What to do when your #MAKENINE is all Finishing UFOs

As detailed in my previous post about organizing my stash, I have a lot of UFOs.

So, as I make out my 2019 sewing goals, I wonder whether I should focus on finishing UFOs, or using up stash?

Ha-Ha!  Of course I should finish things!  How silly of me--thinking that I can "bust some stash" by starting new projects.  Clearly, I have a big problem with finishing.  No more starting, unless there is some commensurate finishing, too. 

#MAKENINE2019

The instagram hashtag #MAKENINE is pretty prevalent this time of year: creatives and crafty folks plan out nine things they are committing to in the coming year.  If I look at my UFOs, I have at least NINE quilts (most of them larger than baby quilt size) that I can work on.  They have been started (farther along than the "dreaming/planning" phase).  But they are not yet done done.  And they need a little oomph.

Finish NINE ufo quilts in 2019

Here they are, in order from my Insta post committing to them in 2019:

1.  AAQGO charity quilt
Top clomplete; quilt basted; started to be tied.  (Will I continue tying, or try and quilt this myself?)

2.  Relaxing Round Robin
Top complete; quilt basted.  Intend to machine quilt and big-stitch embellish.

3.  Red/Black baby quilt
 Sooo close to done: finish big-stitch quilting/tying; binding is already complete.

4.  "Instant" baby quilt
Same as #3 (so close): finish big-stitch quilting.

5.  Drama t-shirt quilt
Top is not complete; at least 6 more blocks to make before design step.

6.  Circles BOM
Quilted and bound!  Needs big-stitch embellishment only.

7.  Woven BOM
Quilted: needs binding, which is already prepped.

8.  Minkee-backed squares quilt
Top complete; needs basting and straight-line quilting.

9.  Quick Curve sampler quilt
Blocks made and sashed; needs pieced borders; will be longarm quilted (not by me).


Analysis: if there's a pattern here, it's that the quilting step trips me up.  I don't sit still well for tying or big-stitch quilting, I don't have a longarm, and my sewing room tends to stay cluttered enough that clearing out space for quilting on my domestic machine takes a level of effort that makes me avoid it.  Plus, FMQ still scares me. 

And then there's the allure of the new and shiny: given any excuse, I will choose to work on a new project with surprising zeal and stick-to-it fervor... until it gets to the large & unwieldy stage.  My challenge is to keep this grid of nine quilts in front of me for 2019.  And maybe try to finish one of these in January, to give myself the momentum needed to push on.


Did you plan a MAKENINE in years past?  How did that work out?  Any hints for sticking with it?

Modest Goals for 2016

Gotta write 'em down, or I can't remember them they don't count, right?

After setting ambitious goals for 2015, which did not mesh with the reality of quitting my job, moving, and spending months in a sad mental state, I'm ready to set some crafty goals for 2016 that can be accomplished.

1.  Finish 3 large quilts.

The ones I have in mind are all quilts that have been started.  Two of them are almost done with the piecing.  Let's see some pom-poms come out for the finish line!

2.  Buy no fabric for the first 6 months of the year.

This is next-to-impossible for me lately.  The fabrics--and the ideas they generate--really set up a chorus in my head every time I step into the quilt shop where I work.  My one "out" for this resolution is if I need a fabric for a project I am actively working on, and that fabric is the only thing that will let me move forward.

3.  Finish two projects for each new start.
I have so many UFOs that lay in scary, shadowy forms: on the floor, in the corners, teetering on the shelves, ready to pounce.  I already have four at the top of my list to finish this month (so I can start the 2 new things that I just gotta cut into!)

4.  Complete at least 8 garments.

This goal will be a challenge.  The only "garments" sewn by me last year were 2 aprons.  To help my mojo in this direction, I have joined the uber-talented folks at Make a Garment a Month (currently on Facebook).

5.  Write a pattern.
C'mon, I am teaching a Block of the Month class at the quilt shop, how much more work can it be to write up a pattern for one of the amazing designs in my head?

2015 in Pictures

Let's just say that meeting my goals for 2015 was not in the cards... moving on.

One of my reasons for blogging is to stop and celebrate my successes.  Therefore, I present my finishes for 2015.  Regardless of what I wanted to accomplish, these are the things I DID.

