Fluffy Sheep Quilting

Closing Fluffy Sheep Quilting {The Shop}

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Wed, 14 Jun 2017 20:30:00 +0000

The short story:

Fluffy Sheep Quilting {The Shop} is closing.
There will be a blow out sale of everything starting today (Friday 16 June) through Sunday (18 June). Once the sale ends on Sunday, the shop will no longer be accessible.
All fabrics are on sale for €10.75/yard (except Konas).
Spools of Aurifil are going for €6 each or €25 for a cone.
Precuts too: charm packs €10 each and layer cakes €30 each.

The long story:

I thank you all for being such a wonderfully energetic, supportive, creative, inspiring, positive circle of friends. It was with your support that I started Fluffy Sheep Quilting {The Shop} five years ago. Since its opening, the shop has been an adventure filled with color and excitement. I have learned a long list of new skills, met wonderful friends, traveled through Ireland and the UK to sell cotton pretties and have humbly been a part of many of your beautiful projects.

I am incredibly thankful to my family for their support, encouragement and understanding through this adventure. My parents (from the other side of the ocean) were continually positive, always asked for shop news and cheered with me when I found success. Brian, my other half, has cooked for me while I wrote a business plan and took classes, listened to my financial gripes, celebrated my achievements and has always understood when I needed to pack orders instead of watching a movie after dinner. Without these three people in my life, I would not have followed this path, grown in entrepreneurial spirit and learned an entirely new set of skills that I am now using in my day job. I am so grateful to have launched, owned and managed a shop.

Life has changed in the past five years. New opportunities have arrived and I need to grab a hold and make the most of them. To make room for that growth, I need to let the shop go. I hope that you will join with me to celebrate its existence with the thing that makes us all happy - a good sale in a colorful fabric shop.

I invite you all to join me at Fluffy Sheep Quilting for a massive sale. This sale will be on for three days, after which the shop will no longer be accessible. The details of the sale are below, but what you need to know is the the prices marked are the final prices (no discount code!). All prints - including new arrivals - are only €10.75 a yard and all other items are hugely reduced. Don't miss out!

The nitty gritty details:

Product listings: You will notice for most fabrics there are two listings. One is marked "FQ", the other "HY". The listings marked "FQ" are for fat quarters. It is my hope to never cut another fat quarter again, so those that are cut are what is available. Once they are gone, they are gone. Listings marked as HY are for half yards. A quantity of 1 will give you 18x44 inches. A quantity of 2 will give you 36x44 inches. They will arrive in one continuous piece.

All of the fabric descriptions are accurate. Please read them carefully for important information before purchasing.

Skinny bolts: Any print with less than 3 yards on the bolt is listed as a skinny bolt. The length of the piece is listed in the product description. They are sold in one continuous piece. There is only one of each available, so scoop it up quickly if you like it.

Returns & refunds: As the shop is closing, all sales are final. There are no returns or refunds.

Shipping: Shipping rates have been changed to include registered post on all orders over 500g (2.5-3 yards) as there will not be a refund for lost orders. If you would like standard shipping, please leave a note on your order and I will refund you the difference. You will assume all risk for any potentially lost parcels.

I will pack purchases in the order they are placed. I will ship as quickly as possible, but please understand that there will be a larger volume than usual and there may be a slight delay.

Discount code: There is no discount code. The prices listed in the shop are the final prices.

FAL Quarter 4 Linky!

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Sat, 31 Dec 2016 09:00:00 +0000

We hope you have enjoyed a lovely holiday season. We have made it to the end of the 2016 FAL and it's time to link up your Q4 finishes!

The 2016 FAL is now global - a community of bloggers across the world are jointly hosting the FAL. Our hosts are:

Debbie - A Quilter's Table - USA

Jess - Elven Garden Quilts - Australia

Stacey - SLO Studio - Canada

Jennie - Clover & Violet - USA

Helen - Archie the Wonder Dog - UK

Nicky - Mrs. Sew and Sow -UK

Cindy - Fluffy Sheep Quilting - Ireland

Rhonda - Rhonda's Ramblings - USA

Leanne - She Can Quilt - Canada

It's time to link up the projects on your 2016 Q4 FAL list that you finished. First, a huge thank you to our fantastic sponsors:

Fluffy Sheep Quilting - €25 (25 Euro) gift certificate	Green Fairy Quilts - $25 gift certificate	Clover & Violet LLC - choice of 3 patterns
Christa Quilts 4 pack of patterns	Oakshott Fabrics - Â£75 (75 Pounds) gift certificate	On the Windy Side, pattern pack
Studio 39 Fabrics - $25 Gift Certificate	The Tartankiwi - choice of 3 patterns	Make Modern Magazine - 6 month subscription
Mad About Patchwork - $40 gift certificate	Knotted Thread, $30 gift certificate	Happy Quilting - choice of 3 patterns
Porch Swing Quilts, 2 winners, 3 patterns each	Sunny Day Supply - $30 gift certificate	Laurel Bee Designs, 2 pin bowls for 1 winner
Sew me a Song, $20 gift certificate	Sew Sisters Quilt Shop, $25 gift certificate	Blossom Heart Quilts
Fat Quarter Shop, $50 gift certificate	The Quilt Ranch, $25 gift certificate	Sew Sweetness, copy of Windy City Bags
Imagine Gnats, $40 gift certificate	Simply Solids, Â£40 (40 Pound) gift certificate	Mariners Compass Quilt Shop, $50 gift certificate

InLinkz.com

For the 2016 FAL, we also will feature a tutorial week. Here is the schedule so you can visit them all:

January 1 - Debbie - A Quilter's Table

January 2 - Rhonda - Rhonda's [Quilt] Ramblings

January 3 - Leanne - she can quilt

January 4 - Helen - Archie the Wonder Dog

The 2016 Q4 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 use the 2016 FAL button or the hashtag #2016FAL

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)

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 2016 FAL Facebook page is here and follow us on Instagram @finishlong and tag your photos #2016fal and #falq2yourname (substitute your name - this makes it easier for us to match your finishes with your lists.

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

The Q4 Finishes link will stay open from now thru January 7, 2017 - 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.

Stay tuned for the details for the 2017 FAL. We have a great global community of hosts, some continuing and many joining us for the first time. Start making your Q1 lists for the 2017 FAL lists as the Q1 list link opens on January 8, 2017.

An InLinkz Link-up

Black Friday Sale!! Get 20% Off Everything!

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Fri, 25 Nov 2016 07:00:00 +0000

Another year has flown by with so much to be thankful for. I have a new nice. My parents came to see our new home. We continue to be in good health and loving the time we spend with our pets. Life is good. Thanks to all of you, this past year has also been wonderful for the shop.

I'd like to say thank you to each and every one of you with a Black Friday sale. This Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday I am offering 20% off everything in the shop with the code BlackSheep. Yes, everything including BlocLoc rulers, charm packs, layer cakes and all of your favorite Moda pretties. Even the already deeply discounted Christmas fabric that will be the center of your world over the next month. Stock up on Konas, Aurifil and DMC perle while you're there.

Enter the code BlackSheep at checkout by clicking on the Use Coupon Code to the left of your screen under the pretty pictures of your fabric in the shopping cart. I have tried my best to update the website's inventory, but there may be mistakes. I will pack orders as they arrive, so everything on offer goes first come first serve.

Happy Black Friday. Hope you score wonderful deals all weekend long.

Third Quarter Finishes!

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Fri, 30 Sep 2016 11:00:00 +0000

Can you believe another quarter has passed us by? How did you get along? Did you finish anything large or small? Or did you spend the quarter adding to the 2017 WIP list?

