Welcome to The Joyful Quilter!! And... Welcome to the wonderful world of Project QUILTING hosted by Kim Lapacek @ Persimon Dreams!! This is my 6th year of participation in the Challenge. Trish Frankland @ QuiltChicken is the creator of the crazy challenges that participants will face during the next 10 weeks.
Sassy @ Farm Quilter got me started at the beginning of Season 11 by inviting her readers to join in the fun. I accepted her invitation and the rest is history. I wasn't sure if I would be dragging along my friend LeeAnna @ Not Afraid of Color for this season, as she has had some other things on her mind recently. However, I believe that she decided she's up for the challenge after all. Would YOU like to join me in this creative journey, too? Jump in at any time! The more the merrier. :o))
BEWARE: It's a wild ride, but oh SEW rewarding!
Challenges are given and start to finish you have ONE WEEK to complete your project. PQ 17.2 can be found at THIS LINK:
Step One...
Read the instructions to see what is required of the second challenge. Here's what Trish had to say:
PQ 17.2 Scads of plaid
"This week, I'd like you to explore plaid with your project - you could use actual plaid fabric, or you can make your own illusion of plaid with fabrics and form."
LIGHT BULB MOMENT!!! I immediately thought of this cozy flannel fabric, purchased at one of our Quilt Guild's silent auction events for super cheap:
Step Three... Imagine the possibilities.
While I have an appropriate fabric for my entry, I still need to come up with an idea that works for a challenge project.
Step Step Four... Any ideas, Joyful???
Well... YES!! I immediately envisioned a replacement pillow for a sweet little friend whose previously gifted pillow was destroyed in a house fire several years ago. I've made replacements for other family members, but haven't found my way to making hers. Has the time arrived? Maybe so!
Step Five...
Review the rules:
Rule One: Use plaid prominently in your project.
Projects need to be created during the week of the challenge (started on or after January 18, finished by January 25).
Your project does not need to be a traditional quilt, but must meet at least one of these three requirements:
have 3 layers stitched together by hand or machine.
Incomplete or unfinished does not qualify. Every challenge piece must be a FINISHED project seen through from INCEPTION to COMPLETION during the challenge timeline.
Incomplete or unfinished does not qualify. Every challenge piece must be a FINISHED project seen through from INCEPTION to COMPLETION during the challenge timeline.
Step Six... Gather Supplies:
This is where my personal goal of working with the Color of the Month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge fizzled and died. :o((
Or did it???
AQUA can be a shade of BLUE, right??? Look what was hiding in that same closet as the plaid!This bolt of fabric was also in that closet and it coordinates perfectly with the plaid I found:
I also have a Quilted Scrap Basket of AQUA scraps that I could use and that just happens to fit in the "current favorite color" pronouncement from the recipient:
Here is a bit of my construction process...
(Scroll down to the bottom of the post NOW, if you don't care to see a blow by blow of the making of my project.)
Days passed...
Crickets in the sewing room. Absolutely NO progress was made!
What happened next, Joyful???
That's a good question.
Keep reading...
On Wednesday I searched my scrap basket for additional inspiration. I discovered the orphan block shown in the lower left corner of the photo below and chose more bits to fill out the color palette I was building:
By the time Thursday rolled around...
I was ready to begin making the other blocks needed. This was the first:
Soon enough, there were 2 other blocks to fill out a square:
Friday found me layering this little quilt...
Using a scrap of batting and a bit of that bolt of fabric from the closet:
But quilting the plaid square came first:
With only a single day left to complete my project...
There was still much to be done! I started by developing a plan for embellishment and I went from this basic rectangle, waiting for applique...
To something a little more complex...
Before settling on the free cut "F" shown below:
Here is the quilted flannel panel with the letter applied...
I switched my attention to quilting the pieced block. That meant thread selection time:
The minimal quilting I did made the work go fast. Squaring up soon followed:
The moment of truth had arrived! Can I properly install my very first zipper in a pillow cover? The installation went well...
But...
I went back to THIS VIDEO to check the final steps and promptly forgot the advise given at Sew Emmy Designs about making sure you open the zipper before beginning to stitch around your pillow cover:
Fortunately, it was a quick fix! Then the cover was ready for turning:
Twenty-three (23) hours before the deadline, I present my completed entry for PQ 17.2:
Here is the reverse side of the pillow:
There is usually a reason that I participate in these challenges...
... And this time, it is because of a gift that has been a long time coming. The plaid was a path to that completion. It was the jumpstart I needed to get off my duff and start sewing!
