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.