Wonderful Wednesday - Sue-prise! Quilted Basket

Welcome to another edition of Wonderful Wednesday!!  On a FRIDAY?!?!  The middle of the week escaped me.

I've been working on a project for a couple of months.  You've seen parts of it, but didn't know what I was making.  Here's the story...

Begun as a mere suggestion way back in October.  (OK, so maybe more of a demand!)  When I tried to buy my good friend Sue a really cute project bag from SAFF, since she wasn't able to attend this last time, she declined.

The conversation went something like this, after texting bag pic...

S: Did you (buy the bag?)
J: Not yet, waiting to see if you wanted it or not.
S: Cool. Then, thanks for thinking of me, but I'll pass.
J: No problem! I'll think of something else.
S: I would be thrilled with a "Joyful" original fabric basket... just saying.
J: Fabric Basket or Quilted Yarn Bowl?
S: Fabric basket. I can keep my growing (embroidery) floss collection in it!
J: OK. I can do that! What colors do you want?
S: Scrappy rainbow?
J: Scrappy Rainbow? You KNOW that I love me some scrappy rainbow!!!
S: As do I!! That's why I was a little surprised you asked, lol!!!

OK.  SEW... Maybe she didn't demand.  She strongly suggested that I should make her a basket.  :P

It took a while to figure out exactly how I wanted to proceed.  One evening, when I should have been cleaning my studio, I took a tour through my scrap baskets:

I picked out the brightest of the bright in a rainbow of colors and started stitching.  I took the sewn strips with me to my (Twice) Monthly Evening Quilt Bee:

Another evening of sewing at home and I had a variety of rows... RAINBOW rows:

Ultimately, I ended up with a piece that resembled a small, super scrappy wall hanging, which would be layered with batting... 

... And quilted:

A fabric remnant received some Decor Bond for the lining, ready for basket assembly at a Post-Christmas Sew Day with Needleb:

Here is the completed basket:

Just after the New Year, I packaged it up and shipped it off.  It reached its destination:
 

The response...

Knittingsuek was SEW excited that she actually gave my Quilted Basket "THE position of honor" - her words, not mine - on the top tier of her brand new IKEA 3-Tier Rolling Cart:

This is the texted conversation that we had upon its arrival...

J: What's that hideous thing on top of your cart?!?!
S: I love it!!!
J I had hoped you would. Did you find anything unusual about it yet?
S: Um... can I have a hint?
Never mind... just found it!!! Very cool!
J: What did you find?
S: You are the BEST... (I found) Sue

Here is the quilting detail that I added to personalize the basket:

Don't you just LOVE it when you get a gift JUST RIGHT?!?!  :o))

Linking up with Cynthia for Oh Scrap!

And, to address that first comment listed below...

THIS is what Sue made for me:

It's just darling and provides a cheerful welcome:

Thank you, Sue!!  I posted your gift elsewhere and neglected to give it its own post here.  I was bogged down in End-of-the-year posts and Beginning-of-the-year posts.  As a result, Mail Call Monday just slipped my mind.  Please know that I truly LOVE it!

Until next time...

Quilt for those you love!!!

Winter 2019 (Ravelry) UFO Club - The List

The Winter 2019 (Ravelry) UFO Club is OPEN for registration!! Participants MUST list (at least) FIVE projects. Photos should accompany the list. Sign-ups end at midnight EDT on January 7, 2019.  (We've got 25 31 signed up for this quarter.)

NOTE: All qualifying finishes must be posted BEFORE midnight (EST) on March 31, 2019!!!

My project list for the quarter:

  1. 2018 Wedding (Tee) Quilt

  2. Blue/Green for Parrish

  3. Rainbow Picnic (2017)

  4. Grand Illusion (BH2014)

  5. On Ringo Lake (BH2017)  DONE!! 3/31/19

  6. Blooming 9-Patch QAL (2018)

  7. IMPROV Scrap Swap (2018)

  8. The Birthday Quilt (CrazyMom's June QAL/2017)

  9. Like Deborah (Boschart) Only Not

10. A6 Mystery (2017)

The goal is to complete ONE project during the session.  Any more than that is icing on the cake!

Until next time...

Wish me LUCK!!

ScrapHappy Saturday - RSC19 - Week 1

Welcome to Week 1 of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!!  This week is Transition Week where we will be finishing out 2018 and starting our posts for RSC19.  I am SEW glad that Angela has chosen to continue in her quest to USE up ALL of the FABRIC SCRAPS in her sewing closet!

What is the RSC?  Oh!  You're new here and aren't familiar with Angela's Rainbow Scrap Challenge over on So Scrappy blog?  Well, if you have scraps or love rainbow quilts, it is TOTALLY the place for you!  I resemble that remark, SEW...

Follow me, as I begin my 5th year of participation!!

SUNDAY - It was a quiet day at home.  Blogging took up the lion's share of the time.  My Scrap Attack Tuesday - December Results post was released a bit early since we are running out of days in the year.

