February 2025 - TABLE SCRAPS Challenge - Link Party

Welcome to the FEBRUARY 2025 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 2025, 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 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 2025 TABLE SCRAPS Challenge page at the top of the blog.

The theme for January was:

NEON or ANYTHING BRIGHT

Well, it's ProjectQUILTING season...

That means that I didn't have a moment to think about my project until this week, which was an "off week".  No PQ project was due, but I had a couple other projects that I hoped to finish before the end of the month.

That meant that I would needed to do two things...

I needed to figure something out FAST and do something fairly SMALL.

First, I searched through my BLUE Quilted Scrap Basket...

But I really only needed a Dark BLUE and selected a few scraps leftover from the Scrappy Strips QAL with Kristen @scrapfabriclove:

Ultimately, I decided on another addition to my Words and Phrases Series...

This meant the next step would be drawing out the letters...

That was done on double-sided fusible, taken to the window to draw in reverse on the other side:

Cutting was followed by...

Applying the letters to my background, but you'll need to ignore those extra squares since they didn't make it into the final design:

A scrap of backing and batting was soon followed by layering the quilt sandwich...

And stitching the letters down with NEON orange thread:

My next step in the process is writing out a sample of my phrase and doing a test run of quilting...

Which is quickly followed by the real deal:

Once the threads were trimmed and the binding was prepared, I set to finishing the quilt...

My normal front porch swing photo didn't turn out great, so here is a better shot for you on the living room floor...

This is my completed February 2025 TABLE SCRAPS Challenge quilt in its new home, displayed on the gallery wire in my studio:

The phrase says "Never let anyone dim your sparkle."  Thanks for searching it out for me, Britt!  I think it felt just right for the 8" x 10" quilt:

What's next, Joyful???

Tomorrow the new month begins.  Angela announced the Color of the Month for March on her Rainbow Scrap Challenge post that went live on Monday.  She had chosen:

YELLOW

March's theme is:

SONG LYRICS/SONG TITLE/POETRY

NOTE:  Thank you, for the suggestion for our March theme, LeeAnna!  I expanded the theme to poetry, in case music isn't your thing.  I'm excited to see what participants are inspired to create!  While I look forward to seeing what you might make using the prompt, you are NOT required to use the suggested theme!!  The main goal is using up some of your scraps.  I have to say, I have NO IDEA what I'm going to do yet!

And now...

It's time for YOU to link up your NEON / ANYTHING BRIGHT and/or BLUE project in the LINK PARTY below.  All entries MUST be submitted by Wednesday, March 5th @ 11:59PM (EST).

USE those table scraps!!!

#tablescrapschallenge2025