Still Decluttering and UFO/WIP Progress

 So I am finally back to doing my morning Zen. It is a lot easier when my husband isn't home and I am on my normal schedule. This week I finished up some small hexie flowers. I also managed to start back on Izora's quilt. I had to dig out my work surface first though.

The declutter challenge is in full swing. Day 3 was magazines. I pared down over the past 2 years. And I am not interested in getting rid of what I kept. I do think that I will cancel my subscriptions to the two I am subscribed to. I am not really reading them and honestly most of the patterns in them I could easily reverse engineer. It's not like I am going to use the same fabric or anything. I have plenty of patterns and books to choose from and I can always down load some of the many free patterns out there.

Day 4 is books. I really don't have that many quilting books. I still have room for more than what I have on my shelf. What I really need is some good bookends for my shelf. Not getting rid of any of the books.

Day 5 is patterns.  Last year I really went through what I had. I weeded out a bunch that I hd downloaded and never started or planned. I still have 2 binders with patterns in them. These are patterns I still want to make. I also have a few purchased patterns that I don't want to part with either. So I am making room for all of them. That's the thing with the challenge. You don't have to get rid of anything you just have to have space for it. So I will probably have to trade off on something else. That or commandeer the dining room full time. Just so you know, my husband is not against that happening, in fact he suggested it.

I have made progress in reclaiming the dining room. the floor under the table is almost cleared out. Still have a bunch of meat packing stuff to contend with but hopefully that won't be in there too much longer. 

I am getting my WIPS's into project baskets. My UFOs are already in bins. WIPs have been worked on in the past year, UFO's haven't. I want to get the WIPs completed and start on some of the UFOs that I have planned. Honestly most of my UFOs are planned but not started, basically kits that I have put together. Some are scrappy ones that I have started cutting scraps for. (The patterns for these are actually ones I have in my binders) I have two that are almost ready to start stitching.  A few have all fabric cut but not stitched. One needs to be totally reworked. One is the quilt top my great grandmother pieced for my Mother's 7th birthday. Mom turned 7 in 1934. That one is going to take some extra care and attention.

So the decluttering continues and WIPs are getting worked on. My mood is lighter and life is good.

How are your UFO's coming?

Declutter Challenge 2023

This is the 3rd year I've done this challenge and I'm off to a good start. 

Day one was garbage and I basically needed to sweep the floor on take out the trash. Having a small waste basket on my sewing desk helps keep things in check. I try to empty it when I am done sewing for the day. The kitchen size trash can in the studio gets emptied weekly so garbage isn't too much of a problem.

Day two was getting things that don't belong out. That wasn't too bad either. I have tried to do this at least quarterly. (Sometimes monthly) So mostly what is in the studio should be in the studio. It needs organized but it does belong there.

The thing is my studio is not the only place that I work and store stuff. My dining room is attached to my studio and that has become a temporary storage for the many projects going on in the house. For example meat processing equipment. (8 deer and 4 hogs so far this year) I have decided that I will work on that room each day once I've done the challenge in the studio. 

I'm making great progress in there. I feel good about the challenge this year. I think I will be able to affect more than just my studio.

January 1st

 It's been a month since I posted on this blog.  Partially because I haven't done a lot of quilting. Partially because we have been processing deer and getting ready for the holidays. I am happy to say my freezers are full. We also have shared with friends and family. We even canned some of the roasts and stew meat. We have made jerky and used our seal a meal and desiccant packs to store it. This has me feeling pretty proud of my family and our skills. It gives one a sense of peace knowing you have food on the shelves.

But the meat processing equipment has over taken the dining room which is my cutting area. Plus the tins of cookies and other Holiday prep are in there as well. 

My sewing desk has been used for other crafting and still needs cleaned up. Clutter has gotten out of hand and it's time I reclaim my studio and dining room. But not today. 

Today is the first day of the new year. Folk lore states that whatever you do on the first day of the year you will do all year. Today, I processed a canner of meat. (food processing is a good thing) I have cooked the traditional southern dinner. (cooking is a good thing) I am spending time with my family. (always a good thing) I am blogging on both of my blogs. (an area that I want to improve in) and I will be slow stitching tonight to cover the quilting. (another area I am working on). Finally I am going to spend a little time with my scriptures working on another goal. (spiritual study which is definitely important) 

I will start the Declutter challenge tomorrow and I will work on finishing a quilt that I didn't get to today. I am off tomorrow so I can do a little more than usual. Going forward I will have to be diligent in doing my morning routine. Especially if I am going to start reaching my goals. But that is a post for another day.