In between writing blog posts, I tackled Mt. Washmore for the LAST time (the new year!)

MONDAY - Knit Group met today.  Only a few of us showed up.  I worked on the sleeve striping of my Hoodie Shawl Cardigan.  It better relates to the rest of the sweater now that I've ripped back and re-knit with the purple solid between the colorful stripes.  I picked it up again while waiting to ring in the New Year:

I also released my Scrap Attack Year In Review post early, since Tuesday will no longer be 2018.

Check out the guessing game over on the Mystery Monday Link-Up for Bonnie Hunter's  Good Fortune Mystery.  There are quite a few really fun ideas!

TUESDAY - Happy New Year!!!  Welcome to 2019!!  Welcome to a new Color of the Month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!

And the winner is...

I spent my morning finishing up my 2019 Planning Post and knitting more of the sleeve of my sweater:

WEDNESDAY - I spent the morning at the hospital.  NOT as a patient!!  I was there for the knitting... And to support a good friend during some tests:
  

While she was getting an ultrasound, I was making a mess of my yarn ball, which collapsed as I was switching colors:

We celebrated a good report by heading to the nail salon (I chose a deep, dark RED!) and going out to lunch:

The afternoon was spent adding links to various posts and arranging the "NEW" (moved from the other side of the room) shelves in the studio:

Hmm... Still missing a little SOMETHING, I do believe.  No time to worry about that!  I've got some sewing to do:

That shot (above) shows my RED scraps waiting in the wings and below you have a better lit view of my manicure for the month:

THURSDAY - This morning I was able to attend my Weekly Quilt group... WITHOUT the Junior Quilter in tow!

Today's Show and Tell is what I was making last night:

Oops!  I forgot that it was supposed to be a fabric POST CARD, instead of a "regular" mini quilt:

And... I came home with a new piece of art:

Thank you, Dee Dee!!  Just LOOK at this gorgeous post card:

It's got some RED on it for the RSC!!  :o))

Oh...  And I just MIGHT have come home with MORE scraps:

Also, I wanted to send Cynthia some quilty love!!  I was just reading a post over on her blog, Quilting is more fun than Housework.  She said that Craftsy's reorganization meant that ALL of her patterns were dropped from the platform, with the exception of Wiggle Time.  She's feeling uncertain about her income for 2019, as her pattern Spin! was a best seller.

She's opened a Payhip account and her patterns can still be found in her Etsy shop, but Cynthia is concerned about dead links all over Pinterest and other social media.  :o((

If you have time, go read the post or scroll down to find out how YOU can help this scrappy friend.  Thanks!

FRIDAY - Today was business as usual.  Boy, is it ever hard getting back into the swing of things after the Holidays!!

The afternoon was for containing these beautiful hand dyed fabrics:

Enter, a GIANT used Utz container... MUCH better:

Bonnie posted the big REVEAL of her BEAUTIFUL Good Fortune Mystery:

SATURDAY - Welcome to the first LINK PARTY day of 2019!!  While YOU head over to Angela's So Scrappy blog to see what RED goodness awaits, I'm on my way to Raleigh for Sew/Craft Friend-zy today.  (Must sleep first, but thought I'd post early... since I's still awake.)  Hooray for a full day of quilting with friends!  I'll catch up with the other RSC Quilters tomorrow.

LOOK at the awesome rainbow I found when reading comments over on Alycia Quilts!  Michelle from Crayon Box Quilt Studio has a new(ish) pattern out.  Apparently, she really likes using ALL the colors:

Until next time...
SCRAPPY New Year!!!

Autumn 2018 (Ravelry) UFO Club - The Results

Welcome to the first Wonderful Wednesday post of the new year!!  I'm pleased to report the following:

The Autumn 2018 session of the (Ravelry) UFO Club is now CLOSED!! Participants MUST have listed (at least) FIVE projects.  All qualifying finishes must have been posted BEFORE midnight EST on December 31, 2018!!!

MEMBERSHIP (30):

SEND (3): 
Doris7264: 2 completed project 
katyknitsnyc: 3 completed projects 
sfgwife

NO SEND (27): 
purplejen 
sockjeannieous 
monicarose51: 1 completed project 
GBKDalton: 5 completed projects 
laceyspinner 
amalberti: 4 completed projects 
emaleena: 5 completed projects 
bowie 
jrnylst: 1 completed project
sgray: 2 completed projects 
Kat872: 2 completed projects 
wendyquilts: 4 completed projects 
threadbndr 
gathersnomoss: 3 completed projects 
basketcase9702: 2 completed projects 
aerieiris 
mairG: 3 completed projects 
peregrineknit: 1 completed project 
needleb: 1 completed project 
LowerYourExposure 
Innerpeace1081: 2 completed projects 
siberspinner: 1 completed project 
kris7: 6 completed projects 
grazinak 
graylagran: 1 completed project 
Peerpressure: 5 completed projects

Session Totals:  20 quilters completed 54 projects!!  We blew our old record out of the water... by SEVEN (7) finishes!!!  That was set back at the end of the Fall of 2015 when 17 particpants completed 47 UFOs.

