Summer 2021 (Ravelry) UFO Club FINISH (Or Not!!) - The Birthday Quilt

Welcome to a very happy day!!  I'm here to share my 11th hour quilt finish for the Summer 2021 (Ravelry) UFO Club.  It comes with a story.  It's the story of a milestone birthday.  Mine.

The story goes like this...

To say that Joy LOVES scraps, would be an understatement.  As a surprise, members of my Quilt Bee each brought a bag of fabric scraps for my milestone birthday "several" years ago.  Those scrap bags sat around for YEARS before I found the right pattern for them!

Enter Crazy Mom Quilts' June QAL.  That was back in 2017.

You can follow my progression in the posts linked below:

June quilt QAL with Crazy Mom Quilts

Tutorial Tuesday - QAL Style

A Tale of Two Quilt Alongs

Quilt Waffles and a Quilt Top

When the quilt top was done, it made regular appearances on my UFO list, but after 4 years...

The quilt was quilted by my dear friend Britt, who delivered it at the end of May...

The delivery...

The quilting...

I was SEW excited that I trimmed it up as soon as she left:

Here are some close-ups of Britt's custom quilting work...

It took several months to bind, but it's finally a FINISHED quilt!!!

It took a QUILTING Swap and a moment of desperation to get it done!  See???  Four bound corners:

These bits and pieces...

Remain from that fabulous gift my friends gave me all those years ago.  A whole LOT of bits and pieces!!  I wonder how many more quilts I can make from them?  Lucky me, I've got a Quilt Test coming up and these might be just the place to start:

I would be remiss if I didn't add a sincere THANK YOU to those quilting friends who contributed scraps for my birthday surprise.

Best.  Birthday.  EVER!

However...

If not for that QUILTING Swap with my friend B last year, this quilt might still be a top sitting with its backing on the end of the longarm.  Just waiting to be quilted.  Thank you, again, Britt!!

Here's a close-up of her beautiful custom quilting:

What better way to finish off ORANGE month at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge than with a freshly finished quilt and my mums and the pumpkin a purchased at the grocery store last week to ring in Autumn:

It was interesting to look back through the posts to find that I originally thought I'd name this quilt "50 - It's Just a Number" and then changed it to " Friendship Chases the Gray Away", only to end up simply calling it "The Birthday Quilt" once it was a quilt top.

Sharing with Kelly

for

Needle and Thread Thursday

Linking with Alycia

for

Finished (Or Not) Friday

and

Oh, Scrap!

With Cynthia on Sunday

Want to hear something funny???

The end of the story is that this quilt hasn't actually been on my list since the Spring 2020 (Ravelry) UFO Club!!  I'm not sure WHEN members would have noticed, but I did  as I recorded the session stats.  Whoops!!  Guess that's a good reason to load the list with ALL the projects, huh?  I hate it when I get excited about a project and forget to make sure it's actually ON the list.  :o((

Until next time...

Check another on off the list!!!

Wonderful Wednesday - The (Virtual) Sew Day

Welcome to another edition of Wonderful Wednesday!!  My Monthly Quilt Bee had a Sew Day this past weekend.  A virtual event, of course.  Special thanks to Britt for coordinating and to Kirsten for setting up the Zoom time!!  A fun time was had by all.

Group Photos...

The early crowd:

The afternoon crowd:

My apologies to the midday crowd.  I was sew excited to be stitching that I forgot about taking photos!

The work and play day...

... Found me up in my new studio ready to do some sort of quilty task:

Had planned to do some organizing during the meeting, but spotted some HSTs ready for trimming:

Once the HSTs were trimmed, I made sure they were all in the right place:

Then I stacked them up...

... And started sewing:

By the end of the day (not the group sewing session) I had a completed quilt top:

This post wouldn't be complete without a shoutout to my friend Sfgwife.  She was kind enough to pawn off gift these offcut HSTs (and more!) to me last year.  I worked on them at one of our last events, too.  What a thrill to finally have this put together!

Until next time...

BEE inspired!!!

Mail Call Monday - Winner

Welcome to another edition of Mail Call Monday!!   One of my favorite artists is Ann @ Fiber Designs by Ann.  She uses some very interesting techniques to create her work.  Her Photographs on Fiber series is a truly magnificent collaboration with her son.

Ann likes to experiment with her art.  On occasion, she offers some of her pieces in a giveaway on her blog.  I entered her August/September Giveaway/Sweepstakes and won a prize!!

I shared the package preview just over a week ago, but never got around to posting it last week.  Here is what was in the package that I received:

Approx. 8" x 10"

I can't wait for my Gallery Wire to be installed in the new studio so that I can display this beautiful mixed media composition!

Would YOU like to see some close-ups???

I thought you might, so I took photos of each area of the piece...

This is a look at the back of the piece and Ann was kind enough to mark the top of it

Color me a very happy recipient:

Thank you for sharing this unique piece of art with me, Ann!  I am pleased to add it to my rotating exhibit from fiber artists around country and around the globe.

Until next time...

Enjoy art!!!

The Guest Blogger(s) - Vol. 22 - Miss Pat's Pumpkins

Welcome to another edition of The Guest Blogger(s)!!  I heard from Pat the other day and this morning she sent the following photo:

This delightful Autumn table runner  her entry for the September 2021 TABLE SCRAPS Challenge.  Here is what she had to say about it...

My September runner started with two pumpkin and one maple leaf blocks made several years ago during Carole Carter's (Frommycarolinahome.com) Autumn Jubilee.  I never finished that project so the blocks were just waiting to be used.  Added a fun border fabric, simple quilting, a plain orange binding and an orange checked backing.  Batting is ThermolamPlus and the size is 11.5" by 26".

