Tidy Up Tuesday - Doubly Challenged {Quilted Basket}

Welcome to another edition of Tidy Up Tuesday!!  Most of you know that Judy @ Busy Hands Are Happy Hands and I have been challenging each other for most of the year.  Our Quilted Basket Challenge has been SEW much fun!  When it wasn't busy being infuriating.

What can I say???

November's basket was of the latter variety.  It happens.  I was thisclose to throwing in the towel.  In walks LeeAnna @ Not Afraid of Color with a challenge of her own!

Let me explain...

I began piecing basket bits right along with my other RSC projects:

One Kitchen Quilt and one Gallery Wire Mini later, I was DONE with the LIGHT Neutral thing!!  In my head, I was going to knock out that basket in no time.  In reality, the end of the month was fast approaching and that basket was kicking my butt!

I had gotten a good start on it at the beginning of the month:

I tried again near the middle of the month:

I had every excuse in the world and a project list a mile long...

The longarm loaded and divested of it cargo several times during November.  I had donation quilts and client quilts coming out my ears.  I wanted to PLAY!!  Maybe I was whining to LeeAnna about the basket.  I presented her with the following options:

There are a whole bunch of maybes on my list, but I have yet to determine which items will catch my interest.

1 Deliver quilt to Joanna.

2 Load the next LWR quilt.

3 Piece that BLEEPING basket!

4 Try to take a layer off the cutting table.

5  Break bad and play with my multi colored prints!

What would YOU do?!?!

To which LeeAnna replied:

I'd force myself to do the basket. then check it off the list and my mind.

My offhanded response elicited a laugh from my challenger:

Further evidence that I am SEW not you.  :P

I loaded the next LWR quilt on the frame and took a Craftsy class while turning the heel of my sock.

I guess I'm on the naughty list!

Well...

I resisted still.  Suddenly it was the LAST day of the month!  Did I REALLY want to fail at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge?

I made it through half the day without caving to the pressure and then found that I was FINALLY up for the task.  I made additional units to fill in the gaps:

The basket panel was arranged and rearranged:

Then, like magic, it practically pieced itself together:

Off-cuts from two of the most recent quilts off the longarm were auditioned for basket lining:

A scrap of batting was located and layered with top and back:

Pin basting...

... Was followed by quilting:

As my family was starting to ask about dinner, I was squaring up the quilted basket panel:

By the time I went down to make dinner, the basket was all but done.  Only the binding remained:

Here is my completed LIGHT Neutral Quilted Scrap Basket:

I even remembered to add my label on the inside:

It's already stuffed to the gills...

Just as a Quilted Scrap Basket SHOULD be.  :o))

** Sending out special thanks to all the quilting friends who contributed materials to the making of this project.  Jean, Candy, Ella, Joanna, and Ruth S., in particular, will notice various components.  Cheryl K, Dee Dee, Diane, and Maggie might also spot some of their remnants.  Ruth, I really appreciate that your most recent scrap bag included a binding off-cut that was JUST the right color AND length!  (Only a 6" section remains.)  My only question is HOW did you know the amount of prepared binding I would need for this finish???

Quilted Scrap Basket TUTORIAL now available.

Whooping it up with Sarah

@

Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Until next time...

Resistance is futile.

Just MAKE the basket!!!

Sew Some Love Sunday - LWR - Mr. Postman and Quilt Top #9

Welcome to another edition of Sew Some Love Sunday!!  Readers have been SEW generous with their time, talent, and resources.  Back in the middle of August when the LWR Mission Quilt Drive was first getting underway, I got an email from P. @ The Way I Sew It.  Here's what she had to say:

I think I'd be able to crank out a quilt for LWR before the year's end. Or at least cut squares and/or make a top? 80 inches is pretty big for me to machine quilt, but I might try tying it. Forgive all this thinking-out-loud blather, count me in, one way or another. :)

This was my reply:

Thanks SEW much!! Just let me know when you are ready to ship (whatever you need to ship) and I'll send you my address. Or.... I'll just give it to you now, so there's no delay.

Well...

Time went by and I forgot all about P's pledge of a quilt top (and haven't checked my notes recently.)  I was happy to get another email from P. recently.  BIG news was included:

Hi again!

I haven't forgotten about your LWR quilt!  I have a quilt top, backing and binding for you that I'll be shipping your way tomorrow.  I also have another quilt backing that I put together and a bunch of 2.5-inch batik strips that I recently cut for one of my quilts but didn't end up using.  I hope you can use it all, but if not, feel free to pass along to whomever else might find it useful.

Hope you're doing well and staying healthy!  That's the plan here!

My response:

Oh, thank you, P.!! l will look forward to receiving your generous contribution. I'm sure my quilters will make good use of all that you send.

Thanks, again!

Joy

 

I'm sure you can guess what I received in the mail last week...

That's right!  This box from P. arrived last Saturday:

Days passed, as the box sat in quarantine...

Finally, the time had arrived to open it up and see what was inside:

Here is a look at the note:

The box had been carefully packed with the promised quilt top...

