ProjectQUILTING - Season 17.1 - A Clean Slate

 A Clean Slate

Welcome to The Joyful Quilter!!  And... Welcome to the wonderful world of Project QUILTING hosted by Kim Lapacek @ Persimon Dreams!!  This is my 6th 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.  I accepted her invitation and the rest is history.  I'm not sure if I will be dragging along my friend LeeAnna @ Not Afraid of Color for this season, as she has had some other things on her mind recently.  Would YOU like to join me in this creative journey?  I believe that LeeAnna is up for the challenge, but we'll have to wait and see.

BEWARE:  It's a wild ride, but oh SEW rewarding!

Challenges are given and start to finish you have ONE WEEK to complete your project.  PQ 17.1 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:

PQ 17.1 A Clean Slate

Each year I try to provide a Project Quilting challenge built around the Pantone Color of the Year. This is the kind of thing I get totally into: I'm obsessed with Pantone, and I eagerly await COTY announcements (even though I often hate their choices).

Again, this year's choice is a conversation starter for sure: they made the unprecedented choice of white. Well, technically Cloud Dancer, but let's be real: it's white.

I pondered how to work this into a challenge. Force you into an all white or low-volume project? Whole-cloth project on white? I feared many would revolt in protest!

Instead, I'm letting you decide how you'll start this year with the proverbial "clean slate" - we're each receiving the annual pressure to do/be better in the new year, and Pantone's choice is at heart an open space to breathe and let creativity sing.

I'm inviting you to block out the noise, sweep everything off the sewing table, and carve out a little time for quiet. When everything's not yelling, what do you notice has been whispering for you to listen? How about you make that?

Step Two...

PANIC!!!  I truly believe that my brain short circuited on the announcement that Pantone's Color of the Year, Cloud Dancer, is the basis for this week's prompt.  I simply couldn't focus on coming up with an idea that meets the challenge.

Step Three... Breathe.

Read Trish's prompt instruction, again.  More slowly to see if I could gain clarity on what was being asked of participants.

Step Step Four... Any ideas, Joyful???

Well... Once I relaxed enough to let ideas flow, I decided to take my inspiration from Trish's words to create another small quilt for my Words and Phrases series.

Step Five...

Review the rules:

Rule One: Your project should represent 2026 creativity starting from a clean slate. You get to interpret what that means. Start fresh, stay loose, and listen to your muses.

Projects need to be created during the week of the challenge (started on or after January 4, finished by January 11).

Your project does not need to be a traditional quilt, but must meet at least one of these three requirements:

• include patchwork

• include appliqué

• have 3 layers stitched together by hand or machine.

  
  

Incomplete or unfinished does not qualify. Every challenge piece must be a FINISHED project seen through from INCEPTION to COMPLETION during the challenge timeline.

Link up by Sunday, January 11 at noon CST

Each piece must stand alone as DONE to count.

Your project does not need to be a traditional quilt, but must meet at least one of these requirements: include patchwork, include appliqué, have 3 layers stitched together by hand or machine.

Incomplete or unfinished does not qualify. Every challenge piece must be a FINISHED project seen through from INCEPTION to COMPLETION during the challenge timeline.

Step Six... Gather Supplies:

As a nod to the PQ17.1 color inspiration, I dug into my light neutral scrap baskets to find some Cloud Dancer-seque fabric scraps for creating a background:

Step Seven... PLAY!!!

Pantone's choice is at heart an open space to breathe and let creativity sing.

Here is a bit 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.)

Within an hour of the challenge's posting...

 I was already piecing parts of a background:

Where to next, Joyful???

 

That's a good question.

Keep reading...

I selected a few fabrics from my BLUE quilted scrap basket for what comes next:

After my Watercolor Workshop with Tammy Kaye on Monday...

Only 1 day into the challenge, I stitched the quilt top's background together:

With more time remaining...

I dug out my stencils and drew out the letters required for my idea:

Those letters were cut out during my Weekly Zoom Call with my friend LeeAnna:

Then I began arranging on the selected backing fabric and scrap batting:

On Tuesday, things happened quickly...

Gluing down the letters:

Pin basting to prepare...

For the quilting that came the next day:

After the quilting was done, it was time to trim the quilt for binding:

Which I finished on Thursday afternoon and this is the view back:

Wonder of wonders...

With 3 days to spare, I present my completed entry for PQ 17.1 - Let Creativity Flow:

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

... And this time, it was because at this point I can't think of a better way to kick off my creativity for the year than with the ProjectQUILTING challenge!!

There you have it...

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

Follow THIS LINK to the Season 17 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. I'm pleased to have joined the Link Party with a little time to spare.  Yay, me!  :o))

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 planned out shortly after the prompt was announce but was finished with 3 full days, but my post was completed with just less than 1 hour to link up until the deadline.  Whew!  That was a little too close for comfort.

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.)