November Studio Organizing
Posted on November 16, 2022 by prairiemoonquilts in Studio Organizing ChallengeMid November already?? And winter has hit us. There’s snow on the ground and ice on my windows as I sit here at my desk typing this.
I’ve done a lot of sewing this fall, and I’ll be back later with more about that, but for now, it’s organizing time. I guess we can call it “fall cleaning” if that makes it easier to deal with!
Did you find something last time that you had been procrastinating on and get it done? How does that feel? Good, I hope. Sometimes, things lay around in the wrong place for so long that they seem like they belong there, and when you finally clean up the mess, it feels like a breath of fresh air!
For November and December, I’m only offering up one task each month, and then, as usual, I’ll be back at the end of the year for The Final Countdown, which is always fun and motivating (at least for me). It’ll be our 14th annual Final Countdown (and I’m still not completely organized)! Honestly, if there’s anything I’ve discovered over the years, it’s that organizing is an ongoing thing — there will always be something that needs to be organized, and that’s OK.
So what shall we do for November’s Organizing Challenge? Again, I’m picking something that I myself need to do, and just dragging you all along for the ride, so here we go . . .
Reorganize a troublesome part of your sewing area
This is something I’ve been meaning to do all year. And last week, I got a good start on it, so I plan to continue. Here’s mine: I needed a good place to sit and do handwork IN my studio.
Of an evening, I sometimes sit downstairs with My Cowboy to do handwork, but I mainly keep all my projects upstairs so the cats can’t mess with them. And most of the time it’s easier to do the handwork in my studio rather than drag stuff up and down the stairs when I want to work on it. When the lamp beside my chair downstairs broke, I decided it was a good time to do something different. So now I keep only one project downstairs, and the rest are upstairs in my studio.
But I didn’t have a good place to keep the projects, or a good place to sit and work on them.
However, I DO have one room upstairs that I’ve never gotten finished or used. So far, all these years, it’s been a catch-all room, a place to pitch stuff that I couldn’t find a place for. And . . . it’s not been included in any of the remodeling projects we’ve done to date, except for the fact that it has all new electrical wiring and lighting.
So I cleaned out half the room, and set up an area to sit and do handwork. I decided that it doesn’t HAVE to be perfect before I start using it, so I didn’t paint the ceiling or finish stripping the wallpaper or patch anything or paint the walls. I just gave it a good cleaning, had My Cowboy hang a shelf (that I also didn’t paint), and started using it. I have a cute little red cabinet in the corner (that you can just see the corner of) that was a gift from my daughter’s best friend, and it holds some of my projects and thread. My current knitting projects are in baskets on the floor beside the table. I DO need to get a new, more comfortable chair, but that will happen in time.
I put my wicker sewing box collection on the shelf:
The other half of the room behind me is still a complete mess, but I’m slowly going through all of it a little at a time and dealing with it. The piles used to be nearly to the ceiling, so you can tell that I’ve made a LOT of progress, even tho I still have a long way to go! I keep the piles covered with scrap batting because the old windows are not UV filtering and the light can fade things pretty badly.
And nearly 1/4 of that remaining pile is empty boxes (snicker)!
My initial goal was to completely remodel the room this year, which included all the patching and painting that needed doing, but my arms simply wouldn’t allow that, so I’m having to adjust my expectations for lots of things.
Not having everything perfectly patched and painted isn’t gonna keep me from using this room any longer. In fact, I really do love the old wallpaper with the yellow roses, and wish it had stayed more intact when I took off the top layer!
Now, I’m not suggesting that you take on a project of this magnitude for your ownself, but if there is an area of your space that is niggling at you and needing some attention, now is the time to address it. It’ll give you a clean start heading into The Final Countdown and the new year, and just like the procrastination task from last time, it’ll give you a great feeling to have it done.
Basically, just pick some area of your space that’s a mess, or annoying, or not set up right, or being used as a catch-all, or not being used like it should, and make it work for you in a better way.
