Just Because Quilts

Monday, December 4, 2023

Virtual Cookie Exchange

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

It's Carol's Annual Virtual Cookie Exchange & Christmas Blog Hop!

Every year Carol of Just Let Me Quilt hosts her Virtual Cookie Exchange. I look forward to it every year because I get SO many delicious new recipes to try. It's also fun to see what everyone is working on for Christmas, or just share memories from Christmases past.

I'm excited to share with you one of my family's favorite cookies. These cookies are chock full of yummy goodness, including chocolate chips, coconut, crispy rice cereal, and nuts. These are very versatile cookies, so you can omit what you don't like and add your own favorites. I also like how easy they are to make from items I usually already have in my kitchen pantry.

Because they have puffed rice and a lot of other good stuff, I call them 'Puff & Stuff Cookies.'

Preheat oven to 375°

Bake crispy rice cereal in oven for 2-3 minutes, until toasted

Cream together:

1 cup shortening

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 cup white sugar

Beat in:

3 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon Vanilla

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2-1/2 cups flour

Stir in:

1 cup crispy rice cereal

1 cup coconut

1 cup chopped nuts

1 cup chocolate chips

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased baking sheet and bake at 375° for approximately 10 minutes. Cookies will be pale on top and golden on bottom.

This recipe makes a lot of cookies! A large cookie scoop will yield me just shy of 4 dozen. Using a smaller scoop, I can probably get around 60.

Whatever size you make them, be prepared for them to disappear fast. They are great for after-school snacks, and are lovely with a cup of coffee or tea. I bet Santa might like a couple with a glass of milk!

I like gifting baked goods to my neighbors for Christmas. This year I decided to package my treats in fabric boxes. I found a very simple pattern on YouTube by Stacey Lee Creation for a reversible fabric box.

If you don't use a directional print like I did for my Christmas sample, these little boxes are completely reversible.

The fabric boxes are made from 4 10" fabric squares and 2 10" squares of stiff interfacing or batting. They are very easy to make and go together quick as a wink. It was my first time trying this pattern and I completed 2 boxes in under an hour.

I hope you will give these cookies a try. They are really delicious! Thank you, Carol, for hosting this fun and delicious hop! It's my favorite!

Be sure to visit the other elves who are busy baking up a batch of goodies!

DECEMBER 5

Selina Quilts

Just Because Quilts (you are here)

Karrin’s Crazy World

Quilt Schmilt

Domestic Felicity

Happy Cottage Quilter

Nettie Sews and Lucky Quilts

Monday, November 13, 2023

Turkey Trot Blog Hop

Welcome to Day Two of the Turkey Trop Blog Hop hosted by the magnificent Joan of Moosestash Quilting. Thank you, Joan, for all you do to create and manage these fun hops. For this Sew It - Show It Challenge, Joan suggested we think turkeys, thankfulness or Thanksgiving fabric. There's a lot going on at my house right now, so I opted for a quick and easy project using turkey fabric.

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and I need a few good aprons to get me through this holiday. To say I am a messy cook is an understatement!

The internet is full of apron tutorials, but when I found the "Tie One On Day" 3 Aprons in 5 minutes, I was intrigued. Well, it took me longer than 5 minutes to make this cute apron, but it was quick. Cindy at The Fabric Patch does a great job showing how she does it. You can see her tutorial at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbF_jXIGBvk

I have had this fabric in my stash for a long time, and thought this was the perfect project to show it off. The yellow plaid made a great liner.

The apron measures 25" x 36" with an adjustable strap and a 6"-wide pocket. It goes together quick as a wink. This is an adult-size apron, but CIndy at The Fabric Patch also shows how she makes a child's apron out of 2 fat quarters. These are so quick and easy you can stitch up a bunch in no time.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. When do you start preparing your Thanksgiving dinner? I usually start the weekend before Thanksgiving. There is always so much to do, and I LOVE IT! The clean up . . . not so much.

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone! There is so much unrest going on in the world right now, but we always have something for which to be thankful. I know I have many blessings to thank God for.

Give yourselves a treat and visit these talented ladies and their inspiring projects:

Monday November 13

Tuesday November 14

Karrin’s Crazy World

Just Because Quilts

Elizabeth Coughlin Designs

Domestic Felicity

Nettie Sews and Lucky Quilts

Wednesday November 15

Thursday November 16

Tuesday, October 24, 2023

Monster Mash Sew It - Show It Challenge Blog Hop

BOO!

Welcome to Day 3 of the Monster Mash Sew It - Show It Blog Hop hosted by Joan of Moosestash Quilting. Joan challenged us this month to create some monstrous fun for Halloween! This is my favorite time of year. There's just a hint of magic in the air. Friendly breezes are turning mischievous, colorful leaves are dancing to unheard music, the moon seems just a little fuller, and . . . did I just hear a cackle???

This year there are no monsters in my project. It's no secret I love crows. (Probably dates back to my youth when I watched Heckle & Jeckle cartoons.) And what is Halloween without a patch of silly pumpkins?

For my project I made a table runner of crows in the field. This started out as a quilt, but I made the blocks too big and the quilt was HUGE. So, to keep my sanity, I cropped it down to just 4 blocks and called it good.

I used the mirror applique technique to make my critters. I basically cut two pieces of fabric the same size, sew a scant 1/8" around the shape, then slice an opening in the back where I can turn it inside out. I then iron the pieces flat and sew them to the background. (The pumpkin grins are raw applique.) The eyes are black buttons sewn in place.

I hope you've enjoyed seeing my project. So glad you stopped for a spell. Thank you, Joan, for hosting this fa-BOO-lous hop! For a ghoul time, be sure to visit the talented quilters listed below!

