2022 Final Countdown, Task Two
Posted on December 30, 2022 by prairiemoonquilts in The Final CountdownMoving right along . . .
It’s time for Task Two! I hope you found a quick finish yesterday.
What are we tackling today? Well . . . We’re going to . . .
Clean out a storage area
You get to choose the storage area you think needs the most help. I think I’m gonna tackle a closet, but I’m not sure which one just yet. I have four storage closets in my studio, and they could all use a good purging. Wouldn’t it be great if I could get all four of them cleaned out?
How about you? Do you have a storage area that needs to be purged, cleaned out, and reorganized? I know that cleaning it out will accomplish a few things:
- • You’ll know what’s in there
- • You can get rid of what you don’t want or need
- • You can reorganize the stuff that’s staying
- • You can possibly make room to put more stuff away that needs a home
- • It will be easier to find and use what the storage area contains once it’s re-organized and cleaned out!
If you don’t have a closet for storage, choose a cabinet or some other type of storage area. I also have two cabinets, a shelving unit, and a couple of rolling carts that could use a going-through, but the purpose of this task is to force us to concentrate on just one area. We can’t do it all at once, so we have to break it down and start somewhere. If we get done with the one we choose first, and have time left over, then perhaps we can address another one, which would be great, but don’t beat yourself up over it — just try one area for starters.
We can do this!
Before I go, in case you didn’t read the comments on the other posts, reader Karen E. mentioned that she is participating in a Decluttering Challenge offered by Karen Brown at Just Get It Done Quilts. It starts January 1, so if you need help beyond The Final Countdown, check it out. I might be trying some of her challenges my ownself!
And I will still be doing the monthly Studio Organizing Challenges here, so we can keep working on this year round.
Since all my storage is in tubs and totes, I’ve picked two to clean out, then I’ll move onto other spaces which need work.
http://pamela.avaraarts.com/day-2-the-final-countdown-with-prairie-moon-quilts/
Hi, Pam!
Over the past several days I have cleaned a number of areas in my sewing room: plastic storage (do I really need that many small containers), small background fabric scraps (inspired a new project–details coming soon), bookshelf (a few left, and those remaining are in a logical order), thread drawers…It is so freeing. Even one area makes a difference.
I just wanted to let you know Pat Sloan, on her YouTube channel, is doing a Tidy Up (10 minutes a day, I think) the whole month of January. Between you, Karen Brown and Pat maybe I’ll finally get my sewing room in order. 😂
Working on 1st project today.
Will have to think about 2nd one.
I have 2 drawers of projects & 2 boxes that i need to manage by deciding if i really want to do or put the fabric back into the rest of the stash. That should do for today!
I am not sure what I will tackle but I will tackle an area or a container. I don’t have any closets in my sewing area. Looking forward to a new year – it always seems like I have a big mess after holiday sewing and spend the month of January putting it all back again!
I have a LARGE walk-in closet that houses my fabric and most of my projects. I need to purge and prioritize. I did this a year or two ago, but I need to dig much deeper.
This one is tough. I have a deep drawer that I keep my quilt machine needles and prewound bobbins in. There is other junk in there, too. Now that Superior Threads sends their prewounds in cardboard boxes, it’s hard to see at a glance what color I need. I guess I will need to find some clear bobbin storage containers like for sewing machine bobbins. I think I will then transfer the prewounds to a container like I keep my cones in. The needles packs are in those little wooden souvenir boxes, which works okay. Then to sort through the rest of the “stuff” in that drawer.
Easy peasy if I can only get back to my old house. I have already emptied a full chest of drawers of crafty things, mostly ‘gifted’ them and the dresser, too! I think every thing in my sewing desk is next. Needles, pins, cutters, thread, bobbins, rulers, manuals, 🙂
I have two storage carts hidden behind my design walls. I will work there.
I have a corner in my quilt room that I just toss stuff in I have nowhere else to put it, e.g., my bag full of embroidery gloss, paper for making patterns, etc. I’m going to try to get that organized.
I pulled a storage tote out from under my bed yesterday and sorted it. I pulled small pieces and cut into blocks for a Project Linus quilt and put the larger pieces back. I now have more space to put away more fabric!
I’m running a day behind you on these, but I still appreciate that you do these posts for us. The holiday visitors, just left this evening, but I actually made good progress on three projects earlier today, so I consider that a success, and I’m sure I can manage this one tomorrow.
Got to get a almost house bound quilting friend out of the house today so mostly no sewing. I need to organize the table at the end of my sewing desk. Where to home ideas is a problem since I moved into my new sewing room. Had a way but so many things are in different places so now I need to find a home and order for them.
Back to binding after this organizing being the papers are in the way for binding.
Yikes… the storage area in my sewing room that needs the most attention is definitely the closet!
That however will be an all day project that is best undertaken when my husband is at work for the day.
Instead I started going thru my plastic drawer units. Finding all kinds of things that need to be put away properly instead of just stuffed in the drawer😀
My family celebrated Christmas today, so tomorrow I’ll go through my tubs of everyday and seasonal patterns to see what can stay and what should go.
