Back in January, I created the following list of sewing goals for 2025. It’s good practice to measure what matters, so let’s see where I am in the 4th quarter:

• Continued detashing of fabric, supplies and books.
• Rehome all kid craft materials leftover from teaching.
• Finish assembling all partially done quilt tops.
• Select 3 tops I want to submit for entry into an upcoming juried quilt show and get them completed, including the label, by year end. I will do the quilting myself.
• Get current on BOM and QAL blocks.
• Complete EQ online classes 2 & 3.

Successes (identified by strike-through text):
1. Rehomed ALL of the kid’s craft materials.
2. Sorted through every bin, drawer, closet, storage container and hidey-hole to assess things after two major purges and six months of dedicated sewing from the stash and intentional limited spending on new items.
3. Identified quilt tops to complete for show entry. Have secured backing and binding fabrics, plus batting for each one.

In-Progress (identified by yellow highlighted text):
1. Destashing is an ongoing process.
2. Some WIPs have been completed, but more were found.

Not happening this year:
1. Instead of EQ, I went down the Adobe Indesign and Illustrator rabbit hole learning how to convert my own patterns & tutorials into a more professional format.

My goal to divest my teaching & kid craft materials was the catalyst for major purging of our home office and my sewing space. Teacher friends and neighborhood kids were the beneficiaries of my no-longer-needed stuff. Bonus? I recovered things that had been randomly stuck places to accommodate interior painting and HVAC replacement.

Truth is, stash management is an ongoing process.

Step 1 – limit what comes in your sewing room. Evaluate any subscription box memberships. Use the Libby app to read magazines and borrow books from your library. Have a plan for how you’re going to use a piece of fabric – even if comes from the free table.

Step 2 – use what you already have. Make it a point to shop your stash first. Keep said stash organized so you can find things when you need them. I won’t need to purchase piecing thread, sewing machine needles or 60 mm rotary blades for at least five years.

Step 3 – be intentional with your purchases. You are no longer a card carrying member of the Stash Acquisition Team. By all means, allocate some fun money to spend during shop hops and at retreats! That said, everything else should be purchased for a specific reason or need (a class you’re taking, to finish a special project, to replace a consumable supply or something that broke & can’t be fixed). Your bank account will thank you!

Step 4 – use the item or let it go. As a scrappy quilter, it makes me happy to keep a well-curated collection of fabrics available to pull from as needed – usually FQ or 1/3 yard cuts. If a fabric has languished uncut for an extended period of time, it gets moved to the charity quilt or giveaway piles.

During this last round of decluttering, I also decided to offload the remaining extra sewing supplies I used when teaching kid’s classes. Nowadays, group class participants are generally expected to bring their own sewing machines and supplies to class. The SQTM provides machines and sewing supplies for any kid’s classes taught at the museum. i(Of course, I kept a couple sets of basics for my private students and CraftLAB participants.) The recipients were a group of inner-city teens who meet at the local public library with community volunteers.

I don’t buy quilt patterns very often and this week I bought two!

One is Silver Lake by Wendy Sheppard, which is part of a fundraiser QAL with Pat Sloan to support the Virginia Quilt Museum. It starts in January, 2026. When I saw the pattern, I knew it would be perfect for the layer cake bundles I’d been saving. I’ve already pulled all the 10″ squares I plan to use. In fact, I even purchased and cut out the background fabric this afternoon. Hint: the background yardage requirements are on the generous side. You could get away with 3.5 yards, if you cut carefully.

As usual, I made a sample block before cutting everything out. Notes: (1) If you are using 10″ squares, you have enough wiggle room to starch your fabric before cutting. (2) Use a scant 1/4″ when piecing. (3) The pattern doesn’t indicate which way to press seams. Consider pressing HSTS and major seams open to reduce bulk.

The other pattern is Clippings by Thimbles & Needles. The pattern’s controlled scrappiness is definitely my vibe. To me, the consistency of the same QST fabrics throughout the quilt is key to tying everything together. The quilt’s a single a block design, making it great for retreats, sew days or when I just want to sew without thinking too hard about it. I discovered the pattern while perusing class listings for the upcoming Myrtle Beach Quilt Party – and bought the pattern & printed out the registration form just in case!

The block – Combination Block, Split HST, Three Color HST or whatever you call it – isn’t hard to make. It’s one side of an HST married with one side of an Hourglass block. If you are a member of Team Oversize & Cut Down, then you’ll want to upsize cutting measurements given in the pattern. I added 1/8″ the HST cut square measurement and 1/4″ to the QST cut square measurement. Proceed to cut and sew the units together as directed in the pattern. Give the block a good press and trim to the required size. Tip: A square-up ruler in the exact size needed or the Tucker Trimmer will make the trim down part go much faster.

This time of year, I deliberately plan projects and activities to get me through to mid-February because the holiday season can be hard at times. Having an involved project like the Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt I did last year helps keep me engaged. I have a cross-stitch and two potential quilt show entries to finish this year. The January QAL with Pat Sloan and potential beach retreat at the end of January give me something fun to look forward to.