Just Because 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

July 19

July 20

Stay cool!

Monday, June 19, 2023

When Pigs Fly Sew-It Show-It Challenge Blog Hop

It's time for another fun Sew-It Show-It Challenge! This one was the brainchild of Joan at MooseStash Quilting . Thank you, Joan, for hosting this month's challenge. I don't know where you come up with all these ideas, but I am so glad you do!

Joan's directions for this challenge was to dig into our past projects that for some reason were never completed. In my case, it wasn't a question of what shall I do, but which one will I do?! I have quite a stash of PIG's (projects in grocery bags), UFO's (unfinished objects), and WIP's (works in progress).

The project I chose was a PIG that has set in my closet for many years. Surprisingly enough, the top was finished but needed to be assembled into a quilt. No, it is not a tribute to KISS even though one of the characters resembles Gene Simmons.

I love all things Beatnik, including tiki art, rat fink dragsters, coffee shops, and jazz. My friend Mike in the 4th grade had older brothers. Of course he emulated their ever move, and when they started snapping their fingers, wearing black turtlenecks, and saying, "Cool, man, cool," he followed suit. Well, I and my classmates thought Mike was a pretty cool dude, so we copied him. We thought we were the coolest 9-year-olds on the planet. Hence, my love for all things Beatnik and my motivation to design a tiki quilt.

artwork by Derek Yaniger

I think the reason I never finished this quilt before is because I'm not crazy about the colors. If I were to do it again, I would make the guys aqua blue and lime green. But this quilt is not for the faint of heart. It has so many pieces to it I am surprised I even finished the top.

The backing is pieced with two large tiki fabric remnants. The overall size is approximately 42"x60". The tiki blocks are 10"x22".

I hope you enjoyed my project and my walk down Memory Lane. Be sure to check out the projects of the talented quilters listed below. They are sure to delight! As for me, I think I will grab me a cup of expresso and listen to some cool jazz.

artwork by Derek Yaniger

Can you dig it, Daddy-O?

Tuesday June 20