A Basket of Scraps - One Monthly Goal for January

This basket measures 12" x 16" by 9" deep (not including handles).  I borrowed it from the group of six we currently use as laundry baskets.  (At our old house the baskets held less-attractive items on open shelves in the kitchen.)  Now this one is full of scraps.  

A few years ago it held a layer or two of fabric at the bottom, pieces I'd cut to make a scrappy High Five, my first grandson's baby quilt.  And then, as things will happen, a few more pieces were added, and a few more, and on and on, and now the basket's full.  It weighs between 12 and 15 pounds.  All the pieces were neatly folded when I put them in the basket but they've probably shifted and will need pressed.   

I like a neat environment but it's hard because I'm a saver.  Oh, that might come in handy in the future.  Or, I'm saving that because I have something in particular in mind for it at some future time that never seems to come.  So I have fabric and other sewing-related items in displacement.  Sometimes that kind of disorganization prevents creative progress.  I know I saved that, now where did I put it?!

To be honest, this is not the only collection of scraps I have.  It's just that I'm focusing on this particular one this month.

So, I hope--no, I intend!--to sort out this basket this month as my One Monthly Goal.  It's a small step but one more in my effort to organize.  The basket could go back with the laundry and the fabric could go with its larger pieces; be cut into smaller, usable pieces or for specific blocks; or passed on.  I know there are several quilt blocks in pink and black, made by someone else and discarded, probably some pieces of embroidery, maybe some old fabric....  And who knows what else!  Maybe I'll take photos along the way to remind myself what not to do again!

I'm linking this post to January One Monthly Goal at Elm Street Quilts.  Thanks for hosting, Patty.  (And what is it about publicly declaring a goal that makes us follow through with it?  Accountability, maybe....

I'm also linking to Oh Scrap! at Quilting is more fun than Housework. Thank you, Cynthia.

--Nancy.

Hand Quilting, Neatening and Sorting

I've made progress on the Flowers quilt (a Linda Brannock pattern) but it's been slow because I've had to build up my quilting callouses again. 

I quilted around the flower and pot on this block and need to quilt the pot and the background.  I thought I would quilt diagonal lines on the background but now I'm not so sure.  Maybe I should quilt vertical lines.  I have to decide soon and then either mark the lines or use tape for a guide.  I've also quilted most of the triangles surrounding the block.

The next block I'll work on is this one.  It's bigger and will take longer.

Here are both blocks side by side.  Getting both of these blocks quilted will be my One Monthly Goal for November.

My goal for October and for this month of November should have been cleaning the room where I quilt (and work on family history, use the computer, and so many other things). 

I almost chose that as my goal but decided it was too embarrassing to show photos of the space in such disarray.  What a mess!  Instead, here is a photo of my small cutting mat and the area surrounding it.  I've already neatened the area a little but those stacks of fabrics are now a higher than in this photo.  I'll be working at neatening, sorting, and organizing this room this month and probably for the next several months.

We had two beautiful foggy days last week.  We have many bare trees but almost as many are holding onto their colorful leaves.  It won't be long till they're all on the ground, though.  And the time change!  I wish we could stay with regular time all year instead of having to switch the clocks twice.  It takes me a few weeks to adjust, both spring and fall.  After I adjust I will these longer nights.  To me there's a coziness to late fall and winter nights.

I'm linking this post to November One Monthly Goal Link-up at Elm Street Quilts.  Thanks for hosting, Patty.
Also linking to Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts. Thank you for hosting, too, Kathy.

I hope all is well with you!
--Nancy.

Who Knew Things Organized Neatly Was a Thing?

On feedly I follow an art, design, and visual culture blog called Colossal.  Some posts are interesting to me, others not so much.  One of their posts focused on photos from the book Things Organized Neatly, curated by Austin Radcliffe.  What fun!  And definitely interesting to me.

I don't know about you but I enjoy looking at collections of similar but different objects and I especially enjoy seeing them arranged on a flat surface where I can see each one individually and compare the differences, or look at the contents of a container, or the equipment someone uses at work, etc.

I thought this sewing machine created from sewing notions was a bit of fun.  See a better, clearer photo here.

In the parlance of photographers and designers the process of arranging objects in systematic ways is called knolling.   

I don't know about you but I love seeing objects arranged neatly.  Most of the time.  But it's not something I, personally, would do with objects except to take photographs of them.  For some people I suppose this is just too much.  But think of it.  We like the shelves of grocery stores to be organized neatly.  What if the cans of peas and beans and corn were all randomly placed on shelves, all mixed together?  We like the thread in a store to be arranged so we don't have to search through all the spools for the color we want.  And books at the library or the bookstore are so much easier to find when shelved properly.  There are a lot of ways that are lives are simpler when things are organized neatly.

When I think about it, perhaps some quilts are the ultimate things organized neatly.

See more things organized neatly at Tumbler, here or here.

I saw a blog post a few days ago in which the author suggested that this much organization might be over the top, obsessive/ compulsive for some people but she color coded her Smarties when she was a child.

What about you?  Do you enjoy photos of things organized neatly? 

--Nancy.

P.S.  You can tell that I'm feeling at least a little better because I'm reading blogs and books and feel well enough to write a post.  Perhaps one day soon I'll pull out a quilt to sew or un-sew or create.   I hope you are staying well.