What does Santa say?

It's Christmas in July... coming soon.

Been working on designs for my super-secret Ho Ho Ho blog hop project.  One of the questions I must answer for the cross-stitch part of the project (it's a multi-media fabric/craft extravaganza!) is, "What does Santa say?"

There's the obvious "Ho, Ho, Ho!"  Nope, didn't make the cut.

Here are the two options I am considering:

I think that these go with very different Santas.  In fact, Sweetie steered me distinctly in one direction by painting a visual picture of the type of Santa that would accompany each saying: an elegant, Victorian gentleman Santa vs. a rustic, patches-on-his-coat, country Santa.

So... which saying won out?  Well, that depends entirely on which version of Santa is in the works, doesn't it?

And it just kills me that I can't let you in on the secret quite yet.  But check back on July 31st.  All will be revealed.

Friendly sewing

Went to stitch-n-bitch (aka Late Night at The Crow) with a goal: get moving on the stalled-out process of machine quilting a baby quilt.

I'm not that much of a machine-quilter.  In fact, I tend to lose steam anytime a project gets to the "big and unwieldy" stage.

But my friends helped out.  Not by doing any of the sewing, mind you, but by being there to distract me from the parts I don't love.

Seventeen sashing strips machine quilted. Woot.

And I wasn't the only one: Bonnie had also brought along a project that she had come to dislike.  Nothing like a little conversation to carry you through.

Clean Sweep, volume 1

The annual "clean my classroom over the summer" has taken on a new look this year.  Sweetie talked me into letting her help.  She is an expert organizer, and very tender with the easily-bruised feelings that come up when letting go of clutter.

I was very resistant to having help with this project.  I finally had to get out my journal and ask myself what was so scary about enlisting a helper.  A couple things came up:

• It's my mess, my doing, and should thus be my responsibility.
• Accepting help means I am a failure at organizing.  (Just to be clear: NOT TRUE)
• I can pretend the mess is not really as bad as it is, as long as no one else sees it.

Well, a therapeutic hour of journal time later, and I was ready to tackle the mess.  With help.

My mess.

First order of business: empty everything out.  Really??  Everything?!?  Talk about resistance.  "I just cleaned that cupboard out last summer, it's not a priority."  "This drawer is working for me, why do I need to empty it out?"

Just like on the tv show Clean Sweep, we spent time taking everything out.  I always wondered how long that process takes (on tv, it is a brief montage, usually with catchy music playing).  Well, for this room: 1 hour.

The key to this process taking only an hour was to not try and do any sorting, or make any decisions about what to keep or what to toss.  Also, I had to keep the judgments at bay, or I would have been an emotional wreck from continually beating myself up for letting the space get so cluttered.

I was reminded by my darling Sweetie that 90% of everyone has some form of mess like this, somewhere in their life.  I am not alone.  And in fact, by confronting my mess head-on and without fear, I am actually going to make things better.  Not just a little bit.  A LOT.

After the haul-out, we spent some time looking for "low-hanging fruit" -- items that are easy to categorize as keep or toss.  Not as easy as I would have hoped, and I quickly became frustrated.

I have been listening to an audio course: Get Organized the Clear & Simple Way by Marla Dee.  She breaks the "do it" phase of organizing  (after "see it" and "map it" have been accomplished) into steps, starting with SORT. 

So that's what I have been doing the past couple days, working on my own without assistance:  SORT. 

Just sort things into like categories, with bold labels on each category.  Don't make decisions about keep or toss (that's why I can be trusted to do this step on my own), just sort. 

Today's success: in just over an hour, I was able to sort my way through this entire stack of papers.  (And believe me, at least 50% of the stacks of papers in my room are mish-mash miscellaneous, in desperate need of sorting.)



There you have it: on my way to a cleaner classroom.  And I'm pretty sure that this year, it's gonna get WAAAAY cleaner than it ever has been before.

Ho Ho Ho-ing... in July

Just signed up for the Ho Ho Ho blog hop over at Sew We Quilt.  My date is July 31st, which is after the County Fair.  And the item I am submitting for the blog hop is also an item I will send to the fair.  Yay, double-duty!  Hopefully this double-dose of deadlines will ensure that I actually finish my holiday-themed project.

