Just When You Need It

A little Ray of Sunshine!

Just when you think the dreariness will never end....The weather is cold and nasty-rainy, the garden looks terrible with leaves and weeds and everything looks just plain dreary!

THEN....the sun comes out!

The back story: My B-I-L buys / sells properties.  Every now-and-again he finds old sewing machines in empty buildings and he brings them to me.

In preparation for the Bug Man to come spray, I was moving everything away from the garage walls so he can spray inside the garage...you know,  spiders and all.  I decided this would be good time to bring these old, derelict machines into the house to see if any of them ran, thus worth saving.

If they run, I'd have them professionally cleaned and donate them to the 4-H sewing group.

Here is what I found.

It almost took my breath away when I removed the cover!  The first time I saw a "Rocketeer" sewing machine was a couple of years ago.   I even wrote about it...September 4, 2021.  I fell in love with it the first time I saw it!  

And now I have one of my VERY OWN!!

I think I shall call her "Fran"

Every Garden Needs Weeding

 

 

Weeding out the Unwelcome, the Unwanted, etc...
The Push to the Finish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 15: UFOs and all things started but never finished. Karen "counts" a UFO differently than I do...it's a UFO if "fabric has been cut."   If it's a project that has a pattern and fabric but the fabric is NOT cut...it's a "Kit."  Kits are tomorrow. 
Because I just did this, end of 2023...HERE  it's a FREE day for me!

Day 16: Kits:  Different from UFOs in that no fabric has met a rotary blade yet.  Therefore there is no commitment for that fabric.  This is decision time...keep the "kit plan" or return the fabric to the stash and consider it no more.  Yes, I do have a few of those (remember Spooky and Witchy HERE and Barbie  HERE?) 

But again, I've thought through this process (see note above) I'm calling it "good."  YIPPEE!  Another FREE day!

Day 17: Conquering Mount Scrapmore*.  The first "rule" my Quilting Auntie Nyla gave me when I started quilting was
"don't throw anything away (referring to scraps) no matter how small !  Someday you may need it." 
I'm nothing if not obedient, so for years I heeded that rule. Truth be told, (whispering) sometimes I do throw scraps away.

All My Scraps

Truly, I don't think my Mount Scrapmore is all that mountainous...more like a Butte than a Mountain. 
Still the two bins on the floor have not been opened in a few years.  Maybe time to scrap some scraps?  

I feel a Leaders-and-Enders** project coming on....or some crumb quilting? *** 

 

 A little while later....  I did it!  I went through the scraps; did some combining and set aside two plastic shoe boxes-full for the "Pass 'em on" pile.

Reduced Mount Scrapmore to a hill.

The two "Micky" tubs are 2.5" strip scraps.  I've been meaning to make a Jelly Roll Race quilt.  HERE 
I'll give it one more year, then it's "Bye Bye Birdie."

 

 

 

Day 18: Another easy day for me!  Batting and batting scraps. 
I don't keep much in the way of batting and certainly minimal scraps.

This is it!

 

Day 19:  What I thought would be a super easy day for me because of my low inventory, may not be the case....Today is Yardage and Backing day. B-I-G pieces of fabric.  

 

I did not think I had any "yardage"...certainly no "bolts" of fabric, nor do I have any large backing pieces.  But I do have some "large-ish" pieces. 

Now, what to do with these pieces? 

Took several ideas posted on the De-Clutter FB page HERE, and came up with:

 

Using Dollar Tree cutting sheets from the kitchen section, hexie EPP papers and big safety pins, I labeled each piece with the amount, IF it was at least 2 yards.  Otherwise the piece stayed with the fabrics.

 

 

 

 

 

Day 20 and 21:  Dealing with the rest of the fabric...I do not have a "stash", per se...I have "left overs."

I have bits and pieces and small portions. Time to reorganize (mostly by color) and then thin the flock.