Let's spend a bit of time catching up with one another. The 2016 FAL is now hosted by a really nice, friendly, supportive team of hosts. You can find us all using the links below ::

Debbie - A Quilter's Table - USA

Jess - Elven Garden Quilts - Australia

Stacey - SLO Studio - Canada

Jennie - Clover & Violet - USA

Helen - Archie the Wonder Dog - UK

Nicky - Mrs. Sew and Sow -UK

Cindy - Fluffy Sheep Quilting - Ireland

Rhonda - Rhonda's Ramblings - USA

Leanne - She Can Quilt - Canada

But that's not why you're here, is it? You want to get your name in the draw for our many super prizes! We are only able to offer such a super array of goodies because of our reliable, dedicated sponsors. Take a minute to visit one, say hi and thanks for their donation ::

Fluffy Sheep Quilting - 25 Euro gift certificate	Clover & Violet LLC - choice of 3 patterns	On the Windy Side, pattern pack
The Quilt Ranch, $25 gift certificate	Knotted Thread, $30 gift certificate	Sew me a Song, $20 gift certificate
Laurel Bee Designs, 2 pin bowls for 1 winner	Simply Solids, Â£40 (40 Pound) gift certificate	Imagine Gnats, $40 gift certificate
Fat Quarter Shop, $50 gift certificate	Mariners Compass Quilt Shop, $50 gift certificate	Sew Sisters Quilt Shop, $25 gift certificate
Sunny Day Supply - $30 gift certificate	Christa's Kona Jelly Solids Roll	Sew Sweetness, copy of Windy City Bags
Make Modern Magazine - 6 month subscription	Porch Swing Quilts, 2 winners, 3 patterns each	Oakshott Fabrics - Â£75 (75 Pounds) gift certificate
The Tartankiwi - choice of 3 patterns	Green Fairy Quilts - $25 gift certificate	Happy Quilting - choice of 3 patterns
Mad About Patchwork - $40 gift certificate	3 Making Merry Patterns

InLinkz.com

As usual, this quarter we are offering a tutorial week. Check out the blogs below to be inspired daily ::

October 1 - Helen - Archie the Wonder Dog
October 2 - Jennie - Clover and Violet
October 3 - Leanne - She Can Quilt
October 4 - Stacey - SLO Studio
October 5 - Jess - Elven Garden Quilts
October 6 - Rhonda - Rhonda's Ramblings

The 2016 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 use the 2016 FAL button or the hashtag #2016FAL
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)
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 2016 FAL Facebook page is here and follow us on Instagram @finishlong and tag your photos #2016fal and #falq2yourname (substitute your name - this makes it easier for us to match your finishes with your lists.
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 October 7, 2016 - 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. Start making your Q4 FAL lists as the Q4 list link opens on October 8.

Congratulations!

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Thu, 21 Jul 2016 09:03:00 +0000

Woo hoo! Announcement day! Do you want to hear the great big list of winners for the Second Quarter of the Finish-A-Long? We had 677 amazing, inspiring, spectacular finishes this past quarter. Isn't that incredible? If you have not had a chance to check out the finishes from Q2, please do. You will find amazing new-to-you blogs and inspiration for your next quilt. It is not too late to stop by and cheer everyone on.

Lucky winners, if you have not already received an email from Rhonda, it is on the way to you right now. Rhonda will need to hear back from the winners by Sunday, July 24 so that she can arrange to get your prize to you. If she does not hear from you by that date she will pick an alternate. Please email her so you do not miss out on your wonderful prize from our kindhearted sponsors.

Thank you again to our generous sponsors. Without further ado, the winners - each picked by the random number generator - of the Q2 FAL prizes are:

The winner of the €25 (25 Euro) Gift Certificate from Fluffy Sheep Quilting goes to QuiltGranny who blogs at GRANNYcanQUILT and made this gorgeous beautiful baby quilt:

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The winner of 3 patterns from Clover & Violet is @limeleaf74 on IG who made this french press cosy:

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The winner of the Oakshott Fabric £75 Gift Certificate goes to Sophie who blogs at Luna Lovequilts and made this adorable tote bag:

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The winner of 3 patterns from Tartankiwi goes to Jennifer (@crimsonconfection on IG) and also has an etsy shop by the same name and made this amazing cross stitch:

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The winner of the $50 Gift Certificate to The Intrepid Thread is Kirsty (@kqdesign on IG) who also has this great weebly site and made this great quilt:

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The winner of the choice of 3 patterns from Happy Quilting is Kat who blogs at Kat's Craft and made this bright and beautiful C&S coin quilt:

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A $25 gift certificate from Green Fairy Quilts goes to Heather who blogs at Quilting and Beyond who stitched this fold-it bag:

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A copy of the full Aurora BOM Pattern from Blossom Heart Quilts goes to bee who blogs at Buzzing Around and finished this great Warhol-inspired mini:

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The $40 gift certificate from Mad about Patchwork goes to Genevieve (@theorlaproject on IG) who made and gifted this beautiful dresden quilt:

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The winner of the signed copy of The Ultmimate Guide to Machine Quilting from Christa Quilts goes to Samantha (@zipperoonihere on IG) finished this beautiful quilt:

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A $50 Gift Certificate from 7 Acres Cleared Fabric Shop goes to Angela (@angela.bacon on IG) who made a gorgeous Disney mini swap but IG won't let me copy the pic - you can find it here. If Angela sends me a copy I will add later.

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A 6-month subscription to Make Modern goes to @asquaredquilter on IG who made this great paper-pieced pillow as a birthday gift for a friend:

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The first winner of 3 patterns from Porch Swing Quilts is Izzy who blogs at Dizzy Quilts and finished this super cute mini with some great quilting:

The second winner of 3 patterns from Porch Swing Quilts is Abigail who blogs at Cut & Alter and made this beautiful mini (love the quote from Romeo & Juliet):

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The $30 gift certificate from Sunny Day Supply goes to Gretchen who blogs at 120 Blocks and made this cute table runner:

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The winner of a copy of Windy City Bags from Sew Sweetness is Judy who blogs at Sew Some Sunshine and made this super cute quilt:

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The $25 gift certificate to Sew Sisters Quilt Shop goes to Christina who blogs at Christina's Handicrafts and made this eye-catching table runner:

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The $50 Gift Certificate from Mariner's Compass Quilt Shop goes to Jantine (@urbanstylejantine on IG) who knit this great shawl by testing a pattern:

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The winner of the Pattern Pack from On the Windy Side goes to Karen (@karenlovesepp on IG) who made this great orange peel quilt:

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The $50 gift certificate from Fat Quarter Shop goes to Jo who blogs at Create the Point and finished this sweater after almost 2 full years (THIS is what the finish-a-long is ALL ABOUT):

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The winner of 2 pin bowls from Laurel Bee Designs is Pippa (@pippaspatch on IG) who made this gorgeous Siblings Together Quilt:

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The winner of the $40 gift certificate to Imagine Gnats is Nicole who blogs at Quilting like a Maniac- Relaxing through Quilting and made this Stunner:

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The winner of the $20 gift certificate from Sew Me a Song is Cheryl (@moyersminions on IG) who finished my favorite kinda quilt, a Swoon:

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The winner of the $30 gift certificate to Knotted Thread is Ella who blogs at ThrowAWrenchintheWorks and finished this pouch and MANY other things (seriously, Ella is a finishing rock-star):

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The winner of the £40 (40 Pound) Gift Certificate from Simply Solids is Francine who blogs at MochaWildChild and practiced on EQ7 by making these great pouches:

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The $25 gift certificate from The Quilt Ranch goes to Vera who blogs at Negligent Style and made this spectacular pillow (you really should go read the story behind the blog title):

I am having so much fun hosting the FAL with all the other global hosts - it seems to be working well - I mean, we had record breaking finishes for Q1, Q2 was especially great and now I expect Q3 to be even better than the first quarter. Congratulations to the winners and thank you to the sponsors!!