How is your studio looking?

Recovering Slowly and Hopefully Regaining my "ZEN"

 Right after Thanksgiving, I came down with a severe upper respiratory infection and a severe case of bronchitis. I spent 2 days in bed. I worked from home on the third day because no one should have to be around me constantly coughing. The last 2 days I was at work but I wore a mask. I hate wearing a mask. I definitely didn't enjoy trying to breathe through it while struggling to breathe without it.  But I didn't want to make any one uncomfortable with all my coughing.

My morning Zen was replaced with breathing treatments. I also find it takes longer to get anything done when I am fighting bronchitis. So I haven't been creating like I normally would. My spiritually uplifting messages have been Christmas music and movies. So not a total loss. Still my "ZEN" and happiness has faltered.  

So it is time to resume my routine and get my "Zen" back.  Starting today.  I have some Christmas ornaments to finish up.  I am going to get this quilt on the machine and then I am going to probably collapse. But if I get moving I can start to feel more like myself and less like a blob. Plus accomplishing something will also help me feel better. 

Falling Short of Goals (and it's okay)

3 of my WIPS

There are 3 days left in the WIPS-B-GONE 2022 challenge. I have managed to complete 3 quilts. I had given up trying to get 8 done but was hoping to finish a 4th. That is not going to happen. The fact of the matter is I have been very busy. The house needed cleaned up before guest arrived for Thanksgiving. Then we spent a week entertaining, etc. Now that the guests have gone and I have a little time before returning to work, I am sick.  I have no energy whatsoever.  I have a quilt that is ready to go on the long arm but I need to press it and I don't want to set up the big board. Not because it's that hard to do but because I don't have the energy to do it.

I hate being sick. This illness is actually Asthmatic Bronchitis. I am not contagious but I am struggling to breathe. I will have to take a Covid test before returning to work (not fun). Then I will need to wear a mask while at work. I hate wearing a mask as it makes it harder to breathe when everything is normal. It will be worse with the bronchitis. I also hate to call in sick after being out on vacation for a week. It's not as though I don't have the STO time to take. I will just have to see how this week goes.

More WIPS

All this leads up to not getting that 4th quilt done before the end of the challenge. That is okay though because I did get 3 quilts done in the past 2 months. 3 quilts that had been sitting and waiting to be finished for a long time. 3 quilts that are now out of the WIP pile. That is progress. Plus I learned something new with each of the 3 quilts I finished. Each quilt also made the recipient very happy. So while my goals were not quite met. I did progress and that is my ultimate goal.  3 less projects in my WIP pile is a win. Besides I still have a lot of WIPS left to finish.

It's okay to fall short of your goals just as long as you don't give up on them. What goal have you not quite hit? Are you still working on it?

Losing Track of Time (Time Busters)

 I can't believe almost a month has gone by since I last posted.  Here it is the middle of November (almost anyways) and I am so far behind in what I need to get done it isn't funny. Hurricane Nicole blew through our area the past week but it wasn't even much of a tropical storm by the time it got to us.  We just got a lot of wind and rain.  Thankfully no tornadoes or power outages in our area. So I was not thwarted in making progress, well at least by Mother Nature.

In my last post I talked about the WIPS-B-GONE 2022 challenge. I am proud to say that I have worked on my goals everyday. My little daily tracker is looking colorful with all the little spools filled in. But the tracker also shows how close to the end of the challenge we are. I am really not ready for this challenge to end. I haven't gotten as many projects completed as I would have liked. I am not saying that 3 completed quilts is anything to be ashamed of.  I am really happy with all of my progress. I just wasn't as realistic about the amount of time I would have to work on projects as I should have been. I didn't factor in things like, family time, family projects, local festivals, church commitments, and travel. When setting my goals I only took work hours into consideration.  Silly me.

Awhile back (at least 20 years ago) I read a post in a decorative painters forum about "Time Busters". The author of the post was cautioning the readers about paying attention to where your time was being spent.  I can't remember who wrote the post, some famous decorative painting designer, but that article stayed with me. The author suggested that we pay attention to where we spent our time. At that time I was spending a lot of time on the computer playing games, specifically Free Cell. That article made me think about what I was doing with my time.

I am not suggesting that we need to set ourselves up on a strict schedule. I know me, I won't stick to a strict schedule. Also life has a habit of getting in the way.  Instead I am trying to establish healthy habits. By healthy habits I don't just mean diet and exercise. (I need to do both). I am talking about doing things that help us be healthy both in body and mind.

