The LIST rules!!!!

I "caved," got a scrap of paper, and made a list. It was a short list, but it was a list of sewing/quilting things I wanted to accomplish. Mostly, I wanted a goal for the Cabin in the Woods applique. I know this will sound silly, but I wanted a place to stop so I could move on to something else - at least for that day. 

It's kind of what I aim for with the monthly classes. If we tackle a huge project and stick with it until it's done, it gets boring, and that's all we work on. By having a monthly assignment, you get that done, and then you can work on something else until the next assignment. 

So, guess what happened? I accomplished the day's goal with the applique and got to do some other things. I now have a plan to get those quilts done. I  want them off my plate, but the thought of all that applique is overwhelming. 

I also entertained the thought of whether I should have made it a machine embroidery applique instead of doing it manually. And the answer is NO. Machine embroidery applique is NOT faster than regular applique - you just don't have to do the manual stitching. It takes time to set it up and stitch it out, and you still have to sit there and babysit it. Nope -- no regrets. Besides, the stitches on my sewing machine are amazing, and I doubt I would have gotten as good a job with machine embroidery applique. I forgot to take a picture, so I'll save that for tomorrow. 

In addition, I took care of those two rolling carts; one is repurposed, and the other is empty. 

Here's what happened. I want you to remember that some of the things I'm going to share with you are not MY things. They are part of the sewing machine education job. I have a drawer of scissors—applique scissors, trimming scissors, snips, and a whole lot more. 

A drawer of scissors

I had some snips, including what's in that tin, in one of the rolling carts. How many snips does one person need? But these are my favorite snips!!! 

Lots of snips

Then, there was a drawer of scissors. There are rag quilt scissors (I think two pairs because I couldn't find mine at one time), dressmaker shears, hand applique scissors, and much more. 

A drawer of scissors

To my knowledge, ALL my scissors are in two drawers in the same cabinet. I have other scissors in various places, but they are being used. Like the two pairs at the long arm, the snips by my sewing machine, and the scissors in the ironing board drawer to cut binding when I join it. OH, WAIT -- there is another small container of scissors in my hand applique bag, but I'll leave that where it is. Let's just say that I NEVER need to purchase scissors in my life. 

Two drawers of scissors

One of the drawers in a rolling cart contained bobbins. 

A drawer of bobbins

Wait -- I thought I already had all the bobbin stuff in one drawer. Apparently not!!!! And how the heck does one have so many bobbins and bobbin thread. But this ENTIRE drawer is devoted to bobbins - pre-wounds, thread, and bobbins. How does that happen? I probably NEVER have to purchase bobbins or bobbin thread again in my life. 

A drawer of bobbin stuff

So I reorganized it, and this is how it looks. It's not a whole lot different, but I consolidated a few things, and well, the stuff is hopefully easier to find. 

ALL the bobbin stuff is now in this drawer

This is excess bobbin stuff. I only have ONE machine that uses these bobbins, and I already have two of those bobbin holders full of bobbins, so I split them three ways, and they are on their way to people who have machines that use these bobbins. 

Excess bobbins

Well, I still had stuff in the rolling carts, so I went to the other rolling cart in Studio B, and yes, there were two empty drawers. It's amazing to find two empty drawers after reorganizing, downsizing, or putting "like" things together. 

Two empty drawers

All my rotary cutting stuff went into the big drawer. Yes, I have many cutters, blades, and other rotary cutter accessories, so that all went in this drawer. 

Some stuff went into that last drawer—these drawers are smaller than the other rolling cart, so it wasn't a direct transfer. 

Then, I sorted out all the pins. Well, there were in a tin. But so many could be consolidated, so I did that, and now the pins all fit in one tin (labeled) and in that last drawer, along with a tin of safety pins and a couple of other things. 

Pins that I don't really use

I am left with these things that do not have a home. A box of hand-binding stuff - clips and hand-quilting thread. A tin of thimbles, a small sewing kit, and those bumper things that you use for basting a quilt with ordinary pins. All of this is up for grabs - or if you want to see more details, I can take close-up pictures of it. I'll never use this stuff and it's currently on the cutting table. I will find a home for it, but if anyone wants any of it -- you're welcome to it. 

Homeless items

A project already cut out went into a project box and into the closet. The machine quilting gloves went into the spot where they should be, and before I knew it, both rolling carts were empty! How cool is that? 

One cart was repurposed to hold yarn, which I shouldn't have, but I do. I love this yarn for couching, and I'm darn good at it!!!! If you've ever seen some of my blog posts from QUILTsocial, you can tell I love to couch yarn. Wait—I'm trying to find the post. 

