November Studio Organizing
Posted on November 20, 2024 by prairiemoonquilts in Studio Organizing ChallengeIs all your stray fabric put away from the last challenge? I have to say that mine is not, but I did make some progress. I simply haven’t had time to really work on it, even tho I try to take a few minutes every day for it. Evidently, a few minutes a day is not getting me very far very fast, so at some point, I’m gonna have to take some dedicated time to really make any visible progress.
But it’s on to the next thing already!
As we gear up for the holiday season, lots of us will be making last-minute gifts, or at the very least, need a clear place to assemble and wrap gifts, so why don’t we . . .
Clear off your main work surface
This way, you won’t have to shove everything aside and tell yourself you’ll deal with it later. You can be a bit proactive and have that space already cleared for when you need it. I actually cleared half of mine yesterday, and it’s motivating me to just finish the rest already! I know — it looks like I shoved everything to the unclean side, but alas, such is not the case. I just always have too much stuff out! Does anyone else see the irony in the fact that my coaster says “Simplify”? Hahahaha!
Also, I’m about to wrap up some really large projects with deadlines, so after Thanksgiving, I’ll be ready to pull out some other UFOs that I can hopefully finish up before year’s end, so I’m planning to clean it off so I can mess it right back up — haha!
How about you?
Are you craving a clear spot, no matter how small, to do a bit of work in without having to shove things aside?
I’m always amazed by the amount of small trinkets I find on my table while I’m clearing it — where do these things come from?
And I LOVE the feeling of a clear table. When it’s clear, it always gives me a little shock when I walk in the room and see it that way — guess I’m way too used to seeing it messed up!
Trust me, this one thing will remove quite a bit of stress from your quilting life, so it’s worth the time spent — let’s do it!
Hopefully, with a couple more challenges, I might finally be able to give you a studio tour. There are so many piles and boxes right now, you can’t really see much. Plus, I still have a couple pieces of furniture to bring over, which will help a lot with getting things stored away.
Meanwhile, I hope you all have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving!
I’m nearing that stage! I did find a bag of fabrics that were intended to be washed but never got around to it. Last month I rectified that. I also ironed them – but not put away yet. I’ve finished the main border on the quilt top so the two sides need to go together and a strip of white to be added and then it’s on the frame to be done. Then I shall be having a cleaning blitz. Husband is away next week yet again – cat sitting for our daughter, it’s also looking like rain again and perfect timing for a long session of tidying up! It’s awful at the moment!
I’m working on keeping a tidy sewing room! My sewing room is small so it feels messy even if very little is out of place! And I do love to pile things on a horizontal surface! But it is amazing how much easier it is to work when I don’t have to move stuff around because I’ve completely covered up my cutting area.
Maybe next year will finally be the year that I actually put things away when I’m finished with them. There’s always that hope!
Ha ha, I got this image of my fabric running around my room in small herds… like cattle. I use the 15 minute start and clean and it helps. If I cover my main table I have no place to either cut or iron. It is always nice to hear from you.
My sewing table is flat up against a wall under windows so it easily gets smushed down to about 15″ square to actually work in. But I’m doing better. I’m in a couple of yearly BOMs so I like to keep the fabric within arms reach. Right now, my sewing machine is sitting onone end of the dining room table as I need the room to do some straight line quilting. Grandson and great-grandson have the other end of the table for their online game stuff. It’s a long table so not a problem.
I think putting away stray fabric, might be a year long challenge for me, but I keep working at it and see progress. Started clearning things off the main work surface yesterday, uncovering a quilt top that would be really fun to hand quilt. Snowy weather may keep me housebound more for accomplishing these things faster! Thanks for keeping us motivated.
My sewing table has only the current work in progress which changes weekly as I roll the dice. But, my cutting table, on the other hand is atrocious. It happens to be the first flat surface that you get to when you enter the room. I tend to put the tote that I take to stitching in a chair and empty it onto the cutting table. There’s always a surface to be cleared.
My loose fabric is still roaming free and I swear multiplying. My main surface at the studio is mostly clean as it’s got a few layer cake pieces waiting to be trimmed and cut down. I accepted a long time ago that I will never have a picture perfect studio. I apparently thrive on controlled chaos.
I always enjoy your posts! I can say my cutting/long arm quilting room is organized. My sewing room is 99% done. My fashion designing studio we won’t talk about. This month has been a bit overwhelming for a variety of reasons and when I am overwhelmed I clean and organize to relax my mind. I also did that a lot when I was pregnant – thank goodness at 75 that is not a contributing factor! Happy Thanksgiving!!!