Spring Cleaning!

Okay, I know it should be kept up and all, but I use the sewing room for various things...not alot, but it stores my 'gifts' before they are wrapped, mending. But if I don't get in there and clean, it can get out of hand. I sometimes think someone goes in there and moves things around. How do I know this? Well, I find things that I can't even remember working on, or things I don't want to finish (those are the things I donate to the quilting group, www.Peacebypiecequilters.blogspot.com.

before

This is the sight that I see when I enter....That old quilt on the floor is almost not worth bothering to 'repair', but I will be cause it was made by Lee's grandmother. The box on top needs to be returned to my church group's closets (done). I have several fabrics I need to cut strips from on the cutting table, and they will get done by the end of this weekend.... Second photo is the room a little more organized and clean

after

This is the actual sewing area, storage of projects, design wall, etc...

before

before

I have a few projects I'm not sure I'll be working on for a while, so I have organized my fabrics so well now that I have extra boxes to put them in (will get done this weekend.) This is also my gift-giving area (bag on floor on the right and the giant airplane on top of fabric- those will be gone in a week or two).

after

I still have the table on the back left to organize and the tv table (it's got fabric on it that needs a home), but that will be done. It's so much better than it was!!

before

This was the worse of the area, mending, strips cut but not put in the proper boxes. Now it's so much easier to work in.... Feeling so cleansed......

after

Fabrics and organizing= relieve stress

If you don't think so, go organize your sewing room (actually, I organized the church group's sewing closets. BUT STILL!!...) and see how light you feel!! Don't these look great???!! Wish I'd taken a 'before' photo, but I really didn't think I'd do what I did. And this doesn't even show you the cupboards with our sewing machines in them.

I actually went there to get some strings to send to a lady in CA (on Heartstrings yahoo group) and just decided to make sure our records on what UFOs we have there are accurate. What I didn't realize was that I'd have so much sense of accomplishment by sorting through what we will be working on at our Feb event, what tops are done (and which need backings/bindings), and what quilts are in lesser stages (needs borders, sashing finished, blocks put together, etc).
AND, I found our record books that I'd thought I'd lost!!! They were tucked in the cupboards with the sewing machines, not the fabrics. Now I can get them organized, too!! (Oh, this is TOO much!)

I cut battings and matched them up to the quilts ready to be tied. I also, figured out that when these (many) quilts are finished, we have some great projects to 'start'. And I don't want to think of starting them until we are pretty cleared up with the UFOs.

There were a few backings that I have taken home to play with and make wider. Two quilts needed a border, so I took material to match and bought some at the quilt store.
AND...
Lo and behold, I found my monster fabric that I'd thought I'd bought, but couldn't find in my sewing room at all!! It was bought at Marden's in Sanford ME and I'd given that to the church and kept the dinosaurs. Well, gang, today I switched them. The monster fabric is going for my 6th grandchild!! (That's the theme).

 This is one I'd forgotten we'd had.... Creamy Rust is how I describe this one.

 And this on, C brought back. She didn't get a chance to make the backing for it, but we'll put it aside until another time. We have many more needing to be done first.

So I came home with my HUGE box of strings for Sarah, monster fabric and a few things to keep me out of trouble.

Organize, then sew?

I haven't been doing much sewing in my sewing room, because 1) I was given about 6 plastic tubs of fabrics (mostly batiks, tone-on-tone) and it's still sitting on my cutting table, because there isn't any room in my closets where I store my fabrics, 2) I haven't taken my sewing machine out of it's case since I went to sew with a friend in MA... AND I am attending a quilt-a-thon at our church in three days, so I might as well keep it in the case and really should bring it downstairs now (it's really heavy) and 3) I've been trying to get taxes finished and house decluttered (didn't I post a while ago that I needed to finish taxes??). Whew! One long sentence.

Well, I plan to go up after posting this and organize the space in the sewing room, at least. I'm working on some plaid (white centers) heartstring blocks so I thought I'd go finish those (have to count how many I need to finish a quilt- have 13 done).

I thought this was cool with a label from the inside of the neck showing...(I saved everything from the plaid shirts).

... or I could clear the cutting table so I could cut my outer border for the Alexa's quilt (swimmer with leukemia). I found some purple Hannah Montana fabric for the back (although I'll need to add Chinese coins to extend it- that's ok).

I did get to put the two inner borders on at Cricket's house last week, so I did get SOMETHING done. See? oh. I guess you don't see, since I didn't post any photos here. Here you go....



I even got the back finished.

I really wish I had enough time to put together a few tops (36"x 36" or 45" x 45") for the Project Linus quilt-a-thon on Tuesday, but I won't, ....I know it.

Layoff 8 wks. Now to make an appt for EVERYTHING!

Somehow, if you know you have to work, you plan for everything else in your life. Now that I have 8 wks of Lay-off, my days are ...o-p-e-n. I may need to appt EVERYTHING to make sure things get done.
So here goes.
1. Taxes. (without getting this done, I can't get the next few things done.
2. Call Frank (electrician) and set up time to replace outside electrical line and put in breakers.
3. Discuss quotes on furnaces.
4. finish sanding/painting medicine chest so I can finish bathroom.
5. Finish painting the area behind the bathroom door.
6. Sort through the craps of fabric from the PeacebyPiece Quilters.
7. Make kits up for demo (pillowcases) at the Quilting retreat on Mar 25.
8. Organize finanaces and balance checkbook (it's been a long time since I've done that!!)
9. Figure out what I'm taking to retreat.
10. Clean den out.
11. get rid of 'stuff' for May Fair
12. Sew
13, pick out furnace
14. Take mom out for birthday
15.Paint new back door
16.Return flooring samples to Flooring America
17. Return samplew to Carpet Factory Outler
18. Set up time with Flooring Amer to measure square footage for flooring
19. Send money to Hank for vacation cottage (April 20th)
20. Send RWB quilt to Mary J.
21. Drop off Pillowcases to Children's Med Center of CT
22. Drop off pillowcases to Shelter
23. Mail pillowcases to Alycia in CO
24. Sew plaid HS blocks for PBPQ
25. Find teal border for swimmers quilt
26.

I'm sure I'll have to add to this and revisit it to make sure things are getting done.