Project QUILTING - Season 12 - Challenge 1

Illuminating + Ultimate Gray

Welcome to The Joyful Quilter!!  And... Welcome to the wonderful world of Project QUILTING hosted by Kim Lapacek @ Persimon Dreams!!  This is my 2nd 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.  Will you come alongside me in this creative journey?  It's a wild ride, but oh SEW rewarding!  I may be am dragging along my friend LeeAnna @ Not Afraid of Color this season.  Yay!!

Challenges are given and start to finish you have ONE WEEK to complete your project.  PQ 12.1 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:

... our first challenge this year will be based on Pantone’s Color of the Year 2021 – which is actually two colors: PANTONE 17-5104 Ultimate Gray + PANTONE 13-0647 Illuminating.

As we all look forward to a better year ahead, these colors offer a solid, dependable base (gray) accompanied by a hopeful and sunny outlook (yellow).

...

Step Two...

Tear out your hair thinking of what to do.  (Maybe not the BEST plan!)  Actually, a HUGE smile spread across my face when I finally read the rules for this challenge.

Why, Joyful???

Well, I just happen to have an overflowing basket of YELLOW scraps and a rather stuffed basket of GRAY scraps, as well.  I even think I know what I want to do with them.  (Actually, two ideas!  One small and one a bit larger, which would be a stretch.  Stay tuned to see which idea won.)

Step Three...

Gather supplies:

Step Four...

Review the rules:

Your finished project this week must be predominantly yellow and gray. You may use any shades of gray and any shades of yellow, but you must use both. You may add black and/or white, if you wish, but you do not have to. Fabrics may have other colors included in their print, but those colors may NOT be dominant.

I’m not putting any other limits on you, this time. You can make anything you wish, in any size and from any materials – just make it yellow and gray!

Rule 1 – Your project must be predominantly yellow and gray.

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 3, 2021, and posted by noon Central January 10, 2021.

Step Five... PLAY!!!

My inspiration was January's Scrappy Nine Patch Challenge and the cover of this book.  I thought I might make a "twofer" quilt.  You know, a quilt big enough to suit that challenge, but with the colors required for this one:

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.)

I started out with one lone 9-Patch:

If one 9-Patch is good...

... Then, surely a Double 9-Patch is better:

Next, I tested some border options:

This asymmetrical setting felt right...

However, I thought yellow might like to play more than a bit part in the binding of the little quilt, so I auditioned it for a supporting role:

Ultimately...

Reality hit as I worked, the quilt AND the scraps said that they were finished.  This was the stopping point in the design process:

Something happened on the way to piecing it into a quilt top...

I changed the width on two of the borders to provide some flexibility in the finished size, proceeded to run out of fabric before the top was done, and ended up with a gap to fill.  Working through some potential solutions...

... I ended up with this arrangement:

This backing was already loaded...

... And thread (along with a scrap of batting) was selected:

Once those tasks were completed, the top was promptly loaded on the longarm for quilting:

I decided to quilt it using my most popular (Swirls) design board:

The backing and my tension tester pieces are PINK, as a nod to my participation in the 2021 Rainbow Scrap Challenge:

 

I risked using the smaller of two leftover bobbins.  I played a good game of "Bobbin Chicken."  It was a tie!!  During the first round I won (with ONE YARD of thread remaining!)  I lost the second round with just this much left to quilt:

With little more than 48 hours remaining until the deadline, all that I had left to do was apply and stitch down the binding (made a couple of days ago in preparation for this moment):

Just less than 24 hours until the deadline, I present my completed entry for PQ 12.1, displayed on the Gallery Wire in my studio:

24" x 24" square

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

... And this time, it was this tower of scraps which SEW needed to be tamed:

 Oh, well... At least I used up some of the chunks!!  :o))

There you have it...

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

Follow THIS LINK to the Season 12 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 21 hours until the deadline.  Even so, I linked up with only ONE hour to spare, joining in at entry number 200 (which I thought was pretty cool.)

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.)