In 2013 I made my first world map quilt.  In fact, it was my first quilt.  Ever.  And it was just for my own personal use.  I didn’t make it with any intentions to monetize from it.  But it started to get quite a bit of attention, and I started to receive requests for commissioned world quilts.  Maybe there was something there?  So I opened up my little quilt shop.  And for the next couple of years I hustled at my sewing machine to bring world quilts to your homes.  I loved quilting.  I loved my design.  What I didn’t anticipate was the feeling of dread when I sat at my sewing machine.  Sewing had always been my escape from the world – my happy place.  But suddenly I was making the same quilt, over and over and over again.  I lost my love of it all, and I couldn’t seem to be motivated.  I stopped blogging, stopped ‘gramming, and, quite honestly, stopped making.  In that time I experienced an exhausting pregnancy and allowed myself a leisurely maternity leave.  But when it came down to it, I couldn’t bring myself to get back to work.  So I made a rug, instead.  And it was that rug that woke me.  For the first time in a long time, I remembered the joy of making.  I never lost my love of it, afterall.  I was just approaching it all wrong.  I was no longer doing it for myself, I was doing it for everyone else.  And where’s the fun in that?

So what does all of this mean for Yellow Spool?

It means I will no longer be keeping my shop stocked with quilted product.  While there might be an occasional item listed here or there, I will, for the most part, stop selling my handmade items.  I didn’t come to this decision lightly, but there is a lightness to it now that the decision is made.

It means that later this week I will be holding one final sale at lower prices than ever.  In an effort to clear out my limited stock, I will be offering everything at an insane discount, just in time for the holidays.  Newsletter subscribers will get a full 24 HOURS of early access to the sale, plus an exclusive discount code.  If you aren’t already signed up for the newsletter, do that now.

It means that the World Map Quilt pattern that I have been promising is finally making it’s debut. The fact that I am no longer making my own world product has made it easier for me to justify selling the pattern (for personal use only).

It means that I will be focusing my efforts on ecourses and patterns. Did you know that my bachelor’s degree is in FCS Education? I have a passion for teaching, and I am excited to start utilizing my education further.

I’m still here, working harder than ever.  And I am thrilled with this new direction that Yellow Spool is moving in.