Studio Organizing, Week 24

Posted on June 11, 2015 by prairiemoonquilts in Studio Organizing Challenge

I think my motivation is finally coming back. Maybe I’m caught up on sleep . . . or maybe it was the visit to the chiropractor . . . or both? Whatever it was, I’m finally feeling better, and I’m back at it.

One thing that made me feel better was finally hiring a bookkeeper. Being a one-woman business, I’ve grown to the point where I just can’t do everything all by myself anymore, but I was too stubborn to admit it. My Cowboy and my youngest daughter finally badgered me enough to make me take the leap.

I gathered up my entire stack of papers for this year, and handed them off to her to take care of. You have no idea how much better I feel just for having done that one thing! Such a huge relief!

I also managed to work some more on my closet, although it’s still not finished.

And I started THIS, to help use up some of the scrap stash:

vortexpairs

While I was digging through things looking for a paint brush, I ran across this that my daughter had given me when she moved:

doorhanger1

While I have never owned 18 purses all at once in my entire life, I figured it could come in handy for hanging things besides bags. So I mounted it on the back side of the door in the room where my longarm will eventually be residing. As soon as I finish the floor in that room . . . oh, the lengthy to-do list!

doorhanger2

I’m not sure exactly what I’ll hang there yet, but at least it’s ready!

One thing I’ve noticed about all this organizing, is that things are looking less organized as I go. I’m hoping that it’s just the “it has to get worse before it can get better” phenomenon, and that it’ll eventually head the other way. Will it? Have you noticed that? Or is it just me?

This week’s task is another repeat, simply because it needs repeating:

Clean out one drawer

I know we’ve done this twice already, but it never has quite the contagious effect I envision it having, so I still have 4 more drawers to clean out just in the cabinet in my sewing room!

Here’s the one I’ve chosen for this week:

drawer

As usual, I see several things that belong somewhere else, and there’s probably a few things I could get rid of completely.

How about you?

Do you still have at least one drawer that could use a good organizing? If not, how about another shelf that needs attention? I have plenty of both — maybe you do, too.

Let me know how it’s going!

10 responses to “Studio Organizing, Week 24”

  1. Barb B says:

    I did make some progress cleaning up a few bags of scraps, despite the construction mess that is still happening around me. I put away 3 of 5 bags of selvages* and small scraps and even ironed a few choice pieces to cut up into squares.

    (*Side note: Did you know “selvage” is the U.S. English version of the word and “selvedge” is the British English version? I looked it up because my spell-checker keeps flagging “selvedge”.) Who knew?

    Cleaning up a drawer–that’s another good one. I’m in.

    I’m also intrigued with the new scrap quilt you are doing (Scrap Vortex). When I went to her blog to look at the project, I gasped. (That means I like it so much I want to make it.) So, you’ve hooked me again. Thanks! (I think)

  2. Kathy says:

    I have closed my door to my quilt room. I put a sign on the door that reads, NO TRESPASSING UNTIL AFTER SEPTEMPER 22. THIS MEANS YOU KATHY! Now if I can only obey it. 😉 I am so into my gardening this year. Good break for me. I need it for sure. But, I will continue on with my hand quilting at night. I dislike my hands to be idle. It is inbred in me from my youth living with the Shaker’s.

  3. Rose Marie says:

    I don’t know how to do this…………quilting studio is lost in the big move. Okay, Rose Marie, quit complaining. The rest of the world doesn’t want to know this. LOL

  4. Meloney says:

    I did a couple of things. My sewing machine is finally in for repair, I cleaned off things hanging around my desk. You can read about it on my blog at http://melsquiltingblog.blogspot.com/2015/06/prairie-moon-organization-challenge.html
    I am going to challenge myself to the two drawers under my pressing table. I’m not even sure what is in there.

  5. melfunk says:

    Well, I went ahead and cleaned out the drawers. Not totally sure that it helped alot, but I know what is in there.
    http://melsquiltingblog.blogspot.com/2015/06/clean-out-drawer.html
    Maybe I can find another drawer that I can work on.

  6. I like that door thingy, I’m sure I could fill that up in no time. I have ‘at least’ one drawer that needs organizing! I agree that it gets worse before it gets better….the ‘worse’ part can be frustrating but at least you know you’re making progress. I’m not officially participating in this challenge, but many of your posts have inspired me to organize a space or tidy a surface 🙂

  7. Jane B says:

    Just because I don’t need another project, I also started the Scrap Vortex quilt. I started with my smallest scraps first, which is probably a mistake. Right now I have a mini quilt started! I love the idea of a scrap donate “discard” bag because I definitely have older scraps that I am just not going to use and they may as well go to another quilter (hoarder) who can (may) use them.

  8. Bridget says:

    I have NO drawers in my sewing studio. If it doesn’t go in the basket on the cutting table it goes. I don’t have a bookkeeper 🙂 But I have gone thru a paper shredder. I open my mail etc right over the shredder and that is it. For the reciepts I keep things with warranties and shred the rest. It really helps. Now I have to clear out the quilt magazines. I will never use all the patterns and they might as well go to someone else to enjoy. I really need to clean out some of my older stash. Oh and get a grip on the scrap basket. Sounds innocent until you realize it is 3 feet high and 2 feet around…and bursting!!!! It is layered by the projects. What memories! maybe the vortex is next!

  9. Sue Hook says:

    OK I have been working on some things – had son and his family home from Phoenix last week – missing my sewing room.

    I took the 5 1/2″ squares I cut a couple of weeks ago and made into 4 baby blankets – two of which I used fleece for backing. Does that count toward sort through my fleece bag 🙂 probably not. Since I do not have any drawers in my sewing room I think I will work on the fleece bag this week. I like that door thing – it would be a go place for me to hang dresses on until they are delivered or picked up.

  10. Ranch Wife says:

    Three cheers for hiring a bookkeeper! Good call! You can only juggle so many balls and wear so many hats before you’re wearing balls and juggling hats. LOL.
    Glad you are feeling better and it sounds like you are making good progress. I know all about things looking less organized in the midst of organization. Its temporary. I’m going to remind myself of that when I tackle the table in our boy’s room that I set up to make some cards but somehow is now stacked with fabric bits and pieces…the piles are about to topple to the floor.

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