Tips and Tricks for Assembling a New York Beauty Block

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Tue, 05 Jul 2016 07:00:00 +0000

The New York Beauty block is a show stopper. It has huge impact and offers a great opportunity to play. Although you can find lots of New York Beauty blocks that I like on my Pinterest board, my all time favorite example of how spectacular this block can be is by Lynz of Domestic Light and Magic. It makes me stop and gasp EVERY time I see it.

This tutorial offers a few tips and tricks on assembling the three portions of a New York Beauty block. For templates or paper piecing tutorials, I can only offer my favourite resources:

1) A super resource for all things New York Beauty is the sew-a-long by Sew Sweetness. You can loose an afternoon clicking on these links, checking out each and every tutorial.

2) Two of my favorite tutorials on paper piecing are by Jeni Baker and Jennifer Mathis. The tute by Jeni Baker is what set me on this path in the first place, but Jennifer has a wonderful video that I found to be very helpful.

3) You can find a wide variety of New York Beauty templates, from beginner to advanced, on Ulas Quiltseite. Good old McCall's quilting also has free templates available. Alternatively you can draw your own with a tute by Sew Apparently.

What do I offer, then? Well, the practicalities of putting these curved pieces together so that you have a block of the perfect size (what ever size that may be) time and time again. Let's get started!

First, your templates. I am sure you have just printed them out on normal printer paper. Immediately trace them onto pieces of thin card board so you can use them repeatedly. On the two straight sides of the L-piece and curved piece, make a note to yourself to add 3/4 - 1 inch. On the curved sections, make a note to trace that line exactly.

No need for fancy template plastic or special thick paper. I use a cereal box and it works a treat every time.

Align your template on your fabric. As it says, squeeze your template in 3/4-1 inch on each long straight side. In this example I am tracing on the wrong side of the fabric, but for directional fabrics it might be easier to trace on the right side to get prints oriented as you want them. No matter what, your lines will be hidden in the seam allowance.

Here, you are tracing on the curved section,. Along the two short straight sections on the top left and bottom right. Just extend an imaginary straight line beyond the template to the edge of the fabric.

Cut along the three lines to create something like this:

Repeat the same theory when cutting out the quarter circle section. Move your template in 3/4-1 inch from long straight edges, mark your curved edge and extend that curve to the raw edge of the fabric with an imaginary continuous line.

When this quarter circle piece is cut out, it will look like this:

Using the tutorials mentioned earlier, go ahead and piece your arc section. To align the L-shaped section with your arc, fold them each in half and finger press.

With right sides together, align the two finger pressed folds and pin. Note that the paper is still attached to my arc here. You will not remove the paper until the block is totally finished....even though you will want to WAY before that point. Trust me.

Starting at the center point, align the raw edges of the fabric and the arc template. In my opinion, there are not enough pins in the world for this step. Pin, pin and pin again. Just make sure your L-piece of fabric lies flat and the raw edge is aligned with the edge of the paper. Do not worry about matching the ends of the L-shaped piece with the edge of the arc. The L-shaped piece will be longer by 1/2 inch or so.

Sew long your template's guide, press the seam toward the L-shaped piece and cut the seam allowance in quarter inch increments to allow it to relax. Be careful to not cut the seam you just stitched.

Ta da! Love that feeling of accomplishment. You should have something that looks like this:

Notice that the cream/low volume section extends beyond the edge of the paper arc. It's alright. We will take care of that later.

Again, fold the semi-circular portion and the L-shaped portion in half and finger press.

Align the fold with right sides of the fabric together and pin...

...and keep pinning. As before, just make sure the raw edge of your fabric aligns with the edge of your paper arc. Start pinning in the center and work your way out. There will be extra fabric extending beyond your paper template. This section is a bit more complex than the last as it curves naturally. Do not fight the curve. You might tear your paper template and then your biased edges will stretch very easily.

Sew on your template's guide, press the seam to the center fabric and again trim the seam allowance in quarter inch increments to let it rest flat.

Your block should look something like this:

In this example, my block is 8.5x8.5 inches unfinished, 8x8 finished. To trim, I have aligned the 8.5 inch line on the vertical left so that it runs along the edge of my arc template. I have aligned the diagonal line through my center point. On the horizontal bottom edge, the 8.5 inch line is again aligned with my paper template.

Trim off the L-shaped fabric on the top and right. Flip your block 180 degrees so the L-shaped piece is on the bottom. Again, align the 8.5 inch line on the vertical left and horizontal bottom with the edge of your L-shaped raw edge. Align the top horizontal edge and right vertical edge of the ruler with the arc. Your diagonal line should run from the tip of your L-shaped piece, through your center arc point and into the semi-circle.

Trim along the right and top of your block to create a perfect 8.5 inch square.

That was easy, wasn't it? That extra 3/4 inch - 1 inch added onto the templates takes a lot of stress out of trying to "ease" pieces together. There is more wastage that having perfectly aligned pieces, but for my sanity I am fine with that.

Put four of these block together and you will have something that looks like this.

I would love to hear how you get on if you use this tutorial in making your own blocks. If you find a section that is not clear or if you find an error, please leave a comment below and I will continually edit this post to improve it for everyone.

Best of luck and happy stitching!

Show Me Your FAL Q2 Finishes!

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Thu, 30 Jun 2016 07:00:00 +0000

Can you believe it!?!? Another quarter has passed us by. Did you find time to stitch? Did you start something new? I hope you finished off a few projects, too. Let's celebrate those finishes. Now is the time to show them off!

Again this quarter, the 2016 FAL is hosted globally. You can join in the fun on any of the following blogs:

Debbie - A Quilter's Table - USA

Jess - Elven Garden Quilts - Australia

Stacey - SLO Studio - Canada

Jennie - Clover & Violet - USA

Helen - Archie the Wonder Dog - UK

Nicky - Mrs. Sew and Sow -UK

Cindy - Fluffy Sheep Quilting - Ireland

Rhonda - Rhonda's Ramblings - USA

Leanne - She Can Quilt - Canada

Please pop by any of our sponsors' websites and say a huge THANK YOU. They have donated pretty amazing prizes to celebrate your finishes. Isn't that nice of them?

