Fall Housecleaning (of the Sewing Room)

It's true. It seems as though I've only just cleaned out the sewing room, but, after all the turmoil created in there by the crafting and sewing for the wedding, it really, seriously needs it again. I have to get this done prior to beginning any new serious sewing or crafting projects!

This means I'm remiss in my duties to you, my readers, and to the other blog I write for, Sew Mantra. But, I can't really get my juices flowing in this mess!

I need to go out and purchase a few more storage bins today. OK, maybe not like the ones in the pic, but something that works! It's imperative to be able to walk across the floor and be able to set up my ironing board.  I covet those cool systems from Martha Stewart! But actually, I'd take anything that made me feel less like I was on an episode of Hoarders or Clean House!

There's SO MUCH I want to do... Adorna's patterns are calling, and so are the patterns which came with Gertie's book, not to mention a few upcycles that I'm dying to do.  If I can get this done today, then I can be clear to make a few nice things later in the week, so hang in there with me!  And if you have any organizing suggestions, please feel free to let me know.

Meantime, entries for the  My Memories Suite™ scrapbooking software close at midnight tonight, and the winner will be selected tomorrow, September 25th!  Keep your fingers crossed, as this is great software, with great potential for a lot more than just scrapbooks!

The Art of Chaos - My Sewing Room

 "You must have chaos within you to give birth to a dancing star." ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

Today I thought I'd give you a glimpse into my little world of chaos, my sewing room.  Not too long ago I wrote a post semi-whining about not having room to cut in my sewing room.  In my defense, the room is tiny.  But it's also full.

Confession is good for the soul, right?

The sewing table contains the two main machines, various tools and notions, the directions from whatever I'm working on at the time, etc.

“Our real discoveries come from chaos, from going to the place that looks wrong and stupid and foolish.” ~ Chuck Palahniuk

There are piles of bins with stash fabrics and saved scraps.  In these bins you can clearly see satin and tulle netting saved from my mother's wedding gown - but no archival acid free tissue paper gently swathing it, no obvious effort a preservation beyond the bins themselves.  In another corner is an antique steamer trunk, also FULL of fabric.

 “In chaos, there is fertility.” ~ Anais Nin

Here you see the twin towers of terror, the stacking drawers which hold all manner of things.  Zippers, boning, horsehair braid, embellishments, fabric paints and dyes, rubber stamps for surface designs, snaps, pins, needles, and almost anything else you might need.

There's also a bookcase for all those sewing books I can't live without and a storage cube unit which houses trims and ribbons and buttons. 

“Invention, it must be humbly admitted, does not consist in creating out of void but out of chaos.” ~ Mary Shelley

Believe it or not, I thrive in my little chaotic bubble.  I love spending time in my sewing room, whether I'm planning my next project, working on completing one, or sharing the results with you, I always feel inspired here.  I'll never make it into an issue of Where Women Create, but I love what comes out of this familiar jumble.

“I like it that order exists somewhere even if it shatters near me.” ~ Elizabeth Moon

Thanks for stopping in and joining me in my little sewing space today.  I hope you won't leave appalled, and can forgive me my eccentricity.  Do you have organized chaos, or do you sew in airy, roomy, luxurious order?