From A (Apples) to Q (Quilting)

Several of you asked in your comments about making and freezing apple pie. Gotta say, it's simple as . . . you guessed it! Apple pie! (Okay, very lame joke but what do you expect from me?!)

I usually make my pies according to the recipes in the Betty Crocker cookbook but any pie recipe will do. To freeze pies, just make them up to the point where you'd normally stick them in the oven, but put them in the freezer instead. Wrapped, though--I just use plastic freezer bags. It works with just about any fruit I can think of--if you've see it frozen in the grocery store, then try it at home. We're getting toward the end of peach and berry season, but you might still be able to get some fruit at the store or your local farm if you hurry. Just think how wonderful it would be to have "fresh" peach or blueberry pie in February! Yum!

I had Hubby help me draw a winner from the "300,000 contest." I wrote the names on strips of paper and folded them up, and he drew one--

That's supposed to be Happy Cottage Quilter, in case you didn't know--my strips weren't quite long enough to spell it all out and I was kind of lazy. Congrats, Ms. H. C. Quilter! Please email me your snail mail address and let me know whether you'd prefer the kit of the Changing Leaves little quilt pattern or the box of scraps from the Sweat Shop, and I'll get whatever you pick in the mail to you!

Now, it's time for me to tell you what I've pulled out of the Sweat Shop for giveaways this week. As usual, leave me a separate comment for each giveaway you want to enter.

Giveaway 1: A book with all kinds of basic quilting information. This is a nice reference for your own quilting library or it would make a pretty good gift for a new quilter.

Giveaway 2: I have no idea where I got these. The patterns, though, are kind of neater than they look. The packet contains some plastic templates for the applique blocks (I'm not sure how you'd use them, but I think there are instructions) as well as line drawn patterns for the blocks shown--these are all traditional applique blocks and, of course, need not be used in the setting shown on the pattern cover.

Giveaway 3: Book containing machine quilting patterns. These are like the plastic stencils you'd buy but are just printed on paper and there are tons of them. I'm not sure how they recommend transferring the patterns from the book to the quilt, but there are instructions.

Giveaway 4: Fabric. Pumpkins, sunflowers, and corn. Just in time for fall--these might just make a nice table runner or placemats for your Harvest/Thanksgiving table! There's a length of fabric that has six pumpkin panels as well as over a yard of coordinating fall "veggie" fabric and under a yard of "corn" fabric.

Leave me a comment for each giveaway you want to be entered into. I'll draw on Wednesday night and announce the winners on Thursday's post.

I've gotten TONS done over the weekend and I know some of you have too. I'll show you what I've finished tomorrow and let you all know which of the quilt bloggers in my sidebar have something to show--I know a few do!

This project isn't done yet, but I thought I'd show you what I'm working on now--getting this baby quilted! I have some fancy plans for the border, but you'll have to wait and see. Once this one's done, I'll have completed all my original project goals, and I'll just have the Thimbleberries Hometown Christmas left on my list.

I hope your weekend has been productive and fun too! Thanks for stopping in to visit!