The Quilt Ranch, $25 gift certificate	Knotted Thread, $30 gift certificate	Simply Solids, Â£40 (40 Pound) gift certificate
Sew me a Song, $20 gift certificate	Imagine Gnats, $40 gift certificate	Laurel Bee Designs, 2 pin bowls for 1 winner
Fat Quarter Shop, $50 gift certificate	On the Windy Side, pattern pack	Sew Sisters Quilt Shop, $25 gift certificate
Sunny Day Supply - $30 gift certificate	Sew Sweetness, copy of Windy City Bags	Christa Quilts signed copy of Ultimate Guide to Machine Quilting
Mariners Compass Quilt Shop, $50 gift certificate	Porch Swing Quilts, 2 winners, 3 patterns each	7 Acres Cleared Fabric Shop, $50 gift certificate
Make Modern Magazine - 6 month subscription	Fluffy Sheep Quilting - â�¬25 (25 Euro) gift certificate	Mad About Patchwork - $40 gift certificate
Clover & Violet LLC - choice of 3 patterns	Oakshott Fabrics - Â£75 (75 Pounds) gift certificate	Happy Quilting - choice of 3 patterns
The Tartankiwi - choice of 3 patterns	Green Fairy Quilts - $25 gift certificate	Blossom Heart Quilts, Full Aurora BOM Pattern
The Intrepid Thread - $50 gift certificate

InLinkz.com

Once again, Q2 will be completed with a week of tutorials written by our hosts. Here is the schedule so you can visit them all:

July 1 - Rhonda - Rhonda's Ramblings - Modified Card Trick Block
July 2 - Jess - Elven Garden Quilts - Mitred Corners on Quilt Blocks
July 3 - Leanne - She Can Quilt - Modern Labyrinth Trivet
July 4 - Debbie - A Quilter's Table - Metal Zippers 3 Ways
July 5 - Cindy - Fluffy Sheep Quilting - NY Beauty Block Tutorial
July 6 - Nicky - Mrs. Sew and Sow - Covered Box Tutorial

The 2016 Q2 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 use the 2016 FAL button or the hashtag #2016FAL
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)
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 2016 FAL Facebook page is here and follow us on Instagram @finishlong and tag your photos #2016fal and #falq2yourname (substitute your name - this makes it easier for us to match your finishes with your lists.
Our hosts will also link their finishes to share in the community, but they are not eligible for any of the prizes.

The Q2 Finishes link will stay open from now thru July 7 - 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. Start making your Q3 FAL lists as the Q3 list link opens on July 8.

An InLinkz Link-up

Birthday Sale!

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Fri, 13 May 2016 07:00:00 +0000

Saturday is Fluffy Sheep Quilting's fourth birthday! It amazes me that this adventure is thriving, growing and increasing momentum each day! This is only possible with your continual support and encouragement, so please celebrate with me at the shop's birthday party!

Starting right now there is a 15% off SALE in the online shop. Just click over here to have a peek at the pretty fabrics, pile your favourites into the cart and use the code birthday at checkout to receive your discount. The discount code will be good from Friday morning to 11:59 PM Sunday night (Irish time).

I have tried my best to be sure the inventory is up to date when kicking off this sale, but sometimes there are mistakes. Please know I will fill requests in the order they arrive.

I thank you all for making this adventure so much fun. I thank you for the laughs, the encouragement, the cheers when I feel overwhelmed and for your suggestions along the way. The spirit of our wonderful quilting community continues to shine through and brighten each of my days.

Christmas Tree Skirts

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Mon, 09 May 2016 07:00:00 +0000

I know that we like to convince ourselves that Christmas presents not finished on time for gifting in 2015 are early for 2016, but I am officially late.

I had the best intentions to create two tree skirts as family Christmas gifts, but I just could not appliqué fast enough. Instead I printed out two photos of what the tree skirts would look like when finished and gifted those! (*hanging my head in shame*) After the season ended, the pressure was off and the tree skirts sat untouched.

They are now next on my to do list, so I am dust them off, reassessing my progress and figuring out where I need to begin. I am really excited to dive in again now that there has been a small break.

Since these were super top secret presents, I am not sure I told you about their start. In autumn of 2015, there was a Yule Tide tree skirt sew along. Although I did not officially sew along, I was quite happy to use a discount code to get the skirt and use the tutorials to help me along. (Anyone looking for a tree skirt pattern for 2016, I would absolutely suggest scooping this one up. It's very easy to follow, has super ideas/tips and makes a pretty cute finished product!)

Each skirt is made of six wedge shapes, three with trees and three with houses. I am making 12 in total, then. They are very scrappy and colorful, made with fusible appliqué and some reverse appliqué on Essex linen. I have six panels completed and six that still need stitching around the stars. All of the houses still need windowpanes sewn on and threads secured.

They will need to be pieced together into a circle, layered, quilted and bound. I am not sure how I want to quilt them as I really do not want an all over design. I was thinking of hand quilting around the stars, machine quilting through the snow and down each of the joining seams. These panels are not that large, so that might be enough. We will see how it evolves with time.

The goal is to have these finished and posted before June 25th! Fingers crossed - if it goes any later in the year it really is a 2016 Christmas present and that's just cheating gifting it twice!

A little effort...

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Thu, 05 May 2016 07:00:00 +0000

...goes a long way. I have had a little pouch sitting on my sewing table since mid-February waiting for my attention. I move it, dust under it and look at it but have not put in the 30 minutes of effort to transform it into something useful.

Do you remember this little extension table cover that did not quite fit?

I finally installed a zipper to make it into a little pouch that I can use when travelling. It can easily fit inside my featherweight's case stuffed full of threads, bobbins and needles. I hesitated for a long while because I didn't have a zipper that coordinated with the spots on the exterior. I then got over myself and just choose a navy one that "vibed" pretty well.

I added a little coordinating zipper tab and held the zip in place with a piece of binding. I wish I had made the binding one continuous loop instead of feeding it back inside itself (like I do with a quilt binding), but this was all a bit improvisational (AKA learn as you go).

So there you go! It's finally off of my sewing table, tucked away with my complete travel set. Checking off number 3 from my FAL Q2 list.

Super Top Secret Sewing

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Tue, 03 May 2016 07:00:00 +0000

This past weekend was a holiday weekend here in Ireland. I was lucky enough to have Monday off, giving me LOTS of sewing time. I sewed so much that by the second afternoon I felt like I needed a sewing break! Now that's crazy talk.

What did I stitch? Most of my time was spent sewing a super top secret project that needs to be finished in the next few weeks. I had finished foundation pieing my scrappy strips a while ago (using a tutorial by Coriander Quilts) so this weekend I added on the side triangles. Here I am using Essex Linen in Medium Aqua. I'm delighted with my background color choice. Adding on the side triangles gave me a bit of time to pay better attention and visit with each of my favorite fabrics. I even found a few accidental fussy cuts!

I ripped out the foundation paper from all 72 diamond shapes. Nearly lost my mind doing that, so I had to watch a movie or two while ripping....

Even though foundation paper piecing is usually very exact, my biased side triangles got a bit wonky with ironing. I had to do a bit of trimming, which made the final blocks less wonky. Thank goodness I took the time to do that or else you'd find me in the loony bin today.

Eight little subunits became four quarter squares and eventually half blocks. I love how quickly block come together at the end of piecing a top. All of the preparation finally becomes rewarding.

In this project the seams could (did!) get quite bulky, so I pressed open at nearly every opportunity. It's not my favorite thing to do as I burn my fingers as much as I press seams, but you do what you have to do.

The top is finished now (woo hoo!) and the back pieced. I am absolutely delighted to be this close to finished. It's going to my friend Liz to be professionally quilted. With all of those little seams weakened by ripping out the paper, I want to be sure it's securely quilted before it goes to its forever home. Into the post today!

This is number seven on my FAL 2016 list. Getting closer to checking it off!

Big Stitch Swap 2 :: Finished Pouch

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Thu, 28 Apr 2016 07:00:00 +0000

I am very excited to show you my finished pouch for the Big Stitch Swap 2!

In this project, I hand stitched hexagons using mini charm packs of V and Co prints in purple, green, aqua and navy with hexagon templates from Love Patchwork & Quilting. I tend to be an "anything goes" scrappy quilter, but for this project I wanted to try a restricted colorway for the first time. My hexagon stitching improved with time, so you can nearly tell which parts of the bag were made early in the process and which hexies were added on at the end!

I appliquéd the hexagons onto Essex Linen with navy 50 weight Aurifil. I have to say I had doubts about having such obvious stitching on this pouch. I like it more now that it's in pouch shape, but while the sides were flat panels I was sure the quilting was a mistake.

