Adding Capacity to my Quilting Room in 2026

 Happy New Year!

I used my winter break from teaching to start decluttering my quilt room. I have only been in it for a few months but still found that I wasn't spending time in it. 

One thing I did this year was let go of fabric - a lot of it! I'm donating a bag of fabric to my quilt guild to make comfort quilts. Other stuff I threw out. I tossed some UFOs that I was just hanging onto and realize now that I won't finish. I got rid of some quilt tops that I just don't want to invest any more time or money on. And that's okay! I've been quilting for almost 30 years so I shouldn't be surprised that some of what I started in the past should be left there :)

I know there are a lot of quilters watching Karen Brown's of Just Get it Done Quilts Declutter Challenge videos. I have done it in the past and decided to use my break time to just start clearing. One thing she mentions often is to decide on the capacity for different items - how much space you want to give them in your room.

I have been struggling with space for paperwork not related to quilting - whether it's taxes and bills, or school related stuff. I've also been wanting space to display things that make me happy in my quilt room. I lucked out and found some cabinets on Market place - old kitchen upper shelf cabinets!

Space above my computer desk before

Cabinets above my computer area

What I have been searching for - and found WITH the upper cabinets - was a storage solution for finished quilts. 

Part of my thinking with quilting right now is where am I going to put my finished quilts? So finding a display cabinet has been on my mind for quite some time. The one downfall with this beauty is that it was stored with mothballs in it. We have done a lot of vinegar and water spraying to get the smell out. Too bad it's winter here because it could really use an airing out! It's been a week and it's better, but I won't be putting my quilts in it yet. If you have any tips on removing the smell, leave them in the comments.

Building capacity. Clearing space, finding space, making space. Mental and physical. I feel like I'm coming back to what I love about quilting - creating something new and finding myself.

If you still have some capacity for a new project this year, 

consider joining me for my first mystery quilt along!

Click the image below for more details.

With Joy,

Sarah V.

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New quilt Room

This summer we moved my quilting room into a different bedroom. I always thought it was smaller than the room I picked out when we moved into this house, but the layout makes it great. My original room is where the sliding doors are located to go to the backyard deck so it's a high traffic zone when I'm on summer holidays. My new room no one else has to go in!

Right away I started to free motion quilt and get a quilt finished. My desk fit exactly on this wall beside the door.

 

I slowly worked at taking down my daughter's decor and am even more slowly putting up new stuff. I am enjoying the blank space above my machine while also thinking about cupboards or shelving.

There was also an irresistible sale on PFAFF machines in July so I decided to buy myself a passport 3.0 machine to take to my guild sew days. I bought this machine for our daughter for Christmas this year.

One more photo of our outdoor plants. Here are the plants I wondered why my husband planted in pots and put on the stairs. Now they are some of my favourites this summer!

My new space feels so good! I will take more photos but for now I've been spending my time quilting!  

With Joy,

Sarah V.

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Remaking of Joy

 Ready to share again. 

This summer has been very relaxing and focussed on getting back to quilting for joy. In this post I'm sharing what my design wall currently looks like: two quilts in progress.

My cat Bert found that the stool I sit at my computer on works for him.

Being outside this summer has been very relaxing. We are fortunate to have a pool and a large deck to sit on. My husband took on taking care of flowers this summer and they have been wonderful to watch bloom and grow. The geraniums were purchased in one hanging pot! The one on the ground in this photo was transplanted a second time into this large pot. Both with huge flower heads. 

Joy is returning here. My husband's diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis has taken a few years to sink in. We are still acclimating to the new normal but are in it together. I am piecing my quilting life together with more focus and intention. With the new school year arriving in a couple of weeks I decided it was time to start showing up here again. 

Glad to be back!

With Joy,

Sarah V.

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Romance Garden Blog Tour - Triangle Pursuit quilt

 Welcome to my day on the Romance Garden Blog Tour.

The fabric featured is a signature line for Sherry Shish of Powered by Quilting. This was the perfect bright batik fabrics to sew with over the gray days of winter. Take a look at the beautiful prints!

