Just made it.

Thank you for all your helpful suggestions regarding how to fix the f*** ups in the last quilt, I'm delighted that everyones suggestions were positive!  Massively disappointed that none of you had any suggestions that didn't involve hard work though... I don't know, not one trick or quick fix amongst you?  Really?  Must just be me that operates that way....  Anyway, to update on that, I shall be putting said quilt away and hiding it for a few weeks as I do not have the will to go back and stitch every dodgy petal just yet.  It shall come out again; when I can look at it without pouting, scowling and generally muttering profanities.  It shall be my first entry for Leanne's 2013 Finish along!

Can I just sneak in one more finish before the year is out?  Pretty please?

Yes, it is my very own Stained II, from the slowest Quilt Along Ever...  And yes, in my hurry to get it on a 2012 blog it still has the sodding pins in it... d'oh!  But then the photo is so dark and rubbishly placed and actually out of focus I doubt the fact that there's pins in it really makes a blind bit of difference.  Note for 2013 - when man eventually comes home insist on a picnic / lets take all the quilts on a road trip and see if I cant get one bloody picture I like!!!

The Stained QAL was my first time hosting anything never mind a whole Quilt Along.  Might have been a teeny bit over ambitious but thankfully the pattern was soooo simple to put together no one needed to be told how to! (bad host... sorry)  Stained QAL and the Japanese Charm Swap were definitely the most time consuming things I did this year, but they were so much fun, and I am so glad I dived in and just did it.  Happy happy, and that's thanks to you guys!  

I'm hopeful that the lurgy is on its way out as I'm starting to stay awake for more than half an hour at a time now, although I'm still a veritable snot machine and am onto the kitchen roll now.... mmm...scratchy...but certainly more absorbent...  

Cant quite decide if I'm up to seeing the new year in at the sewing machine like last year.  I might.  But then again a quilt and a large glass of mulled wine (or two) is sounding darned appealing right now.  

I shall leave you with a mosaic of all the versions of Stained to have appeared on the Stained QAL Flickr Group Page.  I cant begin to tell you how amazing it's felt to have people actually want to make this quilt!  I love how different they all look, it's incredible!  Often when I make something I sit and think "maybe this would have looked better in some other fabric".  I've said before, I am utterly useless at making the same thing twice, so its been such a fantastic treat to have people do that for me *wink*.

1. staind picnic, 2. qal9, 3. Stained finis!, 4. IMAG1102, 5. Stained - Finish!, 6. Neon Stained, 7. Stained QAL All Done, 8. Stained Quilt Top Detail, 9. Stained Colourful Finished, 10. apples1, 11. Stained quit top done. But rainy day=bad pics, 12. Stained Quilt finished 2, 13. stained on bench, 14. DSCF6839_WCC, 15. Stained so far, 16. Little Apples Stained quilt finished, 17. stained quilt all finished, 18. Stained Blue - Stained Quilt QAL, 19. Shattered Stained Navy, 20. IMG_1028, 21. Echo Stained, 22. Stained Glass top finished, 23. Folded over a sign, 24. Stained II - finished, just..., 25. black monkey, 26. Block 1c, 27. Not available, 28. blok 1c29. Not available30. Not available

A massive, heartfelt thank you to all those who joined in, it was wonderful!  If anyone isn't finished yet, don't worry - it is the slowest QAL ever after all, and the group will stay open as I love popping in from time to time.

All that remains to be said is that I wish everyone a very happy new year!  Lets hope for love, for health and for some bloody good fun :-)  (and a bigger fabric budget...)