Clutter

My house is cluttered.  Not really dirty but just cluttered.  I have piles or boxes or bags with projects in them everywhere. A friend once came to my house and while looking around my living room, I said “Welcome to the Heartfully Cheryl Manufacturing Center”.  I wanted her to know there was a reason for all the clutter (and why she couldn’t sit on my couch) and it wasn’t that I wasn’t a good housekeeper. 

I am one of those people who have several different projects going on at once.  In fact behind me right now. laying across my sewing machine. is a pair of slacks I am about to finish but I also need to get this blog written.  Usually I don’t mind the clutter and I am able to move from project to project.  But once in a while, I just have to straighten up.

I read all these articles and blogs about how cleaning up the clutter helps calm the nerves and helps focus the mind.  I can see how that would be.  There are times when I am looking for a particular tool and can’t find it where it usually is because it is stored with a project where it is being used.  And I do spend (or maybe waste) time hunting for it.

I read in these articles that cleaning the clutter helps allow in new things.  Not sure I need anything new but I get the point.  So once in a while I go through my projects and supplies and see if there is anything I need to discard.

One of the things I do with my fabric is sort out the scraps.  To me that is anything smaller than a fat quarter(an 18 x 22 inch of fabric).  These scraps I cut into various sized squares; anything from 2” to 6”.  I then put them in boxes dedicated to the individual size square.  This has become useful when doing a project that requires a certain size. I have the squares cut and ready to use.  Or if I just need a scrap of some green for an appliquéd leaf I go to my box of squares and usually find what I need.  I don’t have to sort through yards of fabric.

Another thing I have started to do is dedicated a certain amount of time cleaning one area of my work room.  I can do anything for 15 or 30 minutes and it usually takes a big chunk out of my clutter. 

So you might be asking what I do with the clutter I am eliminating.  I usually see if someone else wants it.  At our Fiber Artist group we have a monthly raffle.  Bring something you are no longer going to use and put it on the table.  If someone wants it they will buy a raffle ticket and maybe win it.  The money goes into our general fund.  The one problem with that is while you are getting rid of your clutter, you might end up winning someone else’s clutter. 

Another thing I do is donate it.  Our guild has a section of our quilt show set aside for basically a garage sale.  You as a member donate fabric, books, tools, even some handmade items to the guild and they sell it during the show bringing in money to get the type of programs the members want.

Now if you don’t have a fiber artist raffle or quilt show garage sale, why not donate your clutter to Goodwill or the Salvation Army.  The money from their thrift stores help run their programs.  Or if it is general crafts items, donate it to a school or day care for the children to use.  It helps their budget. 

See if a friend just starting out in crafts like quilting could use your scraps.  I gave some of my 6” squares to a friend who just wanted to make a scrap quilt but didn’t have a lot of money to buy yards of fabric.  Or maybe give it to a mother with young children who need some crafts to keep them busy during the summer.  When I started to do the kid’s crafts at the farmers market, I asked my quilt guild for empty thread spools for a project and the guild members not only gave me spools but any other craft supplies they had but didn’t want to help out with the crafts I was planning.  I didn’t have to buy anything that first year of crafts.

So whether you are cleaning out your clutter for peace of mind, to bring in new things or to keep your house off one of those hoarding television shows you see on cable TV, there are places to send your items other than the city dump.  And who knows maybe in cleaning out your work room (or your Manufacturing Center), you may find a special treasure you forgot you had under all that clutter (like a couch. haha). 

 

©2019,2023 - Cheryl Fillion

 

July’s Quirky Holidays

July has a lot of holidays.  Of course in the US, there is July 4^th, Independence Day when it was decided to separate from Britain and form our own nation.  That is a big summer celebration with picnics, parades and fireworks.  But there are a lot more reasons to celebrate in July, especially if a picnic on July 4^th isn’t enough.