Large Sewing

 

Technicolor star quilt; ocean waves wallhanging; fluffy rag quilt (as I see it, a wallhanging is not technically large, yet this one did involve much piecing, as well as my first foray into free-motion quilting)


Small Sewing

Large tote bag; Sew Together Bag--in 3 4 variations; mystery cube puzzle; holiday tree wallhanging; Minion apron; reversible table topper; java mug rug; halter apron;  fabric bowl/basket; and hemming: altar cloth, 5 sets of napkins* AND two Minky blankets*
(* = not pictured in collage)   


Non-sewing

Pi cowl; neck ruff/cowl; and cowl (a second one!) for the youngest child; Morning walk headband/earwarmer


It was a busy year, in many regards.  Glad I could squeeze in some stitching creativity.

Month 8 already!

Way back when the New Year was young, I set 15 goals for 2015.  July done, August well underway: this year is more than half over (how did that happen?!)  'Bout time to check in and see how those goals are progressing.  (Well, at least the most measurable of them...)


1.  Use up, donate or dispose of 100 yards of fabric.
...about 2 yards of fabric a week...  all the fabric I haul around keeps me bound to the past...
I will have to count up and post an update soon, but I know I'm nowhere near halfway a quarter of the way toward meeting this goal.  However, I am cultivating a different relationship with my fabric stash.

I have willingly cut into several long-stashed fabrics (examples here and here).  At this point (some decades after many of these were purchased), letting go of the original purpose of the fabric has finally freed me.

2.  Get my UFO pile down to single digits.
...it sounds reasonable...
Keep reading below:


3.  Track my progress.
...record-keeping required...
Well!  Since I didn't bother to count or post my UFO's at the beginning of the year, I don't even know if I've really made progress toward Goal #2.  Need to recommit to Tracking my Progress, definitely.

UFO/WIP list - What IS, August 2015

* = projects shown above

Quilts or big projects:
(1) Grandma's bedspread  (2) Drama t-shirt quilt*  (3) Relaxing Robin*  (4) Barnyard Play Quilt*  (5) Love in my Heart  (6) Wordy Wallhanging*  (7) Red/pink/black baby quilt*  (8) Ocean Waves wallhanging*  (9) Cuppa Joe wallhanging*  (10) Scrappy 1930s checkerboard*  (11) 2013 buck-a-block monochrome*


Smaller projects:
(12) Striped placemats  (13) Hurry Up Pizza Man  (14) mystery cube puzzle  (15) paper-pieced daisy pillow cushions


Garments:
(16) jersey pj dress  (17) red linen dress  (18) wool cape/coat


Knit/crochet:
(19) coin purses  (20) rag rug*  (21) headwarmer  (22) neck ruff



Alrighty, I've got my work cut out for me.  Twenty-plus UFO's doesn't seem like an insurmountable pile.  My only problem is that I keep getting excited and starting new projects.  This list lets me know that I should

Finish AT LEAST TWO projects for each ONE that I begin

 --for the rest of 2015

Anyone with me?  Or just willing to chime in and help keep me honest?  I promise to come to your blog and cheer you on, too!

Circling the Stash

Circles.  They have been going round in my head recently (pun intended)--but I reserve that blog post for another day.

"Boule" 2008 vintage

So, with the knowledge that I've been circle crazed lately, lookee what I found!  Gold bolt end tells you it's Alexander Henry.  Price told me it's an older fabric.  And a customer at the shop said, "When you find an Alexander Henry that you love, buy it!  Because you won't find it again."

Well, what could I do but start shopping for coordinating fabrics?  I do follow orders well (it's those 10 years in the Navy).  Here is the advantage of working in a quilt shop... auditions!

The teal group, left to right:

• Clothworks, Hey Cupcake, Sky
• Studio e, Just color, Slate
• Felicity Miller, Charleston Farmhouse, Dahlia Leaf

The chartreuse group, left to right:

• Timeless Treasures, Fun, Citron
• In the Beginning, Painted Summer, Color 2
• Joel Dewberry, Bungalow, Empress

The brown group, left to right:

• RJR, Pomare, 0668
• Kaufman, Quilter's Burlap, Cocoa
• Free Spirit, Lilliput Fields, Ancient

The cream/tan/ecru group, left to right:

• Timeless Treasures, Sand Wave, Cream
• Kaufman, Doe, Natural
• Quilting Treasures, Studio 8, Soho

Late addition: the only gray I liked was Quilter's Burlap, from Kaufman

WAIT!!!  What am I doing?  I see this ONE fabric that I adore (the circles, the circles!) and suddenly I'm ready to buy enough fabrics to make a whole quilt--with no pattern, no plan, no room in my already-stuffed UFO/WIP black hole for another project to come in and take over.  Aack: ADD = low impulse control (betcha didn't know that they were related, but they are).

