Friday, March 31, 2023

March 2023 - ABC (Table) SCRAPS Challenge - Link Party

Welcome to the March 2023 edition of the ABC (Table) SCRAPS Challenge here at the Joyful Quilter!!  Thanks for stopping by the Link Party to see what participants have made this month.  Is Spring in full swing where you are?  I feel like I'm living in PollenLand.  Ugh!!  Allergy season is here.  What better reason to stay inside and quilt?  :o))

I host this challenge in conjunction with Angela's (RSC) Rainbow Scrap Challenge @ So Scrappy.  It's been SEW much fun to offer the...



Button credit to Susan @ Desert Sky Quilts, updated by me.

Since basically ANY small quilted item qualifies for this challenge, I scrounge through my scrap basket to see what I can come up with.  

Each month I offer a prompt to help get your creative juices flowing.  While you are NOT required to use it in your project, the guiding word is revealed at the end of each month's LINK PARTY post.  Scroll down to the bottom of the page to see August's focus.  It, along with the RSC Color of the Month (as soon as Angela releases it - around the 1st of the month) will also be added to the 2023 ABC (Table) SCRAPS Challenge page at the top of the blog.

March's letters were:

B and/or U


I'm enjoying the brain game of coming up with a design to include each letter, as well as the Rainbow Scrap Challenge Color of the Month.

March's color was GREEN.  Plenty of that in my scrap basket(s)...


But...

This UFO, an off-cut from one of Maggie's projects, was calling my name.  I loaded it up on the longarm and it sat while I worked on my 2023 Stay at Home Round Robin:


Last month I got SEW excited that I neglected to take any process photos...

Here is what you get this time:


After the initial rows of quilting, I went back in with a series of GREEN stitching lines:


Next, I brought out another quilting thread for some additional lines:


The changes are subtle between each new set of lines:


Little by little, the gaps between the lines of quilting are closing in:


See those pins along the left side?  I'm contemplating five MORE quilting lines...


And when the spaces were filled in, three other pins were dropped in:


Finally, the quilting was DONE...


Or WAS it???

NOPE!!  A number of lines of stitching got added AFTER the runner was removed from the rails of the longarm.  These were done on my domestic sewing machine and then Maggie's Runner was pronounced complete:


Well...

Except for the binding and here are my choices:


Special thanks to Britt @britt_quilts for serving as my Design Consultant on this project!!

SEW...

I'm pleased to present my completed ABC (Table) SCRAPS Challenge entry for March:


How does that fit this month's theme???

It worked like this:

B = BLOOMS... The flowers in the Kaffe (?) prints.
U = UNDER the (modern) rainbow (of thread quilted on top):


FYI... Nine thread colors does NOT equate to only nine thread changes!!!

Tracy adopted the quilt at Coffee and Collage earlier this week:


What's next, Joyful???

The month of April is on the way.  Angela chose a new Color of the Month:

PURPLE

April's letters are:

Y and/or N

NOTE:  Take them wherever they lead you.

And now...

It's time for YOU to link up your B and/or U projects in the LINK PARTY below.  All entries MUST be submitted by Tuesday, April 4th @ 11:59PM (EST). **My apologies to those of you who visited in the wee hours (before I realized I hadn't posted the party code.)

Until next time...
USE those table scraps!!!
#ABCtableSCRAPSchallenge2023
#tablescrapschallenge2023

Wednesday, March 29, 2023

Wonderful Wednesday - Little GREEN Apples - Prize Patrol

Welcome to another edition of Wonderful Wednesday!!  I'm here to with a special announcement.  If you were here last week, you may know what's coming.  Well, the title of the post might have tipped you off, as well.  :o))

Anyway...

Here's a little backstory in case you are new here.  Those who visit often know that when I participate in a Blog Hop, I like to offer a prize to one lucky reader.  As luck would have it, there was a Blog Hop just last week.

a Sew-It, Show-It Challenge

What's the prize, Joyful???

For this Hop, I offered a GREEN mug rug (or the color of the winner's choosing.)

Did you draw a name???

Yes, I did.  As stated in my post, at 9PM on Sunday, March 26th, a winning name was drawn.

Drum roll, please...

The winner of the Little GREEN Apples Blog Hop prize drawing is:

NANCY L.

Congratulations, Nancy!!!  I have sent an email requesting your mailing address and the color preference for your prize mug rug.

Here was what she had to say:

Oh doing the happy dance here!! Thank you so much. This is so exciting!!

And because it feels wrong for a quilt blog post to NOT have a quilty picture...


The photo above is an example a photo of what Nancy won.

She emailed to let me know it had arrived:

It came and is just as cute as can be! Thank you so much!!

Until next time...
GREEN and scrappy for the WIN!!!

Monday, March 27, 2023

Mail Call Monday - Whoops! Someone Went Shopping

Welcome to another edition of Mail Call Monday!!  OK, I'll admit it.  It was me.  I went shopping in-person AND online.  What did I buy this time?  Some new art journaling supplies.

In-store...

This time, a multi-year date stamp and a set of small letter stamps came home with me:


And online...

Andrea @ A Work of Heart Studio mailed this little package:


She creates fun stencils for art journaling and packages them with a piece of art to demonstrate how they can be used and expanded upon:


Here is the set I got, stenciled out in all its unembellished glory:


I'm looking forward to putting these items to use in my journals very soon.  In the meantime, I'm off to finish up my ABC (Table) SCRAPS Challenge project.  The Link Party starts THIS FRIDAY!!  I'm cutting it close to the wire this month.  Looking forward to seeing what YOU have created with B and/or U, along with some GREEN scraps, perhaps.

