PING:Nel

Nana - if those things left at the end didn't get placed before, are they something you really need/want? That may be something to consider. Gather them all together, see what may be the same or similar, so you can rehome duplicates. That may help the tiny mess get smaller.

Thanks to this group I have made a decent start on revamping my creative room. Finishing up two more baby quilts before going full- bore again.

G> Nel, you are STILL my inspiration in the clearing and cleaning of the

Thanks Ginger. I have watched, in the past, organizing experts talk about "zones". My problem is I have my new computer in there too. Needless to say, I have a problem with PAPER ('scuses my yelling!) . I do have my other zones coming in line, fabric, (stopped buying & taking more fabric from well meaning friends), supplies,etc. The fabric is overflowing from said creative room, into the hallway & the bed room I have emptied a small basket of its fabric & will be placing ALL items without a home in there to decide just what to do with them. Thanks for you suggestions, I had forgotten momentarily what ta do (brain fart!!)

Nana.....onward & upward

Thanks to this group I have made a decent start on revamping my creative room. Finishing up two more baby quilts before going full- bore again.

G> Nel, you are STILL my inspiration in the clearing and cleaning of the

Consider giving it to a charity shop. I give buttons, fabric, yarn, tapestry kits, etc that I will never use to a local charity shop and they always sell well. I recently gave a big stack of 12 quilting books and 1 craft book to the local library and they were very grateful and yes, they did appear on the shelves. It does get easier to give things away once you start! Two bags of clothes went to the charity shop today... pity it didn't make a dent in our general household mess.

-- Jo in Scotland

Thanks Jo. I have already cleared & cleaned lots of boxes (gave away on Freecycle) This is stuff I am keeping, just haven't found homes for yet!!

Nana....did sort thru some fabric scraps & arranged by color

Nana, do you have a closet anywhere where you could put really long pieces of quilting fabric over a clothes hanger? I've found that if you can get this bulk to a new home that it leaves you room for more frequently needed fabrics. There's a church group that makes quilts here and I give them the fabric given to me that is 'grown-up'. My quilting is mostly for little fellows and as much as I would love to home and fondle the other lovely gifts, they are truly needed elsewhere. There is a quilt instructor who teaches at the library and she/they are always delighted to have just ANY gifts. And furthermore. If you have been given stuff 'because you sew' that is truly trash, be kind and toss it in the garbage. I was recently gifted with someone's grandma's sewing things and they really were shabby, moth-bally and stained. Sneak it out to the dumpster after dark. We won't tell. Polly

If you've got this far, you're doing a great job. Look at those before photos and see where you've been. And don't forget there will be that horrible stage where things look worse than they did when you started and the more you do, the more you seem to have left.

I put everything in boxes. Rememeber I am running a rearguard action against things that fly crawl and chew! But I went by the same motto as you. It's usually the gadgets that can't be catagorized. So I have a rack I got from a closing-down card shop and I have put them all into smaller stacking boxes on those shelves. The 'really' last little bits get put in one box of 'last little bits' and then I know where they are. Some things got stuffed in boxes-for-that-craft when I ran out of ideas; so lace prickers went in with lace thread and the shade-cards for Appleton's wools went with the wools.

I still have some boxes like the ribbons and buttons ones and the scraps-that-need-to-be-decided-on that still need internal sorting, but I have left those for cosy nights beside the fire in the winter, where I can get down on the floor and decide on the criteria for sorting them. The ribbons are mostly wound on cards and lined up, but the buttons are all in a heap. They may stay that way. I quite like the multicoloured shale of them.

What are the 'bits' of which you speak? Odd bits of elastic and one inch pieces of velcro or half used needles and that odd holepunch for leather?

I've put all the velcro together in a box of 'fastenings' that include hooks, eyes, press-studs, fur-bars, frogs and clasps. Then I ended up with lots more velcro that I thought I could possibly own (never enough of the right side though :( ) so it got presented with its own box. I have used these Useful Boxes that come in loads of sizes. I got them on sale or return from Staples (DH calls Staples my Drug-of- Choice! and asks me if I am going to 'use') and the investment was well worth it. They all stack together, and some go inside each other. All good stuff.

Holepunches and prodders and wheels and stuff all went in trays in a box. I even have a box of boxes and tins and cartridge cases in-case- they-come-in-handy. =D Couldn't throw those away, could I?

Lastly, the UFOs are sorted into projects with the fabric and pattern (IF I think I will get around to them) and sorted away into their constituent parts if I honestly don't. THAT was SO liberating! Some even have got finished now. Others are moving up the list.

You can do it, but Rome wasn't built in a day. And beware the place I got to... where everything was so tidy I didn't dare touch anything! The room was sterile for about a fortnight until I made myself go in and DO something. It's friendly now, but not yet cosy. That will come, but productivity is improving.

Take care, Nel (Gadget Queen)

Thanks Polly. The closet is organized. Fabric is on its shelf (& the over flow is in the bedroom, in two purple foot lockers & hallway boxes & under the bed) So that is all taken care of, for the most part. I have been heard or so I've been told, to say, "No thank you" when others ask if I need some more fabric. Lady at my senior center had a small electrical fire in her home & did some cleaning out of her sewing room. She asked if any one wanted flannel fabric. I thought 'Oh, maybe I could use a wee bit of flannel'. Well, she had a large box of flannel!! Me mouth watered & home with me it came. That's what's in the hallway box. But I have plans for it. Our senior center quilting class makes quilts for wee one in hosptials so I thought I could use the flannel as filler for those.

