Friday, January 23, 2015

Time to Create

In January, in our neck of the woods, we deal with what is known as an inversion  It is when we go for weeks on end with no sunshine, deep fog, ice and all around miserable weather.  Some people deal with SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) during this dreary time of the year.  I on the other hand, come down with a severe case of I Want To Make All The Things.    I think it started some time in December when I was in my sewing studio making my annual Christmas ornaments for my daughters.  My sewing studio is a room that was added on to the back of our garage.  Over the years it has been a storage room, a spare bedroom, and an exercise room.  Most recently I moved my sewing machine out there and have been slowing taking all my crafts from various areas of the house in an effort to have a single location of my craft goods.  There are a lot.

In December as I was working on my ornaments I got distracted with organizing my room.  I had a huge, coffin size tote filled to the brim with fabrics - some whole pieces and mostly scraps that I have held on to for about 30 years.  Pretty much the time span of when I started sewing.  I typically am known for throwing things away - I hate clutter, but that apparently doesn't hold true to my fabric.  I form some type of emotional attachment and I just know I will use that 2 inch by 4 inch scrap someday.  I just know it.  I was looking for a particular red fabric I knew I had when I realized how futile it was to keep my fabric this way.  If I couldn't see it, how could I use it.  So I began organizing it.  First I took all the small scraps and put them in a wire basket.  Then I took all the pieces that were about 1/4 of a yard and folded and ironed them into rectangles and stored them all standing up in a wooden crate I had that is about 4 inches tall.  Pieces that were 1/2 yard or more I folded in similar stacks and stored them in a larger wooden crate.  I have almost completed this task and the result is that I now can see every color fabric I have available.  My husband built me a 8 foot "floating" shelf and installed it.  I can put all my fabric in one place and now I feel like I can shop in my own store.  I have a couple more things to organize and then I will post some pictures.  I am so happy with how it is turning out.  It is actually beginning to resemble a place that is happy and cozy and very comfortable to spend my time in.

As I was organizing I realized how many patterns and kits and dreams of things I always planned to make and an idea began to form in my mind. 2015 will be the year that I create out of my stash!  I am going to do my best to use what I have and not buy anything new.  So far this month I have made a mug rug, a table runner, and three valentine garlands.  I am well into a quilt for my three year old grandson and have almost completed a flannel baby quilt that will be a gift for a new momma this coming weekend.  I have "shopped" through my own stash and have only spent about $35 total to purchase things like thread and stabilizer fabric - things I need to finish what I have started.  I have been having the best time doing this!  What is the point of storing all the stuff?  If I need new fabric in the future I can buy it then - but in the meantime I am having a blast using what I have - I love the challenge of it all.

I also decided to start renovating my laundry room.  I did purchase some paint and painted the room gray and used chalkboard paint to paint a huge chalkboard on one wall, my husband built another "floating" shelf,  I threw lots of stuff away and organized what I kept.  What a difference!  There is a storage area in there - the underneath area of our stairs, that has had a huge, heavy board just propped against the opening ever since we moved in.  It really is a dangerous thing as the wood is very heavy and nothing keeps it attached to the wall.  We are going to hang it on a barn door slider and make it functional.  Hopefully, I will have pictures to share of that very soon.  I am not a painter - I hate to paint in fact.  But the sad truth is that my husband hates it more.  So if I don't do it - it won't happen.  I am trying to convince myself that I really love to paint - I have several more rooms I want to renovate.  So far I'm not buying it - but I am not giving up. 

I know that soon I will be looking forward to planting the flower beds and filling the bird feeders but for now I am as content as can be - sewing, spinning, knitting, creating, painting, designing, cleaning, organizing......and the list goes on and on and on.


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