Happy New Year!!!
Welcome to my planning post for the 2026 Rainbow Scrap Challenge!! Welcome to a new year. Welcome to another year of using my scraps down to the very last inch. It may take a lifetime, but it is SEW much fun!! With that goal in mind, I am beginning my 12th year of participation in the RSC. Angela hosts this colorful monthly event to encourage us to sew up ALL of our fabric scraps, one color at a time, by assigning each month a color of the rainbow.
What's on your project list for the coming year, Joyful???
As with last year, I'll begin by tell you what is NOT on the project list. I still don't plan on adding RSC blocks to my ongoing collections. Even though there's a gracious plenty of "me time" to fit that into the schedule, I'm choosing to focus on other quilting objectives.
During 2026...
I plan to continue my focus on my UFOs in Angela's RSC Color of the Month. YOU are welcome to join me, but I'm not planning on hosting any Link Parties this year! I'm scaling back on obligations in order to promote opportunities for self-care. Health and fitness will rank high on my priority list.
If there are no applicable UFO projects...
I will continue creating donation quilt tops in each of the RSC Colors of the Month, inspired by Jasmine @ Quilt Kisses and her TUTORIAL for the Jumbo Jelly Roll Race quilt, along with other easy pieced patterns:
2024 Jumbo Jelly Roll Race Quilt top in PURPLE with accent squares.
If I'm feeling ambitious...
I will try to get them quilted and bound during the month.
As always...
If I suddenly feel the urge to make quilt blocks, I reserve the right to alter my course for 2026!
Let's take a look back to 2025 in Joyful Quilterland...
Since we KNOW that I didn't make blocks, just what DID I do with my quilting time???
Like last year, I immersed myself in my art journaling and watercolor painting instead of focusing on my quilting. When NOT engaged in those activities, I worked on sewing small scrap projects for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge and completed as many UFOs as possible. The studio is fully functional, but in 2026 I will try to do additional decluttering with the goal of getting things a bit MORE organized.
My fabric scraps made the following:
12 mini quilts/quilted mug rugs
6 wall hangings
3 large-ish quilts
1 quilted chair cover
2 small quilted baskets
1 quilted pillow
2 quilted art pieces mounted on a canvas
5 donation quilts
For a total of...
Thirty-two (32) scrappy projects, Twenty-six (26) of those were completed as part of the 2025 Rainbow Scrap Challenge (and/or in conjunction with my own TABLE SCRAP Challenge offered here on the blog) and a variety of other events.
You can see all of these in my 2025 Year in Review post. I did my best to sew with the assigned Color of the Month throughout the calendar year. These small scrappy projects bring me great joy and entice me to spend more time in the studio!!!
Aside from my scrap usage...
I completed eleven (11) UFOs over the course of the year - some of these are included by item type in the list above since they were started and/or finished because of the RSC. Thankfully, I was able to keep the number of new starts (excluding quilt challenges) to a minimum and maximized my time at Quilt Retreats.
In spite of my avoidance of unpacking the final few boxes in the studio during 2025, I did a fair amount of decluttering as part of the 100 Day Project. While my quilt project totals were only up a little this year, I managed to accomplish a fair amount for my Rainbow Scrap Challenge endeavors. Wish me luck for a productive 2026!
A new LINK PARTY will be posted on each Saturday of the year.
Until next time...
SCRAPPY New Year!!!
Sharing with Angela
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I really like your plan for the new year, and that you reserve the right to change your mind. Love it. I'm going to try to focus on UFOs again this year too, but really enjoy the block making so that will continue as well. And I'm copying you - reserving the right to change my mind.
ReplyDeleteI finally put together two quilts from RSC blocks made in 2022. I'm sending the quilt tops and pieced backings to Cynthia for her Many Hands and Many Hearts project. I didn't do any new RSC blocks in 2025 (or even in 2024) and I don't think I'll make any this year either. I'm drowning in scraps and think I might put a bunch of scrap bags together and donate them to the thrift store. I just can't deal with them anymore and it's so expensive to mail them to other scrappy quilters. So I guess I really don't have a plan for 2026. We'll just see where it goes.
ReplyDeletePat
Pat
I like to think of plans as guidelines. None of us know what the year will bring. Best to stay open, while also having plans.
ReplyDeleteYour plan for the new year sounds perfect. I hope your health and wellness focus feeds and nourishes your health and that your quilting does the same! Good luck again, in 2026 and all that you do!
ReplyDeleteGreat plan! Self care is important. After a very 'off' year for me I'm hoping to pare down some UFO's into finishes and start new things as the whim's happen! No guilt allowed.... oh, and get working on that graduation quilt!
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