Hello Quilty Friends!
Happy New Year to you!
We all know January has a bit of a weird vibe – it’s a brand new year with a brand new calendar, but our fabric stashes haven’t magically changed since 11:59 PM on December 31st.
A lot of us feel a New Year’s serge to do more, more, more while underneath, we just want less pressure after a hectic, messy, busy, big, bold previous year.
What’s a quilter to do?
Maybe this year, it’s time to choose goals (not New Year’s resolutions) to support our creativity instead of adding more stress to our already-stressful lives.
Here’s a list of 10 ideas to get you thinking about how to de-stress your quilting in 2026.
1. Start With a Gentle Look Back to 2025
Before planning ahead, let’s pause and ask ourselves:
- What quilting project brought me the most joy last year?
- What did I finish that surprised me?
- What stayed unfinished, and why?
- What worked and what didn’t?
- What did I learn?
- What did I accomplish?
- What didn’t I accomplish and why?
The first thing we all need to do is be kind to ourselves – unfinished quilts are NOT failures. There are a multitude of reasons why those UFOs didn’t get completed in 2025 and that’s okay. Let me repeat – it’s okay.
Maybe your sewing space is still disorganized and messy. It’s okay. Really.
We are starting a brand new shiny sparkly year – let’s make it a great one without punishing ourselves for what we didn’t complete in 2025.
Maybe 2026 will be your UFO finishing year. Maybe 2026 will be the year you shed the weight of your UFOs and pass them on to someone else who will love them and complete them. Or perhaps this year will be the year you make your sewing space into your dream studio.
Whatever you do, be kind to yourself.
2. Choose a “Word” or Theme for 2026
Instead of a long to-do list, pick one guiding word/theme for this year:
- Slow
- Play
- Finish
- Learn
- Cozy
- Scrappy
- Etc.
Let that single word or theme shape your quilting decisions this year.
If your word is finish, you say yes to binding days. If it’s play, you try new color combinations without expectations.
If it’s learn, try out new techniques, new rulers, and interesting classes to discover new ways to explore and enjoy quilting.
If it’s scrappy, incorporate your scraps and stash into new projects.
Having a word or theme for the year will help guide your quilting choices and decisions, which can make your quilting experiences more focused and richer.
3. Set 3–5 Quilting Goals Only
More goals don’t equal more quilting. They equal guilt.
Try goals like:
- Finish 2 UFOs
- Make one quilt just for myself
- Try a new technique (hand quilting, curves, improv)
- Sew once a week, even if only for 30 minutes
- Spend 15 minutes a day decluttering your sewing space
Goals should be concrete, specific, and achievable. Just imagine how good it’s going to feel when you complete your goal of “Finish 2 UFOs” or “Try a new technique”? And the super cool thing about goals is that once you complete them, you can create new goals and that will help motivate you to keep the momentum going strong and moving forward.
Keep in mind that small goals leave room for life. And joy.
4. Plan Projects by Season, Not by Month
As quilters, we often overestimate our winter energy and underestimate our summer fatigue. Maybe it’s time to consider how the seasons affect our lives and our quilting. Quilting is kind of a rhythm, isn’t it? It ebbs and flows through our lives. We can harness that rhythm by intentionally planning projects and tasks with the ebb and flow in mind.
Maybe summer is your busiest craziest season, so perhaps smaller portable projects and handwork would work better for you than trying to machine quilt and bind big bed quilts. Maybe in Fall you feel more productive so maybe that’s when you tackle those big quilts.
For example, here’s a gentle seasonal rhythm:
- Winter: Start and plan big quilts
- Spring: Piece and experiment
- Summer: Small projects or handwork
- Fall: Finish and gift
Your seasonal ebb and flow might be different than this, so take some time to think about when you feel more energetic and when you are the busiest. Then create your own seasonal plan for the year.
Let’s be kind to ourselves and work with our natural energy instead of fighting against it.
5. Build in “Finish Weeks”
This idea really resonated with me. When we did the 6 Quilts in 6 Weeks Challenge last fall, I saw that having a plan and being accountable really helped me a lot. So going forward, I need to add “Finish Weeks” to my plan. Maybe once a month, I’m thinking. That would give me at least 12 finished UFOs and what an accomplishment that would be!
And I’m already looking at the calendar for our next 6 Quilts in 6 Weeks Challenge here on the blog, so stay tuned.
You could designate specific weeks for:
- Binding
- Labeling
- Quilting tops that are already done
During “Finish Weeks” – no new projects allowed. Just simple, satisfying completion.
6. Make Space for One Just-for-Fun Quilt
No deadlines. No gifting. No rules. Just breathe.
Some ideas:
- A color you love but never use
- A pattern outside your comfort zone
- Scraps without a plan
- A fun class offered at your local quilt shop
- Something you’ve always wanted to make
This quilt project is just for you. Enjoy it. Make it totally yours. You want purple and red and orange together? Do it. You want to try Slow Stitching? Yep, try it and slow down a little bit. Interested in Improv? Gather your scraps and dive right in. Whatever you choose, this quilt will become your creative exhale.
7. Create a Realistic Sewing Routine
Instead of saying you want to “sew more,” be specific and intentional. Create an actual sewing routine and make it a habit. Having a specific routine will help you get things done and keep you sewing.
For example, you might decide to quilt:
- Sunday afternoons
- One evening a week
- 20-minute sessions before/after dinner
Having a specific routine actually makes it easier to find time to sew. Be consistent. Consistency beats intensity. Always.
8. Curate Your Stash With Kindness
Although we quilters are often feeling energized in January to clean out our fabric stash, declutter our sewing spaces, and organize everything in pretty boxes and baskets – we need to take a moment to just breathe. January is not a punishment month. We really can spread these tasks out, we have all year. Really.
Try:
- Organizing one category at a time (fat quarters, scraps)
- Letting go of fabric that no longer fits your style while you are organizing one category at a time
- Making a “use first” pile (put it in a pretty box or basket, label it, and make sure you use it)
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve tried to sort, clean, declutter, etc. in my studio in January as a New Year’s Resolution. I’ve always failed. And then I’m deflated. Don’t forget the guilt I feel because I failed. Every. Single. Time.
No more. I’m going to work smarter and kinder, not harder. Our fabric stashes are a wonderful gift full of possibilities, not pressure. It’s long past time to enjoy our stashes without the guilt and negativity. You and your stash make beautiful things together.
9. Write It Down (and Make It Visible)
A simple list on your wall or inside a planner works wonders.
Why not start a quilting planner or journal in 2026? A place where you can celebrate all things quilty? Already have anew planner for 2026? Go ahead and add quilting pages to your existing planner. You do you.
You can:
- Add sketches and/or photos
- Tape fabric swatches beside goals
- Leave space to change your mind because changing your mind is allowed.
- Make short lists (remember 3-5 at a time) of quilting and sewing goals
- Write about new projects – the who, what, why, and how
- Write about UFOs
Add whatever you darn well please – it’s your space and only your space! Make it part of your sewing routine. Visit it regularly. Go back through your planner/journal and see your growth, your accomplishments, your thoughts.
Writing down your quilting journey means you can visit whenever you want and celebrate often.
10. Remember Why You Quilt
Quilting is NOT a race.
It’s a rhythm. Ebb and flow.
It’s a warm hug folded into fabric.
Time stitched into memory.
Joy that doesn’t need to be optimized.
This year, let your 2026 goals support the feelings you want when you sit down to sew.
Here’s to a New Year full of quilting.
That’s it for me.
See you next week, right here.
Sew. Laugh. Be Kind. Repeat.
Always,
Tricia @ VRD
Villa Rosa Quilts 