The voice of reason prevailed.  I bought one yard of the Alexander Henry (instead of the 5 yards that I envisioned--go big or go home), and left the other fabrics safely on their bolts, in the shop, where they belong.

But I felt so guilty about where my inner hoarder was taking me, that I had to come home and de-stash in order to feel better about myself.

There: 5 1/2 yards of unloved fabrics  I could save them for bag linings, or muslins, or rag rugs... Or I could donate them to the children's charity quilt bin run by EBHQ, and they could be used.  And LOVED.  I really think the Universe wants them to be loved.

(Plus, my goal of using up or donating 100 yards of fabric in 2015.  There's that, too.)

Following in the footsteps of Jen at A Quarter Inch from the Edge, I am linking up with Molli Sparkles over at Sunday Stash--to crow about both my acquisitions and my de-acquisitions.

I don't do enough quantity sewing to use up those 100 yards by myself.  How big is your stash?

Fabric Stash Reckoning

Waaaay back in January, I set 15 quilty/crafty/bloggy goals for 2015.  Seems like a whole lifetime ago, given the way my year has unfolded.

It's about time to check in on goal # 1: Use up, donate or dispose of 100 yards of fabric.
Can't help but think I've gone in the wrong direction on this--given my postings to Sunday Stash this year.

January

I am estimating that Pam gave me about 1-1/2 yards of scraps/strip sets (although I didn't actually measure).

February

The memorial shopping trip netted me 4-1/4 yards of fabric (plus patterns and books).

March

Online shopping for Have a Latte fabrics increased my stash by 3-3/4 yards.

Well, that covers the fabric in category; has any fabric gone out?  Well, it so happens that I made a donation to the Children's Quilt Project of 3 yards of a fine-but-unloved fabric that had been in my stash for many years.

Gone to a worthy cause!

There is a donation site at New Pieces Quilt Shop in Berkeley; they also have pre-made fabric "kits" free for you to take home and stitch up donation quilt tops--fabric and instructions all packaged together.  Makes me happy that this crayon-stripe is going to a good home.

Used up?  In order to count a fabric as "used up" for my 2015 Destash, the project that it is in must be done done--quilting completed, binding on, everything.  This gives me incentive to actually finish an entire project (not just a flimsy, of which I have many).  For the month of April, I am counting the "Java" mat as done, having met all of the criteria.

10" by 17", plus binding and applique = 1/2 yard total

 Also finished: fabric bowl with Grandma's Cheesecake recipe inside (how did I forget about that already?  Oh right, it happened before my move to California and the subsequent loss of mental functions) 

15" circles + binding = approx. 1/3 yard

So... where does that leave me in the Great Fabric Destash?

Fabric In:  9-1/2 yards
Fabric Used:  5/6 yard
Fabric Discarded/Donated:  3 yards
Net Destash:  +5-2/3 yards
How far to meet my goal? 105-2/3 more yards
 

Yup, just as I had predicted: so far this year I have taken in more than I have used/donated.  That really will change soon.  I have several things so close to finishing--this month, even.

How about you?  How is your stash looking?

15 for 2015

Everyone is doing it this time of year: scanning the past, looking to the future, and setting some goals.  I was inspired by the format of Cynthia's blog post at Quilting is More Fun than Housework; she pointed me to Yvonne's link-up over at Quilting Jetgirl.  I almost feel like I have stolen some other peoples' lists--maybe us creative-types have just tapped into the Universe's stream of consciousness here:

1.  Use up, donate or dispose of 100 yards of fabric. 
I mentioned this idea last January, with the horrified realization that this means about 2 yards of fabric a week.  Production sewing in quantity is definitely not me, but I know all the fabric I haul around (some of it easily 25+ years old) keeps me bound to the past in an unhealthy way.  Time to "bless the world" with my excess! 



