2024 Final Countdown, Task One
Posted on December 29, 2024 by prairiemoonquilts in The Final CountdownEach year, I try to pick tasks that I myself need to do to get a jump start on the new year coming up. And I always hope there are others out there, just like me, who also need to do these same tasks to get back on track. Lots of years, I’ve repeated some of the tasks, but only because they seriously need to be done again and again. If you’re creating, then you’re probably making a bit of a mess, and sometimes we all just need a boot in the butt to address that issue and give ourselves a fresh start.
For some different ideas for this year’s countdown, I turned to my deck of Studio Organizing cards, trying to find tasks I really need to do — and I hope I’m not alone! Are you ready?
Our first task is:
(And clean and oil your machine if it needs it, while you’re at it.)
- • Pick up all the odds and ends you’ve dropped near your machine.
- • Get rid of all the scraps and threads.
- • Corral your pins.
- • Get your tools organized and within easy reach: seam ripper, snips, extra feet, etc.
- • Move the machine and clean and dust the table it sits on.
- • Clean your cords and foot pedal.
- • Wind some extra bobbins.
- • If you need to oil your machine, clean it, or change the needle, now’s the time.
- • If your table has drawers, make sure they’ve got the proper things in them and they’re all cleaned out.
- • Organize the current project(s) you may have close to your machine, so when you next sit down to sew, you’re all ready to go in a fresh, clean area. Won’t that feel great?
Here’s where I’m at to start with:
I’ve only been in this studio for a few short months, and I’ve already made a mess! This area is not as bad as some of the rest of the room, but it’ll still feel good to have it freshened up.
How about you? Is this a task you need to do? Or do you clean up after each and every sewing session? Leave us a comment, and let us know how this task goes. Was it a big task? Or did you have it easy?
And be sure to check back in tomorrow for Task Two!
PS: If you want a deck of the Studio Organizing Cards, I have a few back in stock in my Etsy shop. You can read more about them and why I do the organizing challenges HERE.
I signed up! I read an old post where the assignment was ‘deal with a pile’. I laughed out loud! I may have a lot to do since all three of my tables are a nightmare!
I cleaned it a couple of weeks ago as I’d taken the machine to my quilty group. I decided to give it a tidy up and a vacuum then. I’ve been using the area while it’s been foggy (6th day today, but cleared up, to drizzle) so it’s a bit messy with hour glass units being made! I also cleaned up my cutting table – not that you’d know now! Never-ending!
Well…..the area around my sewing machine is relatively clear- I had to quilt a quilt and needed all that space clear. You can imagine in order to do that quickly every available flat surface received a pile…ughhhh! Thank you for challenging & inspiring us with these tasks!
yup I am in I will do this. I had a start yesterday when there were too many people to have sewing machine up on a table. I was finding things that did not need to be near the the machine….
done done done
Thank you so much for the nudge. I managed to clear the space from three sewing areas, oil my machine and finish the non-crucial goal for the year. And posted about it.
Luck had it – this was easy so I also put away my strings into their color and cut some scraps down to continue 9 patches for memory quilts of my husband’s shirts. Hope the rest go as smooth.
Sewing area? Haven’t been here since November…
I will send via email before and after pictures.
I’m doing well on the machine with a routine cleaning and oiling my machine when the bobbin rund out. Since I have a new sewing table I have been able to keep it clean. I do have one area I stack things behind the machine I’ll clean that. So I guess this was easy.
Thank for the prompt.
this area I do try and keep clean as if I do not i will not set down a sew.
as I was in the studio today I did pick up all the little things that was not needed there, like scrap paper and put all the fabric pens and suck back in their holder as I am bad to just leave them laying around.
I buy pre wound bobbins so that was easy lol
vacumed the rug and got my next project ready to go for tomorrow
I am sure there is more that I could of done today but was wiped as all the Christmas is put away.
still working on laundry and such but this is life it never ends.
thanks for the encouragement to keep moving forward
happy quilting everyone
I did quite a few studio cleaning/reorganizing/tossing activities on Saturday, yay! It’s great to have a fresh start for the New Year 2025. I made a list of UFOs, wrote down classes I have scheduled, other projects I want to complete, and I think I will have a busy year!!! Thanks for reminding everyone to do a few tasks now to get ready for a productive year ahead.
task one is accomplished! I even cleared off my cutting table! Thanks for the push.
