Time to link up your Q2 finishes in the Finish - A - Long

So as your hostess for the Finish-A-Long, I have the privilege of sharing my finishes from my Q2 FAL List - which is here - first. Unfortunately, there are no finishes on my list, not a single one - oops!

Let's look at my list:


1. Pickle Dish Quilt - this is to be a wedding present for the oldest and the wedding is this weekend. It will be late, but luckily he won't care. I tried my best, but things got in the way. It will be on the Q3 list.



2. Grannie square quilt - not done, but looking great so far.



3. Emerald Irish Chain: There is no good excuse for this one, it is now 4/5 quilted, I just set it aside for a day or two and it is still set aside.



4. Low Volume Quilt with circles on it. I did not do a thing on this one, sigh. I want it for the beach in August, so I best get on with it soon.



5. Octagonal Orb quilt for Siblings Together, with blocks from the Always Bee Learning bee. I have all the blocks now, I am just completing the piecing on the last one to make 12. This quilt is top priority next week, it is going to London with me in July - there is considerable motivation to finish it. The pattern for these blocks is by Elizabeth Hartman and the tutorial is here.

I hope you have done better than me. I think each of these will be on my Q3 list together with a couple of other projects, there is more time to sew in the summer for me. And clearly I need the FAL, now more than ever.

Now it is your turn, link up your finishes. This is from last time:

How do I link up my finishes? Do I need one link for each finish?

• Please link one blog post or flickr picture for each finished item.
• If you like, you can link up older blog posts where you first showed off your finished item, you do not have to write a new post for each finish. 
• It is nice to see one end of quarter post letting us all know how you did overall, so feel free to use this post to link one item and then link older posts for the rest of the finishes. Please
• Please ensure that at least one your end of quarter linked posts contains a link to your original Q2 FAL list so that I can check to make sure your finishes are of things on your Q2 list. It is even easier for me if all of the linked posts link to that original Q2 list. If you are linking flickr photos, add a link to the originally linked flickr photo in the photo description. And yes, I do check, Rhonda can be a bit of a taskmaster you know.

The link is open until midnight MST July 7 MST - don't be late. You must link your finishes by then for them to count in the draw for the wonderful prizes from our generous and wonderful sponsors. If you are trying to squeeze one last finish in you can link the rest now and that last one at the 11th hour - just saying.

I can't wait to see how many beautiful projects you have finished and gotten out of your sewing rooms this quarter. Oh, and you can start getting together your Q3 lists, the link for posting that list will open on July 8 and you will have a week to link up your Q3 list. Don't forget, we have  great tutorials coming  this week, in between the link ups - it is going to be a fun week.

Tomorrow is Canada Day, a holiday in Canada. Enjoy!

Best,

Leanne

It's a beautiful day, don't let it get away

I stepped outside last night onto the patio on the condo that we are staying in for the long weekend and snapped that photo with my iphone at just about 9 p.m. - we are pretty far north, even in southern Alberta, and the sun is up late. That is Three Sisters Mountain, it is part of the Rocky Mountains and a feature of the skyline in Canmore, Alberta.



We are able to be here due to the amazing work of the folks in this province to recover from the devastating floods that happened last week. The Trans Canada Highway - Canada's main east-west transportation route was closed for days as the flooding took out most of the road near Canmore. The picture shows us driving on the shoulder of the road, the part to the left shows the state of the highway going west. Crews are working day and night, first to clear debris which covered the road and make it possible to drive through at all. They already have paving equipment in place too, they have been working around the clock.

Meanwhile, in Calgary and several other cities, thousands of people are affected, many families are still not back in their homes and have lost so much. Three people died in this overwhelming amount of flooding. The downtown of Calgary, which is a city of over a million people, has been closed and parts of it are still without power, and new and significant problems are still cropping up. 

So Cheryl, from Naptime Quilter, who I had the pleasure of finally meeting in person at QuiltCon, has started a block drive to make quilts. Cheryl lives in Calgary, as do many of my family and friends. Please visit her blog for the details and send a slab block. Cheryl has also included links to those collecting whole quilts in case you prefer to send a quilt. 

I have to say that the folks in this province are pulling together and doing an awesome job managing this disaster. People are doing as they are asked and not panicking. People are helping each other with large and small things. The optimism and community is truly a fantastic thing.

So, despite it all, the wedding of our eldest (whose house in Calgary is fine) is going ahead. People here are so happy that it is not cancelled, this little city also suffered a lot of damage and is optimistically rebuilding and carrying on. And it is so beautiful here, that is the view from my window this morning as I write this.

Tomorrow the Finish-A-Long link for the end of Q2 opens and you will have a full week to post your finishes. I think I will sit on the deck later and write that post in the shadow of the mountains.



And just a small bird update, it seems that this second batch is actually four eggs, not the three we first saw. I have another photo correspondent on the scene back home, in case there is some hatching going on. She will send pictures.


I am linking up to Felicity, I think these are some felicities, don't you? Oh and a nod to U2 for the title of this post.

Best,

Leanne

I'm sharing hand work at Clover & Violet today

Today you can read my post in the Season by Hand blogging series over at Clover & Violet.  This series is full of inspiration - just take a look at all the wonderful quilters involved - and there are also many sponsors and prizes too.