Until next time...
Shop responsibly!!!

Saturday, March 25, 2023

ScrapHappy Saturday - RSC23 - Week12

Welcome to Week 12 of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!!  This week, I did a bit of GREEN scrap sewing (and reported on some from last week, too.)  I'm guessing that's what you're here to see, right?

Read on...

SUNDAY - No Zooming with Sue this morning.  She's got a class to prepare for so I'll begin this post with the group photo I took yesterday at my Quarterly Quilt Bee meeting:


My apologies to Kirsten, who arrived after Show and Tell had begun.  I neglected to get group photo that included her in it.  :o((

MONDAY - Work was followed by Quilt Guild with guest speaker Tina Craig @ Seaside Stitches who presented her lecture/trunk show - EPP vs FPP : The Showdown!  Viewers were supposed to choose their favorite method based on the pairs of examples shared:


I had to get a photo of Tina's foundation paper pieced 2019 Temperature Quilt for my RSC Quilter friends!  Templates for this quilt are available on her website:


What's this?  A special delivery...  I went home with a new bag of fabric scraps:

I spy some GREEN bits in that bag!!!  :o))


Work was followed by scrap sorting:

Thanks, Diane (and Francine!!)

WEDNESDAY - Today was grocery day (no work) and an early Zoom call with LeeAnna @ Not Afraid of Color:


Knittingsuek called and I offered to Zoom with her afterwards:


THURSDAY - Weekly Quilt Bee met at Ruth S's house and I co-hosted:


It was SEW good to see everyone!!  Look... Ruth B brought me a quart sized bag of scraps:

Thanks, Ruthie!!

Ignore my ridiculously HUGE cheesy grin and try to focus on the GREEN scrappy pincushion that I dropped off at Sue's house this afternoon:


I had a couple of errands to run afterwards and one of them took me to Ella's house.  Any guesses about what might be in the bag???  Fabric scraps, of course:

Thanks, Ella!!

FRIDAY - This morning, I shoehorned Knit Group in before work:


Tracy presented each of the knitters with one of these super soft tie-dyed shirts:

Thanks, T!!  We're ready for the next fiber festival.  :o))

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.  DS1 is visiting this weekend.  I'll have to catch-up with everyone once he heads home.

Until next time...
Get SCRAPPY!!!

Tuesday, March 21, 2023

Sew It, Show It - Little Green Apples Challenge - My Hop STOP

Welcome to My STOP for the "Sew - It, Show - It" Challenge: Little GREEN Apples (Blog Hop)!!  This is the latest event hosted by Carol @ Just Let Me Quilt.  You KNOW how much I love GREEN, don't you?  Well, perhaps not, but take my word for it, so I just HAD to get in on this challenge.  Plus, GREEN is the Color of the Month for March at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!  Did I go a LITTLE overboard?  You decide...


Here's the week's line up:





SEW, what did you make, Joyful???

Well, I had a fun idea to incorporate the apple theme by making painted prints with an actual apple using my favorite green gold fluid acrylic paint on muslin or white.  I planned to use my gelli plate and then quilt the fabric.

But...

I was in a sewing mood instead of a painting mood.

GREEN fabric scraps to the rescue!!!

Green 1, being tested as a mug rug at work:


Here it is, bound in the stripy binding that got the ball rolling on this project:


The other side gives you a better idea of the quilting I did:


Then...

Green 2, layered with its backing:


Completed:


And...

The back of the mug rug:


Finally...

Shrunken Shamrock (Thanks to Robobeagle on Ravelry!) in process:


And done:


Here's the reverse side:


About the lack of process pictures...

I was sewing so quickly that the camera couldn't keep up!  :o))

So as not to disappoint any regular Hop readers...

You know the drill!  New readers, guess what???  YOU all have a chance to WIN a special GREEN (or your favorite color) mug rug!!  That's right!  I'll be giving away a prize to one lucky winner.  All comments are greatly appreciated, BUT...  In order to get your name "IN THE HAT", comment PICK ME!!! to indicate your interest in having a Joyful original mailed to you.

The winner will be chosen on SUNDAY, March 26, 2023 @ 9PM (EDT).
**Please make sure that your email address is included in your comment, if you are a "No Reply Blogger", as I will need to be able to reach you if your name is pulled.

THIS DRAWING IS NOW CLOSED!!

Until next time...
How 'bout those (LITTLE GREEN) apples?!

My apologies to the early birds who were confused by my cut and paste error.
Even though I proofread the post (many times) I still managed to leave the title of the post for the first of these challenges.

Monday, March 20, 2023

Mini Monday - Little GREEN Apples - Blog Hop Week

Welcome to another edition of Mini Monday!!  Today, I'm stopping by with a quick post to remind everyone of the Sew-It, Show-It Challenge: Little GREEN Apples Blog Hop.


Thank you to Carol @ Just Let Me Quilt for hosting this fun Quilt Challenge/Blog Hop.  I had SEW much fun that I couldn't stop with just ONE project!!  Perfect timing for GREEN month at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, too.  Hope YOU will stop by tomorrow to have a look.

Until next time...
Let's go SEW!!!