There you have it...
Process, product, and the REAL reason for accepting this Challenge. Follow THIS LINK to the Season 17 overview. Check back on the Challenge release days (or sign-up to be notified automatically) and there may be one that YOU just can't resist. I'm pleased to have finished up with plenty of time before the Link Party ends. Yay, me! :o))
It's a SHORT turnaround time! Depending on the size and complexity of your project, that doesn't HAVE to be insurmountable. With a little creativity and a few evenings, you really CAN do this! As is my tradition, I managed to join the LINK PARTY on Sunday morning with 3 hours to spare.
Until next time...
Challenge accepted!!!
Remember: If I can do this, YOU can do it, too!
(Plus, there's a spot to post your completed Project QUILTING inspired projects AFTER the deadline for any of the challenges.)
Welcome to Week 4 of the 2025 Rainbow Scrap Challenge!! This is Month 3 of my retirement. It's incredible how much faster time is going now that I don't have to sit behind a desk or stand at a checkout several days each week! How did I ever find time to work?
We're starting the week with artwork from yesterday's Get Messy Retreat. During the event, I created this cover page for the beginning of my 2026 section of my current Hangout Journal as there were too many pages remaining to simply move on to a new journal:
SUNDAY - Weekly Morning Art Zoom found me making cover art for my 2024 Care December journal using a technique I don't often use. Trace the stencil first and fill in with color later. It's not my favorite, but it was a fun to do something out of my comfort zone:
Permission to Play workshop with Lisa Riehl:
After what feels like forever, I had a Zoom Call with Sue once the class was over:
Day 18 - The BATTING SCRAPS - If you don't USE them, toss them! If you do, sort them by type and sew them together to make "Frankenbatting" the size you need for your next project. Karen said... Me??? I have a HUGE drawer of leftover batting scraps that I dip into every time I make a small project. That means I'm digging into that drawer at least once a month, if not more! Any project baby quilt size or smaller? That's where the batting comes from. This is another category that I (unapologetically) will NOT be parting with.
MONDAY - Holiday
This afternoon, I enjoyed my Weekly Zoom Call with LeeAnna @ Not Afraid of Color:
Day 19 - The YARDAGE - Karen said... Me??? I actually USED some as my way of decluttering it. :o))
TUESDAY - Doctor Day
Nothing serious, just my annual physical.
Open Studio with Barb today. I started this small mixed media spread in my 2025 Care December journal inspired by an IG reel from Denise Love @ 2lilowlsstudio. Her piece was 3" x 3", but I upsized it to this ~ 6" x 8" page:
gesso on book page topped with watercolor, Stabilo All pencil, Stabilo Woody crayon, gel sticks, pencil
Day 20 - The FABRIC - Today is all about returning your fabric to its designated space. The question of the day, according to Karen @ Just Get It Done Quilts is this:
Given your limited space, do you WANT to make something with this fabric?
WEDNESDAY - Storm Warning errands and finally working on this week's PQ17.2 entry.
Day 20 - The QUILTS, ETC. - WHAT?!?! That's what I thought Karen was asking us to consider today. That was part of it. Are there quilts you've made for charity, but haven't donated yet? Put them in the hands of those who can help them fulfill their destiny. Today was also about putting the finishing touches on your space, if you decluttered along with the challenge. It might be a stack of something that you didn't have the time or energy to take care of or maybe you weren't able to get around to putting away last few yards of fabric. Whatever the case, today is another chance to get it done. Good luck to you! As for me, I'll be working on this week's ProjectQUILTING challenge entry.
THURSDAY - During today's Weekly Quilt Group, I showed the RSC Mini quilt I made last week...
After the quilters were gone, Britt and I did some color swatching in our Dina Wakely Ledger Journals thanks to some inspiration similar to this video from Denise Love:
FRIDAY - Knit Group was just the two of us today:
After lunch, I headed up to Get Messy's Open Studio with Deandra. I spent time chatting with my art friends, cutting out letters...
And words from junk mail:
During my Weekly Evening Art Zoom, I worked on the cover of my 2025 Care December journal:
SATURDAY - It's LINK PARTY day for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge! I hope you will join me in visiting Angela @ So Scrappy to see what the RSC Quilters have been up to this week.
I'll be finishing up my ProjectQUILTING entry for this week. Details in tomorrow's post, but it started with the BLUE orphan block in the bottom LEFT corner below:
Lapacek Family in Plaid PJs from Kim's Blog 17.2 LINK above.
