May 2024 - TABLE SCRAP Challenge - Link Party

Welcome to the May 2024 edition of the TABLE SCRAPS Challenge here at the Joyful Quilter!!  I'll start with a little backstory, in case you are new here.  (Apologies to my regular readers since you already know all about it.) I'm a scrap quilter who had been setting up individual challenges for several years in conjunction with Angela's (RSC) Rainbow Scrap Challenge @ So Scrappy.  Participants from around the corner, across the country and around the world have been having SEW much fun and we all have MORE scraps to use, so I am pleased to offer the...

In 2024, we have a broad range of quilted items that are appropriate for linking to the Challenge.  Baskets and bins, along with pillows and pin cushions, are all qualifying projects.  Not just the toppers, runners, and mug rugs.  Basically, ANY small quilted item qualifies.  The main premise is that you USE the (new or old) SCRAPS from your cutting table (or your friend's cutting table - since that's where the majority of my scraps come from!)

There will be a prompt each month to help get your creative juices flowing.  While you are NOT required to use it in your project, the guiding word will be revealed at the end of each month's LINK PARTY post.  Scroll down to the bottom of the page to see the following month'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 2024 TABLE SCRAPS Challenge page at the top of the blog.

The theme for May was...

KENTUCKY DERBY

I wasn't sure where I was going with that, but...

Since the Color of the Month was PINK, I rummaged through that basket to see what I could find:

It didn't take much time to work up a layout once the fabrics were selected:

The sewing took a little longer when I threw in some pieced blocks:

Batting and backing scraps came next...

And with a few pins, my entry was ready for quilting:

Quilting took a bit longer, as I kept adding more and more lines of stitching:

The photo below shows the binding options I selected from the scrap basket:

Here is my completed entry for the May 2024 TABLE SCRAPS Challenge...

The front in a variety of shades in rose PINK...

The back is my nod to the "run for the roses" theme of the Kentucky Derby...

And in the spot for which it was designed:

What's next, Joyful???

A new month starts tomorrow.  Angela did a soft announcement last Saturday.  The Color of the Month for June is...

BLUE

June's theme is:

WATERMELON

And now...

It's time for YOU to link up your PINK and/or KENTUCKY DERBY project in the LINK PARTY below.  All entries MUST be submitted by Wednesday, June 5th @ 11:59PM (EDT).

Until next time...

USE those table scraps!!!

#tablescrapschallenge2024

Sharing with Alycia

for

Finished (Or Not) Friday

The 100 Day Project - #100Days100ThingsDecluttered - The Review

Welcome to the latest edition of Tidy Up Tuesday!!  I started The 100 Day Project on February 18th.  I'm still shocked that I fully committed to it.  It's particularly popular on Instagram.  I have been hesitant to participate before now.  I'll be releasing weekly updates for those of you who might be interested in seeing what goes out the door.

What was your project, again, Joyful???

I signed up with a different idea in mind than most.  You can read about it HERE.  That link will tell you all about my project.

The gist of my focus...

Decluttering my home and studio in an effort to free up space for MORE creativity.  I have worked diligently toward that goal.

Here are my Weekly Project Totals:

Week 1: 16/100

Week 2: 18/100

Week 3: 14/100

Week 4:  19/100

Week 5:  36/100

Updated Project Total: 100/100!!!

Week 6:  20/100

Week 7:  20/100

Week 8:  6/100

Week 9:  54/100

Updated Project Total:  200/100!!!

Week 10:  54/100

Week 11:  46/100

Updated Project Total:  300/100!!!

Week 12:  60/100

Week 13:  140/100

Final Project Total: 500/100

The trunk of my car was loaded...

But I kept the challenge box to reuse, so this is the photo of the final donation drop-off:

Thank you to those of you who encouraged me in my decluttering efforts throughout the past 13 weeks!  I greatly appreciate your kind comments and your willingness to keep cheering me along and I absolutely LOVE the fact that a number of you even joined this decluttering journey with me!!

@dothe100dayproject

#The100DayProject

#DoThe100DayProject

#100Days100Things_TheDeclutterEdition

#100Days100ThingsDecluttered

#filltheboxjoy

If you are on Instagram, you can find me here: @thejoyfulquilter@thejoyfulquilter.

