The 2018 FAL Begins! - Link up your Q1 to be finished list now

Its time to link up your list of unfinished projects that you propose to finish in Q1 of the Finish-A-Long. We are hoping that the FAL community will inspire you to work on your unfinished projects this quarter (and throughout the remainder of the year and to get them finished!

The 2018 FAL is hosted by a community of bloggers across the world. Our hosts are:

• Marci - Marci Girl Designs - USA

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

• Leanne - She Can Quilt  - Canada (that's me)

• Ella - Throw a Wench in the Works - USA

• Felicity - Felicity Quilts - Canada

• Karen - Capitola Quilter - USA

• Izzy - Dizzy Quilts - Canada

• Lynne - Tinking Along - USA

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 around. At the start of the quarter you post and link up a list of projects you hope to finish in the next three months, and then at the end of the quarter you link up each successful finish from your original list.

Each linked up finish is an entry into the draw for wonderful prizes from our sponsors. There is no penalty for not finishing a listed project, so feel free to make your list as long or short as you wish. The 2018 Schedule and Rules for the FAL are on my permanent 2018 FAL page, let me know if you have any questions.

Here are the fantastic and generous sponsors for Q1 of the Finish-A-Long. you can see each of their prizes listed under their logo. Please think about visiting them and saying thank you for their their support of the FAL.

$50 Gift Certificate

3 PDF Patterns

$25 Gift Certificate

2 PDF Patterns

$20 Gift Certificate

3 PDF Patterns

2 PDF Patterns

3 Six Month Subscr.

$25 Gift Certificate

$25 Gift Certificate

A Minikins Bundle

$50 Gift Certificate

2 PDF Patterns

$30 Gift Certificate

Join Us!

So now it is time to round up those projects that you want to finish over he 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.

If posting on social media (Flickr, Facebook & Instagram), it will be very helpful if you tag your list with #2019FALQ1yourname (where yourname is unique to you). Using the same hashtag over the quarter when sharing project progress or finishes helps the host to make the connection to your original list quickly and easily. IMPORTANT: Don't forget to link up your finishes when the quarter closes!

The 2018 Q1 list for your list of proposed finishes is now open, below, on my blog and each of the hosting blogs. You need only link your list once, on one host blog and the link will show up on all the host blogs. If you are using Facebook, Flickr or Instagram, post a mosaic of your projects and put your list in the description. Don't forget to include your unique hashtag. 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.

If you want you can follow us on Facebook, Finish-A-Long and/or on Instagram, @finishalong, too. We'll post encouragement during the quarter and reminders when the finishes link up opens at the end of the quarter.

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 list together and get linked up.

Feel free to use and share the FAL button above and this one too:

Remember :you only need to link up at ONE hosting blog and it will automatically show up on all hosting blogs.

An InLinkz Link-up

#myyearinfocus

I started a little project. Once a day I will take a close up photo of something that looks interesting, to make me focus on the things around me once a day, to be inspiring.

I thought a weekly round up here would be nice. I am sharing the daily photos on instagram @shecanquilt and on my tumblr blog.

By the way, if you want to join me feel free to use the hashtag #myyearinfocus.

If you have Finish-A-Long finishes from Q4 of 2017 today is your last day to link up, don't leave it to the last minute.

It's the weekend!

Best,

Leanne

A green hat and fingerless gloves

This hat and fingerless gloves set was a Christmas present for my green loving niece.



I found this gradient dyed set of yarns by Fleece Artist at my local yarn shop, River City Knits. My niece loves green so I knew if I bought them she would get a knitted gift this year.



After a couple of false starts, I developed a basic hat pattern with a gradient pattern.



There was lots of yarn left so I decided to add the fingerless gloves. She is a teenager, so while I debated mittens or fingerless gloves for a while, I decided that easy access to device use would mean that gloves would be worn more. Again I developed my own pattern and a set of stripes.



The fanciest part is the thumb gusset, which makes the gloves a lot more comfortable to wear. It is a feature that looks so much harder than it is so I usually include one.

Best,

Leanne

A Make-up Roll

Yesterday, I made a Make-up Roll. I used this lovely pattern by Rachel Hauser from Stitched in Color. You should know that I made it for a person who loves hedgehogs so I used a linen hedgehog print I had on hand.



The pattern has a number of pocket variations. This roll is primarily designed to hold nice brushes and it works really nicely. It is a bit fussy to make but I was able to start and finish in about 2 hours.



The fold over flap is the best part, it keeps the brushes and other things from falling out the side of the roll and shows off your lovely fabric nicely too. The linen did make sewing it a bit harder, next time I will bring out my walking foot.

It was really nice to make a small project and be finished it all in one sitting, a good way to ease back into regular sewing.

I hope you enjoyed your new year's celebrations, and I wish everyone the best for this coming year.

Best,

Leanne

Light - in progress

Light is a quilt still in progress, here she is on my king size bed. She still needs a binding and to have all those thread ends from the quilting mended in.



I used an idea I saw my friend Yvonne from Quilting Jetgirl use of placing different quilting patterns in different strips on a quilt. My "rule" was that every other row would be lines of some sort and the rest would be to try, practice other motifs. Some of those motifs I will do again, some I was happy to finish the row.



I am interested to see how washing and drying will change the texture and look of the quilting motifs and the quilt itself.



To make this quilt I took 3 jelly rolls of Kona solids that I had acquired over the years and divided them up by colours and sewed them together and then cut the strips into about 70" lengths. Now I think that 80" would have been a better width for the bed but this will still work nicely.



I used a rainbow of quilting threads, all Superior Threads King Tut 100% cotton. I used about one bobbin per two rows of colour. So a lot of thread is in this quilt.



I am planning to quilt a lot more this year. So I have ended/started the last and new year as I hope to carry on.



I did photograph this quilt while my dear spouse was napping. He is a very patient guy. Also he is happy to have a new quilt for the bed.



I am also planning to be in this space more this year.

All the best to you and yours for the New Year!

Best,

Leanne