This wasn’t too much of a task. I do try to keep the area cleaned up. So this task was easy and quick. I am ready for the next one.
I have to admit I’m pretty OCD about my work surfaces. I have to put my tools back after using because they’ll drive me crazy if they are in the way. I have drawers and a cart at my sewing space so it’s just as easy to put them in their home as to lay on my work surface. Currently the cutting table and sewing work surface have my current project, a queen size quilt top that is in process of getting borders. I did dust my sewing table and cords. I routinely clean the machine and change the needle every 4-5 bobbins. It’s the rest of the room that is overwhelming 😂😂😂
Task one completed. I cleaned off my group sewing table and dusted everything. I cleaned and oiled both sewing machines that are on it plus my long arm that lives in the same room. The rest of the room, however, well…..
I can do this. Unfortunately my clutter is not related to sewing at all, but do need to clean area as I can’t wait to get back into making quilts. I might try finishing one quilt yet this year.
My cutting area is cleaned up. And I just oiled my bobbin area of the machine. Still sewing on a project but will get the sewing area cleaned up once I am finished with the quilt.
This was a good challenge. When reading the manual, I found some oiling points for my Singer 301 that I had not noticed before! The school desk drawer that the machine sits on had things to remove and place elsewhere, including an antique thimble! I put it with some other collectables. I put all the machine maintenance items in one location, instead of leaving them on the desk top. Everything definitely needed dusting–good thing the air purifier was running! Thread I had sorted earlier this week, needed to get it back in it’s storage spot. It seems I will never run out of thread of any color! Hopefully today I will make good progress on the repro Civil War projects I am currently working on. It will be nice to work on things in this nice clean and organized spot, Thanks to you!
I thought this would be easy as I’d just cleaned my machine and little around it…..WELL…. 40+ minutes later….. my drawers were decluttered and I found good forgotten things I will use on 2 current projects.
I won’t mention the dust.
So thanks for task one even tho I didn’t SEE that it was needed.
Task one is done! Thanks for the reminder to change needle and oil the machine. My clutter by each machine is the current blocks I’m sewing on at the location. I still have Leaves blocks pieces ready for attention at home. The studio has Churn Dash blocks ready to be pieced and a couple of different leaders and enders I have going.
Task One has been completed. The area around my machine is tidy now. 😀
I did task one today! Sewing machine area is looking good!
This is my report: https://weddingdressblue.wordpress.com/2024/12/31/2024-final-countdown-task-one/
Thank you, as always.
The day after Christmas, after all the rush to finish Christmas presents, I did the complete clean up, organize, dust and vacuum of my quilt room. Thank goodness I have a natural tendency to use milestones-like completing Christmas projects – as the motivator to clean before I start the next round. Finding UFOs and never used patterns, etc. at this juncture helps me to better work into future plans.
I’m lucky to have a husband who is great at feather weight maintenance cuz I just hand him the machine to clean and oil after every project, do that gets done without any effort on my part😁.
Finished Task One! It wasn’t too bad since I cleaned not too long ago. Happy to have it nice and tidy! Now on to Task Two!
I cleaned up the floor around the dining room table right before Christmas. I have been sewing on the dining room table. Had lots of threads and very small snippets on the floor. We weren’t planning on eating there but I thought since we had friends over for Christmas dinner, the floor should look better!
The area around my sewing machine usually stays pretty clean aka ready for action. I did find some dust and took care of that, as well as giving my machine a bit of a birthday – clean, oil, new needle etc.
I really need to do a good vacuuming, but I just saw that was part of the next task. Score!
Well, I really did get me sewing table cleaned up. It was so neat that it motivated me to stitch a small wall quilt. The space around the machine gets messy so quickly that it is not in great shape today, but… it was cleaned up.
My sewing desk was pretty clean, as I’d just finished doing a large project and needed the space. So I took the opportunity to change out what I had on the wall in front of it. It makes for a nice change for the New Year.