doesn't really matter.
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6.  Sewing Together The Larger Panel - Now that you have chunks sewn together start to play with your pieces to create a nice long "S" curve.  Sometimes you might have to add in a a larger scrap (see the tops) and sometimes you might have to add in a smaller chunk to make the curve do exactly what you want it to do.  Overall you want to have a nice meandering curve, make sure the curve doesn't change too sharply, but rather think of an extended long "S."
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7.  Trimming The Piano Keys - Once you have reached your desired length and are happy with the way it looks, it is time to trim the curves to make a nice smooth piece.  Trim as little or as much as you want, but you can see above I trimmed only the bits that extended too far past the piece next to it.  You can see I kept the nice gradual curves and had very little waste or trash.
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8. Cutting The Background - Now it's time for you to decide how wide you want your piece to be and cut a solid piece long and wide enough for your specifications.  As you can see on the example above to the left I lay the piano keys on top of the fabric and make sure I have plenty enough room to accommodate the curves and the seam allowance.  The piece on the right has been cut and towards the bottom you can see it gets thin in one spot, but it is still at least 1" wide (I wouldn't really go any thinner than that.)  As for cutting the background piece I just over lap the two pieces like the one on the left and literally cut the background piece following along that curved edge.  Pretty easy.
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9.  Aligning The Curves - There is no exact science when sewing this long curve, but I mark all the outer and inner curves with a pin on each side and when I am sewing I aim to make those pins match.  It doesn't always work perfectly but that is my ultimate goal.
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10.  Aligning The Curves 2 - Sometimes I will start in the very middle of a really long piece and actually pin right sides together where it should match.  Then I will start sewing from the middle out until I get to the end.  And then I will start on the loose end (or top) and sew (and ease) it all until I get back the middle where I first started.
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11.  Clipping Curves And Ironing - Once you have your "background" sewn on the piano keys and you are happy with how flat or not flat it is, you can clip the concave and convex curves to make it lay even flatter.  I press this seam toward the background because it is a whole piece of fabric and it tends to lay better this way.
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12.  How To Use This Block - The first time I made this block it was a bee block and was sent in it's entirety for the recipient to use whole, as is.  The second time I made this block was for a swap and I needed to cut it into pieces that I could mail to the recipients, you can see those above.  I just cut up the long piece into unique blocks.  You could also sew a background to the other curved side and make more of a traditional rectangle or square block.  Lots of options and fun things you can create with this design.

Thank you for joining me today and I truly hope you give this technique a try.  If you do, please tag me in your photos and use Hashtag #ImprovPianoKeys.

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2017 Finish-A-Long - Q3 Tutorial Week

9/26/2017

0 Comments

 
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It is quarter 3 Tutorial Week!  During the year, each of the Finish-A-Long hosts will be giving you guys a free tutorial.  We have had quite a few great tutorials so far.  Starting today and every day for the next four days just visit the scheduled hosts blog and enjoy.  Hopefully you will learn some new skills or fine tune some existing ones.

Tuesday - Nicky of Mrs. Sew & Sow
Wednesday- Lucy of Charm About You
Thursday - Marci of Marci Girl Designs (It's Me!)
Friday - Sandra of Studio Sew of Course
Saturday - Stacey of Slo Studios

Head on over (right now) and visit Nicky of Mrs. Sew & Sow and get an adorable tutorial to make tiny pumpkin pincushions or decorations.  Visit each one this week, there will be tutorials on making a cord keeper, improv quilt blocks, sewing over thick seams and taming seam allowances.  Hope you enjoy them!
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2017 Finish-A-Long - Quarter 3 Finishes Link Up

9/24/2017

1 Comment

 
Hello everyone!  The year is flying by and it is time to link up all those quarter 3 finishes, you have a lot of them, right?  Well whether you do or don't it is time to link them up!


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:  
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
March
Laurel Bee Designs, 2 pin bowls for 1 winner
InLinkz.com

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.

The Q3 Finishes link will stay open from now thru September 30 at 11 pm EST - 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 hosts' blog.

And don't forget to start making your Q4 lists as the Q4 list link opens on October 1.


An InLinkz Link-up
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2017 Finish Along - Q1 and Q2 Winners!