Until next time...

Do the 100 Day Project!!!

ScrapHappy Saturday - RSC 24 - Week 21

Welcome to Week 21 of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!!  This week is going to be a crap shoot.  I'm scheduled for nearly full time hours at work.  I'm guessing that means I'm covering for someone's vacation.

Let's see how the week went...

SUNDAY - The Guest Blogger(s)The Guest Blogger(s)

I was pleased to attend my Weekly Morning Art Zoom.  It was our "official" monthly meeting which meant that we played a round of Roll the Dice game. The prompts were scribble, stencil, collage, marks, and smoosh.  I started with a page of leftover paint from a class I took last night and went through the various techniques to end up with the following:

While it may look like a hot mess, the important part is that it was fun!

Later, I was supposed to Zoom with Knittingsuek, but we canceled this week.

MONDAY - Work...

Was followed by my Monthly Quilt Guild meeting, but first...

Dinner came with a surprise, as Britt showed up after her meeting:

Tonight's main event was our annual Silent Auction:

I came home with the following items in support of the Guild:

 

2 pillow forms (for upcoming replacement gifts)

2 pieces of fabric for potential journal covers

1 six-yard cut of fabric for quilt backing

4 books

3 patterns

1 new quilt ruler

1 quilted jacket

TUESDAY - Work...

Was followed by another round of decluttering before my post went live.  Click the following link to see how I did this week:

#100Days100ThingsDecluttered

Since that was taken care of, I took some time to make art when I got home:

WEDNESDAY - Work...

Was followed by my Weekly Zoom call with LeeAnna @ Not Afraid of Color:

Oh!  I did bring home one more thing Monday night...

Francine brought me a "Bag of Joy".  (Thank you, Francine!)  You and Diane certainly keep me well stocked in the scrap department:

BOJ, otherwise known as a bag of fabric scraps.  The photo above is me showing LeeAnna the bag.  It was fun to share the contents with her.

THURSDAY - Work...

Was followed by tackling Mt. Washmore.  I wanted the upcoming weekend to be free of chores, so decided to catch up on it now, since my back is feeling a lot better.

Here's a peek inside that "Bag of Joy" that I shared yesterday.  It was fun going through the bag with LeeAnna!  As luck would have it, there's even a tiny bit of PINK:

After dinner, I loaded the car for tomorrow's donation drop-off:

FRIDAY - FINALLY!!!  A day off work (and next week I'm only scheduled for two days.  Go figure!)  Before leaving the house this morning, I rearranged a few things so that I could keep my #100Days100ThingsDecluttered box to use again:

My long weekend began with a Knit Group surprise:

Tracy had a doctor appointment and scheduled some time with us before heading to work!  :o))

When Knit Group ended, I went UN-shopping (otherwise known as returns) and made a quick stop at the grocery store.  Errands were followed by lunch at home and then off to my weekly chiropractic appointment, along with some art and sewing.

If you've visited for the last little while, you probably know that there was MORE art after dinner.  My Weekly Evening Art Zoom is one of the highlights of each week.  Tonight, I worked on my page for the HOME prompt:

Love makes a house a home.

SATURDAY - It's LINK PARTY day for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, but I'm going on an ARTventure with Britt today so I'll be late to the joining the link-up.  Before lunch we each worked on a page for the Messy May Challenge...

We went right back to art-ing after lunch with a fun new technique called Lasagna Papers from Rae Missigman:

Hopefully, you weren't waiting for me before visiting Angela @ So Scrappy to see what the RSC Quilters have been up to this week.  Since we're having a long weekend, I may actually get to visit everyone!  At least, I'm hoping that's what it means.  Also, I was SEW excited to have finished this post that I forgot about linking up.  (Sigh...  I'll get with the program eventually.)

Until next time...

Get SCRAPPY!!

The 100 Day Project- #100Days100ThingsDecluttered - Week 13

Welcome to Week 13 of the #100Days100ThingsDecluttered and thank you for following this mini-series here on The Joyful Quilter!!  I started The 100 Day Project on February 18th.  I'm still shocked that I finally committed to it.  It's particularly popular on Instagram.  I have been hesitant to participate before now.  I'm releasing weekly updates for those of you who might be interested in seeing what goes out the door.

