rryder

I finally got done cutting up all the smaller than a fat quarter scraps that I’ve been neglecting for the last couple of years. That was a job, but I now have 5 drawers of organized, useable “precuts” instead of 8 drawers of jumbled up, hard to sort through odds and ends. The bonus is that I was able to repurpose the other three drawers for sewing tools that had been in a bionic gear bag taking up space to the right of my PQ1500s. I kept out tools I use all the time, organized the rest into the drawer units and labelled the fronts of the drawers. And, best of all, I am now able to permanently set my PQ1500s a full 6 inches to the right of where it was so I don't have to schlep all the other stuff over to the Sweet Sixteen and then scoot the PQ over to have room to put on a binding and then scoot the PQ back and schlep everything that was piled on to the Sweet Sixteen over to th PQ table in order to use the Sweet Sixteen and then.... well, you get the idea. YAY!

Rob

Teen

Awesome, Rob.....anti-schlepping is my motivation, too! Lol... It sounds like your creative space is becoming more and more functional..

Organizing for spring planting has kept me busy. Had a break in the weather so I’m repotting inside plants while I can. My tulips are blooming so the Bunny Battle has commenced. They will not survive my wrath...

retiredteacher09

Rob: Awesome progress!

Teen: Have fun with your organizing for spring planting.

I finished my list in my extra bedroom. Still more to do but I know what’s in boxes now. I sorted through most of the boxes and have things ready to donate and I also recycled and tossed. It feels great! Over 13 hours since I started in early January. I’m almost finished with my office goals also. ❤️

jmoore

Rob, it sounds like you have made great progress on your scrap busting. I have been hesitant to cut my scraps into specific sizes but now that I have finished the Debby Brown January color block and realize how much easier it was to chain piece, You have motivated me to start cutting more scraps. Lori Holt also has great “Sew your stash Series” videos that are helpful.

oksewglad

I am hesitant about cutting chunks into scraps, too. My current WIP is a scrappy and my plan calls for 200+ 3.5" neutral fabrics. I have some"precuts" but only about 20 of what I needed. So I went to the chunks and cut what I needed. Did I cut a 3.5 when I could've gotten at least a 5? Yes, but that's okay, I cut the remaining down into 1, 1.25, or 1.5 and added those to my precuts...oh my more little pieces!

rryder

Thanks, y'all. I'm much relieved to have gotten through it all and my space is much for appealing to work in as well!

Jmoore and oksewglad- what works for me may not work for you. I find that if I don't cut the smaller chunks down, I don't use them. I just don't like digging through a drawer full and pulling pieces, only to find they are too small to cut the size I want, so if they're already sorted by size and I've precut them, I can grab what I want and go from there. That said, I don't cut up anything that is fat quarter size or larger, I also don't cut up anything that is at least 1/4 yard full width of fabric, those all go into my large uncut scraps drawers, wrapped around comic boards and labelled with size so I can open a drawer and know at a glance if they are big enough for what I want. I use these a lot for bindings, sometimes borders, sometimes backgrounds. Now, I won't be tempted to use them when I need smaller pieces since I can go to my "precuts" drawers. Unless of course, there isn't a color I need in the "precuts" drawers...then all bets are off.

Rob

retiredteacher09

I like cutting scraps into my size of ‘precuts’ but I need to use them instead of add to them. Lol! I really should just sort scraps by rough size again and put them in their color bags I started using several years ago instead of trimming them to my precut sizes which takes extra time. Then I can just go into the bag, select a fabric, and cut it to size for a scrappy project.

I finished my pictures/memorabilia list in my office. Around 19 hours spent since starting early January. I have been smiling today whenever I go by my office and know the organized boxes are on the shelves. I still want to go through the pictures and micro organize them but I’m happy with my progress for now.

rryder

Connie- way yo go on getting through your list and getting the photos organized!

yesterday was warm enough that I could do some pond cleanup and make sure the pump was still working after being unplugged all winter. This isn’t as arduous as it sounds since our pond is small enough for me to kneel on the edges and reach almost all the way across it. Anyway, turned off the heater I use to keep it from freezing solid in winter, scooped lots of leaves and decayed muck out, found that the water lily had increased itself and also divided itself, so found a pot for the division and planted it in some of the muck I’d scooped out, discarded the broken pot that the pickerel weed had escaped from, got the pump and spitter working, topped up the water, replugged in the heater and called it good. Looking forward to warmish evenings around the pond.

I’m back to tackling my bookshelves. Yesterday I found 5 books to donate. Today I want to find 5 more....babysteps LOL

Rob

Julienm1

Rob I'm exhausted reading everything you did yesterday. Good for you.

I gathered up Project Linus quilts and have 7 done! All done! Maybe I will be able to donate 15 this month. Confession: took me 5 months to do the 15.

Teen

Connie....congrats on getting that picture organizing done. I remember having a container of loose pics under my bed before moving. Huge relief to get those sorted and organized.

Hubbie and I are making birdhouses using some the building scraps from our house build....which includes the steel roofing scraps. It’s good to go through more of those scraps and create projects with them. I still have to paint them and get some addl materials for my “vision” but almost done!

We also organized all my hubbies steel scraps. He welded this massive rack and then we loaded it up and organized it by type of steel so this stuff is no longer laying around in piles. His steel stash is likened to my fabric stash....much beloved...lol..