Pat E., New York 

Share the quilty love for Pat's project in the comments below.  I know that you enjoyed seeing her festive scrappy runner as I did!  Thank you for sending a photo for the blog, Pat.  I'm SEW pleased to post your project to inspire others to USE their fabric scraps!

Link Party REMINDER...

The September 2021 TABLE SCRAPS Link Party will be open until MONDAY, September 27th @ 11:59 PM.  Will YOU join in the scrappy fun?  There's still time to make a little something, if you start right now.

Until next time...

USE those (table) scraps!!!

ScrapHappy Saturday - RSC21 - Week 39

Welcome to Week 39 of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!!  This week will look a bit different from recent weeks.

Spoiler Alert... There MAY even be sewing involved!!!

If you are only here for the September 2021 TABLE SCRAPS Challenge Link Party, that can be found by following THIS LINK.  Otherwise, keep reading to find out more about my week.

SUNDAY - I plugged my sewing machine in (AND found my cone holder!)  Now, I'm ready to sew...

... Well...

I would be, if I could find my rotary cutter for trimming!

MONDAY - DS1 spent the afternoon painting the floor of his room:

(Whoops!  Wrong kid!  Thanks for bringing that error to my attention Susie @ Knitty Quilter.)  While DS2 did that, I cleaned the house, but you don't want to see that.

TUESDAY - The Guest Blogger(s)

Good morning, Installation Day!!!

Later...

After weeks of waiting, carpet has been install on the 3rd floor:

It's a rainbow kind of day...

... Double, to be exact:

It actually was a full rainbow.  Right over our house, but I don't have a wide angle lens (and forgot about the panorama setting on my phone.)

WEDNESDAY - I released a new Wonderful Wednesday post.  It's a good one:

Zoom with LeeAnna @ Not Afraid of Color:

Here's hoping she will forgive me for having to leave abruptly to take a phone call!!  (You will, won't you, LeeAnna???)

THURSDAY - ZoomBEE LIVE @ Maggie's:

FRIDAY - September 2021 TABLE SCRAPS Link Party

This morning, ZoomKNIT met LIVE @ Beth's house:

#WIPsBeGone - Thank you, Leanne @ Devoted Quilter!!!

I pulled out this knitting UFO and tried to "read" the knitting of my (long abandoned) Sideways Lace Vest project...

... Unfortunately, I ended up with a ball of yarn after (unsuccessfully) ripping back to find my place in the pattern:

Note:  The true color of the yarn falls somewhere between the two photos shown above.

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 close with the "rainbow" that I found on my bathroom window just before bed last night.  Flood lights and window film produced it:

Until next time...

Get SCRAPPY!!!

SEPTEMBER 2021 - TABLE SCRAPS Runner/Topper Challenge/Link Party

Welcome to the September 2021 TABLE SCRAPS Runner/Topper Challenge!!  Please scroll down to the bottom of the page to enter your table runner/topper, mug rug, etc. in the Link Party by Monday, September 27, 2021 at 11:59 PM (EDT.)

Here is this month's inspiration photo:

Photo by Cala on Unsplash

No blog?  No problem, you will be able to have your scrappy table runners/toppers hosted here on The Joyful Quilter.  Just pop me an email with your name/state and a photo of your completed project and I will add it to a follow-up post.

From our participants...

Kat @ Scrapbox Quilts shared this LINK to a post by Joanne @ The Canuck Quilter.  These are paid patterns, but I decided to pass them along for inspiration.

Got favorites???

Email me , if you have a "go to" runner or topper pattern.  I'll add it to a future post.  Thanks!

Where's the table covering, Joyful???

Life got in the way (again) this month.  I pulled out my ORANGE scraps for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge and hoped for inspiration:

Then while I was unpacking a studio box I came across this baggie of HSTs:

Some of them included ORANGE...

... However, I had trouble deciding which way to arrange them:

There was also the matter of the missing rotary cutter.  Thankfully, that was finally resolved and I was able to Trim up the squares...

I took a POLL here.  Results were nearly split half and half.  I fully intended to go with the majority, but...

Something happened on the way to the sewing machine...

One last debate with myself occurred...

Prior to sewing:

Sewn...

Backing chosen (Thank, Mari!!) and thoughts of what for binding:

A scrap of batting was selected From the batting remnant drawer:

Then I set up the iron and gave it a good press:

Next came layering it up...

... Choosing the thread...

... And then the quilting:

Followed by trimming, which was somewhat problematic, as my favorite rulers are still missing:

I pulled out my ORANGE scrap chunks to choose a binding fabric:

Here is the (nearly) completed topper:

It's hard to tell, but there are three options that I'm still debating about.  I took a poll at my Weekly Quilt Group meeting to a mixed review.  I think I've selected the winner, but there was no time to make the binding once I got home.

I'm still considering this a BIG WIN after MONTHS of no sewing!!

Linking up with Alycia

for

Finished (Or NOT) Friday

and

Sharing with Cynthia

for

Oh Scrap!

And, with that...

It's time to add your own projects to the Table Scraps Link Party below!!  Here's hoping that YOU had better luck on finishing up your runner/topper/placemat, etc.  Here's hoping you have fun with Light/Bright GREEN or Light Neutrals next month, as I'm pretty sure those are the only colors remaining for this year's Rainbow Scrap Challenge!

Until next time...

It's a Cover Up!!!