Happy Friday friends!!

I’m not sure exactly why but this week has felt long and super busy so I am definitely celebrating that it’s almost the weekend!!  I wanted to pop in and share some fun things plus a recent long overdue quilty finish.  Today is another busy day so I’ll try to keep it relatively brief 🙂

#1-Since I know that most of you who stop by my little blog are here to see something quilt related I will start out with a recent finish.  Over a year ago I participated in a super fun quilt block swap.  We chose the Dwell pattern from Camille Rosekelley’s book Simply Retro.

If you don’t have this book you should definitely grab it!  I have used so many patterns in it and they are all very well written and easily customizable.  There were 16 of us in the swap and we each made 1 house block for ourselves and 15 others to share.  Our swap host did the heavy lifting and sent everyone their own mix of each of the blocks.  I designed the custom label and had it made for all of us to use on the back of our quilts.

We were instructed to use the same white background so it would be easy for us to add the sashing on our own and piece the top together.  Everyone customized the centers of their blocks and we ended up with such a great mix!!  There is definitely no way for me to pick a favorite 🙂

I did the custom quilting myself on the longarm and my local quilt store.  At the time they allowed us to rent time on their longarm to quilt our own quilts after we had paid for and taken a certification class.

I chose a fun flower and paisley design and used a very light gray thread.

When the swap was first starting we all agreed on a navy and red theme with splashes of aqua and pink.  I chose my favorite Connecting Threads red and white gingham for the back.

I absolutely love use widebacks for the back of my quilts.  It eliminates the time and hassle of piecing the backing.  Plus this red gingham is so fun!!

For the binding I went with a navy and white dot print from Riley Blake.  I felt like it really tied everything together so well.  I used my favorite Glue Basted Binding Tutorial and it really sped things up and helped me finish quickly.

In the end I am so glad I finally finished up this quilt! I has definitely motivated me to finish up more of quilts and start using them 🙂

#2-My second item for this week is the Clarity Ruler Foot by Accents in Design.

I had someone comment on my post about choosing my sewing machine Brother PQ1500 SL  asking about which ruler foot I use when free motion quilting with rulers.  I responded and showed her which supplies I am using but thought maybe I would share here too in case anyone else is interested.  I spent quite a bit of time researching my machine and all of the accessories I wanted to purchase with it.  I chose this ruler foot and love it!  My main reason for opting for this particular foot was that it is clear.  It makes it SO much easier to see where you are going when you can see through the foot.  They make this foot in both high shank and low shank versions for different sewing machine models.  If you haven’t tried FMQing with rulers grab this foot and give it a shot.

#3-Since we’re talking about free motion quilting I wanted to share some thread that I am dying to try.

This Superior Threads So Fine is a polyester thread and everyone swears is amazing for machine quilting.  I have just ordered some while it’s on sale at Fat Quarter Shop so I can give it a shot.  I’ll have to let you all know what I think after I’ve had a chance to use it for a while.  If anyone else has tried it let me know what you think.

#4-Since I am a TON of zucchini (literally) in my garden this year I have been making all the zucchini recipes I can find.  You know I have a very limited diet because of some health issues but I still love me a good brownie.  Enter Flourless Fudgy Zucchini Brownies  This recipe is SO good you guys!!  I have been working with a Functional Medicine doctor for a while now and his wife is part of the practice.  She is a very well qualified Certified Nutrition Expert with a long list of credentials.  But what makes her truly unique is that she is a real person with a real family and a real life.  It is so easy for experts to tell us all exactly how we should be eating but putting that into practice with teenagers can be a bit tricky, to say the least.  I eat clean all of the time but I can only manage what my children eat at home so while they are here I do my best to make sure they are getting healthy, nutrient dense foods.  I would be lying if I didn’t tell you all that we are still human and we still need a treat from time to time.  We love these brownies and if you don’t tell them your kids won’t even know they are good for them 🙂

#5-For my last thing this week I wanted to share something a bit personal with you guys.  My husband and I have recently become involved with a charity called Sleep in Heavenly Peace  Their mission is to help kids in need get a place to sleep.  We are very blessed and wanted to help our local community in some tangible way.  We were introduced to Sleep in Heavenly Peace a few months ago and knew right away it was a good fit for us.  We have helped with 2 “builds” now and plan to continue in the future.  Here’s the thing you guys.  There are so many children in need!  Many of the kids we help have been sleeping on the floor.  Some with only a blanket and a pillow.  No mattress!  With Sleep in Heavenly Peace we actually build them bunk beds, install them in their homes and provide bedding and pillows as well.  The absolute joy on these kid’s faces is priceless.

These are just cell phone snaps so please forgive the quality but I wanted to show exactly what we are doing.  This particular day was super hot!!  It was 100 degrees outside and no AC in the small duplex where this family lives.  When we arrived we discovered that this was another family who’s children were literally sleeping on the floor.

I don’t have a million dollars to give but I can always give of my time!  If you are local to Utah please check out the Syracuse chapter SHP Syracuse Chapter if you are interested in helping out.  If you have a minute and want a tear jerker to you can watch Mike Rowe, of Dirty Jobs fame, who helped out the SHP founders in one of his “Return the Favor” episodes.  If you would like to make a monetary donation or a bedding donation please let me know and I will hook you up.  The bedding is our biggest hand up right now.  In the near future I plan on donating some simple quilts when we build a bed.  How special would it be to bring these amazing kids in to see their brand new beds with a handmade quilt on it?!  This charity has become near and dear to my heart and I hope to share more in the future.

Well friends I don’t think I kept it as short and sweet as I was hoping but I wanted to thank you all for taking a few minutes to pop in and read my little blog!  You guys are the best!

Happy Weekend!

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