Fall Cleaning Frenzy

It’s Wednesday and time to check into the sewing room to see what’s cooking!

On the table is Emergence finally getting her official storage sleeve. After finishing her I shoved this quilt into the top of the closet and piled other properly stored quilts on top. When I pulled everything out for my local lecture a few weeks ago, she came tumbling down on my head, reminding me that no matter how far back in the closet I shove her, she’s still there waiting to get me!

Lately I realized that my feeling towards Emergence and Hot Cast are changing. After finishing these quilts, I wasn’t happy with them, very disappointed in fact.

Now after several months of working on accepting my imperfections and loving my creations for what they are and the process of making them, I can see these quilts in a different way. They’re a testament to who I was when I made them, and whatever mistakes I was so angry and upset about when they were finished just don’t seem to matter as much now.

So it’s time I start taking these quilts seriously and treating them with love and respect, and that starts with an official storage sleeve! I blogged about this last year right here so you can make them too. 

Basically it’s a pool noodle covered in paper and fabric, then the quilt is rolled on, then a sleeve is cut and sewn to fit the quilt very snug so it stays in a nice round shape. Once in the sleeve, you can store the quilt laying flat, hanging up vertically by the end of the sleeve, or propped upright in the corner of a closet.

I store multiple large and small quilts rolled and stored horizontally in the top shelf of my closet

Also on my agenda today is cleaning. Serious CLEANING. I have had it with my clutter. I’ve had it with all this STUFF! The trash bags are coming out today and I plan to hit the recycling center at least once in my quest to clear and clean.

Most of this “stuff” isn’t quilting related. It’s old shoes, James’s toys, stored food that’s gone bad, furniture that we no longer want but is still here taking up valuable space in our house.

I pulled everything out of my baking cabinet and found half the food had expired. UGGH!

So often I feel claustrophobic in my house because I’m so overwhelmed by so much clutter all around. It’s exhausting to look at, and I find when we leave the house for a few days and stay in Asheville or Charlotte, I feel like a weight is lifted because I don’t have to SEE all this junk.

Yesterday I began reading the book “The Courage to be Rich: Creating a life of Material and Spiritual Abundance” by Suze Orman. I’ve already been working on issues with shame and guilt, so when this book jumped out at me at the book store I realized it was in line with what I’m already working on.

Right on target, in the very beginning of the book Susie targets clutter as a major source of stress, guilt, and anger. Clutter is basically wasted money – stuff we bought but for whatever reason we don’t want or need it now.

I’ve kept things for years always with the mantra – I’ll get to that some day! I spent money on it! I have to keep it forever!

No more. I’m going to forgive myself for making a bad purchase, release the guilt of spending the money, donate what I can, and throw away the rest that is making me crazy. It’s largely a huge relief just to walk into a room and see clear, clean surfaces, and know that a quilt isn’t going to fall on my head if I open the closet door!

So I’m off to find more trash bags and continue going room to room. This might take awhile, but I know I will feel much better when it’s over.

Let’s go clean!

Leah