2.  Get my UFO pile down to single digits. 
This item was suggested by Sweetie, and it sounds reasonable, so I am including it here.  This means finishing up some long-dormant projects that are really deeply buried in the sewing storage vault.  But it also probably means sending some partially-completed lovelies out on the winds of Fate, to be finished by others.

Vintage: UFO from 2011

3.  Track my progress.  Items 1 and 2 on my list require some record-keeping; being public about these major sewing-related goals is one way to keep myself on track.


4.  Be a friend.  I have a tendency to neglect my friendships, as I retire to my own cave.  This goal is about reaching out more often--attend open sew nights regularly, join a guild or sewing group, reply to comments on my blog, comment on the inspiring blog posts of others, and meet up with my crafty friends in person.


5.  Get back to journaling.  Looking inward is a companion goal to reaching out: helps to keep me centered and more emotionally healthy.  I have heard some people rave about The Artist's Way method of writing daily pages, so maybe I'll give that practice a look-see.

6.  Learn a new technique.  Easy-peasy!  I'm always on the lookout for sewing projects that challenge me to try new things.  Let's see how this plays out in 2015.

7.  Enter something in the county fair.  I missed last year's fair (ok, I missed it because of my honeymoon; a valid excuse if ever there was one), so I have a backlog of completed-but-not-exhibited projects.  But I tend to use the county fair deadline to spur me on in finishing something challenging, too.  So my hope is to enter something previously completed AND something yet-to-be-finished.

8.  Enter a sew-along or online contest.  A companion to real-life showing off of my work is to share and show off in the virtual world.  I have entered blog hops hosted by Sew We Quilt in the past; I also visit the garment sew-along round-up every month or so and dream of stitching up some new duds; where will my inspiration come from in 2015?

9. Host a sew-along.  Ok, this is WAY out of my comfort zone, but something I've always wanted to try.  I may not have the blog followers to pull this off, but I'm hoping I can convince some others to join me.  Someone gave me the idea to pull out one of those hoarded Amy Bradley patterns and get-to-gettin'... 

10.  Practice anti-procrastination.  I admit it.  Putting things off is an art form in my world.  Well, my fave online organizing guru FlyLady marks every Wednesday as Anti-Procrastination day.  Why not?

11. Be gentle with myself.  I am such a perfectionist, and a very harsh critic of myself.  I set
impossibly high standards and clear my own path toward disappointment.  There, I said it.  But I don't always have to live it.

12.  Let go.  Every now and then, just go with the flow. 

Flow...

 

Coffee cup pattern?

13. Work the routines. 
Both FlyLady and the ADD-related book I have been reading make the point that Routines Are Your Friends. 

14. Write a pattern. 
I have one in mind.  Just need to write up instructions and have someone test it out.

15. Celebrate! 
Every time the sun comes up, there's a whole new day ahead.  I love the possibility of a fresh start.

2015, here I come!

Let me know where to find your list, and I'll come over and look.  I promise to leave comments! (see goal #4, above)

Garment Sewing Plan

Ok, we are more than halfway through the month of January.  New year, new me, new sewing goals: buy no new fabric (Fabriholics Anonymous challenge); work on UFOs/WIPs; and clear out my stash by either gifting or sewing with existing fabric. (Can I reduce my monumental stash by 100 yards?  There is a 100 yard Dash from your stash listing over at stashbuster.com--the title alone inspired me to at least keep track.)

So how is the garment sewing going?  Umm... well... You see, it's like this...

I decided I needed to join in with a like-minded group.  Kat, over at Modern Vintage Cupcakes, has a roundup of tons of sewing challenges.  Why not let someone else have a say in my garment-sewing endeavor?  I have a hard time narrowing my focus and deciding on the next thing to work on.  Plus, joining a challenge lets me be part of a community of sewists working toward a common goal.  I thought this would be the motivation I needed.

All set to go with the New Year = New Skill listing (from The Monthly Stitch) for January.  Who doesn't love learning new skills?  My new skill was going to be: sew a coat.  I have pattern, lovely wool fabric, lining and notions.