Bonus Day:  Do-dads.  This probably should have been included with Day 13, Notions.  But, better late than never.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have all these "cups" sitting around the studio, (sewing area, cutting table, ironing board, etc.) holding
various tools.  

Let's sort and organize and see what we have.
(I found more scissors...)

 

 

 

 The "Pass 'em along" pile is beginning to look like a landfill.  I think that's a good thing...???

 

WHEW!!  As they say in the movies, that's a Wrap for the De-Clutter Challenge 2024! 

Thank you, Karen Brown, for making me think through what I need and what I do not need.   
I'll admit I found this de-cluttering fun and energizing.  Every morning, even before I got out of bed,  I'd reach for the iPad and see what was on the menu that day!  I'll most definitely be participating in 2025.

Now for the garage!  (I'll wait for it to warm up a bit.)

*     Mount Scrapmore - Karen Brown's label for all the mounds of fabric scraps you feel compelled to keep.
**   Bonnie Hunter and Addicted to Scraps; Leaders and Enders
*** Jenny Doan has a YouTube video on Crumb Quilting HERE.
**** You can still do the De-Clutter challenge.  Karen Brown's videos will be available until November, 2024  HERE

Weeding out the Unwelcome, the Unwanted and the No Longer Necessary--Continued

 

 

 

 

Feeling pretty smug when I started this challenge with Karen Brown, I honestly didn't think I had that much stuff hanging out in the studio just taking up space. 
I try not to collect.  But every day I'm finding things that are "Unwelcome, Unwanted and No Longer Necessary."

 

 

 

 

Day 12: Sewing Machines and Irons.  

Irons were easy...I have ONE...Oh wait...And a travel iron, and a steamer, and a couple
Auntie Nyla gave me (eye roll.)

Sewing Machines:  I have a few.  I would almost rather part with a limb then one of my babies.

 

They each have a story, which I've featured in past posts in this blog...you can search for them. 
Not pictured is one that has not come home yet...a treadle being re-homed to me by a friend. 
I just couldn't let her take it to the thrift store....  And, that's it...no more!

Day 13: Notions.  Here is were I was REALLY feeling pretty proud* of myself...
I don't keep bits of stuff.  I toss or pass on what I no longer need or use...or do I?

Opening every cupboard, every drawer and poking my head into the closet, here is what I found.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A lot of rolls of something.  Interfacing, Stitch-N-Tear?
An entire box of Steam-a-Seam...Never Opened!
I'm trying to remember why I have it in the first place ???
 

Small bins of do-dads and google eyes (?) from who-knows-when.

 

I may have mentioned that my resolution for 2024 is to get rid of at least one item every day this year.  Give away, Throw away...Day 13 will certainly put me ahead of my goal!

 

Day 14: Another free day.  I'm going to use this free time to actually sew.  What a concept! 

If you're late to the party and NOW you want to challenge yourself, watch Karen's videos on her YouTube channel
or go to her website HERE.  It's not about doing it ALL...it's about doing SOME.

*Proverbs 16:18  Pride goes before a fall.

Weeding out the Unwelcome, the Unwanted and the No Longer Necessary*

We are half way through the Let's Get It Done Quilts Declutter Challenge with Karen Brown.  HERE

Not to toot my own horn but my studio is fairly tidy.  I'm of an age I tend to not buy the latest trendy item. (And when I do, I'm usually disappointed.) That, and the the fact I just moved over 2,000 miles about two years ago, I would have thought I didn't have much to purge.  But, this challenge is forcing me to look at what I do have and ask myself "Do I use this?" "Do I need this?" "Will I miss this if it's gone?"

What we've accomplished so far:  (Watch Karen Brown's Youtube videos:  HERE)

Day 01 and 02:  Clear out all the trash and things that don't belong in your studio.  Things that were stashed there instead of actually put away.  For me, that included some folding tables and chairs.  They went out to the garage where they belong. (Although that reminded me that the garage needs a good purging, too.)

