I really dislike mess but, because I am a person with so many interests, my clutter tends to accumulate. Especially the sewing clutter. Yet, having an untidy sewing room is a deterrent to my sewing. I haven't admitted that before, but I know it to be true.
On the left is my Bernina 950, which is set into its own table. I bought this machine about ten years ago after attending a sewing show in Toronto. At first, I was intimidated by it, especially because it has a loud motor. But once I put away my other machine and was forced to use this one only, I grew to love it. The stitch quality is superb and I would find it very difficult to sacrifice the quality of an industrial stitch for a home machine now.
I have it positioned at right angles to the east-facing window. This machine will always be in this location as it is best for the light and because I also like to look out the window into the back garden, which in summer is quite pretty.
So my resolution is to de-clutter my sewing space. Since the kids have all moved out, there is plenty of room in the attic bedrooms now to put all the boxes of fabric, etc. rather than have them strewn around my sewing room. So when I return from Texas later this month, that is on the agenda.
This is what is immediately behind me as I sew on the Bernina. My Kenmore 3/4 thread serger and a small bookcase with the sewing books that I refer to most. Plus a CD player and my favourite music. I nearly always play music when sewing and at the moment, I am on a Nancy Griffith kick. I love music with words, actually poetry set to words is what I listen to most.
Rather than clean and sort stuff, which is what I always try to do, and which is why I quit - instead, I will simply remove the stuff that I am not currently working on and put it out of sight in the upstairs bedroom. And have around me only the projects that are on the current agenda. Which would be the 12 jackets written about in the previous post. I can hardly wait to get started on this de-cluttering. But it will have to wait until Jan 20, since I fly out tomorrow very early to spend two weeks with my daughter who is having a baby girl this week.
This is the ironing board, a wardrobe filled with clothes that I have made and are out-of-season. I have to admit there are a number of items in there that I haven't even worn. They will be culled when I do the clean-out later this month. On the far wall, is a Janome quilting machine that I bought at a sewing show a few years ago. I haven't used it much, as I just really feel at one with my Bernina, but the Janome does have nice button holes and also some built-in embroidery stitches that are pretty. And I use it for twin needle work, as the Bernina requires an attachment that I don't have to use two needles.
This is the remaining wall, where I have a shelving unit filled with various lengths of fabric, baskets of patterns and projects cut out, plus on the right is a four-drawer filing cabinet that is jam-packed with patterns. This pattern collection will be sorted and many will be discarded, as I must admit that some of these I will never attempt to sew. And many I am sure, I will rediscover and wonder why I put them away without getting them sewn up. One of my great faults is having too many ideas in mind, always jumping to the next project, and not finishing what I start. This does lead to frustration and gives one a sense of failure. I read that it is best to always finish a project, even if it is not working out, and give it away. There is something deadening about not finishing what one starts.
As seen in the photos above, this room needs some work. I can picture some nice plants by the window as well. This room used to be our kitchen when the house was divided into two flats, my mother living in the lower one and five of us living in the top two floors. We have always managed with small spaces, until we moved to this house and my mother died, at which point we took over the whole house and my controlled clutter kind of exploded. Time to prune away the unnecessary stuff that fills not only the physical space, but my mental space as well.
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