Monday October 23

Tuesday October 24

Scrapdash

Words & Stitches

Homespun Hannah's Blog

Domestic Felicity

Wednesday October 25

Karrin’s Crazy World

Just Because Quilts

Quilt Doodle Designs

Elizabeth Coughlin Designs

MS P Designs USA

Thursday October 26

Monday, September 18, 2023

It's A Dog's Life Sew It - Show It Challenge Blog Hop

Dogs leave paw prints on our hearts.

This month Carol of Just Let Me Quilt challenged us to sew something with a dog theme or dog fabric. What a great idea to show our loyal companions some love! Thank you, Carol, for this wonderful challenge.

I love all my doggies, past and present, and I just had to participate in this tribute to pets. One thing about animals, they know how to get their point across. Cat, dog, bird, or gerbil, they all have distinctive personalities and they all have their own way of expressing themselves.

My project today is dedicated to my little dachshund Lucy. She had long ears that she used to let me know what was going on. In this very simple little quilt, the alternating blocks show the ears in different poses. To add a little something extra to the quilt, I sewed loose paws overlapping the print blocks.

I found the cutest dog fabric in my stash and used it to back this quilt. The overall quilt is lap size, about 40" x 60", perfect to throw over your lap while you're watching tv on a chilly night. And of course it's big enough to accommodate a pup on your lap.

I hope you enjoyed seeing my doggy quilt. Thank you again, Carol, for hosting this fun blog hop.

Be sure to check out all the other great projects by these talented quilters:

SEPTEMBER 18

SEPTEMBER 19

SEPTEMBER 20

Elizabeth Coughlin Designs

SEPTEMBER 21

Sunday, August 20, 2023

Call Me Crazy Sew It - Show It Challenge Blog Hop

Joan of Moosestash Quilting is one of the craziest ladies I know, and this month she has challenged all of us quilters to showcase our CraZiEsT project. Today is my day to show you the quilt that nearly drove me nutz!

I have done some pretty crazy projects in my time, but none so crazy as agreeing to not one but two unicorn quilts for a friend. It was the summer of 2017 and she was about to become a grandmother for the second time and wanted a unicorn quilt for the new baby. But big sis, who was 2 years old, also needed a unicorn quilt so she wouldn't feel left out. How could I say no to a making two quilts for a friend for free in less than a month? Crazy!

I found a darling applique' pattern called Unicornia by Claire Turpin Design. The quilt was originally designed to be 50" x 73", but since this was for an infant and a two-year old, I decided to make them smaller.

Unicornia by Claire Turpin Design

This quilt was such a challenge for me. Because of the rainbow colors there were bits and pieces of colorful remnants all over my craft room. I adhered the colored bits to fusible web to be ironed onto bigger colorful pieces of fabric. Easy, right? Except I kept losing the little pieces and then had to cut new pieces. And to be honest, I really don't applique. I just don't think applique is a good project for someone as disorganized as me.

I was never so happy to get done with a quilt in my life!

And then there was Sister's quilt to do. Needless to say, Sister's quilt was much simpler!

I can't say I haven't done similar crazy projects, but none that gave me so many

problems.

Thank you, Joan, for hosting this great challenge. If we weren't all a little crazy, we wouldn't have as much fun!

But I'm not the only quilter gone mad. Check out these other crazy ladies:

Monday August 21

Tuesday August 22

Happy Cottage Quilter

Wednesday August 23

MooseStashQuilting Guest Post

Thursday August 24

Monday, July 17, 2023

Sew It - Show It Picnic Party Challenge

Hello, and welcome to the Sew It-Show It Picnic Party Challenge created and hosted by the talented and wonderful Carol of Just Let Me Quilt.

This month Carol challenged us to create a picnic accessory or quilt. When I think of picnics, I think of good food set out on a blanket, a cooler full of beverages swimming in ice, and kids running amuck while the adults try to relax. Oh, yeah, those were the days!

One of the biggest challenges I had on picnic was keeping the kids from whining they had nothing to do when their energy levels dropped. For my project this month, I created an activity picnic quilt with games for the kids.

The quilt measures approximately 48" x 63".

I added a pocket with a button closure to

the bag to hold the game markers.

For the Hop Scotch game, I made a marker out of a Mason Jar lid and glued a piece of cardstock to the top. You can still buy Hop Scotch markers (called Hoppy Taws) at Walmart and Amazon. In a pinch, a smooth rock or other small object would work just as well.

The checker pieces are made out of foam. Pebbles and twigs would work if you choose to do a nature hunt. I even thought pieces of candy would work. YUM!

For the Toss Game, I made tiny bean bags and filled them with some small Christmas jingle bells I had on hand. They make a cute sound when tossed. Again, anything you can find will work as well.

The Tic Tac Toe pieces are cut out of a foam, but can easily be replaced by whatever you have around the picnic area.

All of the marker pieces fit nicely in the pocket on the back of the quilt, and the button closure works well. A zipper or Velcro would also work.

I made this quilt out of pastels on a white background because that's what I had on hand, and I'm doing my best not to buy new but use up my stash. However, if I was really going to use this quilt as a picnic blanket, I might be inclined to use darker fabrics.

And while this works well for a picnic party, I think it's an excellent activity for rainy days. Throw it on a carpeted floor (tile might be too slippery) and let the kids amuse themselves.

I hope you liked seeing my project for Carol's challenge this month. Thank you, Carol, for another fun challenge to keep us on our toes! Be sure to visit the other bloggers to see what they have created for their picnic parties.

July 17

July 18

Homespun Hannah's Blog