Spring Cleaning My Sewing Room + New Projects

Now that summer is here, I finally did some spring cleaning of my sewing room. (It’s not unusual for me to be a season behind. Or maybe I’m just early for next spring!) I have a few good reasons for feeling motivated right now. Plus a few fun projects on my cutting table. I’ll explain.

First of all – it’s week lucky 13 of the 2021 Riley Blake Quilt Block Challenge. This week’s block is called Dizzy Pinwheel and designed by Lauren Brewer.

You can download the free Dizzy Pinwheel quilt block pattern here.

This month the final 4 block patterns will all be released – and then the quilt finishing instructions at the end of the month! I’m really excited to see this quilt come together. You can find PDF patterns of all 13 blocks so far here. 

You can see my blocks so far on my design wall above. (For my blocks I’m using the red, white, and blue prints from my Notting Hill fabric collection paired with an assortment of Riley Blake Confetti Cottons in Cloud, Songbird, Tearose, Redwood, and Oxford Blue.)

As I mentioned, over the past weekend I worked on a good spring cleaning of my sewing space. (I just realized, it’s still technically spring, right?) A lot of project remnants and other clutter had accumulated and it felt SO good to purge and sweep out the space.

This week I am also participating in a sewing machine ‘boot-camp’ hosted by Baby Lock for their ambassadors. So I was feeling extra motivated to clean up my space and make it feel conducive to learning and inspiration – not stressed out or distracted because of clutter and piles. 

I’ve really been looking forward to this annual training: learning how to most effectively use a sewing machine, finding out what’s new, and interacting with other people – even if it is all virtual again this year. I’m always amazed at how much there is to learn! I’m excited to play around more with the capabilities of my machine and to share more of what I’m learning.

Here’s a view of the other side of my sewing room that I haven’t shared for a while – it’s typically been strategically cropped out because it’s been a bit of a catch-all space for a while.  I finally hung up my bulletin board that has been propped against the wall, and mini quilts that have in a pile on a chair since we had to move everything out two years ago as a result of our flood/renovation. 

For some reason, I am the worst about dragging my feet when it comes time to hanging things on walls. And I’m still not sure how I feel about the current arrangement. Hmmm. I’m going to leave the hammer and leveler out to make myself make a decision and re-hang things in the immediate future – not wait two more years… 

Finally, here’s a little sneak peek of what’s on my cutting table right now . . . more red, white, and blue! Lol. (I’m definitely on a kick.) But I couldn’t resist these new Liberty of London cotton prints from the Carnaby Collection – will be available in shops in July. I’ll be sharing this project on Friday!

If you’re also in the mood for Spring Cleaning your Sewing Room and quilting supplies, check out these Top 10 Sewing Room Organization Tips.