Getting organized

I struck carpet in my studio. That's real progress. I've sorted my projects into various plastic boxes. My husband says I must have been deprived of containers as a child. I can't go through the discount store without looking over the plastic containers. They provide a kind of filing system for some projects in progress. My friend, Susan, uses what she calls, "The Tote Bag Filing System". She says one should not miss going to any quilt conference where a tote bag is available. There's always a project to be stored in one. But, I still prefer plastic containers which are stackable. I do enjoy a nice latching lid, and handle for easy transport.

I also like to change my sewing kit from time to time, dependent upon what sort of project I'm working on. The all time best container for applique supplies has been a make-up bag from the luggage department of J.C. Penney. It zips closed on three sides on the outside, with an additional zippered pocket on the outside, suitable for holding a 5 X 8" pad of paper, and a mini cutting mat. Unzipped, and lying flat on the table, it has another zipper on one side, and tucked into that compartment, I have a plastic box with marking pens, scissors, thimble, a small woolen pin cushion, some clippies . . . not for my hair, but for holding binding in place as I stitch it down. In case of emergency, I have a few band-aids, and a sqeeze packet of anti-biotic ointment. A travel pack of hand wipes is indispensable, too. The other side of the bag has another zippered pocket which flips back to reveal several tubes designed for toothepaste, shampoo, etc. They are perfect for storing my silk thread for applique. My current favorite was made for me by Dawn; it has zippered pockets with an ultra-suede strip to draw the thread through. It's an adorable sewing print on the outside, trimmed with blue binding. Just love it!

The picture is another from my quilt top collection. This one is comprised of paper-pieced stars won at a Guild meeting. One star deserves another, so the blocks are set and sashed with star fabrics, too. I had an epiphany the other day when sorting through my quilt top collection. I realized that I haven't done much hand quilting since becoming theme chair for the Guild Retreats about five years ago. I make lots of tops, but that is a contributing factor for not getting them quilted. Maybe I should turn my list of themes for the next 10 or 15 years over to someone else and work with more dedication toward turning my quilt top collection into a quilt collection!