Wednesday 30 September 2015

2015 Finish-Along - Q3 Finishes

Woohoo - it's the end of Q3 and time to link up your finishes!  I hope you've had a productive quarter and I can't wait to check out what you've been making.

Here is a quick reminder of the rules:

The Rules:

- At the start of each quarter there will be a linky party for you to link up your proposed list of finishes. You must link up in order to be able to be eligible for those prizes at the end.  Please only enter ONE blog post or flickr photo or instagram photo at this starting link-up.

- In order for your projects to be eligible, they must at least be a tangible project at the start of the quarter.  That means, at the very least, a pile of fabric pulled along with a pattern, or a quilt top needing to be quilted, or a half knit jumper. I love seeing your bee blocks, but they won't count unless you happen to be turning them all into a fully completed quilt!

- As you complete each of your projects on your list, write a post all about it, or a description of a Flickr pic.

- At the end of the quarter, link up each individual post/Flickr pic (please link back to your original list in some way). For each finish/link you complete, you get an entry into the draw, and therefore it's in your best interest to write up a separate post for each!

- A finish is defined as a completely finished project, eg a quilt, quilted and bound, a bag that's fully lined and functional, or a jumper that one could wear out in public. I'm happy for you if you get a quilt top completed in one quarter, but hold onto it for the next quarter and see if you can get it quilted and bound before entering please.

- You won't be punished if you don't finish your entire list, so feel free to make a big list and roll projects over from one quarter to the next if you need to.

- All qualifying finishes will be put into a prize draw, and the names drawn at random for each of the prizes donated by our sponsors for that quarter.

- The finish link party will be open for a week, and then the next quarter will open on the following day.

- During the week that the finish link party is open, there will be a series of tutorials appearing here on the blog. If you'd like to contribute a tutorial, please drop me an e-mail at adrianneonthewindyside at gmail dot com.

- The FAL is open to anyone, anywhere in the world.

I'd love if you'd spread the word about the FAL by popping my button in your post or on your blog.  You can grab the code for a large button or a small button below:

2015 FAL at On the Windy Side

2015 FAL at On the Windy Side

The awesome prizes for Q3 of the 2015 Finish-Along, provided by our wonderful sponsors:


Rachael from imagine gnats is providing a $30 gift voucher.


Sara from Sew Sweetness is providing 3 patterns of the winner's choice.



Becca from sew me a song is providing a $25 gift voucher.


Green Fairy Quilts is providing a $25 gift voucher.


Mad About Patchwork is providing a $30 gift voucher.


Juliet from Tartankiwi is providing 3 patterns of the winner's choice.


Alyce from Blossom Heart Quilts is providing a copy of one of her gorgeous patterns.


The team at Make Modern are providing a copy of the current issue of their magazine for two winners.


Jennie from Porch Swing Quilts is providing three lucky winners with two patterns of their choice each.


Laurel from Laurel Bee Designs is providing two pin dot magnetic pin bowl in the winner's choice of colours.

On the Windy Side

And finally, I will be providing a copy of each of my self-published patterns to a winner (full disclosure - at the moment there is only the one!).

So, start linking up.  The linky party closes on 6 October at 11:00 p.m. PST - if you're in a different time zone, please check and make sure you know what time that is in your part of the world so you don't miss the close.  World Time Buddy is my favourite time converter.  I'll remind you closer to the closing time.

Please make sure you link up a separate post for each finish.  If you need a refresher on how to link up, Katy from The Littlest Thistle did a post which explains how to use the link-up tool really well - you can find it here.

Using instagram to link up

If you're planning to use instagram to link up, Katy from The Littlest Thistle has done another tutorial on how to link from instagram using your computer (here).  If you are working on your phone or your tablet, Rhonda's tutorial on how to link from instagram (here) is for you.

How to delete your own links

If you add a link with an error or that wasn't on your original list and you want to delete it, you can do this yourself.  Hover your mouse over the thumbnail image of the link you want to delete, and a grey bar will appear at the bottom of the image.  On the right hand side, there will be a small rubbish bin / trash can icon - click on that to delete your link.  You can only delete your own links and it generally works best if you delete a link using the same device you used to add the link.  If for some reason, this is not working for you, let me know and I will delete the link for you - but please have a try at deleting it yourself first!


