2014

2014, yeah! A year of new beginnings. 2013 was a year that I'd be happy to never return to! Losing my Dad in March and watching my niece, Beth, battle a brain tumor were enough heart aches for me. So I am looking to 2014 to be the year of good health, wonderful family gatherings and lots of love shared with all.

My goal for this year is to get my home in order - that includes closets, attics, basements, garages and, of course, my sewing areas. We have been in this house for 22 years and the storage areas are exploding at the seams. 

Overall House:
To tackle the house I'm going to try following along with daily and weekly missions over at Home-Storage-Solutions-101. Realistically, I'll never stick with it on a daily basis but if I can try to make it part of my day when I'm home then there will certainly be progress.

Sewing Room:
I have come so close many times but then never finished. This is the time to purge the junk and finish. The following pictures show what a disaster area the rooms are now. In my defense, the rooms tend to become the dumping grounds when we have parties, gatherings, etc. So much of the clutter should be quickly dispersible. If you look closely you'll see that the shelves are in pretty good shape. I love the old kitchen cabinets donated to me by a girlfriend who was remodeling her kitchen (the plan is to paint them teal). And I LOVE the Ikea Billy bookshelves., it is the "dumping" that has done the rooms in.. So, I must tackle the piles!!  Hopefully this won't take more than a few work sessions.

Ironing table dumping ground

Charity sewing stuff dumped every where

You can see the color the cabinets will eventually be

If you look closely you'll see that the shelves are in pretty good shape. I love the old kitchen cabinets donated to me by a girlfriend who was remodeling her kitchen (the plan is to paint them teal). And I LOVE the Ikea Billy bookshelves. It is the "dumping" that has done the rooms in.. So, I must tackle the piles!!  Hopefully this won't take more than a few work sessions.
                                    

Floor dumping in front of Billy shelves

More floor dumping in front of other wall of Billy shelves

These are the fabrics for the pillowcases for Circle of Care.

UFOs (both mine and charity) waiting longarming

Large pieces for backings

Lots of UFO goodies hide under the longarm

So, before I can sew I have to clean up. Improvements will happen.

Oh yeah, one more thing, putting away Christmas decorations. I hate putting away Christmas decorations. This is about 3/4 of the 23 total totes to be refilled and put back in the the attic. The sooner the better as far as Patrick is concerned since they are taking up a big corner of his room.. :) I think I'll have him bring them all down to the living room and I'll tackle a few a day.

Stash Report - week #16 - 4/17/11

No sewing done this week, except with the Friday girls. We had family here the beginning of the week, then the rest of the week I worked on everyone's taxes. Ugh. Tonight I write the checks. Yes, I am a tax procrastinator. I don't mind paying taxes but I am not handing it in any earlier than necessary. :)

There won't be any fabric "used" for the next several weeks. I've been battling pain in my right elbow for quite some time.
"You have tennis elbow", says the sports medicine doctor (dh).
What!?!? I don't play tennis!!
"You can get tennis elbow from sewing."
I didn't get the memo. So what do I do??
"Ice, ibuprofen, and total rest, no sewing."
WHAT? NO SEWING?
"Yup, NO sewing."
For how long?
"Until it's better. Maybe a MONTH."

You know there are times when you don't get any sewing done for a while but that is sooooo different from being told you CAN'T. Sigh. Fine, I'll get caught up on my crocheting. "Nope, not that either." What?

Well, after much consideration I decided I had two options:

 1) Sew with the pain cuz I really want to sew - I have summer sundresses to make for the precious granddaughter.
"That's up to you but it can become chronic and never go away."
I just wanted to stick my tongue out at him. :)

2) Spend the next month finishing the reorganization of the sewing room.
"That would be a much better idea."

So since dh is still recouping from his surgery, we are going to watch "Hereafter" and I am going to organize this pile.

Most of these are pictures and patterns I have ripped out of magazines or printed off the internet over the last year or so. I put them in clear sheet protectors I pick up by the box at Staples.

I then put them in one of these binders that are divided into categories mostly by pattern; like baby, juvenile, nickel, strips, inspiration, applique (as if), etc.

This gorgeous one from RedPepperQuilts will go into the Inspiration Binder.

Now if I can just resist buying fabric over the next month it will be OK.

Stash Report
Used the past week: 0 yards
Used year to date: 28.5 yards 

Added the past week: 0 yards
Added year to date: 32 yards

Net used in 2011: -3.5 yards.

Check out other stash reports at Patchwork Times.