Vogue 1614: Vogue's Basic Design

Then I got worried.  How will I learn the things I need to successfully sew a coat?  I don't want to mess up this expensive fabric (regardless of the fact that I've had it in my stash for probably 10 years).  So off to the library to study up on this new skill.

Have I mentioned my inability to narrow down choices?

Four books later, I'm still studying up.  (Plan.  Plan some more.  Daydream.  Keep planning...)

Meanwhile, an offhand comment from Sweetie about how much she hates her current bathrobe, and I am off in a different direction.  Wish I could say I whipped that baby out, but it's going more slowly than I would have liked. 

Technicolor bathrobe: it's flannel!

Hope I can finish something garment-ish in the month of January.  Then I can at least say I am "participating" in the Make a Garment a Month ongoing challenge.

I am so inspired by the posts of people who finish things.  I wanna be like that!

Sew Weekly 2014

Ok, the New Year is upon us.  Time to take a breath.  Time to take stock: where have I been and where am I going next? 

I am committed to using up some of my stash in 2014.  This means sewing garments, in addition to quilty things (not gonna use up that jersey knit or faux-suede on churn dash blocks, after all).  So I am looking for some inspiration to get me started and keep me going with sewing garments.  I loved The Sew Weekly, but it seems to have become completely defunct as of December 2012.

However, from the Sew Weekly discussion circle, a re-posting of 2012 challenges.  I am thinking of putting some of these into action in 2014.

January 2: Favorite outfit sewn in 2011 TAG: YouCanDoIt
January 9: Outfit based on an accessory TAG: Accessories
January 16: Use buttons TAG: Buttons
January 23: Recreate a Make This Look TAG: MadeThisLook
January 30: Opposite season to you TAG: DownUnder
February 6: UFO Challenge TAG: UFO
February 13: Red (for Valentine's) TAG: Red
February 20: Academy Awards Inspiration TAG: Oscars
February 27: Make Do, Make Anew TAG: Refashion
March 5: Pretty as a Picture - Creation inspired by art. TAG: Art
March 12: St. patrick's Day TAG: Green
March 19: Mad Men inspired TAG: MadMen
March 26: Pantone Spring Color Palette TAG: Pantone
April 2: Stash Busting (VIP Fabric). TAG: VIP
April 9: City Inspiration TAG: City
April 16: Childhood (inspired by a photo of yourself as a kid) TAG: Childhood
April 23: Circle Skirts Tag: Circle
April 30: Color Challenge; Pink TAG: Pink
May 7: Mother’s Day; Inspired by an old family photo. TAG: Family
May 14: Mix It Up: Using at least two different prints in an outfit TAG: mixitup
May 21: Out of Time: Sewing something from the 1940s TAG: 1940s
May 28: Viva Las Vegas TAG: Vegas
June 4: Diamond Jubilee: Inspired by the Royal Family. TAG: DiamondJubilee
June 11: TV Inspired: Based on a character from tv, past or present TAG: TV
June 18: On Holiday: Vacation wear TAG: Vacation
June 25: On Trend: Summer 2012 Fashion Trends TAG: OnTrend
July 2: Color Challenge Red White And/Or Blue: Use them all or just one TAG: RedWhiteBlue
July 9: Embellishments: Embroidery, beading, etc… TAG: Embellish
July 16: The Great Outdoors. Something inspired by nature Tag:Outdoors
July 23: Reality Check: Something missing from your wardrobe. Tag: Reality
July 30: The Olympics. Something athletic, sport related or Olympic related. TAG: Olympics
August 6: Color Challenge: Yellow. TAG: Yellow
August 13: Music Inspired: Inspired by an album cover or performer. TAG: Music
August 20: Collared. Making something with a collar. Tag: Collared
August 27: Book inspired. Children’s book, novel, text, etc… Tag: BOOK
September 3: Back to school with Plaid. Tag: Plaid
September 10: Gatsby (1920s, 1930s inspired). TAG: Gatsby
September 17: Polka Dots
September 24: Color Challenge: Blue
October 1: Refashion Challenge
October 8: Western Inspired
October 15: UFO Challenge
October 22: Fall Palette
October 29: Halloween
November 5: Aprons
November 12:  Wardrobe staple: Shirt
November 19: Color challenge: Black & White
November 27: 1960s (early, mid or late)
December 3:  Winter Challenge
December 10: Theme Re-Do (you either missed or want to try again)
December 17: Favorite (remake pattern that was fav of the year)
December 24 & 31: Happy Holidays

The question becomes, if I am not trying for one item per week, how do I implement this list?

