Today

I'd like to get to Christy's quilt today, but I'm not sure if that'll happen. Ideally, I'd like to have all 86 bright 6" squares cut this weekend so I can sew when I have time. Cutting is NOT my favourite part of quilting, and the way I'm going about this makes it very slow.

I'm in the process of establishing a space for myself in the basement. I hate the idea of working down there, but it's where there's room. It's a walkout, I have a window that looks out into the woods, almost at ground level and since all the other windows in this house are higher from the ground, it's a unique spot. Yesterday I freecycled an old sewing machine table that I rescued from the side of the road a few years ago. I don't need it, I don't use it, and it was taking up space, blocking my access to stuff I *do* need and use. I have another old table down there with an old Kenmore machine in it. I think I'll find it a new home too, either in Tori's room or in some lucky freecycler's home. I haven't decided yet. It goes against my frugal nature to get rid of things, but my Shaker tendencies tell me I don't need to have so much. Conflict.

I'm also tidying the things I do intend to keep. I have a large box that scraps and things got thrown into over the past couple of years. It's (so far) all sewing related, except for that one spider and the post-its. I take the box up here to the kitchen, sort, press, cut, toss. I spent more than an hour the other day, got 38 of my 86 squares and can almost see a dent. When I get down to the packing tape, I'll see what more I need. My suspicion is that I'll be close to the 86 squares without cutting into yardage. Kind of like found money, found fabric.

Scott brought a lovely 8 foot glass doored cabinet out of his office. Rather than trying to haul it downstairs myself (and break it, or ME), I disassembled it, carried the pieces down, and Daniel and I reassembled it. As I tidy, things get put away and I can see real progress. It's so much easier for me to work in an ordered envirnment. I knew some people feed their creativity with chaos, I am not one of them. My artist is more of a Piet Mondrian than a Jackson Pollack.

Tomorrow I'm going to try to wake early enough for a cup of coffee and some inspirational webgazing before the kids get up. I think I'll start here.