Schedule:

June 3 - Kick-off June 4 - Alyce - Blossom Heart Quilts June 6 - Emily - Mommy's Nap Time June 7 - Jodi - Pleasant Home June 10 - Suz - PatchworknPlay June 11 - Beth - Plumb & June June 13 - Jenniffier - Jenniffier's Sometimes Creative Life June 14 - Heidi - Fabric Mutt June 17 - Rachael - Imagine Gnats June 18 - Elaine - Dashasel Sews June 20 - Sandie - Crazy 'Bout Quilts June 21 - Amy - Lots of Pink Here June 24 - Danny - Mommy for Reals June 25 - Cindy - Tops to Treasures June 27 - Leanne - She Can Quilt June 28 - Melissa - Sew Bittersweet Designs July 1 - Cindy - Fluffy Sheep Quilting July 2 - Rhonda - Quilter in the Gap July 3 - Trish - Notes of Sincerity July 5 - Erin - Why Not Sew July 8 - Chrissy - Sew Lux July 9 - Carrie - A Passion for Applique July 11 - Katy - The Littlest Thistle July 12 - Kelley - Casa Crafty July 15 - Emily - Strawberry Patch July 16 - Heather and Megan - Quilt Story July 18 - Annette - My Rose Valley July 19 - Katy - There & Back July 22 - Melissa - Lilac Lane July 23 - Jenelle - Echinops & Aster July 25 - Shanna - Fiber of All Sorts July 26 - Jane - Jane's Fabrics and Quilts Wrap up and Linky running July 26 - August 5, 2013

Share What You Are Making: 

Flickr group Facebook group Instagram - #aseasonbyhand

Sponsors: 

These lovely shops and pattern designers are sponsoring some amazing giveaways throughout the series, so make sure you stop over and show them some support!

Supplies:

Patterns:

Fabric:

See you over at Clover & Violet.
Best,
Leanne

So many things to tell you about, and maybe you can help?

I will be wearing this fantastic name tag at the Fat Quarterly Retreat in London next month. It arrived today from Sarah who blogs at Silly Banana Sewing. Seriously, it is so perfect for me, I am overwhelmed.



Another thing that is overwhelming is this picture of my flag (the blue friendship star) in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts in the To Boston With Love exhibit. My brother and sister-in-law went to see the exhibit. They found my flag and took a picture of it for me. It is hanging with Faye's flag, that beautiful blue and yellow heart, another member of the EMQG together with flags from quilters who live all over the world.

Next, Q2 of the Finish-A-Long is ending soon. The post-quarter link where you will post each of your finishes for this quarter will open on June 30. You will have a bonus week for last minute finishes before the link closes on July 7. (July 8 will be the day to post your Q3 list, in case you want to organize it now.) I will remind you of all the wonderful sponsors in a day or two, remember that each finish you link is an entry for one of our prizes.

Here is the part where I ask for help.

I could use a couple more tutorials for our Q2 tutorial week which is July 1-6, I left it to the last minute and I am a bit short. If you have a tutorial ready or an idea for one that you want to suggest, please either leave me a comment here or send me an email at shecanquilt [at] gmail.com. Oh, and if you would rather volunteer for a tutorial the end of Q3  or Q4, let me know that too, there is still room.



I did finally get home from being all over the place for work, and I made some bee blocks. It was so great to be sewing again.



Those two are called Rocky Mountain Road for Susan who blogs at Patchwork n Play for the Modern Stitching Bee. Susan made a tutorial for this block here.



This Sparkler Block, from the pattern by Lee of Freshly Pieced, is for Kristina in Always Bee Learning.



This one too, it is the same 4 units just turned around differently, which is very clever.



These hexagon blocks are for Celeste in Always Bee Learning. They are made by sewing two strips, then cutting a 60 degree triangle and piecing them together in different ways. Celeste asked us to leave them as half hexagons for easier piecing of the whole top.



These blocks are really fast and fun to make.

The Robin is still on her nest, warming the three new eggs - I took that picture yesterday. So far we are able to use the front door without being swooped but I expect that we are back to the side door once the hatching begins.



The eldest son's wedding is next weekend. The quilt will not be done, you can see some of it so far there - it is actually further along than that but there is a lot more work to do before it is done so it will go on my Q3 FAL list. That is ok, our eldest is the most easy going guy you could hope to meet.

There is a small problem with the highway to the beautiful mountain location having been significantly damaged by the massive flooding in southern Alberta. We (and the wedding planners) are optimistic that it will be fixed in time so we can actually get there, maybe you can hope with us too...please.

So remember, if you wish to share a FAL tutorial, please let me know. And you have time to get another finish in, truly you do.

Best,

Leanne

I guess it is a good nest

Yikes, more eggs. The internet was wrong. Apparently this Robin is back to her same nest with her next family.

I have again moved the mailbox to protect the letter carrier from any unpleasant swooping. My guy has been talking with the robin about the fact that he plans to use his front door, thank you very much, and so far she is letting him.

After a long time on the road, I am back home now for a week until the wedding. I promise there will be sewing tomorrow to see, I have bee blocks that are behind, and finishes to finish for the Finish-A-Long.

Best,

Leanne

The robins are grown and gone

That photo was taken on Wednesday, the day before they flew away. There was a tornado warning - it was a bit dramatic, the schools were not sending the kids home and such. Well, mommy robin stayed close to the babies too.



They were getting crowded. The next morning - that was Thursday morning - they flew off first thing. My photo correspondent went out to snap a morning photo and witnessed four birds all fly away in a second. Then the parents swooped him and he went inside. The parents were very careful of the newly flying little ones.



They were ready, look at those feathers. I got home Thursday night to see the empty nest.



These last few photos are from a couple of days before the babies flew off.



It really was fun to have this little family grow up on our front porch.



Very cute. But we are happy to be able to use the door again. The birds are gone, they stuck around our yard and trees for the first day. The babies were smaller than the parents when they flew off but bigger than sparrows. Ready for the world.

I have been home for two days, working on work the whole time. I am off at dawn tomorrow, one last work trip before things settle down for the summer months. I am leaving behind cupcakes for father's day and the youngest son's birthday. I am tired of all this working, and cannot wait to get home on Wednesday night and get back to quilting

Best,

Leanne