Who is your favorite Ho Ho Ho guy?

So, since this is now a super-secret project, to be revealed only in my official posting for the blog hop, I must limit myself to tantalizing hints, rather than actual project updates.

First hint: this is not a very quilty project.

Second hint
One of the inspirations for my project: what is in Santa's big bright sack?  The one pictured here appears to have some sort of greenery and ornaments, more than presents.  Bah, humbug!  We all want presents.  I must remedy that problem.

Plans for the County Fair

Stack-n-whack quilt, finished in Feb 2013

Time to put in reservations for what I will enter in this year's County Fair.  Fair is earlier than usual
(July rather than August), leaving me less time for those last-minute projects that I always find myself drawn to.  What's a major procrastinator to do?

Want to be realistic in what can actually get done in time for the entries to be delivered: 3 weeks.  And while I feel like most of my items are done, they are not really done done.  Which makes the idea of starting something new, even a simple new item, a little off the table, realistic-wise.

Baby quilt, in the midst of machine quilting

The list:

• Two quilts - stack-n-whack and 1930's reproduction (done, but... both need to have a hanging sleeve added for the fair's requirements)
• Baby quilt - sampler from last year's buck-a-block, I am in the midst of doing the machine-quilting myself (but haven't touched it since March)
• Santa figurine - his outfit was finished in January, but I really want to give him the accessories that will mark this project as "complete" (sack of toys and holiday banner)
• Nancy Drew puzzle block - this blog-hop project from back in March wasn't finished at the time I blogged about it... and it's still not finished (hand sewing, not really my thing)
• Oakie wardrobe - Oakie the travel penguin had a whole host of outfits completed for last summer's Alaska cruise; of course, I want to add another item or two before fair time (what is wrong with me?)

Oakie in his raincoat

And, on the aspirational list: any recycled item.  This was the category of my robe-and-slippers tote bag from two years ago.  I have two possible projects in this category, but I really should just shelve the whole idea of starting anything new (even if "new" means to recycle another item) in time for this year's fair.  Right?

You are not behind

A quote from Flylady (organizing and decluttering guru extraordinaire):

"You are not behind.  Just jump in where you are." 

I need this reminder.  My house somehow got cluttered and untidy during the spring (what a whirlwind spring it was).  I feel an urgent need to get it all straightened up at once, and yet I know that is a recipe for disaster (or burn-out).

 Just one example of the many piles that have formed around my house.  This one is in my sewing room, and flaunts the reminder sign hanging nearby, which gives me Peter Walsh's rules for maintaining a clutter-free space.

Rule 1?  Keep flat surfaces clear.  (Oops.  Fail.)

Ok, deep breaths.  Set your timer for 15-minute increments, and just jump in.  After all, I am not behind...

Buck-a-Block May & June patterns

Well, time has certainly flown by while I was attending to other details!  Missed mid-month meetings of buck-a-block in both May and June (which means my block patterns were not just a buck; oh well).

May pattern is "Eight Hands Around"  from Judy Hopkins' book 501 Rotary Cut Quilt Blocks (That Patchwork Place).  I'm rather fond of the star-within-a-star detail.

The shop sample shows a suggested border that creates an on-point box appearance.  I just think all the border ideas are so clever!  They perfectly complement each block.  But... I can't really envision the finished product: what will all these disparate elements look like when assembled into a quilt? 

May pattern "8 hands around" - with a border

June pattern is called "Summer Winds" (same source: Judy Hopkins).  I like the corners of the suggested border better than the corners of the block; maybe I'll make a change to this pattern.  So far, I've followed the patterns and fabrics exactly--so not my style. I am much more known for inserting my wild creativity in any given project.  Just shows how little I am invested in this project: I still don't have any idea what all these blocks will become when they grow up into a... a... who knows what?


I now have 3 months worth of patterns and fabric to sew up (didn't even cut into April, since I knew I would be missing the May meeting).  Due date is July 20.  Let's get a-sewin', see if I can get back to paying just a buck for each of the remaining blocks.