I have scraps from some of the rose prints in my stash:

A coordinating backing and binding was also enclosed:

Plus, a bonus...

Included was an extra quilt back to go with one of the LWR quilt kits...

... Along with batik strips cut for a second binding:

Special thanks, P, for remembering your pledge!!  You came through for the LWR Mission Quilt project here at The Joyful Quilter.  Your generous contribution is SEW appreciated!!  The backing and binding was a welcome accompaniment to the quilt top you donated.

Watch for future LWR posts...

The completed quilt will be revealed, as soon as it has been quilted.  There's a bit of a backlog, but that's a GOOD thing!  :o))

More mail...

Oh, goodness!  I missed acknowledging an important (e)mail that I received last weekend.  PayPal notified me that I had received funds.  Special thanks to Mari @ The Academic Quilter for her generous contribution to the LWR batting fund.  I'm also expecting a package from her, but that hasn't been delivered (so you will hear about that once it arrives.)

Until next time...

Sew Some Love!!!

ScrapHappy Saturday - RSC20 - Week 48

Welcome to Week 48 of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!!  I had high hopes that I might work on my last LIGHT Neutral project this week.  A client quilt is jockeying for my sewing time.

Let's see how the week panned out...

SUNDAY - It was another glorious day here in North Carolina!!

After releasing yesterday's ScrapHappy Saturday post, I enjoyed a visit from two of my favorite people.  First, Knittingsuek came over to pickup her grocery order and an off-cut piece of backing and batting from one of the first quilts that I quilted on the longarm to use for practice sandwiches:

The backing on this off-cut was purchased on a shopping trip with Knittingsuek several years ago.  She actually helped me choose the fabric, along with the PINK border fabric for said quilt!

We were joined by Needleb, who stopped by to get another LWR quilt top and a prepared backing that had arrived in the mail:

You can see that near the bottom of the Sew Some Love Sunday post that I released today.

MONDAY - I spent the day catching up on laundry and paperwork.  Fortunately, those two tasks go well together.  :o))

Today, DH found out that his uncle, who had spent weeks in a nursing home recuperating after an operation, collapsed in the parking lot just as he was heading home.  At that time, Uncle was taken to the hospital and subsequently diagnosed with Covid-19.  WHY he hadn't been tested prior to being released is a mystery!  :o((

And finally, Mail Call Monday!!  (Released on...)

TUESDAY - Yes.  I completely forgot about yesterday's Mail Call post until after today's grocery processing.  Oops!!

We found out that DH's uncle passed away this morning at the age of 94 (from Covid caught while in a nursing home.)  So, instead of the one family member who is recovering from Covid, we have now added one family member who has succumbed to the dreaded virus.

And then...

LOOK at the warning that went out over our cell phones:

After lunch, I tested thread colors for the next quilt on the longarm:

Later this afternoon, I posted the following comment answering Sarah @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict's question about what everyone is working on this week:

The Joyful QuilterNovember 24, 2020 at 3:51 PM

My job this week is to longarm the quilt that I've been avoiding for quite a while. I was overwhelmed by the (perceived) size of it. Finally faced the task and realized the quilt wasn't as big as I thought it was!! (Feel ridiculous, much?) Sigh...

Zoom-y Night Bee met this evening.  Eight members joined the call, making it our best attended meeting in several months:

Once the meeting was adjourned, I finished loading my friend's Look, Kevin, I Can Do Scrappy! quilt on the longarm:

WEDNESDAY - Zooming with LeeAnna was the highlight of my day.  Here we are, as we began today's Quilt Talk:

THURSDAY - Happy (U.S.) Thanksgiving, everyone!!!  Members of my Weekly Quilt Group were too busy cooking to enjoy a ZoomBEE meeting today.  Since we weren't traveling, I managed a couple of rows on the quilt on the longarm...

... As well as some knitting on my 2nd sock:

FRIDAY - In true Black Friday tradition, Part One of Bonnie Hunter's 2020 edition of her annual reader appreciation QAL went live this morning.  If you are late to the game, you can find all of the clues at the Grassy Creek Mystery page at the top of her blog (until shortly after the BIG reveal.)

In an effort to be real, I will not be participating this year.  Not even at one-quarter of the components, as is my normal goal.  I'm not gonna lie... I'm a little bit sad to not be deluding myself.  (I like to at least PRETEND that I'm going to work on the Mystery!!)  Sigh...

Members of my Knit Group were too busy shopping or mistletoe hunting to take time for ZoomKNIT this morning.  However, these three stayed home to visit for a while:

After the meeting, I was back at the longarm and not long after lunch, this was where things stood:

Late in the evening, I shifted gears and did a tiny bit of LIGHT Neutral scrap sewing:

SATURDAY - It's LINK PARTY day at Angela's So Scrappy blog.  Many of the RSC Quilters have been busy with finishing up their rainbow quilts from the year of scrappy sewing.  I'll be heading over to see if anyone else was working in the Color of the Month for November.  Won't you come, too?

