CLEAN SWEEP

How did your clean-up go around your sewing machine? I know that some people have accepted the challenge and have sent before and after pictures. I know I won't have time to post them today, so they will have to wait until tomorrow, and hopefully, we'll have a few more pictures to share. I think it's a fun (and necessary) exercise to clean up and deal with things. The most essential factor there is DEAL with things. It has taken me years to be accountable for the messes I've created and to DEAL with the things that I no longer want. I think this is a skill we should be teaching children -- from the moment they become aware of wanting something. 

So there's no new assignment today -- just keep cleaning up the space where your sewing machine sits and then sew something when you are done. Doesn't that feel amazing to have all that space and nothing goes flying off the table? 

Ok -- so something very odd happened at our house. I went to bed at 11 PM, and I was so excited I didn't think I would be able to go to sleep. I did sleep, but I woke up several times -- still excited. 

Upstairs, we have a guest room, where all the quilts reside, and there is Studio U, and they are connected by a shared bathroom. M (my daughter, for those that don't know) still has stuff in the closet in Studio U, which I have been trying to get her to clean up since she left home 7 years ago. She's made an attempt or two, but still loads of stuff in the closet. I have quilting stuff in one of the closets in the guest room, and well, it's time to switcharoo. 

Let's see what happened. 

She also has a bookcase in Studio U, so I grabbed some boxes from the garage (the last boxes from when the basement had to be redone, and I'm so glad I kept them), and I packed everything up and then dusted and washed the bookcase and moved it into the bathroom. 

Packing up the bookcase

The closet was next. Ooops -- I forgot to take a picture before I started to remove stuff. It was way better than I anticipated, but still a lot of things. The boxes and tubs went into the hallway, and the clothing went on my bed. 

Emptying the closet

Then the closet got dusted and washed. 

Clean closet

A window seat housed some of her stuff and some quilting stuff. Everything was removed; it got moved, dusted, and washed.  

The window seat

Studio U was still in a bit of turmoil from when the new windows went in. It does NOT look very inviting for sewing. 

Studio U in an uproar

And there's the closet in the corner. 

The closet in Studio U

The hallway was a bit congested. Thank goodness our house is large, so it was relatively easy to find a temporary home for all this stuff while it got switched around. 

The upstairs hall

There are two closets in the guest room, and I needed a space to hang up the clothes removed from Studio U. Hmmm -- no room in that closet. 

Two closets in the guest room

I had NO intentions of tackling that closet, but I needed to use the hanging space. Anything bag-related - suitcases, backpacks, camping gear -- all go into that closet. And my camping stuff is there as well. And like everything else, it had become a dumping ground. 

So I emptied that closet, and I might as well do a CLEAN SWEEP of the two spaces. 

All the bags and suitcases

I sorted through the bags and suitcases, and what we wanted to keep got relegated to one side of that closet. But not before that closet was also dusted and washed. 

The luggage is now coraled on one side

The camping gear got stored on the top shelf. 

Camping gear on top

The clothing got hung up after I sorted through the MESS of hangers. That leaves the entire center unit and some hanging room when our guest arrives. WOW --- that feels amazing to get that accomplished. 

The center unit is empty

Some of the bags had broken zippers or were torn, so they went in the garbage. I found a hockey bag on wheels, and someone is coming to pick it up today. Thank you, Facebook Marketplace. 

Hockey bag for sale - SOLD

And all that remained are three shoulder straps. Hmmm -- I might just cut the hardware off them, but if someone wants them -- for the strapping and the hardware? I'd be happy to give them away to a good home. 

Three shoulder straps

Have you noticed my photobomber? She got into a LOT of pictures yesterday. Just because she's wherever we are!

Then it was time to tackle the second closet, which contains my batting bits. 

The second closet of batting bits

I literally took it all and stood at the door of Studio U and heaved it. Yep -- it was a huge mess. Can you by the sky that a significant amount had passed by? 

The batting bits in Studio U

I had dinner and then got a burst of energy and so got to work in Studio U. All the Fusible Fleece got put in one half of the window seat - I have a few rolls of the stuff. All the foam products were put in the other half, and that window seat was full. All the batting bits and pillow forms got placed into the closet. Not as convenient as the shelves in the other closet, but hey -- it's all in one room now. I haven't made a batting for myself in a while, so the stock is very HIGH. 