Thank you to ALL participants.  Without YOU, I would just sit staring at my projects (hoping that they would finish themselves.)  LOL!!

Congratulations to EACH and EVERY finisher!! Congrats to Kris7 for being our overachiever for the quarter with SIX (6) finishes and congrats to Wendyquilts on being our Queen of the Last Minute, posting the final finish of the session with only minutes to spare!

I am pleased to say that I marked TWO projects off my list during the quarter.  Never mind that they were 2 of my 4 most recent additions!!  LOL

I finished off the following project...

The Bluff (Libby's Magical) Mystery:

Then...

Just when I was lamenting that I wouldn't have another finish, I checked my list and realized that I already DID!!!

Prize Mug Rug:

What's that?

You want to see the FRONT?!?!

Sorry!!  Photo Currently Unavailable!!!  :P

I consider that a successful quarter.  Thank you to all who cheered us along from UFO to completed projects.

Until next time...
Happy finishing!!!

The RSC19 Plan - {Rainbow Scrap Challenge}

Welcome to my planning post for the 2019 Rainbow Scrap Challenge!!  Sewing my scraps down to the very last inch gives me great pleasure.  With that goal in mind, I am beginning my 5th year of participation in the RSC.  It is Angela's brilliant scheme to sew up ALL of our fabric scraps. One color at a time.  Silly, Angela!  Don't you know that USING scraps just breeds MORE scraps?!?!

(Insert maniacal laughter here.)

This post will focus on my projects for:

NOTE:  Click the link over in my sidebar to read about this year's Challenge!

Since I got distracted LAST year, I'm revisiting that list for THIS year...


Last year's list featured the following NEW projects:

Mari's Squared Away BOM will be running in conjunction with Angela's 2018 Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

Sorry, Mari!  While I absolutely LOVED the blocks you chose and your tutorials are fabulous, there simply wasn't enough time.  I hope to revisit this project at a later date.

"X" Blocks  - A NEW / old project.  These are the Alternate Blocks for the RSC15 Sampler.  New, simply because I never started that portion of the quilt.

This is still a viable project that I hope to find time for in 2019!



I had hoped to reignite enthusiasm for these "NEW" projects and that goal still holds for BOTH of these.



Last year's list continued the following OLD projects:

Scrap Jar Stars - These blocks were started in 2017 and will continue into 2018, as I don't have enough blocks for a bed quilt and that's where I'm headed with this one.  King sized, to be exact!!

Slab Stars - This quilt began as Slab Blocks made during the RSC
15, my first year of participation.  (These continued through  the RSC16.)  Anyway, Angela had a beautiful RSC15 Sampler planned, but I simply wasn't feeling the sampler block thing that year.  I did, however, want to make a version of the quilt, but it took until 2017 to figure out HOW to accomplish that task!!

The 2019 Rainbow Scrap Challenge will provide me with another opportunity to complete the necessary blocks.

If time permits...

Maverick Stars:

String Blocks, since Strings seem to be "a thing" for 2019...

... And/or Tiny Nines...

... May work their way back under the (sewing machine) needle.  These were, with the exception of a few Tiny Nines, abandoned at the end of the 2016 Rainbow Scrap Challenge, in favor of the two blocks discussed in the prior section of this post (during the RSC17.)

While I made a few new Tiny Nines during 2018, I'm certain that each of these OLD blocks need MORE friends to make a quilt.  

As Angela is offering another RSC19 Sampler, that may be a good place to incorporate some of those blocks.  Win-win!!  Participate in the Sampler AND use up some OLD blocks.  :o))



Let's take a look back to 2018 in
Joyful Quilterland...

Since we KNOW that I didn't make many blocks, just what DID I do with my quilting time???

USE a whole bunch of small scraps, that's what!!

Those scraps made the following:

11 Mug Rugs
7 Quilted Yarn Bowls
5 Pin Cushions
5 Lg. Quilted Bowls
2 Thread Catchers

These small scrappy projects are SEW much FUN to make!!!  You can see a few of these in my 2018 Rainbow Scrap Challenge - The Year in Review post.  I did my best to sew with the assigned Color of the Month throughout the calendar year.

That being the case, I believe that I will continue this venture into the New Year.  (Hopefully, with a side of quilt block construction!)

Aside from my scrap usage, I also completed 3 of the 6 UFOs on my list from the Winter 2018 (Ravelry) UFO Club.  The list changed throughout the year, but none of the new additions were completed.  Sadly, I developed a bit of "Quilter's Block" on finishing.

Honestly, 2018 didn't feel like a very productive year for my Rainbow Scrap Challenge endeavors.  I might have accomplished more, but as you might have seen, I had another Challenge during the year.  Scrap Attack and some travel interfered with my RSC sewing time.  Wish me luck for a productive 2019!

A new LINK PARTY will be posted on each Saturday of 2019.

Until next time...
SCRAPPY New Year!!!