Clutter

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A few random nasturtiums amid plentiful weeds and a ceramic frog.

For all my tidying, much remains amiss, like planters in the garden.

And a plethora of EPP projects that live in totes and on other surface areas.

And a couple of basted but not yet quilted quilts.

And some revised novels itching for release.

Mostly I'm aggrieved, for lack of a better word, with all the hand-stitching patterns that I've indulged in over the last few years. I found yet another set of basted pieces waiting for my attention, and yes, I started sewing them together all the while mumbling under my breath at how disorganized is the sewing, and so far flung. A few projects to mix up the evening stitching, sure! Over half a dozen, ummmmm....

Dude, that's kinda excessive.

Now maybe if I only sewed by hand, okay. Six, maybe seven projects wouldn't seem so outrageous. But those two quilts waiting for machine and hand-sewing, plus a couple of onesies that require applique, and then books to release.... Notice I haven't returned to the weeding? I get a pass on that because it's cold out and more rain will fall later this week. But how to parse out the correct amount of time for all these activities?

I don't know....

Many years ago I was a cross-stitcher. I had several projects going, and it became overwhelming. Finally I took one by one, finishing them and NOT STARTING ANY MORE. Ahem. That's probably the main key I can take to lessen the sewing clutter. The hand-sewing clutter.

A big storm is heading our way, which will provide me plenty of time to hand-sew, especially if the power goes out. Tomorrow I should sit at my machine, quilting a baby blanket. I also want to hand-quilt a spare Cornflower block to see if how I want to quilt it will look okay. Which means fashioning a little Cornflower quilt sandwich and....

Cornflower quilt on the basting table. Another of my fave blocks; I am so excited to hand-quilt this!

Clutter. All those lovely, well-meaning projects are clutter. Cluttering my head, my work spaces, my computer, the sofa, guest bed.... Virtual clutter and outdoor garden clutter and fabric clutter and why do I have so many shinies going on at one dang time?

I don't know. But...maybe in admitting all this STUFF, I can start to clear some of it out. Little by little, and not starting anything new (which means not throwing fabrics onto the design wall or cutting more fabric then pairing them with shapes or ironing more fabric or starting a new book), I can SLOWLY thin out these projects until I've cleared a path through the debris. Clear a road through the clutter, so wherever I'm going next doesn't trip me up. No sprained ankles, just the joy of creating a couple of lovelies at a time.

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