Until next time...

Scrap SEW safely!!!

Mail Call Monday - {A Bit of...} Retail Therapy

Welcome to a new edition of Mail Call Monday... on a Tuesday!!  I'm not a big shopper, these days.  There simply isn't the budget (or space) for unnecessary purchases.  That being said, today I'm here to share a bit of recent retail therapy.

Here's what happened...

I got a PM (private message) on Ravelry from my (former) supplier of unscented handmade soap.

So...

I contacted the new supplier because B is no longer making an unscented variety.  Here is what she had to say:

Fragrance free soap company (new)

Sent at 7:41 PM October 23, 2020

Here’s a link it’s on Ravelry away in Maine

 b

After an extended stay in the Quarantine Zone, I finally opened the package over the weekend:

The contents may be small, but it's oh-so-powerful for those with breathing issues and allergies:

Sweet little FREE sample bars from Canary Whisker's Soap Company offered thru a special promotion on Ravelry:

The first bar I tried was so luxurious and pleasantly NOT smelly!!  Thank you, Rebecca, for creating a product that is perfume-free.  The scent-sensitive consumers will find your offerings quite appealing!

But wait!!  There's more...

This purchase came about because of the NEW Midnight Quilter video series on YouTube.  (Warning:  The episode was filled with LOTS uncharitable Craftsy/Bluprint bashing, which got a bit old.)  Angela Walters, formerly of The Midnight Quilt Show fame, owns a shop called Quilting Is My Therapy which sells many of the items included in the videos - so it begins to feel a bit like an infomercial:

Even so, I'm a sucker for a good SALE...

I purchased the Midnight Stars pattern for the quilt from the 1st episode.  I absolutely LOVE the quilt and have since it was originally released!  The pattern was available at a SALE price of 50% off through the end of November.

Can you say NO BRAINER?!?!

I also threw in a couple of items just for fun!  The Quilting Is My Therapy pin is for adding to my Quilt Guild nametag.  A mini Wool Pressing Mat was an inexpensive way to try one out to see if I want to invest in a larger mat:

That's all folks!  I feel rather virtuous, as there were a number of items that threatened to jump in my cart.  While the pattern is waiting for fabric to be chosen, the pin has already found a home on my nametag and the mini pressing mat is on standby near my sewing machine.  No piecing has been done since it arrived.  Soon, though.

Until next time...

Shop SEW responsibly!!

Sew Some Love Sunday - LWR - The 3rd Quilt {and a Pledge Fulfilled}

Welcome to another edition of Sew Some Love!!!  This week, I've got something extra special to share with you about the LWR Mission Quilt Drive here at The Joyful Quilter.  I've been waiting for this news for several weeks and now it's official.

WHAT are you talking about, Joyful???

Well, I am pleased to report that the 3rd LWR Mission Quilt has been dropped in the mail.  You can read all about it directly from Louise @ Quilt Odyssey.

I'll let you know when it arrives...

See that box in the middle of the stack from this week's Mail Call Monday post???  That bulging box:

That's the one I've been waiting for.  Well, that one AND the one on the bottom of the stack.  Suzanne in AK really knows how to pack a box!!  More about that in a moment.

The box with a smile...

Contained this note...

Along with...

LWR Mission Quilt #3:

Special thanks to Louise for going the extra mile and quilting a project larger than she typically finishes in her "onboard" studio:

What's in the box on the bottom of the stack, Joyful???

That was another box that I've been waiting for:

It came all the way from Alaska!!  As I mentioned before...

Suzanne really knows how to pack a box:

What are those 5 bundles, Joyful???

Those aren't just any old fabric rolls!!  They are FIVE quilt backs that Suzanne pledged for our Lutheran World Relief Mission Quilt project.  Let's have a look, please note that she was kind enough to include the measurements for each.  (Thank you!!!)  That will be such a time saver, when pairing tops to potential backings.

ONE:

TWO:

THREE:

FOUR:

FIVE:

Thank you SEW much, Suzanne!  Your quilt backs will come in handy when the Kit Quilt Tops start rolling in.  (The cash donation is also much appreciated!)  You are a donation quilt warrior and I'm pleased to have given you a reason to use up some of your QOV backing off-cuts.  Especially, happy knowing that you were able to deplete your stash so that you are able to close the bin.  :o))

Seriously.  Take a look at the part I highlighted on the enclosed note:

The first backing has been paired with a top and distributed to one of the LWR longarm quilters. She was thrilled to receive it, as she has already pieced one and has another to do:

What's left for ME to help with, Joyful???

There is still a need for quilt backs, if YOU would like to make one to contribute.  The five just received bring the remaining need down considerably, but there are a number of Mission Quilt " top kits" still to be returned.  Backings will be needed for each of those.  Monetary donations are appreciated, as well.  (Goodness knows, I'm working my way through my supply of longarm thread, pre-wound bobbins, and the donor-provided batting!)

Until next time...

Sew some love!!!