The cart is now a yarn cart

That rolling cart is now in the storage room, out of the way, along with the other yarn that I own. 

The storage room

The second rolling cart is empty and just sitting there. I'm unsure if I'll keep it yet, but I'll evaluate the situation and see. It may go. 

An empty cart

You may have heard me say a while back that I had lost the mats for my Scan and Cut. Well, I found them!!!! They were in a drawer in the same cabinet as the bobbins. Oh shoot -- I forgot that I could put them in the cabinet. Hopefully, I'll remember where they are next time!!!

My mats for the Scan and Cut

As if that wasn't enough, I was busy back up in Studio U. I'm determined to get that place 100% clean. 

I was sorting through the pile of mini-quilts and wall hangings to see what could be put into this plastic container. It's almost full. Then I realized I should have sorted them by what I would use in demos or as samples and what would never be used. Shoot—I have a second container, and I will go back today and sort them that way. 

All the small pieces contained!

I found a set of four placemats that I'll never use and are not needed for anything. They are in the donation pile. Here's the blog post where I made those coffee placemats!!!!

Coffee placemats

I found FOUR reversible placemats.

Reversible placemats

They are a great example of reversible binding, so I kept one and put three in the donation pile. I will NEVER use these except as a sample, so what's the point? 

Reversible binding

Now, what to do with the rest of the samples? DUH!!!! I have that giant rolling cart, and there is still room on it. So all the table runners went on one shelf; there was no need to roll or fold. And the ironing board is clear. 

The samples are gone!

I still have this to deal with: the Trend-Tex challenge pieces and the larger wall hangings that would NOT fit into those green plastic totes. 

Wall hangings still need a home

However, I don't see why they also can't be put on that rolling cart. And I said that I would sort out ten quilts for Quilts of Valour - so this might be the right time. I'm going to wait until I finish that group of ten quilts that I'm currently quilting. I think there are three or maybe four that will work for Quilts of Valour. I'll sort through the cart and round that number out to ten. In the meantime, I'm sure I can fit those wall hangings on the cart. 

Once that is done—well, it's so close now that the light is blinding—getting that room totally clear will be huge. 

I also got one more quilt quilted. The next one is NOT on the long arm, so I'll work on that this morning. 

Community project quilt - DONE

I trimmed one more quilt. There's still one more to trim, and I need to stay on top of that, or it will become a huge job. 

The binding is on one of the quilts,  and it is now waiting in the giveaway pile. 

Binding on one quilt

Now that I had the pressure of the applique off me for the day, I also fixed my waist belt. The lining had separated on the inside and I simply stitched right through all layers to hold it in place. 

Fixing my waist belt

You can't see the stitching on the back, and all is good. I love that belt! It's the perfect thing for travel—at least for me. 

The back after it was fixed

Speaking of the lists, I have another list for today. But instead of using scraps of paper that get lost, I went to my supply cabinet, and OH MY GOD—I can actually see what I own. So, I chose this small clipboard and pad and am using that. It sits right beside my laptop downstairs. 

My new list

I did not get in a second walk yesterday. I managed to walk both dogs without getting wet in the morning, but every time I went to walk in the afternoon, I'd just be starting to get ready, and it would POUR. 

Stormy clouds

There was a tornado about an hour away, and it was close to a friend. That's what I love about our sewing What's App group --- we can tell what's happening and check on each other. And it works when you are away, unlike texting. What's App rules!!!!

The drain systems couldn't keep up with the rain on the houses. It was crazy. 

Pouring rain

And the pond was overflowing, but the fish were having a blast. 

The fish were in their glory

Can you spot my helper? It was like she was playing peek-a-boo. Silly girl. 

MOM -- can you see me???

When we went for a walk, it didn't rain, but she spotted a sprinkler close to home, and she loves sprinklers, so it might as well have rained. 

MOM -- I LOVE the sprinkler

She eventually dried off and was content to sit by the sewing machine and try to lick my feet as I sewed. 

MOM - I LOVE YOU

Yes, I went to bed exhausted!! But I'd rather that than go to bed bored. I'm not even touching the stuff in the current pile—there's no time in the day. 

But all is good, and I'm almost done sorting and tidying in Studio U, so I may be able to focus on more sewing. 

On that note, I'm out of here. It's supposed to rain again today, and I'd like to get the girls walked before it rains. It rained so hard and fast that it didn't take long for the rain to accumulate in their little swimming pool. Crazy!!!!

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!