The Guest Blogger(s) - Vol. 27 - Sockjeannieous Sews

Welcome to another edition of The Guest Blogger(s)!!  It's a new year and a new challenge.  We also have a new participant without a blog presence on the internet.  Welcome, Sockjeannieous from the Quilters Knitting group on Ravelry!

Here is what Jeannie had to say about her project...

I'm going to give the 2022 Table Scrap Challenge a try.  I haven't quilted or bound a quilt in about 2 years so these small items will be good practice for me.  Here is my January entry:

Give Jeannie's project some quilty love in the comments below.  I know that you enjoyed seeing her darling SNOWMAN in a sea of RED scraps as much as I did!  Thank you for sending a photo for the blog, Jeannie.  I'm happy to post your project to inspire others to USE those scrappy bits that we quilters seem to accumulate!

Link Party REMINDER...

The January 2022 TABLE SCRAPS Link Party will be open from  Friday, January 28th @ 12:01 AM - MONDAY, January 31st @ 11:59 PM.  I hope that YOU join in the scrappy fun!

NOTE:  February's prompt will be released at that time and the Color of the Month will be added when it becomes available.  Check in with Angela @ So Scrappy, if you don't see it here.

Until next time...

SEW those table scraps!!!

Tidy Up Tuesday - Declutter Challenge 2022 - The Quest Continues

Welcome to another edition of Tidy Up Tuesday!!  Because of Karen @ Just Get It Done Quilts and her Declutter Challenge 2022, I have gotten rid of a fair amount of clutter in my studio.  Is the space tidy and organized?  Not by a long shot!  Is it better than it was?  

Let's have a look at what happened since last week's post...

Day 12 - Appliances and Devices

At first, I thought I was going to be able to take a pass for today's assignment.  As I had focused on Karen's use of the word ELECTRONICS and read through her last of items that might be found in our spaces, but then I changed my focus to the part that said "anything with a cord."

That's when I remembered this steamer purchased at a long ago Home Show at the state fair grounds and knew it HAD to go:

Day 13 - Notions

The photo below shows 17 bobbin holder pins and 225 safety pins of various sizes that went into the box for the (postponed) Silent Auction:

Day 14 - Catch Up

You know what that means, don't you?  I took a dive back into the magazine shelf.  I'm pleased to say that (as far as I know) there are only 2 cubes remaining to be sorted.    Yet ANOTHER 25 magazines went into the donate box...

... Which is beginning to look fairly full.  That other paper box off to the side is almost completely empty, so I'm considering this a win:

Day 15 - UFOs

This is the day that I have been dreading.  I've got a ready excuse for NOT dealing with this category today.  My UFOs are still packed in boxes.  I can't get to them.  I've got to get the longarm set up.  Are you sensing a theme?  ANYTHING to avoid these long forgotten projects!!

Hmm... Maybe...  I did get rid of 12 more magazines, empty another box, and hang my long rulers on the hooks that I installed the other day - which cleared 5 rulers off my cutting table:

Day 16 - Kits

Karen considers bundles of fabrics (with or without a pattern) to be a separate category.  I agree.  However, I have never called them kits.  I think of them as projects.  With potential.  :o))

Here is the spot (a bin tucked in the cabinet below my cutting table) that has been designated to hold these... Or at least SOME of them:

Day 17 - Scrap Management

I knew this was coming, but Karen was kind to us.  Today was about pulling out all the scraps and seeing just how big Scrap Mountain is (SEW not going there, as I only recently moved my entire studio!) and then setting up a space for our fabric scraps.  I've got that!

Before I show you the photos, which you may have seen if you visit my blog often, I have a confession to make...

You see, I am a Scrap Quilter with a Capital "S".  Almost EVERY project I make is made from scraps!  The boundaries I have set consist of going through each gifted bag when it arrives and pulling out the fabrics that I know I will not used in my quilts.  Those go into a reusable grocery bag to offload onto some unsuspecting quilter share with some other lucky quilter at the next guild meeting.

Here is the GIANT drawer that I have designated for scrap bag storage when we moved into this house at the end of the summer:

To give you a bit of perspective, it's 16.5" wide, 16.5" deep and slides into the wall nearly 2.5 FEET!!

And THIS is my Scrap Center - with many of my scraps sorted by color, as I participate in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge each year.  I am pleased to report that ALL of the magazines (left from Day 14) that I'm keeping (except for the 2 foot tall stack of Quilters Newsletter Magazines that I might NEVER part with!) stored along the bottom shelf:

You can find the tutorial for my Quilted Scrap Baskets HERE.

