Dead Simple Finish! Oh, and a Little Bread Recipe Too

With the help of some down time at work I was able to finish sewing the binding. (I always carry a project of some kind in case this happens.)

Without further ado, may I present my Dead Simple quilt.

I opted to do a mini quilt and am glad I did. Not only do have a finished piece, but I used it to showcase some free motion quilting that I would not have tried on a large quilt. It can also function easily as a wall hanging or on a table, which is where it is living right now.

As a reminder, this photograph I took this summer was my inspiration for the color palette. It also was the inspiration for the quilting design I did. I thought about doing a full tree, but I kept coming back to sketchy leaves.

A huge THANK YOU to Lynne at Lily's Quilts for hosting this quilt-a-long and also to Cindy at Fluffy Sheep Quilting for hosting the weekly free motion quilting practice, which is what I did before tackling the actual quilt.

I also want to thank Leah at the Free Motion Project for all of her work teaching others how to break out of the straight line.

Can we talk about the back? I didn't want to do just a solid color and knew finding a print that I would like would not happen. So I took some extra squares to create a little interest. Chad, on the other hand, hates the back. Don't get me wrong, he loves the rest of it a lot and was pretty impressed. I tried to tell him that modern quilting doesn't involve boring backs and there are some that are more mish-mashed. I am not so much a fan of just slapping fabric together randomly, but I see it all over. What do you think? What kinds of backs do you tend to put on your quilts?

ETA: I'm linking this up with Fabric Tuesday over at Quilt Story. I've seen their button on so many blogs and finally checked it out tonight.

Also linking up to Celebrate Color. Check out all of the amzing projects featured over there!

I also want to share with you what is becoming my favorite bread recipe. No kneading either, for those of you who do not like doing it. I don't have photographs of it because the lighting in our kitchen is horrible. I did adapt my recipe from Bake at 350, so if you want photos, there are some there.

A few notes. I don't buy self-rising flour because it is easy to replace using simple ingredients. And as far as the beer goes, I have used both Blue Moon and Bud Lite. Blue Moon is the favorite here, even though Chad only drinks Bud Lite. I thought he would like it, but he says he was spoiled with the flavor of the Blue Moon first. I'm also working on a spin made with Guiness and chocolate, but that may wait until after Thanksgiving.

Cheddar Beer Bread

3 c flour
3 3/4 tsp baking powder
3/8 tsp salt
3 T sugar
1 T garlic powder
1 T Italian seasoning
1 C cheddar cheese
12 ounces beer, room temperature (very, very important!)

Preheat oven to 350. Spray or grease a loaf pan and set aside. Stir together all ingredients except the beer, making sure they are well mixed. Pour in the beer and stir until combined. Sometimes I skip the spatula and use my hands. It is sticky and it can be easier to mix it without a tool. Dump into loaf pan and bake for 1 hour. Allow to cool for 5 minutes and then turn out onto a cooling rack.

Then either allow to cool or slice into immediately. I don't like waiting for it too long and always slice off the end while it is still warm and enjoy it with a little butter.

I will be bringing this to Thanksgiving and make it all the time at home. It is great with eggs at breakfast, as a replacement for grilled cheese with some tomato soup, as sandwich bread, or with some spaghetti.

I'm linking this up with Debbie at A Quilter's Table. She features Tuesday at the Table every week and this week is hosting a linky with a contest. Be sure to check it out!