Also, since it is already January 5th, I am starting to feel "behind" on starting a garment.  I know I'm not sewing something new each week, but I'd like to make a garment a month.  Doesn't that seem reasonable?

I am keeping in mind some advice from Tempest (who was writing for those trying to complete a weekly challenge, but I feel like my ADD and perfectionist tendencies can benefit from taking in this wisdom nevertheless)

Decide what you're making on the 1st day of each week and stick to it no matter what; if you chop and change ideas throughout the week you'll run out of time and stress yourself out.

 So... what will my January decision be?  Is there a garment on my recent UFO list that I am willing to tackle?

BlogLand Travels

Been hopping around the blog-o-sphere lately.  Just want to keep track of where I've been and what thoughts occurred to me as I was here-and-there.

Cat Patches: home of the NewFO 2013 challenge.  I really resonated with her post about "feeling let down after finishing a project".  I totally get that!  The mental focus goes away, and my ADD brain is casting about for something else to fixate upon.  (Fortunately, this is not my current problem, as Nancy Drew is taking up all my spare brain-circuit time.)

In that same posting, she showed a picture of a Crabapple Hill Studio pattern: Calendula Patterdrip's Cottage

Wow, never thought I could love something with such muted colors!  And so much embroidery!  (And when was the last time I embroidered anything?)  What am I doing looking at this--am I crazy to even gaze at it for ten seconds longer?  Well, suffice it to say that this pattern strikes my fancy in a most unusual way.

Never Too Hot to Stitch: home of the 2013 Year of the Finished Project linky party.  I like her rules for finishing projects in 2013.  And the fact that she lets those participating set their own version of the rules.  I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed with what I have currently bitten off, and wanting to make lists or create some sort of order to my projects.  This might be just what I've been looking for.

Sew Many Ways: home of the Sew Darn Crafty weekly linky party.  I probably won't be a linker-upper, because the volume of links is a little overwhelming.  (ADD means knowing when to limit exposure to sensory overload; it's why I don't go over to visit Pinterest.)  But I do like that she has lots of places to explore: crafty stuff, organizing stuff, sewing stuff.  Things that are right up my alley.

Sew BitterSweet Designs: home of A Lovely Year of Finishes linky party.  This one takes the "I'm committing to finishing something this month" idea and breaks it up into smaller pieces.  Three blog posts a month: setting the goal for the upcoming month; checking in on progress toward the goal; and having a finishing "party" at the end of the month.  I like this idea.  Maybe I'll try it (in March? Not sure yet).

Can you tell I'm all about trying to get some things finished up?

Some in, some out

I've been keeping a list of items that come into my life, so I can make good on my New Year's resolution to have one item leave for each new thing that comes my way.

Lots of the January "in" was gear related to my Birthday Weekend getaway to the snow: gloves, hat, scarf, new snow boots (old ones were 20+ years old), gaiters.  And, fittingly, I was able to purge older snow gear that was no longer needed.

Declutter Challenge

Found a blog, The Organised Housewife (she's Australian, thus the s where I would put a z), that has a "Declutter 52 Things in 52 Weeks" challenge.  I was intrigued!

My new year's resolution is a bit stalled: I have a long-ish list of things that have "come in" to my life, with no balancing outs.  I had thought it would be a simple matter to match in with out: a new spatula means I need to get rid of an old spatula.

Not so simple.  The January quilting retreat resulted in a load of swag coming home with me.

Magazine, charm pack, notepads, sewing gadgets, tote bag (to carry all the stuff home), socks, gloves, nicknacks, etc.--total count of items in for just this event was 20--aack!

I gave away some of the retreat items immediately: a book on sewing with knits for small children, for example.  I have offset some of the new by discarding old: got rid of three quilt calendars, knowing I have enough projects and ideas within magazines and books.

So, this is where the Declutter 52 Things comes in and rescues me.  She talks about the places where clutter breeds and lurks:  under sinks, in laundry rooms, in the back of the linen closet, in those filled-up drawers that I never open.  Yes, I have to go back to scouring around the edges for things to get rid of. 