Need to rearrange a little furniture? Do away with a pile? Change to some better storage units? Clean off some shelves or clean out some drawers and use them for a better purpose? Add some shelves or a storage unit of some kind? Categorize your supplies and keep them in a better place for the way you work? Get rid of some stuff? Go for it. Your sewing self will thank you!
It’s like a Murphy’s law – you recycle all those boxes, and then you need one! My temporary sewing digs could use a little tidying up as far as putting away some fabric, so I’ll let that be my goal. I think your little sewing corner looks cozy and will be a nice place to sit and stitch.
I said I was going to get rid of tons of old buttons but didn’t make it to quilt guild to give away. Saw a Facebook picture of old buttons strung into Christmas ornaments I have made a bunch of the and can make a few more. The problem now is not enough variation in size of those left. 10.000 shirt buttons.
Every box that comes into the house is scrutinized before it ends up wherever it ends up. Even my husband says, “That’s a good box, do you need it?” So funny!
nice any progress means you are getting things done. We got our first snow today.
Good for you for making use of a room that is sitting unused. When I was a kid, that was called our “junk room”. (I’m sure glad I didn’t have to clean it out when Mom and Dad moved after having lived there for thirty-six years.) The two of us now have a fairly large three bedroom house, and I swear we make use of every room. (I sure wish we had a mud room by the back door though.)
I see in the first picture that you have a small Singer sewing box exactly like mine. It’s just another decorative thing that I never use, but takes up space on my counter tops.
I’m going to have to think about how to get better organized. The other day I needed a bit of fusible web. I could have sworn I had a whole bolt of Wonder Under but I couldn’t find it anywhere. I knew as soon as I got back from running into town to JoAnn’s to get some, it would turn up. I refused to do that. I finally found some of a brand I don’t particularly like. After I went to bed, I remembered that I had used all that Wonder Under in the two hundred placemats I made for our local Wheels on Meals last year.
Stay warm, and I hope you keep getting better.
We got wet in July, when we had our historic rain, so I have been working in the basement, since I have been back from our travels. Cleaning out the room with sewing supplies and materials. Pitching, donating and reorganizing. Excited about finishing the project and getting back to quilting. Yes I have empty boxes as well as a lot of boxes that is full. Going to plastic.
I’m so glad that you’re doing the Final Countdown again! I thoroughly enjoy and look forward to that. So a big Thank You!
As for the last challenge, it pushed me to finish up a project which is great because I’ve not done too much sewing this year. I’ve needed to declutter, toss, donate and shred, like every day. And yes, I can relate to the keeping of boxes.
Good for you to use the room now. So nice that you’ll have a designated area to do all your beautiful handwork.
Thanks for the challenges. I really like this next one.
I have the perfect project! After my move and major unpacking, I accumulated a lot of stuff to go to GoodWill. It is taking up a big corner of my living room. To “get it gone,” I need to re-box two boxes of dishes and one of clothes and, then, call for a pickup. Thanks for the “nudge” to get it done.
This is a great project. Your room looks great. I have challenged myself to define the problems I am having and to think of solutions to them. It keeps me from just letting things annoy me over and over again.
Sometimes we just have to dig in and do it. I am sorry you have been limited this past year with your injury. Positive vibes you’ll be right as rain soon. They is something very calming about that wall paper. You know you could hang quilts and forget about that part of the redo for a bit. Help with the heat in there too. Good luck with the other half of your piles in the room. I have been tackling a room at a time here. Come summer it will be my basement. Take care, continue your healing my friend
I always need to clean my cutting table. It’s just an ongoing processs!
No major messes but niggling worry is Christmas – my sewing room might become a baby /toddler guest room ! Ugh- how to put away & change things so they won’t get hurt. Must get ideas & get to work yet still sew.
It’s great that you are using your space and not waiting for it to be perfect…there is a good lesson there that is often forgotten today. Bravo!
As for me I didn’t get my procrastination task done from the last challenge and I’m going to skip this one too. I’m pushing myself to finish more that I’m probably able to do as it is. Time is just moving too fast! I’m trying to focus on the must dos. I do appreciate your nudges tho😊