Nana

One of my favorite organizing 'things' is for my s/m needles. I found a package of twelve small plastic containers- about 2X2 in. and 1 in. deep- for $1. I sorted all my s/m needles and labeled each little container- like Embroidery size 12, Metallica size 14, double needles & misc., etc. The little containers go inside a larger plastic tub.

Whichever ever needle is currently in the s/m, I leave the top off the little container inside the larger one- that way I know what needle is in the s/m and approx. how long it's been used by the current project. Then I can decide whether to toss the used needle or leave it outside the needle packaging within it's little container to indicate the needle is used but still useable. The lid on the larger tub keeps all organized and neat. It sounds much more involved than it is!

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

Thanks Nel. My small messes are getting tamed. I have a problem with "If I put it away, I'll not find it again!" I have finally realized that if I make myself a directory, I'll know just exactly where it all is housed! Thanks for all your kind words & encouragement!

Nana

Thanks Leslie. I have two small boxes with drawers (I think I stole them from DH!) with small things in them. I didn't label but, I have a directory of just what's where. I am making a huge dent in the big over all mess! :-)

Nana

Nel has done the most incredible job on her sewing room. I was up here a few months ago: musty from lack of use, dusty and muddled, with things just dumped here out of the way...

For the past two days I have been working up here. I brought my little Elna Lotus Stellla Air Electronic (though there was really no need:Nel has both her Bernina and her old Cub 4), and while she has sorted lace and ribbons, and cut strips and pieces for a quilt, I have sewed the lace on my saque gown petticoat, sewed my linen petticoat together, and almost completed my lilac caraco jacket! There is space to sew, space to set up the pooters so we can talk to you, and space to sit in comfort! We have a large table to spread things on, and the sewing tables at the edges, plenty of power, and furry company when we want it!

I needed to get on with some of my garment projects so that I am all set for next weekend, when the Mad Sewists of the Apocalypse have another coven meet, otherwise I'd have brought along something like my mum's lap quilt to work on. This room is definitely becoming a quilter's retreat and sanctuary. There is a little structural work required, and a bit more drying time (NOT happening today! It's widdling down like a waterfall out there! The men were going to go up ladders and clear gutters, but NOT TODAY!), and then paint and plaster can be made good.

So, Nel's monumental clear-out and clean up is working. I am inordinately pleased about this.

OKay Kate!! When can you come to my house & help me get my sewing/computer room finished? It is like this every where in me house.........almost but not quite done & organized, littles piles of 'I don't have a home so I'll hang out here or there'. Just eye sores :(

Nana ...........ploding along ~*~*~*~Do you desire chocolate en mass for your visit?

Nel has done the most incredible job on her sewing room. I was up here a few months ago: musty from lack of use, dusty and muddled, with things just dumped here out of the way...

For the past two days I have been working up here. I brought my little Elna Lotus Stellla Air Electronic (though there was really no need:Nel has both her Bernina and her old Cub 4), and while she has sorted lace and ribbons, and cut strips and pieces for a quilt, I have sewed the lace on my saque gown petticoat, sewed my linen petticoat together, and almost completed my lilac caraco jacket! There is space to sew, space to set up the pooters so we can talk to you, and space to sit in comfort! We have a large table to spread things on, and the sewing tables at the edges, plenty of power, and furry company when we want it!

I needed to get on with some of my garment projects so that I am all set for next weekend, when the Mad Sewists of the Apocalypse have another coven meet, otherwise I'd have brought along something like my mum's lap quilt to work on. This room is definitely becoming a quilter's retreat and sanctuary. There is a little structural work required, and a bit more drying time (NOT happening today! It's widdling down like a waterfall out there! The men were going to go up ladders and clear gutters, but NOT TODAY!), and then paint and plaster can be made good.

So, Nel's monumental clear-out and clean up is working. I am inordinately pleased about this.

Mine too! Things keep happening after I get tidied up...

Now that I'm home again, I have 3 pairs of trousers to alter for Auntie Mo Next Door, the internal structure for a wedding dress to put together and the toile to sew, beds to make up for the weekend, the GMNT comes home after two weeks at annual camp on Friday, and the Bank Holiday weekend is full of guests! Sp food to make and the sewing areas to set up properly, so three of us can sew at once!

And I'm swimming at seven thirty tomorrow, and going out for lunch on Sunday. Best call me again after February!

I no longer eat much chocolate. It tends to have an explosive effect on my innards in anything other than small and well spaced portions!

Glad you are home safely. It was a good weekend.

Lots of new toys to play with... but not too many! ;)

Thank you for saying nice things about my heaven. It was a really emotional road I had to travel to get to this point.

And we are tackling this house one room (part of room/cupboard) at a time.

Last year it was the cupboard under the stairs and DS's room. This year has been my sewing room.

We still have the Study; hayloft and stable and the garage to deal with. Oh and we need to empty the conservatory (aka last Resort) before the storms of winter take the roof off completely.

It's a big house, yes, lovely. But we have a family who have down- sized, dumping all their belongings on us for storage.

And then they demand we be bandbox pristine and tidy. It just doesn't happen.

And looking at it all just defeats me.

But one room down certainly feels like a good start.

Nel (Gadget Queen)

Next time we'll bring paint and rollers! ;)