First candidate:

Ummm, yeah.  About those drawers that I never open...

Oh, wait: there's actually two of that sort of drawer in this particular dresser.  They are both filled with beading/jewelry-making supplies, some papercrafting tools (I see a decorative punch on top), and miscellaneous "craft" stuff.

To be completely honest, there's another drawer in the living room that also belongs with this stuff.  Call it overflow?

So, this is my next declutter project.  I wouldn't let Sweetie throw anything away last time she tidied in this room, so she just tried to categorize and corral (thus the plastic bins and containers to hold like items).

But, as I have learned from FlyLady: you can't organize clutter--you can only get rid of it!

There must be at least 20 items in here that need to go away. 
Setting a timer helps: 15 minutes at a time.  I can do anything for 15 minutes.

New Year's Resolution: 2013

Charlotte, the fabulously fake tree

It all started on December 26th.  Youngest Daughter came by the house and asked me, "So how was your Boxing Day, Mother?" 

Now, although Wikipedia describes Boxing Day as a shopping day, in our house we have always treated it as a day to box up unneeded items for giving away to charity.  Which is not what I had done on December 26th, but it was what I resolved to do starting the very next day.

So, as I  put away my Christmas gifts, I looked for items to box up.  It seemed only natural to part with items in the same general category as the new gifts: new pajamas and gloves = box up old pajamas and excess gloves (how many pairs does one need, anyway?)  Cute new earrings = what old earrings do I never really wear?

In this manner I managed to find at least one item to give away for every new thing I received.  And thus was born my New Year's Resolution for 2013: for every new item that comes into my life, one old item needs to move out.

 

 I tried to keep up with this mindset during the final week of 2012, but ran  into difficulty when I went to fabric clearance sales at two local quilt shops.  Bought about 8 yards of fabric--mostly to start a t-shirt quilt for Youngest Daughter.  Sweetie reasoned, "since the fabric is to be used to make a quilt that you are giving away as a gift, you shouldn't have to offset it coming into the house."  Yesss, but... what if it takes me 3 years to make this quilt?  What if I start using this mindset to justify acquiring lots of stuff fabric?  (I know me: the year I took The Compact to buy nothing new, I had to restrict myself from Goodwill shopping, as I veered away from the intent of the pledge into massive used buying.)

Well, the question of the fabric purchases remains unresolved.  Technically, the purchase was in 2012, but I really feel like this Resolution started on Boxing Day.  So I'll be looking for something to part with, to at least assuage my fabric-hoarding shopping guilt.

Here's to a 2013 that continues the 2012 journey: have less stuff!

Project Report for 2012

Santa WIP

Well, I haven't kept up much with the monthly project reports.  My last one was mid-November, reporting on activities of September and October.  I think I haven't felt the need to post about the fact that "finished" so rarely happens for me. 

Many of my long-dormant UFOs are glaring at me from the corners of the sewing room, daring me to take the next step toward completing them.  (Santa doll, Eeyore sweatshirt, knit coin purse)

I have so many projects that are awaiting the quilting step (I think I'll have to document them all in a blog posting soon), so they don't count as done done.  My queen size bed quilt is still at the longarm quilter (I got the backing to her too close to the holiday).  So close, so very close...

My two new projects this month were the holiday napkins (which I finished!) and this exploration with covering children's blocks.  A friend asked me what I was doing on this, and I had to admit that this was an idea I had long played with in my mind--and I just wanted to see if I could make it happen.  So I'm still in the playing stage, for sure.

Completed projects this Month:  1
Completed projects Year to Date:  13
New projects this Month:  2
New projects Year to Date: 14
Discarded/donated projects (farewell!): 8
Net Project Count for 2012: -7


Pictures of the 13 finished items:

Christmas napkins (Dec 25th post)

Oakie raincoat (August 11th post)

Oakie formal attire (August 11th post)

1930s challenge block quilt (July 12th post)

Oakie hoodie (July 9th post)

Quilt block for a friend (July 5th post)

Oakie visor (July 1st post)

Denim jumper remix (May 29th post)

Table napkins (April 14th post)

Purple jumper remix (April 1st post)

Reversible dresser scarf (February 19th post)

Fleece "blankie" shoulder wraps (made 2) (February 13th post)