Declutter Challenge 2026 - Day 5 - Patterns

Karen
1 day ago
3 min read

Today it’s all about patterns. And not all patterns are equal. Some we have in hard copy, and some we download. Some we pay a fair amount for, and some are free. So you might have several different categories depending on how you value them.

We often have a voracious appetite for them, grabbing them from as many places as possible. But if you have been making for a while, there will be so many that you outgrow or you'll realize that your tastes are for a different type of quilt, or you tried that technique and it’s just not your thing.

And if you value them, you need to have access to them so they’ll inspire you. So, it’s back to that shelf space. How much of a shelf do you want them to take up?

Now is the time to look through them and eliminate those that no longer inspire you. Have your recycling and donation bins ready. Any patterns that you have previously made, put into a separate pile. We will deal with those tomorrow on Day 6.

Part 1

The question that you should be asking yourself, and you need to be very careful here as it’s tricky, is:

Do I want to make this?

Set Your Timer.
Gather All Your Patterns (put any you've made in a pile for tomorrow).
Ask yourself, "Do I want to make this?" It's not "Can I make it?" With the limited amount of hours that you have available for quilting, is this a quilt that you want to make?

Do you want to make it?
Does it excite you?
Will it bring you joy?

And this might put your brain into a loop. Write down these questions so you can see them and pull yourself out of the mental spiral.
Define Your Pattern Capacity.
Sort and CULL. Remember move out anything that:
- No longer inspires you
- No longer fits your taste
- Feels like obligation rather than joy
- You’ve outgrown
- You simply know you won’t make

We often get distracted with it only being a sheet of paper, so it’s not taking up space. Or, more than likely, we'll try to find a home for it. "Who could I make this quilt for?" And suddenly you put another project on the to-do list without pausing to ask if you really even like the pattern.

Personally, I love the design process of making a quilt. This is my happy place. All the quilty math, the block placement and playing with colours and prints. But, I now realize that I don't need a lot of written patterns as I can figure it out myself.

But please, do not judge your space from mine. You might love the piecing stage of making a quilt. Just give you the fabric requirements and you are good to go. So your pattern stack will be thicker than mine.

Don't Forget Your Digital Patterns!

There is a second part to this challenge. And that is the patterns on your computer. If you have purchased any patterns in the past two years, chances are that they came in a PDF.

Make a single folder for digital patterns (put it on your desktop for easy access).
Drag all PDF patterns into that folder.
Check old emails to ensure you downloaded everything. I find it is also useful to look at my credit card statements to find all the purchases
Rename files so they make sense.
Consider subfolders by designer, technique, or style.
If other downloads come to mind, add them to your brain dump list—don’t let them derail today’s task.

This might trigger thoughts of other downloads. Instead of searching for them now, put them in your brain dump.

Part 2

And when you’re done, reward yourself by working on your Declutter Challenge WIP or UFO. Even if it's only for 5 minutes.

Here are two videos I recommend for today:

Pick an easy scrapbuster from my patterns and playlist here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLchS26NEYgVzcs6pPI-joll7Ow6BHGAv7

The link for prior days of the Declutter Challenge can be found here.

So was this an easy day or a hard day? Share your progress in the comments, FaceBook group or on Instagram to inspire others. We are all in this together. Don’t forget to use hashtag. #DeclutterChallenge2026.

I’ll see you tomorrow for Day Six

Take Care