Learning Quilts Loved Differently

Not every quilt top is meant to become a finished quilt. I think many of us learn that slowly and gently as we grow as makers. Some quilts are designed to stretch us. Some are meant to teach us skills we did not know we needed. And some eventually find their purpose in a completely different form than we originally imagined!

I learned to quilt in the same way many modern quilters do by teaching myself. I watched videos, read tutorials, and joined quilt alongs whenever I could fit sewing into my life. Those quilt alongs offered community and gentle structure, with the freedom to learn at my own pace. They helped me grow without pressure to be perfect.

One of my favorite designers to learn from has always been Suzy Quilts. Her patterns feel calm and intentional but also approachable, and they have a way of guiding you through both the how and the why. The quilt blocks that eventually became my flower bag were originally part of her Gather Quilt pattern, which I made during one of her quilt alongs.

When I made that quilt, my life was bursting at the seams in the best and busiest ways. We had just opened a new restaurant, and I had also just opened my former shop, Grande Stitches. My sweet little shop was and still is located upstairs in the same building as our restaurant, so I would run upstairs between the rushes to sew for a few quiet minutes before heading back down. Those tiny pockets of sewing time became a real exhale for me, a pause where I could reset before the next wave of busyness.

That quilt became one of my greatest teachers. At that time I had not yet mastered my quarter inch seam allowance, and the Gather Quilt is full of precise intersections that depend on accuracy. I learned very quickly how even small inconsistencies can build across a quilt top. It taught me to slow down, measure more carefully, and pay closer attention to how I was constructing each block.

The finished top was beautiful, but it had too many mismatched points for my Virgo heart to truly live with. I knew I would never finish it as a full quilt. And as soon as I accepted that, something shifted. I realized that the quilt had already served its purpose. It had taught me skills I still use every single day. It had accompanied me during a meaningful season of life. And it did not need to become a traditional quilt to be valuable.

For a long time, I carried quiet guilt over unfinished quilts. I think many of us do. We feel like we owe every quilt a completed binding and a final finish. But learning quilts and practice blocks have already done the work they were meant to do. Repurposing them honors the time and energy we invested. It gives those blocks a chance to shine in a new way instead of staying tucked in a drawer. Creativity is never wasted. It simply evolves.

Eventually I decided to turn my Gather Quilt top into something smaller and more intentional. I ended up making a flower bag for a dear friend’s birthday, and it reminded me how special handmade gifts truly are. There is something so meaningful about giving someone a piece of your time and creativity, especially when it comes from a project with its own story stitched inside.

And of course, here is the funny part the mismatched points and uneven seams I obsessed over were completely invisible to everyone else. Not one person noticed them. Not my friend. Not anyone who has seen the bag. Only me. It was a gentle reminder that we often see our work through a much harsher lens than others do. Most people simply see the love.

Making that bag showed me again that handmade things do not need to be perfect to be treasured. They only need intention and heart. And, if you’re lucky, the love and stamp of approval from a furry friend!

What once felt like an imperfect quilt became a bag I love, and it was so fun to make. I used a pattern by Eleanor Stieva, and it can be found here!!

While it is not a quilt, it still feels meaningful in a completely different way and in some ways even more right than finishing it as a quilt ever would have.

Which brings me to the wide world of small sewing projects you can make with practice blocks or learning quilts. There are so many possibilities bags, pillows, table runners, vests, bandanas, scarves, wall hangings, and more. The list is endless.

I promise I am not affiliated with Suzy Quilts, but her site has so much to offer in this area too. Suzy has a Block of the Month within her online subscription, The Cutting Table. Each month brings a block and various project ideas from small to large. Moving into 2026, I am genuinely excited about the projects she has in store. I love the gentle rhythm of learning a new block each month and the reminder that blocks do not always need to become full quilts. They can stand alone or grow into something unexpected.

One example I especially loved was a table runner created from a single Block of the Month design, which Suzy shared on her blog. When you look at it, you would never guess it began as an “extra block” or a sidekick to a larger project. It has a beauty and completeness all its own.

It is such a lovely reminder that quilt blocks hold so much potential on their own. They do not need to be part of something large to be meaningful.

You do not owe every quilt top a finished quilt. You do not owe every block a final destination. Some quilts teach you what you need to know and then quietly wait for their next chapter. Repurposing a quilt is not giving up. It is choosing joy. It is using your creativity with intention. It is honoring what the quilt gave you while letting it become something new.

If you have a quilt top tucked away that you do not feel connected to anymore, I hope you feel permission to see it differently. Maybe it becomes a bag or a pillow or a table runner. Maybe it becomes something you never expected at all. Creativity does not disappear when the plan changes. It simply asks to be reshaped. And in my experience, that is often where the magic happens.

XO,

Ashley