June 24, 2012

A place for everything ... and everything in its place!


I have a tidy house!  Can't help myself - There's a place for everything and I like everything in its place. However, I do have to confess that sometimes my sewing room doesn't quite make it!  Oh yes, there IS a place for each little item.


My embroidery threads are all in correct order in these containers. For years now, I have had a complete set of Anchor Stranded threads - yep, every colour. As soon as a colour is about to run out, I purchase another.


I even have spares of the colours I use lots of, ready in the drawer.  There's nothing worse than running out in the middle of a project and when you live a long way from the shops and might have to wait a month before you can get there, it pays to be organised!


My fabrics are in clear crates so that I can see at a glance what I might be looking for. 


Scraps are in their own little box.  I used to fold them all neatly too, but gave up on that idea as I was always rummaging through looking for just the right fabric for an applique or two.  So now they all just get pushed in and I up-end the box onto a table to do a search!


Charms and embellishments have their own containers too.

So, YES, there is a place for everything. But the last thing I feel like doing when I have finished a project and there is a pile of embroidery bobbins, scraps of ten different coloured fabrics, a pattern in a plastic sleeve, a packet of beads and charms and a reel or two of sewing thread, IS TO PUT THEM AWAY IN THEIR PROPER PLACE! The call of a new project is just too strong!  My solution is this little basket:


It is SMALL - on purpose.  I find it is just big enough to hold the bits and pieces until I decide to put everything away, but it is small enough that it won't hold much, so I can't accumulate.  In reality, the putting-away job that I put off doing, usually only takes a couple of minutes, but there's something about human nature that procrastinates, isn't there!

I can't blame procrastination for not getting much done this week. I had to go out on four days, then a couple of days were spent writing up patterns, so the week seemed to fly by.  I did find time to cut some strips to make this braid:


It's going to be a table runner.  Now I have 84 applique pieces to make! We're going on holidays in a couple of weeks so I'm thinking needleturning all these pieces will be a good project to take along with me when I feel like a change from my crochet ripple blanket.

My TV time was spent finishing this applique design - couldn't bear to watch TV without some stitching in my hand. I love being curled up under a quilt on my recliner, making pretty things! It's the highlight of my day!


With another bleak and cold day upon us, being curled up under a quilt sounds like a great option!

Have a great week.

Val

9 comments:

Nima said...

wow...that was an inspiring post Val...My thread and fabric is all organised...but i need to organize my charms, buttons ,zippers, laces...you have inspired me...i have to do it soon...thank you so much

quilterliz said...

G'day Val. Lovely photos. I too like a tidy house, but my sewing room seems to get in a shambles from time to time. It's neat and tidy at the moment because we have recently had the room repainted and it gave me a chance to get the old kitchen dresser that houses all my sewing stuff, in order. I wonder how long it will stay this way!! I am now off to sit in my favourite recliner and do some embroidery. It's a great day for staying indoors. Take care. Liz...

Ondrea said...

You are so busy Val! What a tidy stitcher you are. I agree that it is good when everything is in its place but eventually my sewing room looks like a tip no matter how hard I try. I have a basket on my coffee table where I throw things in as I stitch on the couch. Then all I have to do is sort the stuff out from there. I love that applique.

Jenny of Elefantz said...

Oh Val, you and I would be so at home in each other's sewing rooms! I love being organised too. The braids look lovely - something I am going to try myself tomorrow.
Enjoy your holiday!!
Hugs
Jenny
xx

Susan said...

I like to be organised like that too - my threads are all in order in boxes and my fabrics are colour sorted - and I too have a "hold all" where I put stuff I cant be bothered putting away for now. But I am sure your place is a LOT tidier than mine!

StitchinByTheLake said...

Val I love your organization - I'm not quite as tidy but very close. And I love that you have all the colors of thread. That's one of my goals! blessings, marlene

Anonymous said...

I love your organization! Can hardly wait to see what the appliques are for the runner. My mother used to say that all the time - a place for everything and everything in its place. It's how she lived and she expected us, too, also. But I don't! AND I'm envying you the cold weather. I'm starting to appreciate winter more now that I live in a humid climate.

FlourishingPalms said...

Hi Val. We're in our new house now. We've had so much rain since we arrived that it's been good for keeping me indoors and unpacking. Today I began to organize my sewing room, but it's going to take several long days to make it look nice. Even then, I think I need to buy some cabinets. I'm so looking forward to being organized, just as a you are. It's a great feeling, isn't it?

Elizabeth Braun said...

Hi! Looks like you and I have the same sort of theory on materials organization.=) I recently posted on sorting out some of mine. Well, moving into a couple of nice sets of clear drawers.