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It has been over a month since I've sewn. Okay, to be honest, I've sewn a tiny, little bit in that time. I hand stitched half of the back of a binding on a mini quilt. And I sewed eight 2 1/2" seams, the beginning of a charity quilt block. But I haven't done any real sewing. This is not for lack of options.

There have been lots of reasons. I finished up my June projects early in the month. Then I went to Ireland for two weeks. Ireland was delightful. It was also a pretty active trip with over 1100 miles of driving (on the wrong side of the street!). I came home pretty exhausted.

Since I didn't drop my sewing machine for service while I was gone, I did that the Monday after we returned home. I was in recovery mode from travel and didn't have much energy anyway. Plus I have a backup machine. (Which I apparently really didn't want to use, because I never set it up in the week I was without my machine.)

I'm also in recovery mode from a major remodel and there is a lengthy to do list of things for us to do around the house. So we're slowly chipping away at that: move in the bookshelves, purchase a coffee table, unpack these boxes. What I want to be doing is sewing. But that hasn't happened. I just haven't had the energy. Everywhere I look, there's something that needs attention. That is exhausting.

Every time I've walked into my studio in the last two weeks I've tidied instead of sewing. This is so unlike me. Part of recovering from the remodel involved installing a wall of cabinets for storage in the studio and sorting through everything that resides in that room. Only a small pile of stuff remains untouched. I guess I really want to get it all squared away before I sew.

Paired with my lack of sewjo, the past two weeks I've found myself mindlessly scrolling on Instagram and Facebook all too often. It's so easy to do and is a complete time suck. Enough of that! (I do love seeing what people are creating, and interacting with friends online... but mindless scrolling is different.)

Lastly, I've been waiting for some fabric to arrive for my next deadline. Yesterday I opened my box of lovely Island Batik fabric and other goodies. I recorded my unboxing video and will share it once it is edited. Having a new pile of beautiful fabric to play with may just help the sewjo. So will the looming project deadlines. ;-)

P.S. Newsletter readers... I owe you one. It's coming later this week. (If you don't already get my newsletters, you can subscribe here to keep up to date with me and to receive color and design inspiration.)

This photo is a picture of Johnstown Castle in County Wexford, Ireland. The photo above was taken outside Dingle. We stopped on the side of the road to take pictures of the beautiful view.

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New quarter, same great to do list (with a few additions). ;-)

My Q2 finishes:

And now the WIPs...

Just Need Binding

  1. Variation of Planned Improv: Scrappy Squares, Wall Hanging. 

Quilting In Progress

  1. Very Hungry Caterpillar Twin Quilt

Finished Quilt Tops

  1. Scattered Squares lap quilt (upcoming pattern). 
  2. Planned Improv: Playing with Angles, class sample Mini Quilt #1. 
  3. Creative HST 
  4. Island Batik Starstruck lap quilt 
  5. Blogger Bundle baby quilt.

Piecing in Progress

  1. Trinket quilt
  2. Purple scrap baby quilt
  3. Waterfall quilt.
  4. Beads on a String
  5. Planned Improv: Playing with Angles, class sample Mini Quilt #2.
  6. Planned Improv: Playing with Angles, in Cherrywood Meadow + Indigo.
  7. Tula Pink City Sampler. 
  8. Improv Abstraction, Small Quilt. 
  9. In the Middle quilt, Lap Quilt.
  10. Cotton & Steel (and low volume) HST Quilt, Lap Quilt.
  11. Ocean quilt for my daughter.
  12. Patchwork City Metro Area Quilt.
  13. Swoon Quilt.
  14. Rainbow Chain. The pattern is Autumn Chain from The Bee Hive quilts and IG friends. All blocks complete.
  15. My Floating Squares improv project. (from The Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters by Sherri Lynn Wood.)
  16. Rainbow Remix from Rebecca Bryan's class at Quiltcon. Blocks are all done. Next up, the big job of piecing together irregular blocks.
  17. Wonky Cross quilt from Rossie Hutchinson's class at QuiltCon. Rows are all complete.
  18. Quartered Log Cabin quilt from Rossie Hutchinson's class at QuiltCon
  19. Purple Royalty quilt. 
  20. La Passacaglia. 
  21. Playing with solids project from Tara Faughnan class. 
  22. R's Waterfall Quilt from Sewing School Quilts
  23. Feathered Star... repurposed as the center of guild round robin project. 

Planning Stage

  1. Island Batik Artsy Fartsy challenge Patriotic Pillow
  2. Aurifil Wholecloth challenge
  3. Island Batik Star Light Star Bright challenge
  4. Aurifil Embroidery challenge
  5. Island Batik Child’s Play challenge with Accuquilt GO! Block on Board® (BOB®) Dies
  6. Planned Improv: Scrappy Squares, large scale. Purples are cut out.
  7. Floating Hexagons in Heliotrope and Breeze.
  8. Unnamed in Oasis and Pickle.
  9. Unnamed in grunge and linen neutrals.

Garments

  1. Blackwood Cardigan in black and white stripe.

 

I'm linking up to Finish-A-Long Q2 goals link up.

Thank you for visiting!

 

 

Hello everyone! It is time for Quarter 3 of the Finish-A-Long (FAL)!

As you can see, a new quarter of the Finish-A-Long is starting today.  If you missed participating the first half of the year, you can join us now for a brand new start. Those of you who did join us for the first and second quarter, thank you and I do hope you finished some things and plan to continue on with us for Q3.

So let's get to it!
You can now link up your list of projects that you want to finish in Quarter 3 of 2019. We are hoping that the FAL community will inspire you to work on your unfinished projects this quarter, and to get them finished!

Our 2019 Finish-A-Long Hosts

The 2019 FAL is hosted by a great community of bloggers. This year our hosts are:

For those of you who are new to the FAL, here is an explanation: The Finish-A-Long is a community aiming to motivate and encourage each other to complete those unfinished projects that are hanging around, sometimes for far too long. At the start of the quarter you post and link up a list of projects you hope to finish in the next three months. 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 as short as you wish. The 2019 Schedule and Rules for the FAL are on my permanent 2019 FAL page, let me know if you have any questions.

Our 2019 Finish-A-Long Sponsors

Here are the fantastic and generous sponsors for Q3 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.

Make your Q3 List of Unfinished Projects

So now it is time to sort out the projects/UFOs/WIPs that you want to finish over the next three months. Take a photo of each one and make your list. If you like you can use our Finish-A-Long Planner to list your projects and keep track of progress. It also has all link-up dates for the year, and the hashtags that we would use. Or use any method that works for you. Please ensure that you have at least STARTED your projects - pulled fabric with a pattern is considered a project started - and remember it is only a FINISHED project 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.

Post Your Q3 List

Post your list either on your blog, on Instagram, or on Flickr if you prefer. If posting on social media (Flickr, Instagram), it will be very helpful if you tag your list with #2019FALQ3yourname (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 at the end of the quarter! We will be posting a reminder on the blog and on Instagram, but do keep an eye out...

Link-up Your Q3 List

The 2019 Q3 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 host blog, and the link will show up on all the host blogs. If you are using Flickr or Instagram, post a mosaic of your projects and put your list in the description. Don't forget to include your unique hashtag.

If you need a little help, Katy of The Littlest Thistle has a great tutorial on how to link up if you need it, and Marci has a post on
how to link up from Instagram.

Join the FAL Community

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 that list together and get linked up.

LET THE FUN BEGIN!

Feel free to use and share the FAL button at the top 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.