Grand Central Station

OH -- As I sit down to write, I realize there were a couple of other photos I wanted to take. I guess they just have to wait until tomorrow. 

Although the writing was completed and Studio B was mostly back to order, not much sewing was done. It was like Grand Central Station at my house for most of the day. And the phone calls - I rarely get ONE phone call in a day, I had many yesterday. But all good stuff, so I'm not complaining. 

Then things were dropped off, and other stuff picked up. Other things got dropped off, and within a couple of hours, those were picked up! But all is good, and everything that was dropped off is in its place. I have a couple of boxes to unpack later today, and I'm excited about what's inside!

But let's take a peek at what happened yesterday in the chaos I call Studio B. WAIT -- I can no longer call it chaos. I've moved all the tubs that were on the floor to either under a table or another area. Not really my favorite plan, but for now, that's the way it is. I love Jackie's comment yesterday about needing another shelf or another SELF. Yep - I could do with another self for sure. 

However, here's the thing. You saw how I put all that crap away without needing an extra shelf. It's all about giving things a home and bringing similar things together in one place. OK - there is still a lot of stuff sitting on tables down there, but it's all sorted, and that's good. 

I also rearranged the tables yesterday, so I can now easily access everything in the room, including the design wall. Since it will be months before I do the next Facebook Live or even Zooms for work, I might as well enjoy the space to my liking. Now I have wide, open paths to walk from station to station, and I love it. It brings a sense of calm to me. With a sense of calm, I am more likely to work effectively. Since I can't have another self, I can be better organized and in control, allowing me to work more efficiently. That's my plan. 

Although I'm tempted to cram a bunch of stuff onto the sewing table, I'm resisting the urge. I like to set out the things that NEED to be done that day. Well, since nothing needs to be done, why bother? Once I've finished sewing on a specific project, I can put it away and then stand in front of those tables to pick something new to work on. Let's see how this goes! It will be significantly better than the previous method, which was essentially a glorified storage area masquerading as a current project table. This time, it's for real! 

Here are the worktables. I moved the table with the serger beside the other two machine tables, and now I can do a merry-go-round to all three of them! 

The sewing tables

I'll try to keep the machines covered with some small quilts I have. NO time or need to make a fancy cover - the quilts will do, and if the machine changes, no worries - the quilt will still work. 

I don't have the mats that people have made to set up their machines and store their tools. I require THREE tools while I'm sewing, and I HATE having that pocket rub the top of my legs. I sew in shorts all summer, and it drives me mad to feel that on my skin. However, I've seen some of these rubberized mats at our local Fabricland, and I purchased one for the serger. They weren't long enough for the other machines, but I found something at the thrift store a couple of weeks ago that was just what I needed. Yep -- I saw a pink rubberized mat that was long enough to sit under the machine I sew on! 

My "new" pink rubber mat

I suppose the purpose of them is to prevent the machine from sliding or bouncing on the table. Well, that machine is so heavy it won't slide anywhere, and it's been designed with a stabilizer inside to prevent bouncing. Don't ask me the details, I don't understand the logic. So technically, I don't need that mat. BUT when I installed it yesterday, and had time to sew, I discovered one thing. My tools NO LONGER want to roll off the table. It has just a slightly grippy surface that is amazing! I love it, and it cost me $5.00!

The other thing I added to the sewing table was that tray that I'd been using everywhere. All those color groupings of the half-square triangles were strewn on one side of the machine, and if I needed to move them, it was a time-consuming job. So now that I am serious about sewing, the half-square triangles are still in their color groups, but they are on the tray. As is the pincushion that I rarely use, but I need to put it somewhere, extra spools of threads (which technically I could put in the appropriate thread container), but I like to keep a black spool handy, and that one is massive. And there's the box with all the accessories for the sewing machine. Everything is neat and tidy on one tray, which I can easily move if needed. 

The few necessities for sewing

Other than the current project I am sewing, there is NOTHING else on that table. You think that tray is messy? Trust me, as I sew those little triangles together, it's going to look a whole lot neater! I just need a prettier tray to put there, but this works for now! 

Now you know why I am resisting adding anything else to that table, like what I plan to sew that day. Do you know how nice it is to have only one block laid out with the pattern and nothing else? Nothing to swish on the floor as I'm sewing? No tools falling -- I am in quilting heaven right now! My goal? It stays that way. 

When I'm ready to start the next project, I will put the current one away. Perhaps it's done; maybe I need to give it a rest, but either way, it will be put away. Trust me, I'm pretty good at that once I have a system in place. I know—I've been sewing for 25 years and still don't have a system! 