My pattern I'm featuring has small half square triangles. These four bright green and bold pink have medium scale images and work great as a dominant part of the design.

There are four different squares in the quilt top and I went with these 4 smaller scale prints. The rich purples are so beautiful.

There are two large half square triangles that give the quilt top movement. It was these next two large scale prints that helped me decide which of my patterns to showcase with this fabric. Look at the beautiful butterflies and dragonflies.

The design really works in this pattern based on contrast with the background. While I went to an Island batik basic, I did choose one with delicate hints of color. It's called Almond.

 Here is my quilt. It's called Triangle Pursuit. 

The fabrics just glow! And look at the beautiful quilting I had done by Melissa @lakesidelongarmer. A perfect contrast to the the angles in the piecing.

I am so thrilled with how these fabrics show off my pattern. You can find the Triangle Pursuit pattern in my shop. 

Triangle Pursuit

Here are the designer links for the blog tour again

March 1 - Sherry at www.poweredbyquilting.com

and Leanne at  Devoted Quilter 

March 2 - Kate at https://www.katiemaequilts.com/blog

March 3 - Jen at Dizzyquilter.com

March 4 - Elizabeth at https://www.epidastudio.com/blog

March 5 - Sally at www.sallyssewingcircle.com

March 6 - Brianna at https://www.quirkyb.com

March 7 - Jennifer at https://www.inquiringquilter.com

March 8 - Anja at https://anjaquilts.blogspot.com/

March 9 - Tammy at tamarinis.typepad.com

March 10 - Kathryn at Dragonfly's Quilting Design Studio

March 11 - HERE at Sew Joy Creations

March 12 - tour finishes with Sherry at www.poweredbyquilting.com

Remember to enter the giveaway at Sherry's blog - giveaway post.

I hope you have been inspired by this beautiful fabric line and these amazing designers. I am definitely in the mood for Spring!

With Joy,

Sarah V.

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Works in Progress for this year

 

I Made A Lists - with Lists in it

One thing I've done with my quilting time this year is organize it into types of projects to work on. These categories are keeping me focused so that when I have time, I know what to work on. 

Reduced overwhelm = More Joy

These are my categories. Yours might vary depending on what is important to you this year. I'm focusing on finishing!

~ Pattern Releases

~ To Be Quilted by Longarmer

~ To Be Quilted by Me

~ Works in Progress

~ Business Projects

Inside each category are where the quilts go. I have tried to limit myself to 3 in each category (but some have up to 6). Already I'm finding that I still gravitate to the piecing activities and at this rate my Works in Progress are going to be done by Spring! LOL! 

 

Works in Progress

I decided to focus on two projects that are fairly recent starts and one new one. I am making all three of these quilts for me which may be why progress has been slow.

Sew Day 2020 Weekly challenge quilt

I have shared about this quilt before. It was designed by Darlene D'eon as a mystery in 2020. I have been working on this quilt at my guild sew days and still have the border star rows to complete. All of the pieces are cut and ready. This one will be my focus at sew days starting next month.

I recently took time to assemble all of the bear paw blocks into the main quilt top.

Quilted Witch

The Quilted Witch is a pattern by Lori Holt. I fell in love with the witch's patchwork skirt and the small quilt blocks floating in the background. Pat Sloan is currently finishing this as a sew along with an alternative layout - no witch - and I have stalled. This will be the next project and hopefully done in time to enjoy this fall.

I have completed the blocks up to and including the small churn dashes.

I also purchased this cute dot fabric as more background fabric.

Secret Lives of Color

This quilt was a sew along with Pat Sloan in 2022. The idea is to select fabrics from your stash that match the colors in the book, Secret Lives of Color by Kassia St. Clair. 

I took it one step farther and used Anna Maria Horner fabrics as my backgrounds. I changed them throughout the quilt to contrast with the colors. I have enjoyed every stitch of this project! I have finished the top now and will share another photo soon.

I'm looking forward to sharing more from my different categories too as the year progresses.

With Joy,

Sarah V.

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