Tuesday, January 24, 2023

Tidy-Up Tuesday - Declutter Challenge - Week 3

Welcome to another edition of Tidy Up Tuesday!!  My studio is currently in transition.  It has been dumping ground for all of the quilty things that were stuffed in my last studio, but little by little, homes are being found for all of the items or else the items are being moved along.  I'm on a quest to make my "new" studio less cluttered and more organized.  Karen @ Just Get It Done Quilts is helping me with her Declutter Challenge 2023. If nothing else occurs, the number of magazines in my studio was significantly reduced and there is one less packing box to trip over.  :o))

Let's see how I did since last week's post...

Day 15 - Unfinished Projects

It's another day for the hard stuff.  You're killing me, here, Karen!!  Here is the HUGE drawer that is designated for UFOs:


Some of those are even on this quarter's UFO List!  The others?  I'll work my way through them... Eventually!  That's what the (Ravelry) UFO Club, found at the Quilters Knitting group is all about.  Anyone with 5 (or more) UFOs can join The Club at the beginning of  January, April, July, and October.

Day 16 - Kits

The projects that have fabrics pulled, but little or no work put into them:


These are saved for times when I want to work on something requiring no thought.

Day 17 - Scraps

Today, Karen asked us to take a look at our fabric scrap and I've done that:


I look at my Scrap Station every time I walk into my studio.  It's my favorite part of my space. I love the fact that it is filled with little bits of quilting possibilities in any color of the rainbow and it makes me SEW very happy!

Full disclosure...

There are a couple of tubs of scraps that you can't see in the photo above and a BIG drawer full or scraps there on the right.

Oh!  And these, which I just pulled a project from the other day:

Strip drawers...


Square drawers:


You mean not everyone has scraps of all shapes and sizes filling up their sewing room?  Well, we don't ask artists to declutter their paints and the only scraps that I will part with are those coming in the door that I know I will never use.  ALL the rest will stay (and my offspring can part with them when I am gone.)  They are mine, Mine, MINE!!!  Yes, I'm a scrap quilter.  Why do you ask?  :P

Day 18 - Batting Scraps

That's our target today.  Mine are housed in this HUGE drawer:

Note:  This drawer measures 16.5" x 16.5" x nearly 2.5 feet!!

I pull from this drawer with almost EVERY project I make.  If you don't know me, you might think there's NO WAY to use those random bits.  However, if you DO know me, you know that I make a lot of SMALL projects.  With medium sized projects, Franken-batting is employed.  New batting is typically only used for large projects.

Day 19 - Precuts

I am SEW not a precut girl!  Here is my entire collection:


They were gifts and prizes, which is great. I'm pretty sure that I have only purchased two Fat Eighth bundles (one of which I've used for a project), two Layer Cakes and a single Mini Charm pack that was too cute to pass up!  I used two Charm Packs for a project a couple of years ago and the rest of these are still waiting for inspiration to strike. Since they don't take up much space, and they are so good at waiting patiently, I'm going to let them continue to hang out in the studio for the "right" project to come along.

Day 20 - Skip Day

Karen wasn't up to filming today's video and didn't post our task on her blog, either.

Day 20 - Fabric

Sigh...  I knew this day was coming.  It's the day my studio SERIOUSLY needs, but it's also the day that I have dreaded the most!  You see, I have a LOT of fabric.  It ALL has SEW much potential and I hesitate to part with any of it!

Logically, I know that I don't have room for all the fabric currently in my stash.  My new studio just doesn't have to space to store it all.  It's time to push my Fantasy Quilter self out of the way and face that reality.

Maybe later...

For now, I'll be parting with this (partial) bolt of fabric:


Day 21 - A Few Last Things

Karen is had one final task before we complete the Declutter Challenge 2023.  Today, we are supposed to gather all of the bags, buckets and bins, along with the rest of the trash, recycles, and donations.  Get them out of the house, wipe down your surfaces and call yourself done...  Unless you're taking the slow train to the sewing station, in which case, you are welcome to take all the time you need.  Karen is leaving the playlist up in the event that you are like me and have a bit more work to do.

I did gather these fabrics to pass along to another quilter:

Photo Currently Unavailable!!

What is your takeaway, Joyful???

I'm guessing almost ANYONE doing the challenge did a better job than I did, but...

I got some things out of the studio, found homes for a few more and plan on continuing with the momentum that Karen challenge helped build.  If your space still needs more work, you are welcome to confess share it in the comment section below.

To Karen...

Thanks for taking us along on your Decluttering journey as we head into 2023!  It's a great way to start a new year.  Your encouragement pushed me to dig through my studio and take a good hard look at the unwelcome, the unwanted, the no longer necessary.  (Even IF not as much progress was accomplished as I had hoped, but that is no reflection on you, Karen.)

Until next time...
Reclaim your space!!!

9 comments:

  1. I've pulled some fabrics the past few weeks and am in the process of putting them on the freebie table at both of my quilt guilds. I really need to do this with my UFO's, too, but I'm not quite ready to do that yet (no time to go thru them again).

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  2. I'll need much more discipline than I currently have in order to declutter my sewing room. It's out of control again unfortunately. Maybe you'll be my inspiration to "reclaim my space".

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  3. I loved 'peeking' into your studiio! The colors of fabric is so inspiing each time you go in there to work or play!

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  4. Making any progress is good, I'd so much rather sew than work on the sewing room.

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  5. I followed the challenge, but didn't particpate. Getting into my studio to declutter is nearly impossible. I'm still working on disbursing my husband's political memorabilia collection which makes my fabric stash look miniscule. I didn't intend it to be a multi-year project and yet, here we are.
    Pat

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  6. I think progress is good and it is a hard thing. I really don't have a huge stash but I collected unique fabrics. I have now added more useful blenders, but when I worked at

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    1. quilt store I would just pick up what I needed. I look to have a much more compact fabric collection at the end of the year...work through it and donate what I am tired of. I admire all your little collections. I have some, but not quite the stash of 2 1/2" blocks. Anyway, feel good about you did and as you get used to your new space, you will be able to make some of the harder decisions.

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  7. Well done on making a start. I followed Karen, but didn’t do anything. My sewing room isn’t too bad, but my overflow storage room is totally out of control. I need to be in the right frame of mind to tackle it. I did sort out our home office this month, which was also out of control. It was a higher priority, so I call that a win. Good luck on continuing your decluttering journey.

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  8. I haven't been following the challenge, but have done a few things. I tossed some elastics that lost their snap, a few of those boxes kept to organize other things, etc.
    I *love* your color coordinated scrappy fabric bins for holding your scraps!

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