Day 2 clean up

 

Here is my report of today’s clean up. Maybe I should call it clear out too, because the rubbish bin has lots of “stuff” in it! It feels so good to get this far, although the other side of the room needs the same treatment. That will have to wait until January, when life might slacken off for a little bit??

Before photo…..

And after…… I have shifted the table that was there, and replaced it with a smaller one, because I could not open the drawers in my desk. I have taken some file drawers from the desk and put them under the desk out of sight. That was after I shifted all the things that were hiding under there! I never used to have the table by the desk, but found it useful when I was doing the Paper Bag Mystery quilts, as I could cut at the table and the laptop was directly behind to write up the instructions. At least with the smaller table, I won’t be as tempted to fill it up with stuff will I?

When a customer brings their quilt in, I put it in a plastic tub with the name on it. These were stored in a few places, and now they are all under the cutting table in one place! Wonder how long that will last?

I found some more projects today, and first was something I purchased recently. I have quilted so many of Michele Hill’s designs for customers and would really like one of my own. Don’t know when I shall get around to making it, but here’s hoping. I purchased extra background fabric so that I could have more space between the blocks, for quilting of course!! This is her quilt called “Dear William”. This was one of that stuff under the desk! It now has it’s own labelled box.

And of course I have my Head to the Border quilt that is a WIP, and needs to be finished for our exhibition in October. Now that I have the fabric I need, I have unpicked the last border that I had done, and recut my hourglass blocks. Perhaps I should leave it on the table in my now tidy sewing area???

And another plastic tub down under the desk contained this project. It is a quilt called Sixty-Five Roses, and was in a magazine years and years ago. I looked for a date in the magazine and found an ad for something in 1998, so it goes back doesn’t it? This would have to be my oldest WIP, or UFO. It was not long after I started patchwork and I was wanting to make a quilt for DD3, who was still living at home then. She picked this out of the magazine, and so I started. I have done a fair bit, and only have the outside border to applique. All the leaves and rose buds are made and the pattern is marked on the background.

My problem now, besides the time factor, is my applique. The machine that I was using then had a blanket stitch. But, if you turned at the wrong time, it did this backward stitch and you can see what has happened. I think my standards are a bit different now, than it was a few years ago. So, I ask you, am I being too picky? Would you unpick and redo, or keep going? Maybe the quilter can fix it? Would value your opinions?

DD3 laughs about the fact that I was keen to make her a quilt, and that it is still not finished! She says that she is “over it” now, and her tastes have changed too. But I will surprise her one day. She is the only family member that does not have any of my quilts in her house!

I had an email from a friend today, who commented about my blog from yesterday.

………I loved your latest Blog. I would not be game enough to even photo unfinished objects let alone publish them.I did count up the number at end of last year but I have added more and not reduced the number, also I have conveniently forgotten the number.
It is my intention to finish some and make up fabric bought for certain
projects into new or old projects so I can easily find things……..

I am hoping that by “putting it out there”, that I might be more motivated, to finish some things. Am now that I feel a bit more organised that will also help me to see clearer just what is there. And I do have a few other WIP’s hanging around the place as well.

And this is another corner that has been tidied. This is all of the Angels fabric that our group uses to make quilts for others. I have shifted the drawers from here to my area, and replaced it with a shelf so that we can see what we have easier.

It feels so good to have all this done, and hopefully I can get back into the quilts tomorrow with a clearer head. I can work in a disorganised state for only so long, before it needs to be sorted.

Hope you are having a good weekend, wherever you are, and whatever you are doing. It is a chilly day here, with alternate spells of sunshine and then showers. Will be back in a day or two with more quilts to show.

Blessings, From Jude