What was your project, again, Joyful???

I signed up with a different idea in mind than most.  You can read about it HERE.  That link will tell you all about my project.

That was QUITE the experience!!!

Can you believe that I'm not ready to stop??  I think I will take a little break, but then plan to continue my declutter journey.  My home and studio have plenty more spaces to free up.  As the household inventory diminishes, there is LESS overwhelm and MORE space creativity.

Here's my progress for Week Thirteen from all around the house, studio and garage...

I started in my closet with:

6 pairs of blue jeans that are now too big 

1 sweater

1 scarf

8/100

I had planned to move along to the studio, but noticed the following in the closet: 

5 shoe boxes

1 pair of shoes

1 pair of boots

1 random empty lip balm

8/100

Then, from inside the house, I could hear the dresser drawers calling to me. I heeded their call and I selected a number of items that no longer fit my body comfortably or suit my stage in life:

5 PJs 

14 foundation garments

19 unmentionables 

36/100

Afterwards, I set my sights on some items in the garage and added them to the box shown above: 

6 window valances

1 window shade 

1 bread basket 

1 porch decoration

1 grocery sack

10/100

Lastly, I finished off in the studio with theses items:

  7 T-shirts (previously saved for a quilt)

67 balls of yarn

  1 knitting magazine 

  1 tool organizer

  1 hat

  1 craft book

78/100

That brought me to a Week 13 Total:  140/100

Updated Project Total:  500/100

Thank you to those of you who continue to encourage my weekly decluttering efforts!  I appreciate your kind comments and your willingness to cheer me along!  Last week, Sara @ My Sewing Room blog left the following comment:

Well done!! I think week #11 was a success - for both of us. I'm at 286 items right now. This week I'm going through a couple of more crates of books we have no interest in keeping. I'm having fun lightening the load around here.

To which I replied:

Sweet!! Way to go, Sara! I'm glad to hear that you're having fun with decluttering. I can't say I am, but I am pleased with my progress.

Please know that...

This concludes the 100 Day Project.  My goal for the past 13 weeks was to focus on the studio.  That was more challenging than it should have been.  Come back next week to see what went in the box during the last 13 weeks.  All I know is that I can't imagine getting as much decluttered without YOU, dear readers.  Thank you for your support during this process!

@dothe100dayproject

#The100DayProject

#DoThe100DayProject

#100Days100Things_TheDeclutterEdition

#100Days100ThingsDecluttered

#filltheboxjoy

Until next time...

Do the 100 Day Project!!!

The Guest Blogger(s) - No. 53 - Kentucky Derby in Australia

Welcome to another edition of The Guest Blogger(s)!!  I received an email from Jane in Australia last week.  She has completed her entry for the May TABLE SCRAPS Challenge.

This is what she had to say...

Hello Joy

Herewith is my delightful placemat for Kentucky Derby and Pink.
Horse racing threw me for a bit, but I remembered this scrap of fabric.

Here is the story of her entry...

Snugglepot and Cuddlepie are two little gum nut babies who live in the Australian bush, (gumnuts in the eucalyptus trees). The wicked banksia men (seed pods on the banksia trees) caught them and threw them into the ocean. The gumnuts did not drown, they were quite at home down there. They met John Dory and Ann Chovy and lots of lovely fish people.
One day they were at the races - the sea horse races!!
The colours were perfect for the fat quarter of pink and blue fabric and the scrap of pink for the border and binding was also perfect.
I’m keeping this one! Such wonderful childhood reading memories!

And a reflection...

Remember when I was making table runners and had one left to do? This is the fabric which I bought to be the ocean around a map of Australia.
The map is done but I have not finished the runner - needs more inspiration and lots more work yet.

Thanks once again for posting my entry in your challenge each month.
Trust you are well,
Jane in Australia

Give Jane some quilty love in the comments below.  I assured her that it wasn't meant to be a literal prompt, but an open one with many possibilities.  I'm pleased to share her darling entry for this month's challenge.  I feel certain that you enjoy seeing her work as much as I do!  Thank you for sending a photo for the blog, Jane.  I'm thrilled to post your projects (and anyone else's without a blog.)  They serve to inspire us to USE the scraps that most of us continue to accumulate!

Link Party REMINDER...

