Just Because Quilts: 2023

Wednesday, March 22, 2023

Little Green Apples Sew It-Show It Challenge Blog Hop

Welcome to the Little Green Apple

Sew It - Show It Challenge!

The March Sew It - Show It Challenge is being hosted by Carol of Just Let Me Quilt. I don't know where Carol comes up with these great ideas, but they are always loads of fun! Thank you, Carol, for all your hard work and creativity.

This month Carol has challenged us to sew something in green or apple fabric, or both! I have challenged myself this year to use up my stash and not buy new. Can you believe it? In two rooms full of fabric, I do not have a scrap of apple fabric.

Green apples are a little too sour for me to eat raw, but they make excellent pies. For my project, I decided to make a table runner featuring Green Apple Pie.

I used wool scraps to make my pie and green apple pieces and sewed them onto a cotton background. I layered a piece of warm and natural batting behind the crust area to make it stand out.

A red wool heart added a little color to the pie and a white button highlighted the apple.

A sassy bumblebee, also made of wool, buzzes lovingly over the pie. I used 6-strand embroidery floss to stitch X'es on the pie and crust. Instead of using a blanket stitch, I chose to use the raw-edge method because of the batting layer and the tiny size of the bee. I'm not sure I like it as well. I finished the 16" x 36" table runner by adding a black and white dotted border.

We've been having lots of dark, stormy days here in California, so this Little Green Apple Pie table runner is a bright spot in my house.

It's also been cold here and a little lovin' from the oven warms more than just my heart. One of my favorite apple desserts is Ree Drummond's (The Pioneer Woman) Apple Dumplings. They are not for anyone on a diet.

Apple Dumplings

Ingredients

2
whole Granny Smith apples
2
8-ounce cans of crescent rolls
2
sticks of butter
1 1/2 c.
sugar
1 tsp.
vanilla
Cinnamon, to taste
1
12-ounce can Mountain Dew soda

Directions

1. 1Peel and core apples.
2. 2Cut each apple into 8 slices each.
3. 3Roll each apple slice in a crescent roll.
4. 4Place in a 9 x 13 buttered pan.
5. 5Melt butter, then add sugar and barely stir. Add vanilla, stir, and pour entire mixture over apples. Pour Mountain Dew around the edges of the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.
6. 6 Serve with ice cream, and spoon some of the sweet sauces from the pan over the top.

I hope you liked my project. It was a delight to make. Working with wool is a dream, and I don't know why I don't use it more. Have to add that on my To Do List.

Today is the last day of this hop, so be sure to visit all the talented quilters who have contributed to this fun blog hop. Below is a list of today's participants.

MARCH 23

Tuesday, February 21, 2023

I Am Kinda Sweet On You Blog Hop

Hello! Today is my day to share with you my project for the I'm Kinda Sweet On You Blog Hop. Joan at Moosestash Quilting is the creator of this fun blog. Thank you, Joan, for being so sweet and letting me join in the fun! It's always a treat!

Is there anything sweeter than a cuppa after a long, cold, winter's day? Whether it's tea, coffee, or hot cocoa, it's the pause that refreshes. There's nothing I look forward to more than being able to put my feet up with a hot beverage and just let the day roll away.

This is a quilt I made for my co-worker. She was having a rough time and needed a little perk, so I decided to gift her a quilt.

In my stash of embroidery files, I had a cute cup with hearts. The finished embroidered block was 6 1/2". I added a 3 1/2" border, which finished to a 12 1/2" block.

The second block was a coffee cup motif I cut to 8 1/2" with a 2 1/2" border all around.

I added a 2 1/2" and a 4 1/2" border, making the overall quilt measure approximately 44" x 72" -- just big enough to snuggle under and watch tv. By the smile on her face, I think this sweet quilt brightened her day.

And now it's time to sit back with a cuppa of my own and go visit the other participants in this fun blog. I hope you do the same.

Wednesday Feb 22

Elizabeth Coughlin Designs

Quilting Gail

Just Because Quilts (you are here)

Bea Quilter

Samelias Mum

Kathy's Kwilts and More

Lynns Blog

Sunday, January 22, 2023

Shades of Blue Blog Hop

Hello! Today is the first day of the Shades of Blue Blog Hop hosted by Carla at Creatin' in the Sticks. Thank you, Carla, for putting this fabulous hop together. Carla wanted us to create something with a little blue in it. Who could resist such a fun challenge?

One of my resolutions for this year is to use up my fabric stash and complete unfinished UFO's. Several years ago I followed Lori Holt's Instagram tutorial on how to make darling tiny snowmen. I made a bunch, but they were so small, only about 6" x 6", that I decided not to make an entire quilt out of them. Long story short, they got put away. When I was rummaging through my stash looking for blue fabric scraps, I happened upon them again. Their background was blue ... hmmm.

Ta Da!! A lightbulb exploded in my brain.

Why not make something with these adorable little guys for the blog hop? I thought of all the items I could create using some cute snowmen, and finally decided on a pillow.

I sewed the 4 snowmen together, then added a 2" border.

A yard of white pompom trim represented snowballs and added a bit of whimsy.

To make the backing, I used 2 squares of fabric the same size as my pillow top and folded the squares in half. With the rights sides together and folded edges meeting in the middle, I sewed the raw edges, complete with trim, around the pillow. When done, I turned the fabric inside out, releasing the pompoms to the outside and an easy access for the pillow form.