Tag: sewing

2025 goal check-in

November 5, 2025

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.

An unexpected return to garment sewing

October 23, 2025

Although I’ve been quilting for several years, I learned to sew by making garments. A serger, French curve ruler and stash of specialty garment sewing notions are evidence of my past. My friend, Ruby, has inspired me to tiptoe back into garment making. We’ve chosen a simple top pattern and plan a shopping excursion to Gail K Fabrics soon.

Meanwhile, I’ve taught sewing lessons for ‘tweens and teens over many years. Our foray into garment sewing is usually limited to items such as pajama pants, elastic waist skirts and adding bling to RTW items. Back in 2017, I mentored a high school student through her senior project portfolio and later with designing/making her own prom dress. Almost a decade later, I’m mentoring another senior with the three sewn garments required as part of her portfolio application to the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York.

With Joann now closed, sewists no longer have the ability to go flip through all the pattern books looking for inspiration. To select her portfolio projects, my mentee perused my limited selection of printed garment patterns and garment sewing books, print issues of Burda Style, websites of indie pattern designers and any newer garment sewing books we could find at the public libraries around us. She also spent time on social media gathering project ideas and portfolio prep advice.

Today, she took home her first completed garment for the portfolio – a ponte knit skirt. The skirt pattern – modified to add a front slit detail – came from the book Stretch by Tilly and the Buttons, which title is part of my personal sewing book collection. I have to say I’m impressed with the pattern, instructions and overall finished result. So much nicer than my experiences with the Big 4 pattern companies.

Our local library had a copy of Sustainable Style, sponsored by the Great British Sewing Bee. Published in 2020, the book is still available for sale in print and electronic formats, in case your library doesn’t offer it. In the book, my mentee found blouse and trouser patterns she wanted to make for her portfolio. The patterns that go along with the book can be found here. Technically, the patterns are free, but you have to print and tape the pages together or send the A0 pattern images out to a specialty printer who can print them at the correct size. My local printshop said it could print blueprint size pages; however, staff could not scale the image to print at the correct size, despite repeated attempts to do so.

Solution? I sent the master pattern image files to PDFPlotting in North Carolina. Keith returned the printed pattern sheets within two days. The patterns were printed correctly to scale, with crisp images and delivered wrinkle free. Two complete patterns for less than $25.00. Very reasonable in terms of cost and time saved not having to print and tape 60+ letter size sheets together!

Will I continue to quilt? Of course! Mentoring my student with her portfolio prep has merely whetted my appetite to try new things – a top and skirt, knit pjs, rope bowls, jelly roll rugs and sashiko stitching to name a few.

Here’s to learning new things and happy stitching!

Quilt Project Possibilities for 2026

October 19, 2025

Seem a little early to start thinking about quilty travel and projects for 2026?

Destination Retreats, Major Quilt Shows and Guided Tours
It’s not too early to plan for retreats – especially if you want to attend a retreat in spring/summer 2026. Retreat organizers have begun advertising and some events have already filled. I’ve booked a retreat for January and am considering adding another one for late July – after our big quilt show in June. Both retreats are reasonably priced (to me anyway), within a 6 hour drive of ATL and offer private room accommodation options.

Keep in mind that travel expenses can increase the cost of a retreat exponentially – especially if you have to fly, rent a car and cover additional nights of hotel to accommodate your flight schedule. In my experience, regional events tend to be much more budget friendly, particularly when traveling by car. My only advice is to make sure the event/destination is worth any extra travel costs and time required to attend the retreat.

QuiltCon returns to Raleigh, NC in February (not attending this time). AQS – Daytona Beach, FL is about the same time in February. Major shows such as Road2VA and A Mountain QuiltFest (TN) should post instructor, class and quilt show information in March. All are great events to attend. In 2026, other commitments will keep me from attending these shows.

Projects
Many fabric manufacturers release their new lines from November – January. A companion sew along event is usually scheduled along with the fabric launch. Check the Moda Fabrics and Riley Blake Designs websites for collection storyboards and accompanying sew along announcements. Fat Quarter Shop, Pat Sloan Quilts and Missouri Star Quilt Company also have information about upcoming QAL events. Perhaps your local guild, sewing group or quilt shop is hosting an event in conjunction with the scheduled QAL. For a modest fee ($5-/$10), you can hang out, sew that week’s block and drink wine with your stitchy friends on Thursday nights. Bad weather or not able to get out? Join stitchy friends virtually. Check out Jelly Roll Club and Patchwork Posse for virtual sew-with-friends events.

Here’s what’s on my project calendar for Winter/Spring 2026:

New Years Day with Stitchin’ Heaven 11:00 a.m. – 4 p.m. EST. on YouTube. I usually make one of each block during the simulcast and turn them into placemats to donate to Meals on Wheels.

2026 RBD Block Challenge with Riley Blake Designs. Blog post, video and block pattern released most Tuesdays, beginning January 6th. A new one for me in 2026 – challenging blocks from some designers I know and several I’m not familiar with.

Lori Holt Farm Fresh QAL (featuring newly released Farmer’s Daughter fabric collection) starts January 26th. Weekly blog post, introductory video and lots of social media. This will be a QAL project in real time with 3-4 members of my Friday sewing group. I’m sew excited!

The event with Stitchin’ Heaven continues what has become an annual tradition for me. The RBD Block Challenge will provide a weekly challenge through late May and what I anticipate to be a gorgeous finished quilt. The Farm Fresh QAL will will provide a weekly outing, plus opportunities to deepen friendships with fellow quilters outside of my guild. All three projects will enable my de-stashing endeavors. Since I already have the required Lori Holt books and am sourcing materials from existing stash for all 3 projects, this makes the cost to participate minimal. Money saved here means more money for quilty travel!

My 3/4 size Elna STAR edition – perfect for classes and retreats!