Day 18 - Batting

As with my fabric scraps, the batting scraps got their own GIANT drawer when I moved into my new studio space.  I'm SEW relieved that they are no longer in a HUGE teetering stack in a corner!  I pull from here EVERY time a new mini, topper, or runner quilt top is ready to be layered.  There are a number of batting types and a variety of sizes.  Many of them are labeled with the size and I just rummage through until I find a piece that suits the project.  The offcuts from longarming my own quilts are stored together in bags by brand (i.e. all of the Warm and Natural is in one bag and all of the Quilter's Dream in another) in the same drawer:

Remember:  This drawer measures 16.5" x 16.5" x nearly 2.5 feet!!

While going through the Declutter Challenge, I was inspired to make further progress on my space.  Going above and beyond the daily prompts took me from WORSE than this...

... To NEARLY ready to set up the longarm:

I'm pleased with my progress, thus far.  Whatever the final days of the challenge hold, I'm prepared to make the most of them.

Until next time...

Reclaim your space!!!

ScrapHappy Saturday - RSC22 - Week 2

 Welcome to Week 1 of the 2022 Rainbow Scrap Challenge!!  Another week, another chance to do SOMETHING in the studio.  Did I accomplish anything?

Let's take a look...

SUNDAY - Project QUILTING's first deadline of Season 13 was today.  Do YOU PQ???  I do!  Find my post for Challenge 13.1 HERE:

I was fortunate enough to have Britt come crack the whip er... guide me in some unpacking, decluttering, and organizing:

When she abandoned me er... went home, I zoomed with LeeAnna @ Not Afraid of Color:

MONDAY - Released my center block for the 2022 Stay at Home Round Robin (SAHRR).  It's hosted by Gail @ Quilting Gail and some of her friends.  It's not too late for YOU to join in the fun:

TUESDAY -  You might recall that I committed to doing some decluttering in the new studio with Karen @ Just Get It Done Quilts.  Find this week's update in THIS POST:

WEDNESDAY - Guess what happened today?!  I was home in time to Zoom with LeeAnna @ Not Afraid of Color on our "regular" day and you NEVER would have known that we talked only a few days ago:

THURSDAY - It was a BIG day at work today.  Inventory day.  Here's the cloud covered sunset that greeted me afterwards:

Tonight's highlight was the hanging of my rainbow clock.  One step at a time, the studio is beginning to feel more like home:

Friday - Guess what?  Guess what?!?!  Today was the day that I went to pickup my longarm from its week at the spa:

And...

Tonight was the night that my All the Colors challenge entry made it to the spot that it was design for.  Imagine my surprise when I found that it fit the space perfectly!  If you think I measured, you would be incorrect, as this piece what completely improv'd:

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 thought I might have some RED scraps to share, but maybe not.

Until next time...

Get SCRAPPY!!

Tidy Up Tuesday - Declutter Challenge 2022 - Back at It

Welcome to another edition of Tidy Up Tuesday!!  My studio is currently a dumping ground for all of the quilty things that were stuffed in my last studio (until we moved at the end of last summer.  I'm on a quest to make my new studio more usable.  Karen @ Just Get It Done Quilts is helping me with her Declutter Challenge 2022. If nothing else occurs, the number of magazines in my studio will be significantly reduced and there will be a little extra shelf space.

Let's see how I did since last week's post...

Day 5 - The Pattern File

The pattern file is still in hiding after our move, but magazines are filled with patterns.  Today, I put 25 more in the donation box..

... Including this Summer 1989 issue of Country Quilts:

Day 6 - The Archive Pile

The plan was to take the items off my bulletin board and declutter the board itself.  As you can see, I didn't get very far with that:

Day 7 - Catch-up

Britt came over to help unload some of the boxes you see in the background of the photo below.  In the process, we decluttered a number of items and found homes for many more:

Thanks, B!!  You are such a good friend.

Day 8 - Pins and Needles

Sorry, Karen!  The only pins and needles were shooting through my feet today.  (Some weird muscular reaction to last night's Covid booster, along with a variety of other not so pleasant side effects.)

Day 9 - Thread

These old spools, and the accompanying bobbins for a machine that I no longer own, went into the donate box:

Day 10 - Rulers and Cutting Mats

I would like to have shown you that I hung my larger and longer rulers.  There are spots for these on the side of my cutting table.  You know?  The ones that don't fit in drawers!  Alas, there wasn't enough energy this evening to figure out the spacing, but I do have the self-sticking hangers to get the job done over the upcoming weekend:

Day 11 - Scissors and Cutters

Here is my collection of today's featured items...

