Saturday Seven 318: Lifestyle & More for Quilters

Hello, and thanks so much for stopping by for my Saturday Seven 318: Lifestyle & More for Quilters post. I hope you’ll find some wonderful inspiration in this round-up of ideas I’ve found from around the internet this week. It’s the final Saturday Seven for the year, and yes, I’ll be continuing this series in 2024–it’s one of my favorites to write each week. I’m looking forward to lots of decluttering, organizing, and sewing over this long New Year’s weekend. Enjoy today’s post, and happy almost New Year!

Saturday Seven 318: Lifestyle & More for Quilters

1. Self Care

I loved the ideas in “A Guide to Slow and Simple Living“–perfect for reading over as you set intentions for the new year. I hadn’t ever thought of writing a “personal contract.” But I loved many of the ideas included in this post on creating your own personal contract document.

2. Recipes to Try

I shared this Smoked Salmon Dip with Bagel Crisps before, but seriously, it was so good! And we are making this Perfect Reverse Sear Prime Rib Roast for New Year’s Eve. Finally, here is a perfect non-alcoholic Sherbet Punch for your New Year’s Eve party…it brings back all of the childhood memories for me!

3. Quilt + Sew

Kimberly Jolly of Fat Quarter Shop just shared this free scrappy pattern that she will use for one of her scrap quilt projects in 2024. Also, if you’re looking for information on Quilt Along projects, Moda just created this great page with links to some really fun sew along events!

4. Book & Podcast Recommendations

Recently I’ve listened to several great podcast episodes, and I’m also enjoying a new book! I loved the recent Happier with Gretchen Rubin Podcast sharing her 2024 challenge. And I also loved the Cal Newport episode Proven Rules for Deep Living (w/Arthur Brooks) which led to my book recommendation. I recently read (and loved) the Arthur Brooks book Build the Life You Want, but after listening to the podcast immediately started reading his earlier book From Strength to Strength. One additional note is that while the title mentions the “second half of life,” I feel like the principles in the book would be beneficial for anyone of any age.

5. 2024 Goals

I love the 2024 #Write24in24 challenge shared by Gretchin Ruben of The Happiness Project. I shared the podcast episode for this challenge above, and the blog post is especially informative as well. I’m so looking forward to this challenge. If you’re looking to get organized in 2024, this roundup of 7 top posts on the topic will be super helpful.

6. December Sew Sampler Box

The December Sew Sampler Box from Fat Quarter Shop is lovely as always. I think they did a wonderful job of providing perfect fabrics to begin your new year’s sewing! Below you’ll find a list of the products included in the December box:

• Purchase the December Box here without a subscription
• Mini Lovestruck Fat Eighth Bundle
• Flying Geese Quilt Block Foundation Paper
• 2 ½″ x 4 ½″ Creative Grids Ruler–I’m so excited about this one as I feel like I’ll use it a lot.
• Light Moss Green and Very Light Teal 100% Cotton Thread
• Pressed Flowers Block Pattern

7. Recently on the Blog

Below you’ll find links to the posts from earlier this week on the blog:

• Merry Christmas from A Quilting Life
• A Quilting Life Podcast Episode 100 Show Notes
• A Quilting Life Favorites December 2023
• Quilting Planning for the New Year: 7 Tips and Tricks

Thanks so much for stopping by to read the Saturday Seven 318: Lifestyle & More for Quilters post. If you are looking for more similar inspiration, you can find all of the previous posts in this series here.

Happy quilting!