Inside there's a Denyse Schmidt print that I love, but have no idea what it's called? I picked it up in the US a few years ago and am delighted I still have some to play with.

Of course, the pouch came together using Noodlehead's Open Wide zippered pouch tutorial. I was aiming for a medium pouch, but it is slightly smaller due to the heavy stitching on the panels. Still, I think it's a great size for saving your special things when travelling.

The pouch was packed up with a few goodies: 2.5 inch scrappy squares from Simply Colorful, and Simply Style, a needle book and shimmering washi tape. I think that makes for a happy parcel. I can not wait for it to arrive at your house, swap buddy!

This is my first finish for the second quarter of the FAL. Checking number 2 off of my Dreaming Big list.

Bee Blessed Bento Box

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Thu, 21 Apr 2016 07:00:00 +0000

Say that five times fast.

I do not know why I stopped making Bee Blessed blocks each month, but it is time that I put them back on the schedule. It is a wonderful organization and I am only happy to support it.

This month in Bee Blessed, they are asking for modified Bento Box blocks using a tutorial by Film In The Fridge. As you know, it takes just as long to make two blocks as it does one in this kind of situation, so I dove in fully committed.

These are easy to make, are totally satisfying and run through the scraps. Why not give them a try?

Big Stitch Swap Extra :: A Needle Book

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Tue, 19 Apr 2016 07:00:00 +0000

Although I have not finished the Open Wide pouch I am making for my swap partner, my brain kept wandering to design the swap extra. It was getting a bit ridiculous so I decided to sit down, make the extra, and then return to the zippy pouch when my brain was satisfied. Whew. So glad I did.

Approximately 1 million years ago (or 2011 to be precise), I made a needle book that I use to this day. It travels everywhere with me and sits next to me on the couch when I hand sew. Seeing as this is a swap where hand sewing needs to be a main design element in the finished swap item, it seemed appropriate to have a needle book extra.

Needle Book Front

I was only too happy to dive into my bag of selvages that are too small to use in my selvage blocks. There are some real gems in there! I used a piece of Kona Snow (?) as the foundation, then strip pieced the selvages on at a jaunty angle. Can you see there's even a mini (really mini) piece of Ruby in the upper corner of the back? I have been saving that little nub.

Needle Book Back

Inside there are little sewing machines on the front and back cover. Now that may be a bit controversial given it's a hand sewing swap, but it's one of my favorite prints and I wanted to share it with my partner.

The "pages" are a bright yellow felt with pinked edges. Yellow makes me happy and I like when it pops up and surprises me. I hope my partner feels the same.

I really enjoyed making this for you, partner. I hope you use it as much as I do mine!

First Quarter FAL Winners

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Sun, 17 Apr 2016 17:00:00 +0000

Congratulations to the First Quarter FAL winners! Did you know there were a record breaking 838 finishes this past quarter? If you have not already done so, head back to our closing linky to have a look at the completed projects listed. They are a great source of inspiration and motivation for this quarter.

We have an amazing group of generous FAL sponsors who support each and every one of us with super patterns, fabrics, treads and notions. The winners of our amazing prizes from the first quarter are....(drum roll....)

The winner of the €25 (25 Euro) Gift Certificate from Fluffy Sheep Quilting goes to Jodie who blogs at The Craft Room and made this gorgeous EPP star quilt:

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The winner of the Oakshott Fabric Gift Certificate goes to Sewgrateful Quilts who made this gorgeous whole quilt:

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The winner of 3 patterns from Tartankiwi goes to Jackie (@nwpatchwork on IG) who made this pretty rainbow mini:

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The winner of the $50 Gift Certificate to The Intrepid Thread is Emilee (@amelialoveskat on IG) who made this wonderful pink & green quilt:

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The winner of the choice of 3 patterns from Happy Quilting is Emily who blogs at The Darling Dogwood and made this bright I-Spy Quilt:

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A $25 gift certificate from Green Fairy Quilts goes to Brenda who blogs at The Quilting Nook who stitched this beauty:

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A copy of DIY Block Design from Blossom Heart Quilts goes to Allison who blogs at Campbell Soup Diary and finished her Farm Girl Vintage Quilt:

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The $40 gift certificate from Mad about Patchwork goes to Deanna (@sewasigo on IG) who made this handy apron:

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The winner of 3 patterns from Clover & Violet is link Taryn (@forkandneedle on IG) who made this lovely quilt:

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The winner of a copy of Machine Quilting with Style from Christa Quilts goes to Heidi who blogs at Red Letter Quilts and surprised her mom with this quilt:

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A $50 Gift Certificate from 7 Acres Cleared Fabric Shop goes to Raquel (@colourmehappy2 on IG) who crocheted on beautiful blanket:

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A 6-month subscription to Make Modern goes to Ella who blogs at Throw a Wench in the Works (man I love that blog name) and made this extremely graphic quilt:

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The first winner of 3 patterns from Porch Swing Quilts is Melanie who blogs at Melanie's Kunstraum and made this (along with many other) charity quilt:

The second winner of 3 patterns from Porch Swing Quilts is Allison who blogs at Allison Sews and made these two pot holders out of one pieces of FMQ challenge:

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The $30 gift certificate from Sunny Day Supply goes to @kath34 on IG who finished her second pillow, gotta love a couple quilted pillows on the couch:

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The winner of a copy of Windy City Bags from Sew Sweetness is @Mandarien7 on IG who made this extremely festive quilt:

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The $25 gift certificate to Sew Sisters Quilt Shop goes to Mandi (@must_love_quilts on IG) who made this stunning Tula Pink quilt:

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The $50 Gift Certificate from Mariner's Compass Quilt Shop goes to Mary who blogs at Mary Emmens and finally pulled her finger out and sewed with knits and ended up with this gorgeous top:

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The winner of the Pattern Pack from On the Windy Side goes to Suzie's Armoire who made this super-cute Mini:

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The $50 gift certificate from Fat Quarter Shop goes to Audrey who blogs at Hot Pink Quilts and made this handsome quilt for her daddy:

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The winner of 2 pin bowls from Laurel Bee Designs is Kat who blogs at Kat's Craft and made her brother this matching quilt and pillow:

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The winner of the $40 gift certificate to Imagine Gnats is Becky who made this beautifully festive (and extremely early) Christmas table runner:

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The winner of the $20 gift certificate from Sew Me a Song is Staci who blogs at The Confused Quilter and finished one of two identical quilts like this:

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The winner of the $30 gift certificate to Knotted Thread is Lynz who blogs at Domestic Light and Magic and made this gorgeous Brumby:

You are so stinking cute (as my 5 yo granddaughter would say) Lynz!!!

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The winner of the £40 (40 Pound) Gift Certificate from Simply Solids is Sane, Crazy, Crumby Quilts who made this very pretty quilt:

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The $25 gift certificate from The Quilt Ranch goes to Angelina who blogs at Quilting after Dark and made this incredibly eerie quilt for the Rocky Horror Challenge sponsored by the Badass Quilter's Society:

Rhonda is going to email all of you winners over the weekend, unless you email her first after reading this. Rhonda will need to hear back from the winners by Friday, April 23 so that she can arrange to get your prize to you, and if she does not hear from you by then she will pick an alternate.

Hope you have joined into the Q2 linky. It was such fun last quarter, so lets get stitching!

Dreaming Big

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Mon, 11 Apr 2016 07:00:00 +0000

If you have not already done so, now is the time to get your second quarter goals listed and linked up with the 2016 FAL! Since I am one of the many hosts, I am not eligible for prizes at the end of the quarter. Still, I find great motivation playing along with all of you.