Sorry, Karen, I'm not parting with any of them!  They belong in this little drawer on the side of my cutting table and each have their own purpose in the studio:

We didn't get any warning about tomorrow's featured category.  I'm a bit anxious to discover what it will be.  Whatever it is, I'm ready.

Until next time...

Reclaim your space!!!

Mini Monday - SAHRR - Center Block

Welcome to a new edition of Mini Monday!  It's been a while since the last post in this series.  Today, I'm here to reveal my center block for this year's SAHRR.

What's THAT?!?!

SAHRR is the Stay at Home Round Robin hosted by Gail @ Quilting Gail blog.  (Follow the link to find out more, as it's not too late for YOU to join in!)  If you've been following my blog for more than a year, you might recall that I participated last year.  If you are new here, you will just have to take my word for it, the QAL was fun and I enjoyed the design challenge. 

What will your center be this year, Joyful???

My center is an orphan block which was found in a drawer beside my sewing machine.  I apologize to its maker, as I no longer recall whose scrap bag it came from.  It may not be quite SEW mini as some of you might expect from me, but...

It has a little bit of a story to go along with it...

... Last week when LeeAnna @ Not Afraid of Color asked about what block I would use for this year's SAHRR, I had to admit that I didn't have a clue.  As soon as I admitted that, a lightbulb moment occurred!

I reached down into one of the storage drawers beside my sewing table, rummaged around for a short while and plucked out this block:

It's (mainly) RED in honor of January's Rainbow Scrap Challenge hosted by Angela @ So Scrappy so I decided it was the perfect start to my project:

Fair warning...

It probably won't progress the same as the projects of others might.  The growing quilt will tell me how to proceed.  Keeping up will be the real challenge, as it was always the reason I never participated in the making of a "real" Round Robin quilt.    We'll just have to wait and see how this goes.  I'm planning to try to complete it in a new (for me) way with this quilt along.  (Last year I completed my top as a ROW Robin.)

What have you gotten yourself into now, Joyful???

Well,  I'm starting "on time" this year, so that's a bonus!  Here's the schedule for this year's SAHRR event:

January 10 - Center Block - Gail @ Quilting Gail

Visit this link to see everyone's starting point!

January 17 - Round 1 - Anja @ Anja Quilts

January 24 - Round 2 - Emily @ The Darling Dogwood

January 31 - Round 3 - Roseanne @ Home Sewn By Us

February 7 - Round 4 - Wendy @ Pieceful Thoughts

February 14 - Round 5 - Gail @ Quilting Gail

February 21 - Round 6 - Chris @ Chrisknitssews

February 28 - Link-Up for Finished Quilts - Gail @ Quilting Gail

Thank you to each participating blogger!  I'm looking forward to each new round's reveal.  Although, I'm not promising to keep up with everyone else.  There's a currently LOT going on in my studio!  It's Project QUILTING season AND there is a commission quilt waiting to be completed.  I will try to my best (even if that means falling a week behind like last year.)

Until next time...

QUILT a Round (robin)!!!

Project QUILTING - Season 13.1 - All the Colors

All the Colors

Welcome to The Joyful Quilter!!  And... Welcome to the wonderful world of Project QUILTING hosted by Kim Lapacek @ Persimon Dreams!!  This is my 3rd year of participation in the Challenge.  Trish Frankland @ QuiltChicken is the creator of the crazy challenges that participants will face during the next 12 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.  As was the case last year, I will be dragging along my friend LeeAnna @ Not Afraid of Color again this season, as she enjoys having a reason to stretch her creative wings.  Would YOU like to join me in this creative journey, too?  

FAIR WARNING:  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 13.1 can be found at THIS LINK.

Step One...

Read the instructions to see what is required of the first challenge.  Here's what Trish had to say:

... For this week’s challenge I’m not limiting you to using just one or two colors – I’m requiring that instead, you revel in ALL THE COLORS! I want to see your brightest, happiest, rainbowy-est projects made in less than one week

What can you make that’s very, very colorful? Have fun with this, and don’t get jammed up counting colors or clinging to a rainbow. Just make it a lot, and most importantly: JUST MAKE IT. Do the thing, and get it done by the deadline.

Step Two...

Jump up and down, shouting with joy.

Why, Joyful???

Well, this challenge was practically MADE for me!!  If you've visited before, you know that I love nothing more that a good RAINBOW project.  :o))

Step Three...

Gather supplies:

Tutorial for these baskets can be found HERE.

Step Four...

Review the rules:

RULE 1: YOUR PROJECT MUST BE COLORFUL – AT LEAST 5 COLORS MUST BE PRESENT.

