First Scrappy Challenge Post

Ok, I'm giddy sharing this post with you! Wish you could see my excitement...hmm, maybe a video posting would be fun sometime in the future! 

Anyway, I have dabbled in quilting a couple of times in the past 18 months and one of my goals for this year is to participate in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge twice a month during 2012.  That's a BIG goal since I've only created a diaper changing pad and a couple of mug rugs. 

(October 2010 - Diaper Changing Pad for a friend)

(February 2011 - mug rugs made for a blog swap)

Each month Angela at So Scrappy challenges us to use a specific color to use up our quilting scraps.  Since I'm just getting started I don't have much scraps, but I use the month's color to make purchases. That's fun too!

I do, however, have a "stash."

Right after moving to the farm in September I happened upon 4 boxes of quilting material at the local thrift store. The boxes were priced at $25 each - a steal!  I had just moved and thought $100 would be an outrageous splurge, but I was looking at a gold mine.  I figured there was probably $400 dollars worth of material for sale. 

The boxes were separated by colors with green and brown in one, red and purple in another, etc.  Another lady and I were digging through enjoying the treasure.  She kept saying, "I've got enough material already, I shouldn't."  I kept saying, "Well, if you don't want it, I'll probably get it." Then I tried to compromise with her, trying to get her to land on a decision. I would ask her which color she would like and she kept dodging the commitment to buy, but digging and admiring all the way.  That, of course, made me want to grab the 4 boxes and make a run for it! I could just envision those old-time department store sales in the movies where the well-dressed proper women had a free-for-all.  Much to my relief she finally decided that she wasn't going to buy and as soon as she walked away, I put my hands over the boxes and hollered across the store, "I want to buy all four of these boxes!" I was too scared to even walk to the counter; I wasn't taking any chances.  The salesclerk came a put a "Sold" sign on the top box and I suggested she needed to put one on EVERY box. She smiled and obliged me.

The manager then walked by and said, "Oh, you're going to get all four boxes, I'll give them to you for $20 each.  I think someone must have died and these were donated."  I was giddy with the unexpected savings and I felt honored to take someone's stash and make something from it.  Isn't that what a quilting stash is? Dreams of what could be. Sigh.

Anyway, it's taken me months to get up the nerve to cut into the stash and create something - anything. I didn't want to make a mistake or waste material. My hubs said, "It's just sitting there wasting money anyway." (His way to encourage me to get over the fear!)

So this week I delved into the stash. I chose some reds, tans and greens and put together a simple 4-in square quilt top.  I even added a border after this picture was taken.  The following day I went to JoAnn's and bought supplies to try hand quilting.  I might have mentioned that day that "I love my life!"  (not something I say often enough.) 

Today is my first submission to the Rainbow Scrap Challenge and I hope there will be many more to come!



I can't wait to show you my progress and the finished project in future posts.

I LOVE quilting!