ScrapHappy Saturday - RSC26 - Week 18

Welcome to Week 18 of the 2026 Rainbow Scrap Challenge!!  This week included a little  getaway.  As I reenter normal life, there may be a bit of quilting, but that will have to wait for the end of the week.

Read on to see how the days passed...

SUNDAY - Yesterday was a travel day.  When the mountains are calling, I must go:

I haven't managed to connect to the hotel's Wi-Fi with my computer this morning. Weekly Morning Art Zoom went on without me today.  Alas, that also meant there was no Zoom or phone call with Knittingsuek, either.

We enjoyed some of the best brisket we've ever had.  Pop's Smokehouse is a BIG winner:

While DH went down to the conference registration desk, I enjoyed some knitting time.  Pleas notice the PINK scraps in the quilt I brought from home:

Our elevator photo on the way to dinner at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse:

MONDAY - Good morning, Cherokee!!

No Zooming with LeeAnna @ Not Afraid of Color.  I was in the depths of the casino when she reached out and neglected to check my phone for messages.  Why?  I was busy trying to break the bank while winning this casino cash:

Later, I scoped out the directions to this evening's "Sunset by the Soco" event:

Soon enough, it was time to head down...

After dinner, we decided to sit for a caricature with a local artist...

He drew this funny portrait of us:

TUESDAY - Tidy Up Tuesday

Today began in a haze of rain and fog...

Which required a cup of tea...

Before the skies cleared after lunch:

Since no conference dinner was planned, we headed back to Pop's Smokehouse for another round of brisket and sweet tea:

WEDNESDAY - Travel Day

THURSDAY - Weekly Quilt Group @ Candy's.  Sorry!  No photos.  Afterwards, Britt and I enjoyed an ARTventure in our Dina Wakely Ledger Journals.  I chose a floral to collage on, but didn't have time to do the cutting this afternoon:

FRIDAY - At Knit Group this morning, I forgot to take a photo until our Zoom call with Linda expired.  Here are Stacy, Beth and I acting a bit silly:

I spied a bit of ORANGE in Beth's husband's garden:

After a quick lunch, I headed up to Get Messy's Friday Friends Open Studio where I found a product tag on my table and decided to cover it in collage scraps:

In neighborhood news...

I notice that the neighbors at the end of the road appear to have finally moved in:

Later, I enjoyed visiting with my Weekly Evening Art Zoom friends.  Tonight I worked on a mountain memory spread in my personal journal:

SATURDAY - It's LINK PARTY day for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!  I hope you will visit Angela @ So Scrappy to see what the RSC Quilters have been up to this week.  I've got some chores to catch up on so I'm not sure when I'll be able to visit.  In the meantime, enjoy the ORANGE roses in my front garden.  Look closely!  The centers match the new Color of the Month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge:

Until next time...

Get SCRAPPY!!

Tidy Up Tuesday - The 100 Day Project - Week 9

Welcome to Week 9 of the 2026 edition of #100Days100ThingsDecluttered mini-series here at The Joyful Quilter!!  I'm participating in The 100 Day Project again this year.  It's particularly popular on Instagram.  I was originally hesitant to participate, but I've made good progress these last two years.  I'm releasing weekly updates on Tidy Up Tuesday for those who might be interested in seeing what goes out the door.

What did you say your project was, again, Joyful???

I signed up with a different idea in mind than most.  You can read about it HERE.  That link will tell you all about my project.

The gist of my focus...

Decluttering my home and studio in an effort to free up space for MORE creativity.

The BIG project update from last week in case you missed it...

#100Days100ThingsDecluttered Project Total: 102/100!!!

Never fear...

I'm NOT stopping here!!  I will continue to declutter my home and studio for the entirety of the 100 Day Project.  I still need to free up MORE space for more creativity.

Here's my progress for Week Nine:

I began working my way to the 200 item mark. We've passed the eight-week mark.  I'm still getting rid of the clutter for this year's challenge.  We were away, but I'm not giving up!

The following items left the house...

1 frayed computer cord

24 yards of fabric

1 rusted light fixture

Week 9 Total: 26/100

Updated 100 Day Project Total for Week 9:  128/100

No item filled box this week.  The electrical items went straight into the trash and the fabric went directly to a friend.

Thank you to those of you who take the time to encourage me in my decluttering efforts as I continue this challenge!  I appreciate those of you who have joined me in my quest.  

 Miss Pat (no blog) had the following to say after Week 8's post:

A friend from my Tai Chi class is helping me declutter in the attic (most of the stuff is my late husbands clutter and hoarding). Out went 8 metal file boxes and metal drawer units, a car seat only used once or twice when a grandson from Houston was here (11 years ago), more fabric, 8 Welch's jelly glasses and 10 coffee mugs. And lots of paper and miscellany. Phew.

My reply:

Oh, Pat! I'm so glad that you had a helper to work on the attic. You got some really good work done!

@dothe100dayproject

#The100DayProject

#DoThe100DayProject

#100Days100Things_TheDeclutterEdition

#100Days100ThingsDecluttered

#filltheboxjoy

Come back next week to see what goes in the box during the next 7 days.  You can also follow me on Instagram @thejoyfulquilter, if you are there more often than in BlogLand.

Until next time...

Do the 100 Day Project!!!

ScrapHappy Saturday - RSC26 - Week 17

Welcome to Week 17 of the 2026 Rainbow Scrap Challenge!!  This week will be filled with art, as usual, but there should also be a but of quilting tasks taking place.  Will there be any PINK scrap sewing?  That remains to be seen.

