rryder

Thanks, kristyjoy. Sounds like you’ve had your hands full- good job on getting all that organizing done and on getting teenaged son on board with it!

Teen- taxes are the next thing on my list, but they’re going to have to wait until I get a little more quilting done on my Feb UFO.

Connie- way to go! I had a similar experience yesterday when I discovered that my reorganized closet had enough empty space to hold some things that had been taking up space in my hallway.

keep it up everyone!

Rob

Gemm

Over the last couple of days I've been approaching this organization thing from a different direction. I've decided to organize my ideas. I tend to acquire fabric in a rather haphazard/unplanned way which means that there's very little cohesiveness in my collection, although some trends do emerge. What I decided to do, therefore, is without unpacking everything and making a huge mess, I took a quick peek into various boxes and then started making a list of quilts/projects I would like to make and trying to match up bits of my collection with each idea. So far I'm at 13 quilts/projects on my list which is a huge number to my way of thinking, but am feeling less overwhelmed in general because not only do I have the idea, but I have somewhere to start for each of them.

As an example, I noticed I have a TON of small pieces (like much of my collection, most are FQ or smaller) of floral fabrics in a variety of styles and colours. Rryder recently posted his September 2021 Debby Brown colorblock quilt and I thought I might like to try that pattern using some of these florals. I'm hoping this means that when I do have the time and energy to go in and actually start looking at/sorting fabric, I can bring those florals together in a meaningful project. :-)

So many of my ideas have come from what I've seen on QB, so thank you all for being so generous with your pictures and projects! I hope to be able to report some success with my new system soon.

Teen

Gemm…that’s a great approach to tackling random fabrics. Kitting up projects has been my standard operating procedure since I started quilting and helped me stay focused and productive. Plus, you’ll have a bunch of projects all ready to go and can let inspiration guide you. My SIL made an awesome strip quilt with nothing but florals. It’s one of my fav quilts of hers so maybe keep strip scraps for another project when you start hacking into those pretty florals. I try to use up every bit…lol…

Today, I organized and inventoried our deep freezer. I always forget what is out there and, as a result of the stockpiling during pandemic and supply shortages, I lost track as we bought stuff. Plus, we eat “oldest” stuff first so this helped get me get back on track and meal planning.

Rob…get those taxes going, darlin…in today’s climate, who knows what may impact our ability to file. Jus saying..

jmoore

Back on this thread for ideas and inspiration…I have been consumed with a real estate course for the past 4 weeks to advance my license and took my final exam yesterday. Now I can clean off the dining room table and put away all of my study materials…

Gemm, I hope your mental organization gives you some mental freedom and will help you complete more projects. Thank you for the reminder of Just Get It Done videos. I need to catch up on a few that I missed.

I did manage to clean out the drawers in my bathroom vanity and pitched old hand creams, makeup and things that seem to get saved (for who knows what). Today, I will go into the office to work on taxes…hubby reminds me that we can’t get our personal taxes done until I finish my real estate business. Next on my list will be closets in the spare bedroom…

KristiJoy, it sounds like you have made great progress since the start of the year. I’m glad your son was willing to help in letting go of his childhood belongings.

rryder

I found some more stuff to donate which freed up some space in a book case with sliding glass doors where I keep butane for my torches and things for etching metal- all the kind of stuff that needs to be keep somewhere secure rather than out on open shelving. I moved my adhesives and hot glue guns into that space which freed up one whole shelf on an open unit where I keep papers and embellishments for journaling. Now my current art journal and all the bits and pieces that I'm using in it have a home where they can be stored when I'm not using them. That means that everything I'm currently working on has storage spots that are easy to get to, so it's fast and easy to put things away when I'm done working on them for the day. If I have to move multiple things to put the stuff I've been using away, then it won't get done. Now if only I can get to that point in my quilting studio....

Rob

retiredteacher09

Gemm: You are making great progress.

Teen: I never thought to make an inventory list of my freezer. It would have helped tonight when I went to pull out a pizza and there wasn’t one left. 🤷‍♀️

jmoore: Way to go with your studying and organizing.

Rob: Enjoy your newly organized areas,

I made kits for several years. It was nice having the kits when I was still working as a substitute teacher. It was easy to grab one and start sewing.

I did a little more reorganizing today. I combined 2 scrap tubs into one and worked at clearing off the top of a long dresser. It’s amazing how good it feels to walk into my sewing area and not have things piled on surfaces. Granted most of the fabric was contained but I am trying for less visual. 🙂

Julienm1

I finally realized what I need after YEARS of quilting. I need someone to come in and tidy up after I finish piecing a quilt. Seems my creativity creates quite a mess and if I had an assistant I could make more quilts. Any volunteers?

jmoore

Connie, somewhere in an earlier post (maybe a year ago) I learned that you had kitted projects. I decided to try one…I purchased an AccuQuilt cutter in January so used the dies to make a kit for a queen size quilt (Layer Cake Lollies) to work on during the summer months. I have made one block to see how it was going to go together. Thank you for your inspiration.

Julie, don’t we all wish there was a fairy godmother to clean up after us. 🤪

Rob, keep up the good work and thank you for keeping us motivated.

oksewglad

Connie, I cleaned out office files last fall and extra space a big bonus. Now to get 2021 put away and forgotten about! Papers went to CPA today.
On the fabric side I have been cutting from strip bins to make HST'S for a scrap quilt. Still sewing on the OMG; have 9 P sewn and about 30 4P to make. Then seriously start sewing the blocks.
I often trim my pieces to useable sizes as I go...aka TAYG..haha.

retiredteacher09

Julienm1: 🙂. An assistant would be nice.

jmoore: You are welcome. I’m glad you gave it a try. I love my AccuQuilt.

oksewglad: I wish I had the habit of TAYG!! 🤔

I found some large tumbler blocks today so pulled out my 10” squares and started to trim with the MSQC large tumbler template. Because I got sidetracked, I haven’t finished clearing off my long dresser. 🤦🏼‍♀️ Maybe tomorrow it will get done.