What do I hope to finish?

1. Medallion quilt.

The top and back are finished. They will be sent out to be quilted. I will just need to bind it when it returns.

2. Zippy Pouch Number 1

This will need to be finished and shipped to my Big Stitch 2 partner in a few weeks. I have the hexies pieced, but need to appliqué them onto the front and back of a bag and then finish the bag off. I am only now realizing I have not blogged about this project, so I will have to sort that out this week.

3. Zippy Pouch Number 2

Back in February I made a wonderful travel set for my featherweight. However, the little cover for the extension table did not fit properly. I would like to install a zipper to make it into something usable.

4. Hello Friend Baby Quilt

This top is finished. It needs to be quilted and bound for the shop. I would like to practice using my quilting frame with this project.

5. Urban Zoology Baby Quilt

This top is also finished. (What is wrong with me!?!) Here I need to rip off the navy border that is not working and add on another border that is better suited. Again, I would like to use this as an opportunity to practice on my quilting frame before it is bound and heads into the shop.

6. Swoon HST Cushion Cover.

The top is finished, but it needs to be quilted and then have a back attached. I am a bit concerned that I will not find an insert to fit it (20x20 inches) but if the cover is finished, I will call this project done.

7. String Stars baby quilt.

I need a better name for this project. Regardless, the top remains to be pieced, the whole thing needs to be quilted and bound and it needs to be delivered before the end of the quarter. No pressure. I will not be able to show you a finished photo of this quilt until it is received. I hope you will just believe me if I tell you it is finished.

8 and 9. Christmas Tree Skirts 1 and 2.

Now this is just embarrassing. For Christmas (2015) I started making a tree skirt for my parents and one for my brother and sister in law. Neither were finished in time, so I promised to ship them as a surprise this past winter/spring. They have not been touched since December (*hangs head in shame*). I still have some appliqué to do before I piece the sections together. They need to be quilted and bound before being shipped off. As they were super top secret Christmas projects I never blogged about them. You may see them this week if I get myself together and take a few photos!

There we go. A list of 9 projects I would like to finish in the next 12 weeks. That's do-able, right? It is good to have a bit of focus and a deadline to get myself stitching. Now, get your lists finished and linked up before the 16th of April to join in the fun. We can cheer each other on!

Get your goals list ready!

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Sat, 09 Apr 2016 22:37:00 +0000

I'm late! I'm late! I missed a very important date. That's right - the second quarter of the 2016 FAL kicked off yesterday, but real life got in the way of my posting the linky party. I hope you took that extra 24 hours to get your goals list ready. Have you been thinking? Dreaming big?

Again this quarter, the FAL is hosted by a wonderful team of international bloggers. You can join into the FAL fun on any one of these super blogs:

Debbie - A Quilter's Table - USA

Jess - Elven Garden Quilts - Australia

Stacey - SLO Studio - Canada

Jennie - Clover & Violet - USA

Helen - Archie the Wonder Dog - UK

Nicky - Mrs. Sew and Sow -UK

Cindy - Fluffy Sheep Quilting - Ireland (me!)

Rhonda - Rhonda's Ramblings - USA

Leanne - She Can Quilt - Canada

Together we will hopefully find inspiration and motivate one another to complete those unfinished projects that are hanging about becoming UFOs. Now is the time for you to post on your blog or IG account a list of projects you hope to finish in the next three months. At the close of the quarter, please come back here and tell me what you have finished on your list. Each finish will qualify you for one of many wonderful prizes from our sponsors. There is no penalty for not finishing a listed project. Dream big.

The 2016 Schedule and Rules for the FAL are on my permanent FAL page, let me know if you have any questions.

We have several super sponsors supporting the FAL this quarter. If you spot a new-to-you shop or designer, be sure to click on their logo to visit their blogs/shops and say thank you.

The Quilt Ranch, $25 gift certificate	Knotted Thread, $30 gift certificate	Simply Solids, Â£40 (40 Pound) gift certificate
Sew me a Song, $20 gift certificate	Imagine Gnats, $40 gift certificate	Laurel Bee Designs, 2 pin bowls for 1 winner
Fat Quarter Shop, $50 gift certificate	On the Windy Side, pattern pack	Sew Sisters Quilt Shop, $25 gift certificate
Sunny Day Supply - $30 gift certificate	Sew Sweetness, copy of Windy City Bags	Christa Quilts signed copy of Ultimate Guide to Machine Quilting
Mariners Compass Quilt Shop, $50 gift certificate	Porch Swing Quilts, 2 winners, 3 patterns each	7 Acres Cleared Fabric Shop, $50 gift certificate
Make Modern Magazine - 6 month subscription	Fluffy Sheep Quilting - 25 Euro gift certificate	Mad About Patchwork - $40 gift certificate
Clover & Violet LLC - choice of 3 patterns	Oakshott Fabrics - Â£75 (75 Pounds) gift certificate	Happy Quilting - choice of 3 patterns
The Tartankiwi - choice of 3 patterns	Green Fairy Quilts - $25 gift certificate	Blossom Heart Quilts, Full Aurora BOM Pattern
The Intrepid Thread - $50 gift certificate

InLinkz.com

We plan to finish each quarter with a week long series of tutorials. Did you see them pop up on blogs last week? What did you think of them? Or is there a tute you'd like to see next quarter? Pop a note in the comments section below with your thoughts.

Let's get down to the linky! That's why you're here, right? Here's how this will work:
1. take a photo of the project(s) that you want to finish this quarter.
2. tell us how you have started this project - even pulling fabric with a plan/pattern is a start!
4. while you're listing your goals list, click on a few other links in the linky party and give your fellow sewists a bit of encouragement and support.
5. for your finish to qualify for prizes, it needs to be a finished project (not a finished, block or finished top - a finish is a bound, usable, gifted (you get the idea) project.
6. it would be great if you could tag your Q2 list as #FALQ2yourname.

The 2016 Q2 link for your list of proposed finishes is now open below on my blog and on each of the hosting blogs. You only need to link your list once, on one blog and it will appear on all of the hosting blogs. If you would like to link up via Flickr or Instagram, pop over to visit Katy (The Littlest Thistle) as she has a great tutorial on how to link-up.

So, add your link below. The Q2 linky party will stay open until 11 pm EST, April 16th - as we are global, you might want to check your time zone to determine your last possible time to link. I can't wait to see what you're making!

An InLinkz Link-up

Getting my scraps under control

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Thu, 07 Apr 2016 08:15:00 +0000

I have lost control. My scrap bin overflows. It is so unorganized that I avoid digging through it to find bits I need. I instead cut chunks out of my pretty, organized, untouched FQs. I can just see them better and can quickly pull a fabric I want instead of digging through that outrageous bin, creating dust and having to iron silly little pieces. Something has to change.

After watching Di at our sewing weekend scoop up every unattended scrap and trim them to usable pieces, I think I have found my solution. Now, who wants to dig through that bin and spend a weekend pressing and cutting? Not me. Instead, I tossed them into a suitcase and brought them to a week-long conference so I could iron and cut in a hotel room when I had nothing else to do! Pretty smart if I do say so myself. (Cheeky!)

In the end, my scrap bin was turned into this: Ta da!

It's prettier, anyway. I pulled each scrap, pressed it, then started cutting the largest piece I could out of the scrap and worked my way down to cutting 2.5 inch squares. I have more 2.5 inch squares than anything else....

....have a reasonable stack of 3 inch and 3.5 inch squares....

...and then finally have a mini pile of 4, 4.5 and 5 inch squares....