Monday 28 September 2015

2015 Finish-Along - Q3 reminder

Hi lovely people.  This is just a quick reminder to let you know that the linky for Q3 finishes will be opening soon (on Wednesday 30 September, in fact).  You'll then have a week to get your very last minute finishes done and linked up before the linky closes on 6 October at 11 p.m. PST.

If you need the code for the button you can find it right here:

2015 FAL at On the Windy Side

2015 FAL at On the Windy Side

Get stitching and I look forward to seeing your finishes!

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Saturday 26 September 2015

Caturday Wisdom #139

Sing like nobody's listening. Ivy

Ivy is actually mid-yawn here, but she does like to have a good old yowl - only if she thinks you're not paying attention though!

Monday 14 September 2015

Taupata star mini quilt (a Natty collaboration)

Since I moved to my little suburb a few years ago, I've enjoyed watching it change and come to life with the addition of new shops and eateries. One of these new places is Natty, a workshop and retail space just up the road from me.

Taupata star mini 

Cat and Fiona are the creative forces behind Natty, and together they design and make a range of lovely gifty things.  I popped in a few months ago for a chat and to scope out the shop, and fell in love with this Taupata leaf design which appears on a few products, including this tea towel.  Cat and Fiona were kind enough to print the design for me on my favourite Essex yarn dyed linen in black using beautiful gold ink.

I recently started experimenting with english paper piecing, and thought this fabric would be perfect for some fussy cutting and hand stitching.  To make these shapes, I used 60 degree diamond templates, and paired the hand printed fabric with some Carolyn Friedlander fabric with complementary gold accents.

Taupata star mini 

Once I stitched my star together, I set it on an ivory Essex linen background and machine stitched it in place.  With a nice plain background, I thought some free motion quilted texture was in order.  I've long admired the way Jess from Elven Garden Quilts quilts her quilts, and one of the things I think she does really successfully is to use straight lines in her free motion quilting.  I used lots of straight lines in the quilting of this mini, echoing the star shape and playing with triangles and diamonds.

Taupata star mini

I'm pretty delighted with how the quilting came out on this quilt.  The lines aren't perfectly straight, but I like the organic, imperfect look.  I have a larger quilt ready for quilting and I'm planning to play with free motion quilted straight-ish lines on that one too.

If you're looking for cute, locally designed and made gifts, Natty is definitely worth a look.  If you're visiting in person, make sure you check out my local bakery, Baker Gramercy - their loaves and other treats are delicious.

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Saturday 12 September 2015

Caturday Wisdom #137

Good things come to those who wait.  Ralph

I heard a very quiet rustling sound in the hallway and came out to find this.  It's been a long time since Ralph managed to get his paws on a roll of toilet paper to shred.  It's apparently hugely satisfying for him - I have to keep my toilet paper on top of the bathroom cabinet where he can't get it it, otherwise it ends up in thousands of tiny pieces.  Clearly on this day I was distracted before I put it back, much to Ralph's delight (and my chagrin).

Saturday 5 September 2015

Caturday Wisdom #136

Stay curious.  Ivy

Ivy is a very curious cat, both in the sense of being interested in the world around her, and also in the sense of being rather strange.  Jennifer is off swanning around Europe for a few weeks, so I'm back on Caturday duty.   Ivy will miss her, mostly because she is the provider of Ivy's favourite foods (eggs, and coffee), and more inclined to use the heating in the house.  No doubt I'll be getting lots of extra cat cuddles over the next couple of weeks.

Tuesday 1 September 2015

Lizzy House lecture and trunk show

As part of Lizzy House's tour down under, I have organised a lecture and trunk show in Wellington so that Lizzy can share her story and work with a wider audience.


Lizzy will present the lecture and trunk show on Wednesday 14 October 2015, at Wellington SPCA's Newtown Centre, at 140 Alexandra Road, Newtown, Wellington.  Doors will open at 7:00 p.m. for a 7:30 p.m. start.

The venue isn't huge, so tickets are strictly limited to 75 in total, and cost $10 per person.  If you would like to come to the lecture, you will need to buy a ticket in advance, and you can do this by emailing me at adriannereid @ gmail dot com and I will send you my account number so you can pay me $10.

Once I have received your payment, I will put your name on the list and send you a numbered ticket which you can print out at home and bring on the night.

I'm really excited for a wider audience to be able to come and meet Lizzy and hear her story - I hope you're excited too!

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