You have one week to meet the challenge. Every challenge piece must be a FINISHED project seen through from INCEPTION to COMPLETION during the challenge timeline – that is, started on or after January 2, 2022, and posted by noon Central Time January 9, 2022.

Step Five... PLAY!!!

Here is a sampling 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 quilt.)

Arrange the colors in rainbow order and fill in with b/w strip sets:

Test a black and white strip set for the final row:

Ultimately...

I decided on a layout:

And changed it before assembling the rows:

Everything was pressed nice and flat:

Using the prize won in my very first PQ challenge link-up. Thanks, again, Oliso!

A scrap chunk was chosen for the backing...

And I found a fun black and white print that I was considering for a border:

Then auditioned a black scrap, but didn't feel like it worked as well:

The backing is RED, a scrap from a friend and a nod to my participation in the 2022 Rainbow Scrap Challenge:

You can also see what I did for the quilting.

 

With more 24 hours remaining until the deadline, all that I had left to do was apply and stitch down the binding:

Bonus point for USING strip sets found in the scrap bag shown in the background.
Diane just gave it to me LAST WEEK!!!  :o))

With right at 12 hours until the deadline, I present my completed entry for PQ 13.1, displayed on the arm of the sofa in our living room:

Sorry!  No beauty shots, as I'm recovering from my Covid booster.

There is usually a reason that I participate in these challenges...

... And this time, it was two-fold.  The prompt was "made for me" and the Project QUILTING challenge has become a habit.

 Since I quilt small, I don't necessarily use up a bunch of scraps, but at least I used some of them!!  :o))

There you have it...

Process, product, and the REAL reason for accepting this Challenge.

Follow THIS LINK to the Season 13 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.

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!  My project was begun shortly after the prompt was announce but was finished with only 36 hours until the deadline.  Even so, I will link up with only a few hours to spare.  (I just couldn't stay up until midnight in order to join earlier.)

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.)

Sharing with Alycia

for

Finished (Or Not) Friday

and

With Cynthia

for

Oh Scrap!

ScrapHappy Saturday - RSC22 - Week 1

Welcome to Week 1 of the 2022 Rainbow Scrap Challenge!!  This past week was crazy weather-wise.  It was gloriously sunny with temps near 80* on Saturday and then it absolutely POURED rain on Sunday night and on Monday we got sleet and snow!  Crazy, right?

That being said, I still have a few things to share with you...

SUNDAY - Fall 2021 (Ravelry) UFO Club - The Results

Season 13 of Project QUILTING began today with the release of Challenge 13.1 and I've got some thinking (and sewing!) to do:

Zooming with LeeAnna @ Not Afraid of Color:

Sewing the beginnings of this week's Project QUILTING challenge:

MONDAY - Winter 2022 - Ravelry UFO Club - The List

We woke up to this downed tree which landed on the shop roof:

And then sleet...

Followed by snow:

And MORE sewing:

Don't you just LOVE those black and white end units?  Thanks, Diane!

TUESDAY - Tidy Up Tuesday and a trip around the world. (At least, my little corner of it.)

Maggie's for a fabric swap:

And the return of a ruler set she loaned me long ago.  Sorry, Maggie!

Dee Dee's to drop off a gift that I won, but haven't used:

I was happy to hear that you were looking for one of these tool holders.  Enjoy!!

And...

The Beast...

... (Along with its carriage) Was finally on its way to the doctor:

Ignore the recycling in the back of DS2's car!

SEW...

I've committed to doing some decluttering in the new studio with Karen @ Just Get It Done Quilts:

I discovered that the 2022 Stay at Home Round Robin (SAHRR) is now underway.  It's hosted by Gail @ Quilting Gail and some of her friends:

WEDNESDAY - Back to work... Sigh.  Then I remembered my favorite part of this job:

Another glorious sunset!

THURSDAY - ZoomBEE this morning.  I actually able to attend and visit with these lovely ladies:

Sorry, Candy!  I forgot to snap another group photo when you popped into the meeting.  :o((

Friday - Missing ZoomKNIT, again?  I'm thinking of my knitting friends.  I'll share one special knit-related ornament before we take the tree down this evening:

Hand knit by my friend Tracy. Thanks again, T!  It's a fun knitty addition to our tree each year.

WAIT!!  Just a minute...

I have a later schedule today so was able to pop in long enough to say hello to these knitting friends:

Happy New Year to you and those who were in attendance this morning!

After a full day of work, I went to get my Covid Booster:

After dinner I worked on RED for RSC:

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.  Even though it's not my favorite color, I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone is doing with their RED scraps!

Until next time...

Get SCRAPPY!!