When Cheryl from Muppin.com announced her Spring Clean Your Studio Blog Hop last month, I was very interested. My studio is usually a hot mess, but it has been a downright disaster for a while. I needed a reason to clean up, and this was it.
I shot a video tour of it before cleaning, and one after. I’m not sure why I shot the first one vertically, but it’s too late to go back now. Sorry! Please enjoy my first voice-over video attempt. In the original I’m just breathing heavily like some kind of fabric hoarding pervert.
I will admit, I was less than thrilled to see that my date was so close to the beginning! If I’m honest, though, even if I was the last day of the month, I only would have spent a few days cleaning. I’m also a procrastinator.
All Right. Enough self flagellation.
I’ve spent several hours a day for the past week cleaning up and organizing. My first step was to clean off the landing on my staircase. It usually just acquires crap that was either on the way up or down. I don’t have a photo of it, because it’s only remarkable when it is messy. Now it is just a staircase.
Next, I tackled my bookshelf. I sorted out my books into a system that makes sense to me and chose a few to donate. I also sorted out my collection of patterns, loose papers, and various notions. Any PDF patterns I have used and don’t intend to use again, went into the recycle bin. Others were clipped together and put on a shelf.
My fabric is folded onto comic book boards, and sorted by color. Under each shelf is a scrap bin that matches the color above it. This makes scrap quilting fun for me. I need to spend a year just making scrap quilts, because most of my bins are too full.
I sorted out my Island Batik stash, too. It was getting out of control. Now I can see the yardage I have easily. I also have a bursting bin of scraps.
While going through the fabric, I discovered that I have a much larger collection of Alison Glass fabrics than I realized. I sorted them out by color and put them in a bin together. I’m using them for my 2020 Collection Quilt Block of the Month project at Gotham Quilts. I definitely do not need to buy anything else for this project.
Next I sorted out my desk. It has these great little cubbies , which I just use as a catch-all. That means I can never find anything.
This little rolling cart next to my cutting table was the next victim. Everything was emptied out, evaluated, and sorted. It is much better now.
I also tidied up my collection of tote bags, which were all over the floor. I go into NYC once per week for work, and rather than have a “go bag” I just pack a new one depending on my plans. It gets a little chaotic, and needs to stop. Everything was emptied out, sorted, and put away. I’ll make sure to pack myself a proper bag if the city ever opens again.
My studio has never looked this good. I suddenly feel like I can breathe down here. One week has not been nearly enough time to really get my studio in shape. I’m going to keep working on it all month long and see if I can take care of the remaining hot spots. I have three closets, an armoire, a dresser, and the bins under my longarm that need to be cleaned out. Mom and I want to move the furniture around, but I feel like I need to get rid of some more stuff first. I really should do a de-stash, but that is always so hard for me.
The reason my studio gets to be a disaster is that I do not take time to clean up between projects. I usually work on more than one thing at a time, and when I finish one thing, I just bounce right on to the next. Any mess just gets pushed to the side of the table and I dive into the next fun thing. Friends, I need discipline. I have to record this feeling of openness my studio has right now, and keep it to remember how much better it feels.
If you are looking for more spring cleaning inspiration, check out my fellow bloggers. There are so many beautiful studios to admire!
Stay safe and healthy, and Happy Quilting!
April 1 – Sam Hunter – http://www.huntersdesignstudio.com
April 2 – Marian Pena – http://www.seamstobesew.com
April 3 – Jennifer Fulton – http://www.inquiringquilter.com/questions
April 4 – Martha Wolf – http://Www.pinwheelprodns.com
April 5 – Jennifer Strauser – http://www.dizzyquilter.com <–That’s Me!
April 6 – Steph Carton – http://www.theelimonster.com/blog
April 7 – Simone Fisher – http://www.simonequilts.com/blog
April 8 – Kate Colleran – http://www.seamslikeadream.com
April 9 – Carlina Moore – http://www.alwaysexpectmoore.com
April 10 – Jen Frost – http://www.faithandfabricdesign.com/blog
April 11 – Leanne Parsons – http://www.devotedquilter.com
April 12 – Becca Fenstermaker – http://www.prettypiney.com/blog
April 13 – Sarah Myers – http://www.quilted-diary.com
April 14 – Mitzi Redd – http://www.reddhomestead.com
April 15 – Jeanette Larson – http://www.Jenonthefarm.com
April 16 – Camille Ainsworth – http://www.stitchinthenw.com
April 17 – Becky Philips Jorgenson – http://www.patchworkposse.com
April 18 – Bobbie Gentili – http://www.geekybobbin.com/category/blog
April 19 – Janellea Macbeth – http://www.janelleamacbeth.com/blog/
April 20 – Lisa Ruble – http://lovetocolormyworld.blogspot.com
April 21 – Debra Davis – http://www.tuning-my-heart.com/blog
April 22 – Rona Herman – http://www.Ronatheribbiter.com
April 23 – Sue Griffiths – http://www.duckcreekmountainquilting.com
April 24 – Sarah Ruiz- http://www.saroy.net/
April 25 – Jessica Caldwell – http://www.desertbloomquilting.com/
April 26 – Tammy Silvers – http://tamarinis.typepad.com
April 27 – Ebony Love – http://www.lovebugstudios.com/blog
April 28 – Cheryl Sleboda – http://blog.muppin.com
Thank you for being so transparent. You have a wonderful space, well organized and thought out especially for two quilters to share efficiently.
We’re stacking/piling kindred spirits. Loved seeing your before and after!
The piles do win don’t they! I am trying to straighten up at the end of each day, so the path is clear for tomorrow’s plans. That helps a bit. I think you got a lot done in a week. Breaking down piles, make more piles so the system has to work. Congrats on such a great start!
I loved seeing this! Both to see where you work and to see that I am not alone in the piling. I recently organized all my glass much as you did your fabrics (except it has to be stored differently)–I bought Scott some woodshop organizer boxes and thought hey wait, I could do this too, and I bought myself a couple and put all my tiny glass scraps in it by color. Unlike you I do this in lieu of making mosaics, but it was a nice start. Currently the desk is covered in a lot of blue glass (eel table top on the floor, robin trivet on the desk) and I am drawing corvids in 2 square feet on my computer desk, balancing the colored pencil box against my coffee cup. Optimal. Your cleaned studio looks wonderful! And so does that beautiful quilt you’re starting on the wall.
Love seeing both the before and after! Jealous of some of your IB yardage! 🙂 Lovelies in that pile for sure!
The happiest part of cleaning your studio is discovering fabric you didn’t remember you had! How wonderful to have a bucket of Alison Glass! Love also how you’ve organized your AccuQuilt dies. Also love, love those bins for scraps. Congratulations on a clean studio! Isn’t this feeling great?
It IS a great feeling! I’ve kept it clean, too, which is a small miracle.
Your studio is the twin of my sewing room, with Kallex cubbies for books and fabric and IKEA rolling cart for tools. I like the large scrap bins under each color. I may try this. I spy your Featherweight in the closet though. My 301 in a cabinet and my FW (soon to be in a table being made for me) are my main machines. Thanks for sharing!