The new home for the batting bits

Then it was back to the guest room. I emptied that big black bookcase into boxes, the furniture got moved around, and the boxes got put back into the room. I am NOT unpacking. The 30 boxes/tubs need to be sorted through and RUTHLESSLY sorted through. I'm not sure how well that will go when M arrives, but it needs to be done. I have NO qualms about keeping stuff for her until she has a place to take it, but I have a problem maintaining JUNK. If she doesn't deal with it when she's here, I'll be doing it after she goes. Sorry -- but you only get so many chances, and then that's it! There is now lots of room in those closest. The one on the left has the center unit and some hanging space, and the second one, with the shelves, is virtually empty. There are two boxes of M's stuff sitting there. I'm tempted to take them out and leave them in the room, so they don't get "forgotten."

The guest room 

All that remains is washing the bedding, finding a quilt for the bed, and hanging up the blind. Of course, Murphy had to photobomb that photo as well. 

OH -- did I mention that I found TWO tubs of UFOs in that closet where the batting was stored. More on those another day. 

Back to the hallway, which looked much better now that I moved the boxes back into the guest room. Did I also mention that I spent some time with a bottle of GOOGONE to remove stickers and tape that had been left behind by a certain someone? That was on doors and furniture. The stickers and tape are now gone, and while I love stickers, do NOT let your children put them on furniture or doors. They are a pain to remove, especially since these had been there for years. 

The hallway looking a bit better

I created a giveaway pile in the front hall, and I'll be making a trip this week to get rid of the stuff. As well as we have some small not working appliances in the garage. And some hazardous waste. All will leave on Wednesday. Poor DH has no idea what is happening, but NOTHING is sacred at our house. And well --- I'm almost done for the moment!

The giveaway pile

There are a few things to take to Studio B this morning, but the upstairs hallway looks like this. Yep --- just the vacuum is left. 

The upstairs hall is now clear

The quilts, you ask? What happened to the quilts? There are quilts on the long desk and one table in Studio U, and the rest in my room. I'll deal with them later this week. The bottom line is that the guest room is ready -- well, I need about one more hour in there, and then it's ready. I can do that over the next couple of weeks. 

Studio U

Did you notice how dark it is now? I still have some bits of batting to deal with, and those are stacked on the window seat, and I hope to get to that today. And there is stuff in the bathroom vanity that I need to deal with, and I think I hate sorting through the little bits, so I'll tackle that a few minutes each day to get it done by the time M arrives. 

Wow --- who knew that I could do all that in ONE day. I still took a walk in the afternoon, and I did almost 16 KM with all the walking and moving. Those boxes of books are HEAVY, and I moved them several times. But I was so excited that I had to keep going. I'm thrilled to know that all of her stuff is in one room so she can efficiently deal with it on her time. There was even room to take her outdoor jackets and put them in the closet. It looks neat and tidy (more or less) for a stack of boxes. But once she puts things back on the shelf (should she want to keep anything), then she'll have even more space in there. 

That was a job well done, and I had to take a tour this morning before I came downstairs, and yes, even in the dark, I was thrilled. A job well done, and I'm so proud of myself for sticking to it. 

I was having fun and listening to an audiobook, which I don't know if I could tell you anything about it. It was in the back of my mind while I cleaned, and I should have put music on instead! WOW -- what am I going to do today? 

OH YES -- I have an URGENT deadline to deal with. Yep -- it's urgent because I've been ignoring it. Actually, there are two deadlines now, so that will become my focus, and for a break, I'll do some more tidying. I need to figure out what to do with all those quilts! If only I could do the same thing in the office! That's different because it's a lot of piddly sorting!

So if you tackle the area around your sewing machine and want to share, be sure to forward the before and after pictures so we can see. I'll be posting those tomorrow and providing you a new area to clean up! We are all going to be super productive this year!! I can hardly wait!

Oh -- I'll just quickly mention that in those tubs of UFOs? I found something that I'd been looking for, and I must say that once I saw the tubs, I remember putting them there, but I didn't remember they were there. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!