There's also a good sized pile of 2.5 inch strips so I could make a scrappy jelly roll quilt at some point. Needless to say I do not have a plan for any of these pieces, but they are more manageable to store and easier to use. I'll be happy spending time google searching for scrappy quilts to put these to good use.

Here is what's left:

My stash of scrappy solids. I do not have the heart to cut these down too. Would anyone want them? I would like to split these up into two large bags and give them to someone who will use them (you pay postage). If you are interested, email me at fluffysheepquilting at gmail dot com, please. First come first serve.

EDITED - The scraps have now gone to three good homes.

I will leave you with a photo of Molly, my photographic assistant. She was great company while trying to take these snaps. Love her.

Selvage Blocks for Miles

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Tue, 05 Apr 2016 09:35:00 +0000

Each morning while I brush my teeth, I thumb through IG to see what creativity I have missed while I slept. What inspiration waits for me? It is a great way to wake up. One morning, Craftsy posted an advertisement for this pattern that immediately occupied my brain. I could not shake it, so I bought the pattern thinking that would scratch the itch. But no.

Although I see myself using different methods to make these blocks, I love the idea of a full quilt of selvage vines. I started stitching a few tester blocks at the Brit Bee weekend retreat and fell in love.

I have now finished 23 of the 42 blocks I need. It shocks me how heavy they are and how they eat up the selvage strips. I have enough selvages for another 5-10 blocks, so I will have to finish a few other projects to increase my stash. That's OK. This can be a slow burner. I'll just keep stitching!

Quick & Easy Napkin Tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Sat, 02 Apr 2016 07:00:00 +0000

I am always without ideas when it comes to hostess gifts or house warming gifts. If invited for dinner, I tend to bring a generic bottle of wine and make a wine bag. But the wine does not have longevity and I am not sure every hostess wants to store (or reuse) a cloth wine bag.

Then it finally came to me :: cloth napkins! People like them, but do not always want to spend their own money on them. They are a great way to add a pop of color to a kitchen without over committing. They are green (ecologically, not always fabric-wise), unisex and have staying power. Perfect! Want to make a set with me?

Let's start with your fabric choices. I used a continuous cut of one print (35 inches x WOF quilting cotton) to make a set of 4 napkins, but you could also use four complimenting fat quarters. I pre-washed and ironed before making the napkins as I didn't want weird shrinkage after they were finished.

Note: I use three different fabrics in this tutorial. It means nothing other than
the sun was setting and you could no longer see the light blue fabric as it got darker.

In terms of notions, you will need scissors, a marking pen, a rotary cutter, your rulers and a bowl. This bowl is 5 inches in diameter. You will not need a sewing machine, but will need an over locker. That's right - pull that over locker out of the closet and dust it off.

Fold your fabric in half so the selvages are matching. Fold it in half again the other way so the two raw edges are matching. You should now have four overlapping layers. Trim a sliver off the raw edges so they are not so scraggly.

Without opening your folded fabric, rotate it and cut your selvages from the main body of the fabric.

Rotate the fabric again (without unfolding it) so that the folded edge is on the right and the raw edges are on the left. We are making napkins that are 16 inches square. Now, I do not have a ruler that is 16 inches wide to measure that, so I have to get a little innovative. I used a 14 inch square ruler (green, left) and a 6.5 inch wide ruler (black, right). I combined a width of 9.5 inches from the green ruler and the full 6.5 inches of the black ruler to get a cut of 16 inches wide. Cut off the folded edge.

Again, rotate your fabric and repeat the same ruler regime to cut off the other folded edge. You should have a set of four pieces that are 16 inches square.

Flip the bowl upside down and align it with the two edges. Trace around the lip of the bowl with a marking pen. Do the same for the other three corners.

Trim along the line with your fabric scissors. I cut all four layers at once as my scissors are very sharp. If you do that, make sure to keep the fabric and scissors flat on the cutting mat so the layers do not shift too much.

You should now have four pieces of fabric that are 16x16 with rounded corners.

With Brian's help, we made a movie to show you how to finish the raw edges of the napkins using an overlocker. A few things to note:

1) Always start with a tail of thread on your over locker.

2) Slow down at the corners, lifting the presser foot as needed to adjust your fabric and avoid wrinkles.

3) As you approach the end, trim off the original tail.

4) To finish off the edge, sew over your starting point, turn the fabric about 90 degrees and continue off the fabric to make a finishing tail.

5) Create a tail of about 3 inches so you can securely finish the napkin.

Here we go!

Using a blunt needle with a large eye....

....thread the tail through the eye...

...and place the tip of the needle under the overlocking threads on the back side of the napkin. I usually push the needle so that the tail will be tucked in for one inch. Pull the needle out...

... and trim off what's left of the tail.

Ta da! A finished napkin. Repeat for the other four to finish off your set.

I tend to fold them into rectangles so that the curved edge is a corner "accent", then place my flatware on top.

I hope that was clear - email me (fluffysheepquilting at gmail dot com) if you have questions and I will try my best to help you along. A few alternative options that you might like: 1) you can shorten your stitch length to have less of the fabric showing through the edge and instead have more of a satin finish or 2) use a wooly nylon thread that poofs up as you sew to hide the fabric. Thank you!

Finish A Long :: First Quarter Linky!

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Thu, 31 Mar 2016 07:00:00 +0000

Woah. Time flies when you're having fun! Can you believe the first quarter of 2016 has drawn to a close? You know what that means, right? Time to show off your finishes!

As you know, the 2016 FAL is a global phenomenon hosted by a community of international bloggers. If you do not already know these amazing quilters, take some time to pop over to their blogs and say hello!

Debbie - A Quilter's Table - USA

Jess - Elven Garden Quilts - Australia

Stacey - SLO Studio - Canada

Jennie - Clover & Violet - USA

Helen - Archie the Wonder Dog - UK

Nicky - Mrs. Sew and Sow -UK

Cindy (me!) - Fluffy Sheep Quilting - Ireland

Rhonda - Rhonda's Ramblings - USA

Leanne - She Can Quilt - Canada

As you know, for each and every finish that you link up you will be eligible to win a prize from one of these fantastic sponsors. There are some amazing offers here! Holy. Moly.

Oakshott Fabrics - Â£75 (75 Pounds) gift certificate	The Tartankiwi - choice of 3 patterns
The Intrepid Thread - $50 gift certificate	Happy Quilting - choice of 3 patterns
Green Fairy Quilts - $25 gift certificate	Blossom Heart Quilts - copy of DIY Block Design
Mad About Patchwork - $40 gift certificate	Clover & Violet LLC - choice of 3 patterns
Fluffy Sheep Quilting - â�¬25 (25 Euro) gift certificate	Christa Quilts, copy of Machine Quilting With Style
7 Acres Cleared Fabric Shop, $50 gift certificate	Make Modern Magazine - 6 month subscription
Porch Swing Quilts, 2 winners, 3 patterns each	Sunny Day Supply - $30 gift certificate
Sew Sweetness, copy of Windy City Bags	Sew Sisters Quilt Shop, $25 gift certificate
On the Windy Side, pattern pack	Mariners Compass Quilt Shop, $50 gift certificate
Fat Quarter Shop, $50 gift certificate	Laurel Bee Designs, 2 pin bowls for 1 winner
Imagine Gnats, $40 gift certificate	Sew me a Song, $20 gift certificate
Simply Solids, Â£40 (40 Pound) gift certificate	Knotted Thread, $30 gift certificate
The Quilt Ranch, $25 gift certificate

InLinkz.com

All week long, there will be tutorials posted as part of the FAL celebration. Here is the schedule so you can visit them all. Look! Mine is on the 2nd, so check back!