There are all kinds of food “Days”.  July 1^st is Creative Ice Cream Flavors Day and International Chicken Wing Day. July 3^rd is Eat Beans Day.  Sidewalk Egg Frying Day is also on July 4^th (not sure I would want to eat that egg).  Do you like apple turnovers?  Well, have one on July 5^th, that is National Apple Turnover Day.  July 6^th is National Fried Chicken Day.  July 7^th is Chocolate Day, International Cherry Pit Spitting Day (got to eat the cherry to get the pit) and National Strawberry Sundae Day.  My favorite summer fruit – blueberries is honored on July 8^th.(and then Pick Blueberries Day is on the 10^th and National Blueberry Muffins Day is the 11^th)

July 10^th is National Sugar Cookie Day (and you could revisit the Chocolate Day and Strawberry Sundae Day by having aother sundae with a little chocolate syrup and a cookie).  Just to make sure we get in another dessert, Pecan Pie Day is July 12^th.  French Fries are honored on July 13^th (appropriate since French Bastille Day is the 14^th).  We go back to ice cream with National Ice Cream Day (different from July 1^st which is Creative Ice Cream Flavors Day, remember). Have some pudding on Tapioca Pudding Day on the 15^th.  And with all these sweets, eat some spinach on the 16^th for Fresh Spinach Day.

We do another flavor of ice cream on the 17^th for Peach Ice Cream Day.  And to get a little fancy, try some caviar on National Caviar Day on the 18^th but I wouldn’t combined it with the other food honored on that day, Hot Dogs.  And with all this food you do need a drink now and then, so for the adults try a Daiquiri on its day the 19^th. Cakes are also back on the 19^th with National Raspberry Cake Day.  The 20^th brings another ice cream day with National Ice Cream Soda day.  Don’t want anymore ice cream but you do want something sweet?  Switch the ice cream for a lollipop on the 20^th – it’s that sweet sucker’s national day. 

And so we don’t forget a favorite ‘unofficial’ food group, July 21^st is National Junk Food Day.  Remember with chips, you can’t eat just one.  July still hasn’t had enough of ice cream.  We have to honor the basic, vanilla on July 23rd. You don’t have to live south of the border to get some tequila on the 24^th.  That day is National Tequila Day.  The 28^th is a favorite of children of every age: National Milk Chocolate Day.

July 1^st was International Chicken Wing Day.  We also need to bring it home with National Chicken Wing Day on July 29^th.  If you want more of a meal, the 29^th is also National Lasagna Day.  And we finish off the food month with a sweetie on the 30^th, National Cheesecake Day. 

Now if you can’t find something to celebrate with food during the month of July, you are just too picky of an eater.  To the rest of us, I say “LET’S EAT!”

©2018, 2023 Cheryl Fillion

 

 

Sewing Machine Day – June 13

June has some wonderful holidays to celebrate.  Here in the U.S., there is Father’s Day and Flag Day.  But I found one that just fits me.  It is June 13: Sewing Machine Day. 

This day celebrates the humble sewing machine which changed the way clothing and bedding and now everything is made.  Before the sewing machine (patented in 1829) everything was sewn by hand. It took a long time to complete an item..  But with the sewing machine, clothing and quilts, home décor even shoes and purses could be done quickly and efficiently. 

Even now, so much in the fiber world is done by machines that are based on the sewing machine.  Long Arm quilting machines are just over sized sewing machines.  Monogramming and embroidery is now done by computerized, multi-thread sewing machines. 

So how can you celebrate the sewing machine?  For one thing, take time to clean and oil the machine you own.  If you have a machine that needs a little repair, take it in and have it done. Show your machine some love. If you use your machine often, you might give it a rest and sew a hem or piece a quilt block or do a little embroidery by hand.  Doing the stitching yourself will give you an appreciation for how efficiently and quickly your machine does this work for you.

I don’t know if June 13^th was the date of the patent for the sewing machine but even if it wasn’t, Happy 194th Birthday, Sewing Machine.  I don’t know what I would do without you.

©2018, 2023 Cheryl Fillion