Once the sewing table is clear and ready for the next project, I can move to the current projects table, which is now moved away from the design wall, along with the table with the smaller (one-hour projects). They form an island, with Murphy's mat beneath them. She is NOT going to be happy about that, but I didn't like not being able to access the bookcase or the design wall easily. And yes -- I reference books on the shelf all the time. I also piled the quilts that need binding onto that table in that empty space and emptied a tub!!! I then filled it from another tub, which I don't like - the long ones for under the bed. I hate those, so now I have an empty one to donate. 

Or maybe I'll hang onto it for the moment. I'll see how it goes. But this is great because it's now easy to see (OK - It looks like a crowded mess in the photo), but it'll get easier to see as I progress. There is zero reason to start anything new, except for the three projects that I have already agreed upon. And they have deadlines. 

The projects table - neatly organized! 

The cutting table is clear, except for those two pieces of linen that I want to make something from, but need a pattern. Perhaps I should move those to the current table and actually purchase the pattern! Yes - the goal is to keep the cutting table clear of everything, EXCEPT the project I'm working on. That was my plan several years ago, but it didn't work out because I hadn't set things up properly. This time - I think I got it!

The cutting table

I moved some of the tubs that were under the old current projects table to their appropriate spot. A few extra tubs were placed under this table since they are for cutting, which I can easily handle on a Zoom call. These tubs are Diane's stuff, which I have held onto - some projects, some scraps - which I may end up donating to someone else. I'll see how it goes. 

Leftover stuff from Diane

And this is now the pile of stuff that still needs to be dealt with. It's a bit larger than the previous day because I decided to be ruthless and deal with everything that didn't have a home. I'm going to spend the day sewing, but then I have the entire weekend with NOTHING to do, so I might grab one box or tub each day and deal with it. I still dealt with a lot of stuff yesterday before I got bored and piled it up here! 

Stuff that still needs to be dealt with

And I'll be happy to have that space visually and physically open. I swear, it makes the room feel huge, and I feel so in control. As I've mentioned several times, I have ZERO interest in starting something new. The thought of actually seeing empty spots appear on those tables is making me giddy, so I'm going to do my best to make that happen! 

This is what the cutting table looked like when I was sorting some of the stuff. I found some treasures, but not the templates I was looking for. I'm still looking! As mentioned, when I got bored, I shoved the remaining bits into a tub and will deal with it another day. But I'm working through it - you can't yell at me for not completing the task, although I should be yelled at because if I could complete tasks, I wouldn't be in such a mess! 

Sorting crap

While this doesn't give you an appreciation of the difference in that room, it's OPEN!! The best part is that it didn't take long to make happen. A couple of hours and I was good. But that's because I've spent hundreds of hours in the past finding homes for things and, for the most part, putting them away. It was only when work went nuts that I ran into trouble. 

Studio B

I'm back sewing on one of the big sewing machines, and I LOVE having the projection light to sew with. No more marking!!!

No more marking with the projection

Despite all the interruptions and the last of the tidying, I did complete some sewing. I finished two blocks for a quilt and then put all the blocks on the design wall. More about that another day. 

I also got the remainder of the homework done for Colour My World. I was so excited and put the second round of houses on the wall, only to discover that one house was missing from the top section. WHAT? Did I only make seven houses? That's impossible. I had posted that picture to the group, and I'm sure someone would have told me I only had seven houses. 

Month One of Colour My World

So I checked the floor - OH - that would be easy to spot if it were on the floor. WAIT -- it fell onto one of the tables that were against the design wall, and voila -- the missing house is found! 

ALL 16 of my houses!

That is Month One of Colour My World. I have to say, when I tried the folded freezer paper method of paper piecing before, I hated it! Lots of reasons, but this time? I've achieved a 100% success rate, and I'm going to see how I can convert other patterns to this method. It's incredibly satisfying to trim a block or section, pull the paper off, and reuse it on the next one. No paper to remove!!!!! LOVE IT!!!!

So that project got put away and back on the table because I'm done with it for the moment, until the next homework is assigned. WAIT - I'm the teacher - I guess I had better prep the next class, but that's a job for later. 

I have so much more to share, but that's it for today. I need to walk the girls, proof my distribution list for the jacket class, and send out a note. Two more boxes are arriving at the house today, and nothing else. No one coming, no one going! Just me and my sewing machine, and the long arm! And I'll keep puttering at putting things away. I need to work smarter, not harder, if I want to clear some of this stuff before we decide to downsize in another 20 years! 

I'm sure there are days when DH wonders how we ended up together. Last night, he said, he had had a mentally exhausting day. Lots of issues with work to deal with -- staff, customer crisis, and gosh knows what else he deals with in a day. I stay out of it! So when I mentioned that I also had an exhausting day handling all the coming and going, I got a rather dirty look! I had to laugh! I bet he thinks I'm the silliest person around, and well, I read somewhere that couples that stay together are those with humor in their lives. There is certainly a lot of that here - at least on my side! 

And that's a wrap for today. There's so much to do and lots of time to do it in, but still not enough time!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!