The May 2024 TABLE SCRAPS Link Party will be opening on  Friday, May 31st @ 12:01 AM.  I hope that YOU will join in the scrappy fun!  You haven't started sewing yet?  No worries.  Small projects are quick to make and entries can be added until Wednesday, June 5th @ 11:59 PM (EDT).

Until next time...

USE those (table) SCRAPS!!!

ScrapHappy Saturday - RSC 24 - Week 20

Welcome to Week 20 of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!!  Thank you to the quilty friends who sent healing vibes my way after last week's back trouble.  I'm hoping that things will return to normal this week.

Let's see if there was any scrappy sewing...

SUNDAY - The day began with my Weekly Morning Art Zoom where I did a little of this and a little of that, but didn't take any photos when I was done the after lunch, I enjoyed my Weekly Zoom call with Knittingsuek:

Later, I made up for lost time by creating this page in my Messy Challenge journal following the methods of @craftysheri's lesson for Day 8 of Messy May:

MONDAY - Before work, I used the heating pad on my back and took a nap.  After work I had another visit at the chiropractor.  When I returned home, I found that our yard had received some new markings:

TUESDAY - #100Days100ThingsDecluttered

Work went better today, as yesterday's adjustment seemed to help a good bit, but now I'm back to icing for inflammation relief.  I did a little bit of PINK scrap quilting this morning AND this evening, but as evidenced below, there's still more stitching to be done:

 

WEDNESDAY - Work...

Was followed by my weekly Zoom call with LeeAnna @ Not Afraid of Color:

THURSDAY - Today is the beginning of a 4-day weekend for me.  Yay!

Guess who attended Weekly Quilt Bee???  Not me!  I also didn't meet my friend Hilary for lunch at Saratoga Grill like we had planned.  :o((

I did do some grocery shopping, though, and made it home in time for the Winging It hangout on Get Messy:

I had gotten a head start on this page in my Hangout Journal, but spent some time coloring in loops during the "create-abration" for Get Messy's 10th birthday:

Just prior to the event, I printed out the zine that Phoebe created for us to incorporate in our NOW page for the day's Messy May prompt.  I worked on my page and added some color to the zine:

FRIDAY - I was happy to attend Knit Group today and even remembered to get a photo:

This afternoon, I was back at the chiropractor's office.  I'm working up to maintenance level.

After dinner, I headed up to the studio for my Weekly Evening Art Zoom.  I worked on today's VINTAGE prompt for Messy May...

And hung out to chat with Britt after them meeting was over:

SATURDAY - It's LINK PARTY day for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!  I hope you will visit with Angela @ So Scrappy to see what the RSC Quilters have been up to this week.  I'm not sure that I'm going manage to make the rounds to the participant blogs this week either, but I'm going to try!!  It's been a challenge to stay seated long enough to check out the links.  :o((

Please accept my apologies.  I want get back in the swing of things, as I have really missed seeing what everyone has been up to with their PINK fabric scraps.  Hopefully, in another week or two, it will happen.  In the meantime, thank you to those of you who continue to visit my posts.  Know that I appreciate you!  Special quilty hugs to readers who leave kind comments, as well.  :o))

Until next time...

Get SCRAPPY!!

The 100 Day Project - #100Days100ThingsDecluttered - Week 12

Welcome to Week 12 of the #100Days100ThingsDecluttered new mini-series here on The Joyful Quilter!!  I started The 100 Day Project on February 18th.  I'm still shocked that I finally committed to it.  It's particularly popular on Instagram.  I have been hesitant to participate before now.  I'm releasing weekly updates for those of you who might be interested in seeing what goes out the door.

What's your project, again, Joyful???

I signed up with a different idea in mind than most.  You can read about it HERE.  That link will tell you all about my project.

While I have exceeded my goal...

I'm still NOT stopping!!  I am continuing to declutter my home and studio for the entirety of the 100 Day Project.  I really want to free up MORE space for more creativity.

In case you missed the news last week...

CURRENT PROJECT TOTAL: 300/100!!!

