Update On My Sewing Room

Cleaning my sewing room means something different to me than it does to you.  I try to get my room in a shape that I can dust all of the baseboards once a year.  That is one meaning of “cleaning my sewing room”.  For the most part “cleaning my sewing room” means I have to put things away.  When I do that, I find the things that seem to multiply on their own.  For me they are:

• Scraps
• Orphan blocks
• Unfinished projects
• Things given to me or picked up at rummage sales

 

Scraps

Scraps are out of control for me.  I recently started an improv quilt when I couldn’t get the blue scrap drawer to close. 

 

The major problem with blue/green is that I have often used some form of blue as a backing and have numerous pieces that are 6-9 inches the length of a quilt.  They fill up the drawer fast.   I know everyone's definition of what is a scrap is different.  If it is less than 1/4 yard, it generally ends up in my scrap drawer.  The improv quilt started because I have so many squares and strips that are already cut.

I have a 3-drawer plastic dresser thing.  The drawers are:

• Blue/green scraps
• Yellow/orange/brown scraps
• Red/purple scraps

Orphan Blocks

I have a box of orphan blocks and it is full.  I found a bunch more and so will need to make something with orphan blocks this year.

 

Unfinished Projects

Arrgh.  I found lots of unfinished projects.  One I couldn’t even identify what I was doing.  I don’t have a great system for unfinished projects.  They tend to collect on the chair in my sewing room and bigger ones hang out on the guest room bed. 

 

Things Given to Me or Picked up at a Rummage Sale

People know I sew and use all kinds of trims on cards.  I regularly get gifted things.  My rule is go through them immediately and pull out anything I know I will never use.  That still leaves a bunch of things to hangout in my room as I see potential in almost everything.  We have a quilt museum and a lot of quilt guilds in the area.  I know of three organizations that do rummage sales for quilters and sewers.  I want to support these fundraising efforts and I do pick up some very cool items.  The problem is I am acquiring them faster than I am using them.

So far I have cleaned off both of the tables in my sewing room.

 

I pulled out the messy bin of scraps that predates my scrap filing system.  The last time I attacked my room, I opened it up and quickly closed it.  This time, I went through it for orphan blocks and stray fat quarters.  I still haven’t made much progress.

 

I know I can’t make real progress until I can move things out of my room and let them go.  I haven’t gotten their yet…