For example, I am happier when I take time to create everyday. I am happier when I get spiritually fed by something everyday. My husband is happier when he spends time in nature. My daughter is happier when she gets time to draw. My son likes working with his hands and solving problems.  So healthy habits would be things like setting aside time to do the things that create happiness in our lives. 

Autumn Splendor

Being a creative person, I am a bit of a free spirit and don't handle schedules well.  But I do need to some structure to have the healthy habits. I've talked about my Morning Zen before. I honestly believe it makes a difference in how my day goes. Now if I learn to focus that time on finishing projects I can get things done. But I also need to learn to watch what I am doing with my time.

Do you ever get back from work and just flop in front of the TV. I do. Or how about playing games on your phone. Big time buster for me.  The last week I uninstalled 3 games that were on my phone. (I still have Sudoku on my phone though.) How about social media. I can spend hours on Facebook. Especially reading those stories about revenge or fails or Karen encounters. I need to limit that time as well. (I am trying to not read those stories as I feel it gives me the wrong frame of mind)

Scrappy Joy

All that rambling just to say: Figure out your time busters.  Limit them and set aside time to do what makes you happy.

Progress made this month. AutumnSplendor is completed with label. I will be giving it to my Sister in Law at Thanksgiving. Scrappy Joy is completed and I now know who it is for so I will be gifting it this week. The Great Outdoors will be going on the long arm this week. Large Hexie flowers are completed and are set aside for now. Morning Zen will once again be devoted to Izora's quilt. 

Non quilting progress - Kumihimo Braclet class is slowly moving forward.  Going to have to work in a couple of Wednesday nights for the women to work on them.  Fabric ornament class went well but I need to make more for the Christmas Party center pieces. 

Most importantly right now will be getting ready for our company coming that is coming Thanksgiving week. My studio needs to be cleaned up. I need to get the rest of the house (otherwise known as the disaster area) cleaned up and so much more.  Time to put the time busters in their place and focus.    

What are your Time Busters? When do you do the things that make you happy?       

Updates and Lessons

Athena's Quilt

The WIPS-B-GONE 2022 challenge is going well.  I didn't get 2 projects done in the first quarter but I am hoping to catch up in the second quarter.  I finished Athena's Quilt on Saturday and gave it to her today.  That is one project finished. Plus it was started before January 1, 2022 so it counts as a finish for Queen of UFOs as well.

Like I said, I am behind in my challenge goals. I am only a week behind but I am trying to catch up. Last week I managed to get 3 quilts prepped for the long arm. Two of which I also got the digital quilting patterns set up.  

Autumn Splendor

So yesterday, I got the Autumn Splendor quilt on the long arm and quilted. I chose Wood Sprite e2e by Christie Dillon from My Creative Stitches. It stitched out a little more open than I would have liked. I've measured several different open spaces and I am just at 4 inches between stitching. Which according to the HOBB website is the maximum distance between stitches. That is too close for my comfort but I decided to leave it. I used a gold thread and I just love how it plays across the  fabric. I did get the binding cut for it today, but haven't made it yet.  I am really pleased with it so far. I believe I will give it to my sister-in-law. But I do have to finish it first.

Off White and Royal Blue threads

I managed to get Scrappy Joy on the long arm today. I even started quilting her. It seems some quilts are just supposed to be learning quilts. Today I fought with thread breaks right and left. I think I got it fixed though. I had used a smaller needle and once I changed back to the size I usually use, things straightened out. 

I also surprised myself in the thread choice.  I had planned on using a royal blue but was afraid that the quilting would overpower the beauty of the quilt. So I thought off white on top and royal blue on the bottom. I decided to audition the thread. Well on top, the off white thread would disappear except for the borders and on the back, the royal blue would disappear all together.  I was not going to get the results I wanted with those threads.

I had two other blues in my thread cone stash. One was a very pretty variegated blue that I bought to possibly use on another quilt. But the blue tones were just not right for Scrappy Joy. The other is a baby blue thread.  When I puddled the baby blue thread out on the quilt top the thread was visible on both parts of the top but was still subtle.  So that was my choice.  

 

Since I've discovered quilting in zones, I no longer feel like I have to get the whole quilt done in a day.  Today I stitched 2 of the 8 zones for Scrappy Joy.  After the thread breaks and being tired from a very full weekend, I needed a break. So I saved the patterns and will go back to it tomorrow. 

Here are the lessons learned this week.  Sewing everyday will get things closer to finish.  Focusing on one project at a time will get that project done faster.  Practicing a skill will help you improve. Mistakes are opportunities to learn.  Filling in a tracker gives you a sense of accomplishment.

What have you learned this week?