For this, I think I will tackle storage areas that shouldn’t be storage areas, which are many!
As soon as I finish quilting the quilt I am working on, I need to clean up, trim down and sort my scraps. So within the first few days of the New Year I will be doing that. What a way to start a new year!
I have a plastic drawer unit and 3 of the drawers needed to be organized. Thanks to you and this challenge, I have completed that organization. Now I just have to get my quick finish done.
Take what is in boxes and put on new shelving in closet in my sewing room.
Having a back issue right now so I won’t tackle anything today. But I do know that making so many scrap quilts this year caused me to go through every fabric bin at some time. Here are a couple of things that did happen as I went through all of that. I thought I would get rid of my huge button collection but got sick the evening of quilt guild and thought again. I saw something on the internet about making button decorations for Christmas trees. I made more than 14 little ornaments and gave them to my daughters. I also found a small bin with Sunbonnet Sue pieces already cut out. I think they came from my mother. I made one Sunbonnet Sue pillow for my sister. I used up most of the leftover quilt backings for those charity quilts and then did a Christmas project of table runners. 14 of them done and most of those used leftovers of fabric and backing and a bit of thread choices for the quilting. So those storage bins have interesting stuff in them. But they do try to take over. I will keep tackling this all of 2023.
I just did this! I purchased a new storage unit, so went through everything and organized it as I filled the new unit. I am off work this week, so have been trying to get lots done.
I had to do this to my desk/to make room for things that were on top of my desk this week because as a Christmas gift my husband and I split the cost of getting our house professionally deep cleaned. It was interesting to look through the orphan blocks I have in my storage, I need to find a project to use them up! (Lots of half square triangles mostly but also some small 9 patches, larger blocks, etc.)
Today I cleaned out the closet in my fabric room. I organized the patterns and fabrics. I donated the 10 children’s quilts that were stacked inside the closet to the Ronald McDonald house. I also donated 3 patriotic quilts to Quilts of Valor. Now I have room to get the other donation quilts ready. 😁Task 2 completed!
I cleaned out 2 drawers of precuts and was able to consolidate to 1. Then put my 1.5″, 2″, 2.5″, and 3.5″ strips into tubs in the empty drawer.
I have a large walk-in closet with shelves where my stash is stored. It was a disaster! Today I vowed to spend 30 minutes a day straightening and refolding until it is done. One day down!
Ooh yes, this was a perfect task for me!
I have a set of 10 plastic drawers (actually 2 sets of 5 stacked), most of which was full of random stuffs. I removed everything into a sorting container and now have 6 empty drawers to hold my 2023 scrap blocks, 2 with notions, 1 with a long term hand piecing project, and the bottom one with all the wheels and spare parts for the drawer set, that I’m not currently using. Woohoo!
I have an away sewing area. It was a real wreck. I’ve now cleaned up all the leftovers of completed projects and brought them home. I’ve cleaned out all my storage bins with bits and bobs of done things. The area is much better and easier to work at. Now I’m filing scraps. I have sorted out a ton of bins and baskets last month so will continue doing that with all that I brought home.
This is never ending!
So I worked on the storage area that I call a cutting table. I gathered all my repro scraps stored there and cut them in 2 inch squares or 3/4 inch strips. Thanks, Shelly
I have finished all tasks. Table stacked with papers sorted and filed and a rolling cart cleaned out and ready for better use. Finished a quilt by binding(second in progress right now and planning on a third the the 9th). Made a list of projects for 2023. In addition listed way too many that need to be started, they are not even started at all and others that I have a little started but hardy more than started. This has been a great push to get things in order and a great start for the new year. As I find them I plan to enlarge my list of project that I have plans to do and still want to do and give away or something those that I’ll never finish
I’ve tackled my sewing studio over the last few weeks, so I turned my eyes toward a section in my stained glass studio where I needed to move a piece of furniture out. Well, that turned into a larger project than I expected, but that’s done.
The cat had discovered an unwanted “mouse” guest a couple of weeks ago, so in moving the furniture, we found where it had taken up residence. After lots of cleaning we are almost done. Since the traps have remained empty, we feel the residents are no more.
I would much rather have been sewing than cleaning!
I don’t have a closet in my sewing room, but I reorganized my project bins. I have them labeled now and where I can more easily see them, to hopefully motivate me to finish them! Thank you for doing the organizational challenges again. I really find those helpful, too!
Planned to do one drawer and ended up doing three!
One quilting stuff and one knitting! The third ended up being my option for Task #3. Wish I could complete the projects as quickly as I can sort them😉
Well, I finally got my storage area cleaned up. It is a very small 4th bedroom which my family calls “Sewing Room 3.” I got the cardtable, wrapping paper, etc. out and it is in much better shape.
For task 2 I decided to take care of the quilt trimmings that were overflowing under my sewing table. I was able to make two pet beds and salvage fabric for the scrap drawers. Feels good!
I got 2 of the 3 quick finishes completed, and if I don’t poop out I might get other one done tonight too. Spreadsheet updated with finished and planned projects.
Bring on 2023! I’m ready for ACTION! (my word for the year).
Thanks for your support and keeping me on track thru the year💕