Gemm

Teen - this box idea is what I aspire to and is what I was trying to envision. Do you use the same sized boxes for your cut scraps?

Teen

Thanks, Gemm…I use decorative boxes for cut up scraps…by size. Some of the sizes I cut are for future scrap quilts I want to make. Example picture: Top one holds 2 1/2” squares and bottom one holds strip scraps for strip piecing. I have others that hold 2 1/2 strips, 5” squares, rectangles etc. I’m all about keeping my creative space pretty so this is a win win for me. The blue tote on top is where I throw scraps that need to be cut up…shown above. I have to force myself to stop and cut this up…I dislike clutter so being predisposed for staying organized has been a blessing and a pain in the patooty….lol.. You can find decorative boxes everywhere and are inexpensive. When one of them gets a bit full, I make a scrap quilt…System works for me..

FoggyButFocused

Great suggestions! The project boxes are a great idea. Then I can keep everything for one project in a single box, put it away when I am done for the day, and start working on something else. I think I might just be lazy as I find I don't put things back and just let them pile up.

Gemm

Thanks for the tips, Teen - there are a lot of great ideas there and hopefully I can figure out a way of making at least some of them work for me.
Foggy - I also find I don't necessarily put things away as I go - not in my quilting area nor in general, unless I have a functional storage system in place. I actually took a look at some of my most "organized" spaces - they are rather random (books, my clothes closet, and pots for leftovers and freezer cooking in the kitchen) but clearly I can stay organized if the infrastructure exists, and I am encouraged by this discovery. I am hoping that if I can establish such a system for my quilting life, I will be able to maintain it. I've just taken a baby step by bringing my I Spy box of fabrics down to the cutting table and am only pulling 5 at a time, fussy cutting what I need, and then putting those away before pulling any more out. We'll see if my success lasts through the week. :-)

Teen

You are most welcome! Good luck!

WMUTeach

Going to a mini quilt retreat this week-end, just four of us and 20 minutes from home. So, I am organizing what i want to take,what I need to take and which projects to finish. One will be an a UFO. (Farmer's Wife) Thinking one BOM that needs just 3 more blocks and setting choice. I will plan a third but that one will likely, be just a back up in case I finish the BOM.

ckcowl

Yesterday was a tough day for me. I had Big plans for accomplishing things in the sewing room. I thought I would start with my December (National Quilt Museum) block- that out of the way would * jump start* me onto Christmas projects.
the block — (1) 12” block— took me over 4 hours and I wound up with 14 left over components. How the heck does that happen??? I was so discouraged, depressed, overwhelmed….but I kept trying to ( power through) I laid out the 12 blocks- was unhappy with a couple of them- gathered them all up and went back to my room- looking at the mess I had created.
i gathered all the pieces, scraps that were kept together for the whole year, ironed everything, trimmed/ cleaned up pieces folded, made a stack to put into the next scrap box I send away, put everything else away and walked away. By the time Jeff got home I was so depressed I couldn’t talk- spent an hour sobbing- feeling like such a failure- feeling like it’s never going to get better. My hubby is so understanding, caring and truly at a loss with me. He tries to still encourage me and remind me to not set high expectations, things take longer than they used to- I am much more * scattered* since the TBI,
I try to accept it but at the same time….it’s been 2 years!
He tells me if it doesn’t make me happy anymore it’s ok to let it go ( But- I still have a stack of quilt tops that have to be finished- I still have obligations to fulfill) . And everything takes so doggone long.
i know, one thing at a time, and it doesn’t matter how long it takes- turn on my music and enjoy the process. Today is a new day and my room is cleaned up from yesterdays disaster.
sorry for ( spilling my guts) but, thank you for being here….

Gemm

ckcowl - the fact that you went back to your room and tidied things up and got the space into a workable state is a clear indication of your strength and perseverance. You are amazing. I'm so pleased that you have a support system there, and your husband's right - it's okay to step away sometimes. It's important for you to take care of yourself, let things go if you need to and celebrate small victories (not always easy, I know). Thinking of you today.

ckcowl

Thank you Gemm,
I had an appointment this morning and then some grocery shopping to do ( probably my least favorite of all time task! ) so didn’t get home until noon- I went in and figured- I have one last quilt of Ben’s quilted waiting for binding- strips all put together and pressed- so, start there- sewed the binding down the first side and realized I was stitching it to the back instead of the front— geesh- oh well, got it attached and I guess the hand stitching will be on the front. Then I went ahead and started the quilting on Ben’s next quilt loaded up- got across the top order- it looks good, I stopped, decided that’s enough for today. Bit of a storm in my head, time to just sit for a little while before having to start dinner. I do work tomorrow and Saturday- so will probably be ready to quilt some more by Friday with a better grip on my emotions ( I can hope)

Iceblossom

I'm still doing pretty well with my sewing room organization stuff -- or at least it remains in its "improved but not yet completed" transitional stage and about 10 times better than last year at this time. Easily 50 times better than 10 years ago

I'm coming to terms that my organizational/cleaning skills are only part of the problem, the real problem is the house I am in is not the right house for me at this stage in my life. I know I want to move, the question is where and I think I have that figured out too.

Today we are taking some large bulky things on a dump run. Still pretty good usable stuff, but we've tried both selling for cheap and giving away and no takers. Weight wise not so much but in terms of what I call visual space, huge.