Saturday Seven 154 Inspiration for Quilters

Hello, friends, and happy Saturday! It’s been a long week, and I am definitely ready for some weekend relaxation. Thanks so much for taking some of your weekend time to stop in for the Saturday Seven 154 Inspiration for Quilters post. I hope you’ll enjoy this week’s roundup of ideas.

Saturday Seven 154

1. Feed Your Spirit

I loved this list of “5 Small Morning Rituals that Don’t Involve Working Out.” (Although, I love the power of a nice morning walk, too)! And I thought this article on “Falling in Love With Minimalism All Over Again” had some great insights regardless of where you stand on the “minimalist movement.” Finally, I loved this article on practicing gratitude.

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2. Recipes to Try

It’s definitely soup season…and here is one similar to one we make frequently during the fall and winter. I also want to try this Loaded Broccoli Cheese and Bacon Soup. And these Homemade Breadsticks will be the perfect addition to both recipes. I’ve also been missing chicken wings (we haven’t had them from a restaurant in so long), and this baked version recipe looks like a good one! Finally…I can hardly wait to try this Meatball Baked Ziti. I even have some of my homemade meatballs in the freezer, so I can put it together quickly!

3. Quilt & Sew

And I just realized I never shared the October Sew Sampler Box from Fat Quarter Shop. It’s pictured above and had so many fun things included. My favorite item this time was the Creative Grids Seam Guide Tool. I love using this notion for when I make my half-square triangles without triangle paper. It’s helpful to have more than one as it’s a great tool to have when traveling.

• Petite Paintbox 10″ Stacker (Basics by Elizabeth Hartman for Robert Kaufman in a variety of prints and colors)
• Scissor ID Magnetic Silicone Clips (to differentiate your paper, thread, and fabric scissors)
• Creative Grids 9″ Seam Guide Tool (discussed above–a terrific size)
• 6″ Courthouse Steps Quilt Block Foundation Paper (nice to have for easy, mindless and accurate block sewing)
• Greatest Hits Album Quilt Block 7 (Block for this year’s Sew Sampler Quilt)

4. Happy Days Pre-Orders

I had to place my final orders for our Happy Days collection about a week ago. So what is in the shop for pre-order is all that I’ll have available from that collection. I’ve got Happy Days pre-order items listed here in the pre-cuts section, here in the kit section, and here in the fabric section. (Find the Happy Days Project Packages in the kit section).

I will be adding some Balboa pre-cuts as soon as they ship from the warehouse; however, the Balboa yardages I have are all listed now.

5. Holiday Prep

Whether you’re on a budget or not, these Christmas Budget Decorating Ideas from Miss Mustard Seed are all good ones. And here is a good mix of Handmade Holiday Creative Gift Ideas. Finally, find three Holiday Make-Ahead Freezer Desserts to start prepping now here.

6. Bookshelf

One of my recent goals has been to spend at least 30 minutes a day reading a hard cover book. It’s really helped me to get more reading done which always helps me feel so much better! My 30 minutes generally turns into 45-60 minutes, and with the lovely weather I’ve been doing most of my reading outdoors–win, win! Here are two recent finishes that I’ve enjoyed along with a note on one I’ve just started:

• The Lazy Genius Way–A simplified guide to organizing nearly every aspect of your life. I’ve picked up some good tips and really have started re-thinking several of my routines in order to simplify them.
• Time Smart–While research heavy, this book is still easy to read. I’ve also gained new perspectives on my time management and have used the author’s ideas to re-formulate some of my own.
• And finally, I’ve just begun The Practice: Shipping Creative Work–This one has been very inspirational and motivating at the same time. While it’s written primarily for creatives who ship or sell their work, I do feel like the principles apply to anyone who loves living a creative life. More on this one when I finish!

7. Last Week on the Blog

This week was a fun and busy one here on the blog. Click the links below for any posts you might have missed!

• A Quilting Life Podcast Episode 13 Show Notes
• Home for Christmas Quilt Wall Hanging
• Block Heads 3 Block 43
• Labor of Love Sew Along Block 6
• Quilting Life Block of the Month November 2020

Thanks so much for stopping by to read the Saturday Seven 154 Inspiration for Quilters post. For more inspiration, find all of the previous posts in this series here.

And…if you’re still reading…thank you so much for reading and for the kind emails and notes! I appreciate them so much. It’s been hectic here while I finished up another book, so I know I have fallen a bit behind with a few things. Thanks so much for your understanding. Have a great rest of your weekend!