Let's start with...

The journal page I made during yesterday's Mid-Month Gathering at Get Messy with artist and author Sarah Gardner:

Continue with a walk through my week...

SUNDAY - Weekly Morning Art Zoom finished off this journal page with some PINK paint and a focal image which seemed to exude the creative empowerment theme...

And sewed on the binding of Blue and Green for Parrish:

No Zoom call with Knittingsuek, but a short phone call instead.

MONDAY - Sew Day

I stopped by Sit and Sew with Lisa before heading off to...

Zoom with LeeAnna @ Not Afraid of Color:

Oh, no!  I feel certain that I took a photo.  My phone must have eaten it.  :o((

While we chatted, I arranged the knitty stickers my friend Tracy gave me onto this page in my personal journal:

TUESDAY - Tidy-Up Tuesday

My Joyful Art Zoom with Belinda:

Here's what B did with today's inspiration photo:

Later... during Tuesday Explorers Open Studio on Get Messy I worked putting the finishing touches on the painting I started during my Zoom session with Belinda:

WEDNESDAY - Wonderful Wednesday

Art Day began with Midweek Meetup on Get Messy.  Today, I worked on another section of my backyard iris painting and STILL forgot to capture picture proof.  :o((

Later, I took in Susan Yeates' Spring in Your Sketchbook Masterclass:

Here's my take on the inspiration painting that Susan shared with us along with the stoke lesson before the bouquet painting began:

THURSDAY - Weekly Quilt Group @ Ruth S's house.  Sorry!  No photos.

Afterwards, Britt and I enjoyed an ARTventure in our Dina Wakely Ledger Journals:

FRIDAY - Knit Group:

After a quick lunch, I headed up to Get Messy's Friday Friends Open Studio where I finished up my backyard iris painting:

During my Weekly Evening Art Zoom, I realized that my Kuratake Gansai Tambi 24 color watercolor palette was missing from my journal so I swatched it in:

SATURDAY - It's LINK PARTY day for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!  I hope you will visit Angela @ So Scrappy to see what the RSC Quilters have been up to this week.  I'm not sure when I'll be able to visit.  Lots going on today, but here's the sum total of my PINK scrap sewing this week:

NOT A STITCH!!!  :o((

This little mini quilt was on and off the sewing table this week.  There were several times that I sat down to quilt it, but resisted each time.  Maybe next week!  Sigh.

Until next time...

Get SCRAPPY!!

Wonderful Wednesday - Blue and Green for Parrish - A Spring 2026 (Ravelry) UFO Club Finish

Welcome to another edition of Wonderful Wednesday!!  I'm here to share my 1st UFO finish of the Spring 2026 UFO Club. This quilt has been on and off my list for more years than I care to admit.  TEN YEARS to be exact.

When the year began...

This quilt was one of 12 quilt projects in the running for finishing.  Maybe it would rise to the top of my UFO List and I might actually find the wherewithal to complete the quilt.

5.  Blue and Green for Parrish (2016)

It began The IDEA of this quilt began when I heard a heartwarming story about a boy whose birthday wish was to be able to sleep under a quilt I had made for his sibling.

My quilting friends came to the rescue.  Seed blocks arrived from Preeti @ Sew Preeti Quilts back in 2016, but the project never made it to the top of the UFO List until...

It became one of my retreat projects in 2023 and I cut the final pieces for it on the last night.  Here is the layout that I planned before heading off to bed:

The next morning...

I was the only quilter in the sewing room and managed to finish up the quilt top with time to spare:

Special thanks to Preeti @ Sew Preeti Quilts for the brightly colored "Starter Blocks" for this quilt!!

A number of years later...

I decided that it needed to be bigger.

So...

Once again it waited.

Then...

Enter the 2026 UFO Challenge that my local Bee is hosting.

The quilt went on the list, but the first time its number came up, I opted to work on another project.  (That is totally within the guidelines for our challenge.)  I had a reason, but will need to look back to find it.  Oh!  I wanted to work on something else last month.

And this month...

It finally got the attention it so richly deserved.  I selected fabric for cornerstones...

Made the choice between border options...

Then binding and backing fabrics were chosen:

Soon enough...

The quilt top was complete:

Next came the creation of a quilt back:

Special thanks to Britt for making time to quilt it for me on her machine:

I feel SEW lucky to have such a good friend!!

Since I wanted it done with a pattern that was outside my comfort zone, I asked Britt to quilt it for me.  We had a studio consultation prior to one of our ARTventure days and was returned a couple of weeks later.

With the quilting done, that only left the trimming and binding!!!

Here it is all squared up:

The binding was sewn on not long after:

And...

That binding was attached during this past Sunday's art time and was sewn down during Monday's Weekly Zoom Call with LeeAnna @ Not Afraid of Color.

If you're in the Quilters Knitting group on Ravelry you may have already seen it, but...

It's DONE!!!  Here's the picture proof in my customary porch swing picture:

This is the same quilt on our living room sofa:

In case you'd like to see the back:

I'm SEW glad that this quilt has been completed.  It was moved up the list based on a sad story I heard when I was in Florida last month.  The quilt will soon be making its way to England to comfort its intended recipient.

I might not have completed this quilt without the UFO Challenge hosted by my Bee.  Thanks, Maggie, for suggesting we play the UFO Number Game and to Britt for taking the lead.  This is my 1st finish for the Spring 2026 session of the UFO Club on Ravelry.  It's my 4th finish of our Bee's UFO Challenge and I couldn't be happier.

Until next time...

Mark another UFO off the list!!