Did you miss me??

 I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted but I do have several 'excuses' to provide!  HA  First off, I was working on the 12"x12" challenge quilts that are due to be in the mail by October 12th.  There's a bit of hand work on these as well as I changed my design that I started back in the spring.  Can't post pics yet until they are sent out so you'll have to take my word I was working on projects. 

Then, 10 days ago I had a slight setback on hand work!  A few weeks ago I posted some of my favorite things.  One of which was the Fullstar Veggie Cutter, which I loved and still love!  BUT...I decided I was going to make fried cabbage and thought I'd use the cutter.  Well, certain veggies, which are too hard, shouldn't be put in the cutter.  How do I know this!  Well, the cabbage got stuck and I decided I would poke the remaining pieces though the slots.  And what better tool to use then your thumb!  NOT!  I tried for almost 48 hours before heading to Urgent Care but had to get stitches.  They are right under my nail, which was really awkward for putting in stitches but the doctor did a good job.  Getting those buggers out today, thank goodness.  It's been so hard to hand embroider of do anything really.  I keep hitting the thumb, which makes it feel SO good!

I have been keeping busy with reorganizing!  My daughter got me hooked on the Netflix show called 'Get Organized' by The Home Edit (a team of two).  I got hooked just as I did watching 'Tidying Up' by Marie K. (I did this reorganizing over a year ago).  So what to do instead of sewing....yep..purge and reorganize!  

My sewing/textile/beading books are organized by color now!  It does look really nice...not showing up here but it does look cool!  Great idea for kids so they put books back by color since they can't all read to know by title or author!

I have reorganized my wet room downstairs often but this is the most efficient.  I put the lifts under my card table (middle) to raise it up!  DUH!  and I moved some shelving I had to put my books under the card table.  Now they are more accesible!

Table is open!

One tip The Home Edit group suggested was to put your sandals away for the winter in a container.  I happen to have one shoe box, which held a few sandals but I had four pair left...SO, I grabbed my Meijer wine bag (which I have many!  HA) and the sandals fit perfect and sit ontop of the shoe box on a top shelf!

My jewelry used to sit on the bottom shelf in my cabinet, which took up lots of space.  I cleared out the shelf in our walk in closet and Bob gave me this tray to use!  Works so much easier.  I already had items, bracelets, earrings, etc. separated so all I had to do was place them!

I love this tip!  Roll your scarves into "donuts" (The Home Edit word not mine!).  Works so much easier to see in your drawer!

My spice cabinet!  I've had the bottom left shelf and didn't change that but added the turntable on the right, which is perfect!  So easy to find all my spices!  And, yes, I do have a lot of spices but I use them too!  I love to cook and try new recipes.

The wood block with spices is a gift my son made me many, many years ago!  He does beautiful wood work!  I'll have to show a table he made, which we have in our family room.  Too bad he doesn't have the time to keep up this talent!

The only difference in this cabinet is the 3rd shelf.  It holds my shawls, that I don't have any where to wear them!, but used to hold my jewelry trays.

That last shelf holds my books I read in bed at night and pics of family! 

You can see where the jewelry area is sitting now.  I didn't change a lot in this area other than removing sandals and putting laundry hamper under the shelf.  I won't post pic of Bob's side of the walk in!  It's tidy but FULL!  Hubby has 20+ pairs of shoes and probably twice that number in shirts and at least that amount of pants.  Yep...he loves his clothes and, I have to admit, he does always looks very nice.

I just placed items I don't use often in a bin at the back.  Cleaning supplies I use often are in a separate bin.  I had an old, old 12" turntable that I put my dish soap, dishwasher soap, etc. on.  SO easy to reach items now.

So even with a bum thumb (hmmmm  new word!) I have been busy.  Hope to get back to finishing up the hand embroidery and even some knitting by middle of October!

Purge Time (again!)

Yep, it's time to purge again.  I like my sewing area to be as open and tidy as can be. Because I'm always working on more than one project at a time it's easy to have lots of space taken up with those projects.  It's also very hard to work if you aren't organized and have good work space...so, today I decided to go through and move some quilts around and free up some space (again!).

