My first post – Time to Quilt
Reflecting on where I was 6 years ago and where I want to be next year.
Making decisions to improve the journey.
Today I finished quilting two Christmas wall hangings for my siblings. It feels incredibly good to know I’ll start binding them tomorrow and that they’ll be ready to ship well ahead of my Thanksgiving goal. ♥ When I agreed to make 6 quilts for a Veteran’s Day event, I had my doubts I’d be able to get to them.
I planned to make them last year but they kept getting pushed aside until it was too late. This year, I was determined to complete them on time. I can’t show the fronts yet in case my sister or brother sees this post! 🙂
As I mentioned before, I’m feeling burnt out. I’ve spent so much time on donation quilts that I haven’t had time for much of anything else.
Making donation quilts gives me a sense of purpose, but I often wonder if the recipient truly appreciates my effort, especially with children’s quilts. Creating a quilt for a child can sometimes be more expensive than just buying one they might enjoy just as much. If it were simply about giving a quilt or blanket, I could easily buy one from a store. I do it because I enjoy the process.
I also love making beautiful quilts for family and friends, but I haven’t done much of that lately. I dream that one of my quilts may someday become a cherished heirloom for my grandchild. Although I’ve made her quilts before, none are the beautiful ones that she’ll appreciate as an adult, remembering how much time and effort I put into them. I want to start making more of those special quilts.
You may be wondering where this post is going. We all have different journeys, and what works for one may not work for another. This is where I am and putting it into writing helps clarify things.
My challenge has two parts. First, I want to declutter my space to make my work area more pleasant. It’s organized, but I feel anxious surrounded by too much “stuff.” Second, I’m naturally frugal so I tend to quilt with fabric I already own and that mindset is restricting the types of quilts I create. I believe I can reduce the quantity but maintain the variety. I can clear some physical and psychological space to make the quilts I truly want to make rather than the ones I feel I “should” make.
I’ve given away fabric in the past, mostly Thimbleberries. Occasionally I’d miss having a piece I remembered but I still feel it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made when it comes to fabric. I’m not scared to try it again.
STASH REDUCTION
Donation quilts are enjoyable to make and usually quick to finish. Most of my fabric was bought with this goal in mind, especially during JoAnn’s liquidation sale where “end of bolt” fabrics were cheaper. In my excitement about being able to purchase fabric for a dollar – something per yard, I went a little overboard. Okay.. so I went a LOT overboard! 🙂 Three yards of fabric is plenty. Six yards means using the fabric for multiple quilts and begins to feel more like an obligation than a creative choice. I’ve started questioning if this is how I really want to spend my quilting time.
Looking back, I didn’t realize how much space my JoAnn fabrics occupied. I just read this post written after organizing it all last year. I was glad it fit neatly. At the time, I never dreamed that it would one day become a hindrance.
It wasn’t until I started the huggables project, which required storing both my own plus my friends’ small quilts and stuffed animals, that I realized my space limitation was quickly becoming an issue. It prompted me to begin decluttering rather than waiting for the new year like I’ve done in the past.
At the same time, my close friend sold her home and began downsizing. Thinking about all the difficult decisions she’s probably facing has been on my mind as I began to declutter. I started looking at my fabric from a different perspective and considering what I would take with me if I were the one moving. The more I noticed the fabrics I wouldn’t miss, compared to the ones I want to keep, the more I asked myself, “if you wouldn’t miss it, why are you holding onto it?” When I come across a 6 or 8 yard piece of fabric I’d purchased at JoAnn’s I ask myself “just how many quilts do think you’ll want to make with this fabric?”
The fabric bought for donation will be donated – just not in the same way it was originally intended. When I was talking to my husband about it a few days ago, I noticed without thinking I’d said “I’m not getting rid of anything. I’m choosing to share it.” You might be surprised at how that simple shift in thinking changes everything.
My starting point:
| Current stash | Approximately 1200 yards |
| Typical use | About 20 yards per month |
| New purchase allowance | Up to 10 yards a month (this is a ceiling, not a requirement) |
| First target | De-stash 20 yards per month (re-evaluate every 3 months) |
| Priority | Free up more physical space for equipment, fabric, and current project – keep reasonable amounts and share the excess |
The amount of fabric that I think is reasonable for variety, and considering how long it would likely sit on a shelf, is 700 yards – equal to 3 years of quilting at the current rate (with no additional purchases.) That’s a hunch, and I really won’t know for sure until if get to the point where it feels “right”. My real goal is to own an amount of fabric that supports the quilting I want to do without making my room feel crowded. An amount that allows for choices, but also leaves room to occasionally enjoy purchasing new fabric for a quilt without triggering my frugal tendencies.
Here’s my plan; but I’ll be the first to admit it’s subject to change if it doesn’t feel like it’s working!
- My weekly sharing goal: Share about 5 yards a week with friends at the quilting bee or with another group that makes adult comfort quilts. Some weeks may be more, some less. Again, this is a goal, not a rule.
- At five yards per week, that would be about 20 yards every four weeks and up to 260 yards over a year. The actual amount will vary, and that’s okay. My friends will put the fabric to good use, so sharing it is a positive outcome—not a waste.
- 260 yards shared with friends, added to the approximate 240 yards used (20 per month), puts me on track to reach my stash reduction goal in one year.
- KEEP WITHOUT GUILT — Favorite prints, fabrics for quilts I genuinely want to make, useful basics, and a manageable selection of scraps I enjoy using.
- SHARE WITH FRIENDS WITHOUT FEAR OF REGRET— Excess yardage, scraps, and precuts, and prints I probably wouldn’t choose today (without stopping to dream up ideas of how I could use them!)
- Choose one shelf, drawer, bin, or category at a time.
- Work for just 20–30 minutes per session, then stop.
- Keep a designated outgoing bag for fabric to take to the quilting bee.
- Prioritize the areas that bother me the most. The room’s comfort matters more than achieving an arbitrary number.
I plan to continue my June inventory tradition—done in my birthday month. It’s good to keep it current for insurance purposes but primarily, knowing what I have will help me make thoughtful purchases rather than impulsive ones.
A reminder for difficult decisions:
I am not depriving myself of fabric. I’m purposefully selecting the fabric, space, and projects that contribute to my overall well-being. I don’t need to finalize the size of my stash today. I can keep the fabric I love, share with my quilting friends, and progress steadily, step by step. It’s a journey.
There’s never been a situation where I couldn’t quilt due to a lack of fabric. But, there have been quilts I couldn’t make due to a lack of time.
With that in mind, I intend to be more intentional regarding the projects I commit my time to. I can repurchase fabric (or something similar) if I regret giving it away. The time I’ve given away because I felt compelled to utilize existing fabric is gone forever.