Here's my progress for Week Twelve from all around the house, studio and garage:

25 balls of yarn gifted

  1 trash bag

28 balls of yarn donated

  1 handful of yarn scraps

  1 knitting project bag

  1 baby blanket

  1 (more) gift bag

  1 pair glasses

  1 pillowcase bag

Week 12 Total:  60/100

Updated Project Total:  360/100

Thank you to those of you who continue to encourage my weekly decluttering efforts!  I appreciate your kind comments and your willingness to cheer me along!  Sara @ My Sewing Room blog left the following comment:

Well done!! I think week #11 was a success - for both of us. I'm at 286 items right now. This week I'm going through a couple of more crates of books we have no interest in keeping. I'm having fun lightening the load around here.

To which I replied:

Sweet!! Way to go, Sara! I'm glad to hear that you're having fun with decluttering. I can't say I am, but I am pleased with my progress.

Please know that...

I will continue decluttering through the end of the 100 Day Challenge.  My goal for the past week was to focus on the studio.  While it doesn't sound like it, I'm calling the week a success because the majority of the items listed came from there.  Come back next week to see what goes in the box during the next 7 days. 

@dothe100dayproject

#The100DayProject

#DoThe100DayProject

#100Days100Things_TheDeclutterEdition

#100Days100ThingsDecluttered

#filltheboxjoy

You can follow me on Instagram @thejoyfulquilter.

Until next time...

Do the 100 Day Project!!!

ScrapHappy Saturday - RSC24 - Week 19

Welcome to Week 19 of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!!  Let's start with some PINK art from last Saturday's Season Opening hangout on Get Messy.  The background was excess paint from the day's lesson, but I paired it with finger painted roses made of excess paint from a piece of art shared in last week's post:

Here's how this week progressed...

SUNDAY - The day began with my Weekly Morning Art Zoom where I added details to the following journal spread which was created during yesterday's lesson:

After lunch it was time for my Weekly Zoom call with Knittingsuek:

MONDAY - Before work, I played with more of my PINK scraps to get a jump on my project for this month:

TUESDAY - #100Days100ThingsDecluttered

Today didn't go as planned.  I went upstairs before work and did a bit of tidying with the goal of finishing up my post in the link above.  What happened was something quite different...

I bent over to put something in a basket on the table and when I straightened, I knew there was a problem.  I took some Advil immediately, went about the business of getting ready for work, and hoped the pain would disappear. Unfortunately, when I sat down a few minutes before time to leave, I found that I couldn't return to standing without help and severe pain.  No work for me and no playtime, either.  DH came home from work to help get me settled into bed with ice packs for the afternoon.  (20 minutes on, 20 minutes off, alternating Advil and Tylenol every 4 hours.)  I remained flat on my back until dinner and then afterwards, as well.  :o((

WEDNESDAY - Thankfully, today began my "mid-week weekend"!  I got up and dressed with DH's assistance.  Standing at the breakfast bar, I ate my bowl of cereal, and went for a stroll around the living room while he ate.  I still needed help getting back into bed.  By the time DH left for work I was nearly asleep on the heating pad.  When I got up, I decided that a trip to the chiropractor was in order.  DS2 ferried me over there and picked me up after my appointment.  When we returned, it was time for my weekly Zoom call with LeeAnna @ Not Afraid of Color:

THURSDAY - Fortunately, I had today off work, as well.  I'm no better off than I was on Tuesday.  Yesterday's adjustment seemed to only exacerbated the pain.  By the middle of the afternoon I was hopeful that I might be able to return to work.  I figured out a way that worked so that I could get out of bed by myself, but DS2 was kind enough to take me to my knitting date with my friend Tracy, since driving was out of the question.  The photo below shows a portion of the HUGE bag of yarn (Thanks for schlepping that inside, DS2!) that Tracy sorted through to find some treasures:

FRIDAY - Work might have preceded by Knit Group, but I didn't want to add extra stress since this was my first day there since my back went out.  :o((

The day ended with my Weekly Evening Art Zoom.  I shared my ink "smooshed" page...

And worked on labeling the pages of the small journal I'm using for the NEW Floral Petite class with Alisa Burke.

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'm hoping to make the rounds to all participant blogs this coming week... Especially, since this past week didn't go as planned.  Do you know how hard it is to use the computer when you're flat on your back?!  I didn't fare very well.  Please accept my apologies.  I'll try to do better with visiting and commenting this week.

Until next time...

Get SCRAPPY!!