This was the first area I reorganized...some are smaller quilts (you can see the 'Mandy' quilt I posted on yesterday and some quilts I purchased (2nd row from left is a purple/gold quilt I purchased from AAQI and Dijanne piece is the bottom 2nd row from left I bought several years ago).  And, yep, that's my 'beaded leaf' trying to find a new home (bottom)...more about that in another post!!!


Also, Kalee loves to lay on my sewing table next to my machine (she sleeps most of the time but also likes to look out the window).  Well, it was getting a little too much work, for both of us!...mainly because I would have to move her if I wanted to cut fabric or needed space to lay out my work.  So......

I moved my large green cutting mat on top of this cabinet.  Now Kalee can sleep in peace and I don't have to keep moving her.  Why didn't I think of this 3 years ago!   More than one occasion I have sewn her fur into a project!

These are some of the more current pieces I've made...four of the larger ones are for our Inspired by the Master's exhibit.  We won't be having these on exhibit for awhile yet.  We need quite a few to fill up a space...I think Carol wants to have over 40 pieces for the exhibit.  Although, one of our members, LA, most likely has made enough quilts to fill a space herself!  

And I did get rid/trashed some old magazines I had which free'd up some holders for me to put my project binders into.  A few years ago I was making 8 1/2" x 11" small pieces for the Bead Journal Project as well as for a challenge our fiber group had one year.  I've had these binders just laying ontop of some books so now they have a real home! 

I also have binders for ATC's (artist trading cards) and for my fiber cards I've received throughout the years.

I like being able to look at each category and it also keeps them nice and neat!







This picture shows one of the beaded pieces I've done and the back of another one.  I use the binders that have the plastic sleeve in them.  My pieces fit perfectly in the binders and it also makes it easy to browse!

So that was the rest of my Sunday!  Purging and sewing and laundry and cooking!  But heck, I'm retired...what else would I be doing!  

Another sneak peek

This is a sneak peak of my 'Road Less Traveled' for the online challenge (Art Quilts Around the World Blog).  I just have to face the quilt and put a sleeve on it.  Our reveal is Sept. 30th and our next challenge is 'MACRO' which is due Nov. 30th....I get to pick the challenge after 'macro' and that will be due January 31.  I  have an idea...but I better start looking for ideas for 'macro'...I did have some but they may take too long to do with the upcoming holidays.  So back to the drawing board for 'macro'!



A few weeks ago, my daughter was cleaning or purging some of her dye supplies, fabrics and lots of other 'stuff'!  It was like Christmas!!  Back in July, I did some reorganizing in my sewing room and dye room but since there's always room for improvement I got to work and cleaned some more!  I had to!  I had new 'stuff' to put in my rooms!!
I don't remember why I took this picture...other than to show where some of my books are kept.  These are organized by beading, applique, painting, etc.  This is a very, very old desk cabinet that I had stripped about 20 years ago.  I love this piece.  And yes, it's stuffed with books in each compartment.  The folders on the top right are my old Quilter Art magazines and CPS magazines.

This basket used to 'house' more books...books that I looked at more frequently.  I moved all of those to another area (you'll see in the next picture) and  put my zentangle/doodling supplies and books in the container instead.

 The books I moved from the basket above are now in this center area.  These are books I reference more often so I like them to be handy and accessible.    The table where the books sit is where I iron.  The right side cabinet/shelves hold all my bead supplies and the left side holds baskets with other supplies (e.g. foiling, tyvek, Angelina fiber, etc.).  

And look at this great stand/drawer set my daughter gave me!  Of course I used my handy, dandy label maker (yep, a BD gift from my daughter from years ago...the best gift!) and put all my threads in separate drawers by color, drawers for pens/markers/pastels and drawers for other supplies.  

I love this container....so nice to just pull out a drawer with the color thread I want to work with!!!  

  I still had so many supplies left from Dawn that I didn't need or couldn't use so I've been giving those away to friends.  I only have a small amount left which I'll be giving to a lady in our old fiber guild to use in her art/fiber classes.  She teaches at the high school and also teaches adult class for book making, fiber work, etc.  She's quite a talented lady and i know she'll be able to use the supplies and fabric that's left.

So thank you, Dawn!!!!  I'm so happy to have more organization to my room!  And I know the other ladies are thankful for the supplies and/or fabric they got!!!  You're sweet!!!!