Day 03: Magazines and Subscriptions.  I went through ALL my old quilting magazines...page-by-page, starting with the magazines that did not have any bookmarks. That took a few evenings.  Moving on to magazines where pages were marked
I asked myself  "Realistically, will I ever make this quilt?" "Do I have another pattern that is similar?" 
Bye-bye about 10 magazines. (I'll admit, I did photo copy a few pages.)  I added a step here...unsubscribing to newsletters and ads from quilt vendors and content creators. If I'm not reading them, then I'm unsubscribing.

Day 04: Moving from Magazines to Books.  Pattern books, sewing books, books about techniques.  This was harder because they cost more than magazines and I found myself saying..."I still want to learn...free motion quilting..." etc.  But, I did pass on a few books.

Day 05: Patterns.  The decisions are getting harder.  Day Five is all about patterns.  For me that included all the patterns I've downloaded from the internet and stored on my PC.  Even some patterns I've paid hard, cold cash for not that long ago ended up in the "Pass 'em along" stack.

Day 06: Archives.  Tokens and mementos of quilts you have made...or other trinkets.  I take pictures of the quilts I make so I don't really have tokens, per se  But I did toss a few items.

Day 07: This was a catch-up day.  Finish up some of the other days.  By participating in this declutter challenge I'm motivated to clean out other areas of my house...bathroom cabinets (where I found an extra bottle of shampoo...and I just ordered one! 
Oy Vey!), drawers in my office space, etc.

Day 08, Day 09 and Day 10:  Scissors and Rotary Cutters; Thread; Pins and Needles.

 

Day 11: Rulers and cutting mats. No mats to pass along.  I have exactly what I need and use, although they could use a cleaning. Rulers...I did find a few duplicates, i.e., four 4" square rulers, so the extras were added to the "pile." Some special rulers I discovered drew a blank...What? Where?  How?  So I stopped and looked up on Youtube how and when I would use them...a few were passed on.

The Pile is growing:

 So there you have it.  You're all caught up.  Want to participate?  Click HERE.
Join the Facebook page:  HERE

*Karen Brown of Just Get It Done Quilts

Finish Up the Old - Bring On the New!

Don't you love a nice Clean Slate?   We get a Clean Slate...a Fresh Start:
Every Monday
Every First of the Month
Every major holiday that signals a New Beginning: Memorial Day, Labor Day, The First Day of School
AND
Every New Year's Day!

 

I'm so ready for this new year!  I feel like the last two years I've just been marking time.  But, I've spent the last couple of weeks getting ready for this clean slate; cleaning, purging, putting away. (My goal is to get rid of at least one thing every day in 2024....so far I'm right on track.)

Helping the process along I am following along with Just Get It Done Quilts sewing room purge for 2024
"Getting rid of the Unwelcome, the Unwanted and the No Longer Necessary....."  HERE

These are my 2023 finishes:  

Martha's pillow...winging its way home as we speak:

 

 

Louie inspecting the back of Martha's Pillow. 
Making sure everything lines up nicely.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sabrina's mending:  Note to self...NO MORE MENDING. (Of course, if they ask I won't say NO.)

January's Hat-on-a-Cat BOM* from MSQC**:

There will be a new banner for each month. (I wish the hanger didn't say "I Heart Cats."  I like cats...I don't HEART them.)

From the kitchen of " My 'Ol Kentucky Duplex":  The way I heard it "beans and greens."  Eating black-eyed peas and cabbage on New Year's Day is supposed to be good luck.

As a Believer in Jesus Christ as Lord of my life, I don't believe in luck *** but black-eyed peas are still a good idea...lots of health benefits.  

Welcome 2024!!

I rang in the new year with Sister, Joy and her D.H., Michael
and black-eyed pea with ham soup and a cabbage slaw.

*BOM: Block of the Month.  In this case Kit of the Month
**MSQC:  Missouri Star Quilt Company
***Ecclesiastes 3:1-15