9/19/2017

1 Comment

 

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:



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.
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Meet A Finish-A-Long Host - Sew Me

9/15/2017

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Once a month (and two months, twice) I will be featuring one of my co-hosts for the Finish Along so you can get to know them better.   This month is Sarah from Sew Me and I'll wrap up here so you can read about her life directly from her!  Enjoy! 




"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.

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Meet A Finish-A-Long Host - Charm About You

8/8/2017

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Once a month (and two months, twice) I will be featuring one of my co-hosts for the Finish Along so you can get to know them better.   This month is Lucy from Charm About You and I'll wrap up here so you can read about her life directly from her!  Enjoy! 


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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Meet a Finish-A-Long Host - Dizzy Quilts

7/15/2017

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Once a month (and two months, twice) I will be featuring one of my co-hosts for the Finish Along so you can get to know them better.   This month is Izzy from Dizzy Quilts and I'll wrap up here so you can read about her life directly from her!  Enjoy!


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

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My Quarter 3 2017 Finish-A-Long List

7/7/2017

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I have decided that the slightly longer list is working for me, so I'll do that again this quarter.  I think having more options makes me want to work on a variety of things.  I'm also going down the path of "finish up a lot of smaller projects."  So I have two quilts on my list this quarter, both I want to work on, and the rest smaller projects, all garments to be exact.  Here it goes...
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1.  Triangle Bee Sewcial Quilt - The only project to carry over from last quarter.  I really want to work on this one, so it made it on the Q3 list.
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2.  Take the Plunge Swimsuit - This is my current project I am working on.  As you can see I have some scary stuff going on here, but trust me, this is supposed to look like this.  I hope to have this one finished by next week.  I can honestly say this is the most fun project I have worked on in quite a while.  I'm loving it.
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3.  Take the Plunge Swimsuit Version 2 - If the first one fits, I'm going to make another one right away.  I need some good fitting swimsuits!
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4.  Little Girl Simplicity Pattern - Before my little one totally outgrows this pattern I want to make her a top with the little matching bloomers.  All my supplies have been gathered.
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5.  Women's Waterfall Raglan - I have had this PDF pattern printed and put together for at least 3 months, I really want to wear this style while it is still in style, so I'm thinking this will be a quick knit sew.
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6.  Little Girl's Waterfall Raglan - While I'm sewing a version for myself, might as well make one for my little girl.  I have the pattern ready to go!
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7.  Little Girl Leggings - While I'm sewing knits I might as well make my little one some leggings or skirts.  Though this will be several pairs, I'm counting it as one project.
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8.  Bee Sewcial Floral Mini Quilt - I have all my blocks from my Bee Sewcial Gals and I would love to get this one together, aren't they just glowing!  I can't wait.
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9.  Christmas Pajamas - This is my bonus project.  I'm adding it to the list now otherwise it will never get done before Christmas.  I was given these two flannels and want to make matching pajamas for my kiddos while they are still willing to wear them.  I'll be using the sweetheart pajamas from the book, Sewing for Boys.  I may use the flannels for the bottoms and make knit tops, not sure, we shall see.

There we go!  Nine items, I better get busy!  You still have time (not much though) to link up for the third quarter, so make your list either on your blog, Instagram or Flickr and link up, you can find the link up a few posts down, right here on my blog.

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2017 Finish-A-Long - Quarter 2 My Finishes

7/5/2017

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At the beginning of the second quarter of the year I decided to make a longer list than my first quarter, so I chose seven projects.  You can see from the mosaic below I finished four of the seven, so not bad by my books.  Now the three that didn't get finished, didn't even get touched.  Insert frowny face.  But honestly I had a crazy second quarter of the year and I'm not surprised at all that these didn't get touched or even thought about.  So I thought I would do this little mosaic to wrap up the second quarter and get my head in the game for quarter three.
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Statistics:
4 Complete
0 Progress Made
3 Untouched

I'm happy with the results this quarter, especially since I didn't get the opportunity to even sew for a solid month.  So now I get to work on my new (quarter 3) list and figure out whether or not to make it short or long.

You still have time to make your list for the third quarter, the link up can be found HERE.
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    Marci Girl

    A feisty mom designing, sewing and blogging her way through everyday life!

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