April 1 - Leanne - She Can Quilt - Improv Herring Bone Table Runner
April 2 - Cindy - Fluffy Sheep Quilting - Quick & Easy Napkins
April 3 - Nicky - Mrs. Sew and Sow - Quilt as You Go Technique
April 4 - Jennie - Clover & Violet - TBD
April 5 - Rhonda - Rhonda's Ramblings - Enhancement to Pillowcases
April 6 - Stacey - SLO Studio - Canada - Fabric Printing

The 2016 Q1 linky is open below on my blog and on each of the hosting blogs. We are all sharing the same linky, so you only need to link on one blog for your finish to appear on each blog. As a refresher, the link-up "rules" are as folows:

Add one link for each Q1 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 use the 2016 FAL button or the hashtag #2016FAL
Please ensure that the photo or blog post you link up contains a link or reference back to your original Q1 list so that we can verify your entry.
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 2016 FAL Facebook page is here and follow us on Instagram @finishlong and tag your photos #2106FAL.
Our hosts will also link their finishes to share in the community, but they are not eligible for any of the prizes.

This linky party will stay open from now thru April 7 - 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. Give us a few days to dig through it all. We are expecting LOTS of finishes, but we will absolutely let you know when we have it all sorted out. While you wait, start making your Q2 FAL list as you'll find that linky opening right here on April 8.

An InLinkz Link-up

String Stars Baby Quilt

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Tue, 29 Mar 2016 07:00:00 +0000

There is a new small person joining my world in the next few months. (Before you get excited, it's not me expecting!) I want to make a baby quilt to be ready for their arrival. Now, I do not know if we are expecting a small boy or girl, so this will have to be a unisex quilt. In my head, you can never go wrong with scrappy stars - they're unisex, right? This time around I am going to give string stars a go.

Using the tutorial by Corey on Coriander Quilts, I printed out 72 templates and started stitching. I had cut a whole pile of 1 inch strings to stitch onto the paper templates, so these came together quite quickly. It was very meditative and I loved seeing the fabrics I loved finding a space next to one another. It is like being reunited with old friends.

After an IG poll, I have decided to use Essex Linen Medium Aqua as the background fabric. The lavender cross hatch did indeed win the popular vote, but when I had a good look at it in real life I did not like it nearly as much as I did the linen. You have to go with your gut, right?

This will be the last I show you of this quilt until the baby arrives. I need to keep a bit of surprise for when it is gifted. Until then, know I am quietly stitching away, loving every bit of it.

Fat Quarter Scarves

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Mon, 07 Mar 2016 08:00:00 +0000

I wear a lot of scarves. You see, my wardrobe is mostly block colored basics (tank, cardigan, jeans) so a scarf adds pattern, color variety and texture. I have tried to make an infinity scarf in the past, but I always feel like it's too tight/choking me/eating my head. Recently, Anna pointed out the Tea Rose Home tutorial where you can make a patchwork scarf of five fat quarters of quilting cotton. I had to try it.

When you look at the Tea Rose Home post, you'll see that her scarf is a bit shorter than one I would normally wear. I tend to wrap it fully around my neck so the two ends dangle in front. I decided, then to use six fat quarters to increase the length. In the first scarf, I combined Mon Ami, Hearty Good Wishes and Reel Time (from the shop), focusing on bringing together mustard yellows and navy blues. This seems to be a constant go-to color combo in my wardrobe.

I am quite pleased with how it came together. It's very quick, very easy to stitch together and doesn't look too patchworky when you're wearing it in a twisted ring around your neck. The length is good for me, so I am glad to have added that extra fat quarter.

Feeling optimistic, I pulled whites, creams and grey fat quarters from Reel Time, Mon Ami and Modern Background Paper to compliment my ever growing grey cardigan collection. Again, I was completely pleased with the result! Love how the fabrics give color variety/values, but do not stand out individually.

Both scarves are a bit thick, bulky and warm as compared to a voile scarf. In the Galway weather, that is entirely fine with me. I don't see these as an addition to my summer holiday wardrobe. (I don't really have one anyway, living in Ireland!) I imagine that they will become softer with washing.

My only regret with these scarves is that I didn't have the little pom pom edges as described in the Tea Room tutorial. They are completely fine as they are and I never would have thought of it until I saw that "extra" on her website. Next time, my friends.

Retreat Sewing

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Wed, 02 Mar 2016 08:00:00 +0000

To the retreat, I brought two projects that were small to me but would be big accomplishments if I could start (and finish!) either one of them. Both projects have been sitting in little zip lock baggies on my quilting frame, waiting for me to have the time or interest to pick them up and get sewing. To be honest, I liked them too much to just throw them out or give them away, but not enough to dedicate precious sewing time. It was a sad state of affairs for these WIPs. They were the first things into my suitcase...well before my toiletry bag!

First, my Swoon flying geese scraps. I collected these little triangular cut offs as I made my Swoon quilt and had decided to create a coordinating cushion. So, to get used to my featherweight I started chain stitching them together. After trimming them to 2.5 inch HSTs, I stitched this scrappy star together. It's quite large at 20 inches square, but I do really like it. I like that it will compliment the Swoon, but isn't a replicate block. Now to quilt her, make a back and finish her off!

The second project was a massive bag of selvages that was taking up space in my sewing cabinet. I have always liked the look of selvage projects, so I started collecting them. However, I had not worked with selvages before, so I didn't have a great idea of how many I'd need to collect to make a block or two. Well, my one zip lock bag made these pretty 10 inch square blocks. I have about 1/2 of a bag left plus I was lucky enough to inherit another bag from my friend Fiona, so I will easily have near enough to make a quilt top, using this and this as my inspiration. Making these blocks was so easy and immediately rewarding - a nice trip down memory lane revisiting my favorite prints. Happy days!

Brit Bee Weekender 2016

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 10:39:00 +0000

What took me so long to tell you about our awesome Brit Bee Weekender? Who knows. Life gets in the way. It has been wonderful re-living it all as I write this post :) Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start:

I was incredibly lucky to join the Brit Bee weekend hosted Feb 19-21! Super Susan was kind enough to pick me up from Birmingham airport and bring me to her home on Thursday night. On Friday morning as she made cake and lasagne (I drank tea) and then pre-cut her projects and packed her stash (I chattered away). We popped in the car and arrived at our retreat house by early Friday afternoon. There would be 8 other lovely ladies joining us that evening for a weekend of sewing, chatter, encouragement, a baby shower, a birthday celebration and delicious food. I was so lucky to be able to join in.

The house was lovely with one massive living room with dining room and kitchen. The dining table fit all 10 sewing machines. They were total work horses...except for my little featherweight. She stuck out, but sewed like a champ all weekend long.

Joining me were some of my favorite sewing people - Di and Trudi, who make such a wonderful team....

Hadley, Laura and Fiona who were total pros at organizing everyone's quilt top to be balanced with the colors evenly distributed....

and then many other wonderfully funny, smart ladies like Susan, Ceri, Liz, and Ange. We quickly settled in, threw fabric over every surface and started cutting/sewing. Thank goodness there was plenty of kitchen counter space for trimming and three or four ironing boards set up through the living space. We all had plenty of floor room, too, to set out our blocks before piecing tops together.

The total added bonus for me, but not Hadley, was Murphy. He was a curious, kind, playful one year old pup who was MASSIVE, fluffy and friendly. When I was missing my own Molly through the weekend, he was happy to have my attention and scratches.

Stay tuned this week and I will tell you about the pretties I made!