Enough with the cleaning!

At last I can close the closet door and even store the sewing tables if I had to!

I started work on the closet straightening almost first thing yesterday morning. It looked far worse before I took this picture. I had already emptied out all the project boxes etc that sit above this drawer unit and the stencils and bags off the door. Skyler could not keep from taking a peek at the one spot he cannot get into. It was that packed in there! The shot I tried to take with him sitting in an emptied out drawer apparently did not turn out :-{ or I would show you that one instead. Still, this shows a bit of the “before” clutter in there.

As you can see, the space is compromised a bit because it shares room with the furnace air return. The other part is the door situation—small door that doesn’t allow an easy reach to the contents in the back. All 4 closets are like that. There would be little wall space if they had done bi-fold doors though. You deal with what you have, right?

Some fabric, most of the patterns and sewing supplies will be donated to the thrift store including about 8 outfits that I had already cut out. Maybe someone will want to take it from there? I sure don’t want to, LOL. I couldn’t part with the yarn and augmented it with some stored in my bedroom. I didn’t want to part with the doll supplies or some of the holiday themed craft items just yet either. Better keep the batting sections as well.

It was a good thing today was garbage collection day as I went through 4 kitchen sized trash bags before all this re-organization was completed! Once I moved things out from the center of the closet I could get to 4 jumbo stacked storage bins stacked next to the little drawers. Well, after I moved all the batting out of the way, that is. I unearthed the container with the feedsacks and old blocks---grandmother flower garden and glorified nine patch blocks (22 of them). G9P is a quilt I have always wanted to make or at least finish these blocks into a top. The melon section and pattern is missing so that was a sticking point. I thought that I had left them out but can’t lay my hand on them right now to show those to you. Well, that is going to drive me crazy till I find out what I did them!

I got a tally of just what batting I have on hand and made myself a list. Let’s just say, I’m good in that regard for awhile unless I want something other than 80-20 or Warm and Natural, LOL. Two more bags have scraps that can be used for smaller projects or sewn together to get more mileage out of it. This is just a small part of it—shown in an “after” shot. I could not back up far enough to get it all in, top to bottom.

Other treasures I found in the process:

• Ribbon applique from Faye Labanaris. I may not ever finish this project but the instructions may help down the line somewhere
• An almost pieced Primrose Star—designed by Mary Lou Anderson—just finish three corners and the center at least could added to an orphaned block quilt. I slapped it up on the design wall for now
• Pieced Hexagon blocks from Janet Elwin—about 6 of them are done from that workshop—enough for a row in a quilt anyway
• Some cool block ideas that my mom shared with me with stitched examples (More Pinwheels—that kind of tessellated version of Twin Sisters and Kansas Trouble in two sizes)
• what looks like a row quilt in patriotic colors. I am not at all sure who donated this (Pam? Nancy?) but it would be perfect for a QOV quilt. Pat and I may team up to get this one donated at some point.

That there are more kits and UFO’s stashed in the closet as well should not surprise you. I am NOT counting them up though. No way, Jose! I did that once when on the stashbuster list and joined in the UFO challenge. Why get aggravated with yourself that you like to try new things but don’t always finish your experimentation? Why beat yourself up with a number hanging over your head like the sword of Damocles? Nothing will stifle my creativity quicker than feeling stuck doing something I don’t feel like doing. BUT being on a fixed income I can’t just go buy more so I am keeping much of what I have on hand. I think I do a pretty good job of using what I have oh hand for making kids quilts. Just never enough time in the day to do it all, is there?

Here is the official “after” picture. The purge/reorganization even impacted some of the things stuck away in the bedroom--a general freshening up of both rooms. I guess since we are inside more when the weather turns cold, we notice all those little things that need done. I didn’t mind cleaning so much when it is cooler either. DJ was dressed in an insulated flannel shirt and I’m in a t-shirt getting all warmed up, LOL.

I finished off the day by cleaning out my purse and cleaning out my top desk drawer---I tend to just shove stuff in there till it will barely open. Even an old file box was dealt with by shredding and tossing unneeded papers. Time to haul out more trash! The container now holds the little bit of patriotic fabric that I have. See above—the patriotic rows and some stuff that will help complete it.

This morning was far less taxing. I was on a treasure hunt for some of Skyler’s missing toys. One of his sponge balls, a rubber band, a plastic ring, pom pom ball, three stuffed mice were all part of the day’s haul. Some emailing, blog reading and puzzle solving. Vacuuming—ugh. I almost hate to start making a mess in there since the room is so clean. On the goal list for the day: I am preparing backing and binding for the FAB challenge. Spray baste and I can start quilting in a bit--or not. I'll have to start supper before too long. Think I’ll cut out the “Be Warm” Be Attitude block while I have the cutter in my hand.

Hope you have a good day in whatever you chose to do---stay warm and have fun! I’m sure going to.

ED NOTE: found the G9P blocks--finally! I took everything out of the closet only after I had looked in all the likely spots to stash them. They were In the redwork basket where I had stuck them for "safe" keeping. Yeah, I think we are all familiar with sticking things away in safe places and in effect, losing them. OR more like losing our minds searching for them, LOL.