Closing Ceremonies & A Give-Away

First of all, I want to thank each of you who left such encouraging comments on the blog throughout my Olympics Organizathon! I can't tell you how much you helped to keep me on the forward path. Not to mention all the great advice and ideas that were shared.

I'm still catching up on replying to comments (and am WAY behind on my blogroll) but I have read them all and wanted to touch on a few things today. I am really not an organizing guru - it has taken years to come up with systems that work for ME. I am a visual (out of sight out of mind) person who worries that I'll never remember unless I can see what I need to do next.

The funny thing about this is that as I moved into my new quilting room last spring I was amazed to gain an instant jump in productivity. Why? Because as I gradually moved in there was less STUFF to distract me. All the pretty studios I had saved on Pinterest with shelves of fabrics and cute quilty collections just don't work for me. No wall of pegboard or hanging racks filled with rulers as much as I would like them!

This discovery has changed how I organize. I try to find a home for things and then I have a period of habit building to trust that I WILL find those things again even though they are now hidden in a basket, drawer or bin. It might sound simple... but it isn't! Old habits are hard to break. Every Monday morning I clear the surfaces in my quilting room, regain a sense of order and immediately feel better.

I won the adorable mouse pincushion in a give-away in December from LeeAnna Paylor who blogs at Not Afraid of Color and I just love it! These 2 baskets are my concession to having some pretty fabrics on display. The rest as you have seen in my last posts are in drawers or behind doors.

Something else that really works for me are trays. When I need to use my table for basting I love being able to pick up this tray and move it elsewhere. I use trays or small baskets all over my house. It's a nice bridge between having it in sight but contained.

Notions are my biggest problem area. They are not uniform to store and oh so frustrating when I can't find them. For now I am trying to corral them in these boxes. The ones that are labeled are working... the others are still in process. But at least I know where to start looking!

I used to hang my scissors and rotary cutters where my rulers are hanging on the end of my cutting table but I dropped them too often reaching for them and my floor didn't take well to that habit.

Yesterday's give-away was all about labels. Did you notice the cute labels on my baskets above? I got the idea and the template HERE from Better Homes and Gardens. I buy my pouches at Amazon.com but I'm sure they can found elsewhere too. These meet my label criteria which is quick and easy! A package of these pouches will go to the lucky winner so if you haven't entered click HERE.

One more thing. I was going to comment on yesterday's post about the size of my stash on a more serious note but the post was so long already. I started quilting in 2002 after moving here in the midst of a bout of major depression that ended my career. I wrote a POST about this back in October 2012 if you want to read more.

As I look back to that time I was definitely self medicating myself by acquiring pretty fabric. I think I was more of a fabric collector than a quilter - and of course you all know I was an awesome UFO Maker! The upside of that (other than having lots of pretty fabrics) is that I have turned the corner into a "real" quilter who still buys some fabric but also uses LOTS of it. I'm good with that and I love my stash.

Today I'm offering one more give-away in sincere thanks for all of your cheers as I worked through my events and various venues. I have selected 2 groups of fabrics to cut a set of FQs from. Please leave a comment as to which set you would prefer - sewing or kids novelties.

I'll ask Mr. Random to select 2 lucky winners on Thursday, Feb. 27. Be sure to leave an email address in your comment if you are No-Reply! NOTE: This give-away is now closed.

I've yet to watch the Sochi Closing Ceremonies - I've got to get the binding done on my A Year of Lovely Finishes quilt so will be catching up on that too. I'm looking forward to a week of sewing and my Olympics Organizathon is now closed. My Gold Medal Sew Perfect Table has been ordered! Cue heart swelling music please....