Saturday Seven 423: Lifestyle & More for Quilters

Hello, friends! Today I’m sharing the Saturday Seven 423: Lifestyle & More for Quilters post. I hope you’ll find inspiration for your weekend and the week ahead. I love finding things to share in the categories of self-care, recipes, quilting and sewing, books and podcasts, productivity, and more! Also, today I’m sharing the January 2025 $5 pattern of the month, and it’s a good one.

I’m truly enjoying these first few days of the new year. I love a new beginning and have a lot of plans for 2026. I’m also ready to be gentle with myself and change things up when needed. But for now, I’m excited to dive into this year and get some fun things accomplished.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission.

Saturday Seven 423: Lifestyle & More for Quilters

1. Self-Care

I loved the ideas in this Gentle New Year’s Reset! I also enjoyed this post with ideas for keeping a resolution to declutter this year.

2. Recipes to Try

I can’t wait to try this Savory Breakfast Bowl with Sweet Potatoes! Also this Winter Cheese Fondue from What’s Gaby Cooking looks amazing. And she also just shared 26 Healthy Recipes to kick off 2026!

3. Quilt + Sew

My first finish for 2026 is my Crossroads quilt in our Birch & Willow fabrics. I’ll be sharing a video and separate post for this quilt when it comes back from the quilter, but I was super excited to get it finished yesterday. I’m using our Birch & Willow Cuddle with Moda fabric for the backing, so this one will be extra cozy (fabrics available in August 2026)!

4. Book & Podcast Recommendations

I really enjoyed the recent podcast on book suggestions from Cal Newport’s Deep Questions podcast. I’ve previous read two of the books and am thinking about re-reading them before starting the others this year. My friend Kristen Esser also just released a fun new episode of her Simple. Handmade. Everyday. podcast where she chats about her 2026 creative goals and more.

5. Productivity

Okay…I shared Best Laid Plans: A Simple Planning System for Living a Life that You Love a few weeks ago when it first arrived, but I’ve finished it now and have to recommend it again. I’ve followed Sarah’s blog and podcasts for years and am pretty familiar with her planning system that leads to greater productivity. Her book really does walk you through every aspect of planning. It’s easy to read, and she shares lots of relatable examples. Plus, I love the review at the end of each chapter. I’m super happy to have this in my collection to easily reference and get motivated when my productivity wanes.

6. $5 for January 2026: Montage

This month, I’m sharing my Montage quilt pattern as the $5 pattern of the month. This one is a favorite of mine and is pieced in our Strawberry Lemonade fabrics. There are two different sizes in this pattern which is designed for Fat Eighths but can also work with fat quarters and scraps. You can read more about this quilt here.

7. Earlier This Week

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

• A Quilting Life Podcast Episode 157 Show Notes
• December Favorites + 2025 Year in Review
• New Year’s Organization for Quilters (with free PDF printable)

Thanks so much for stopping by to read the Saturday Seven 423: 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!