Light at the End of the Tunnel

This probably won't be big news to anyone but me, but I have been on a SERIOUS cleaning frenzy in my studio! I have long been a proponent of the theory that one should clean every 5-7 years as if one was going to move...notice I said THEORY...hmmm....sometimes theories don't always pan out in reality. I don't know, maybe I've been watching too many episodes of Clean House, but it was way, WAY past the point that even a professional procrastinator such as myself couldn't put it off any longer. It's both a sweet trip down memory lane to uncover treasures of yesteryear and a harsh slap of reality to wonder "what the heck did I keep this for?!?" And if dust was currency, I'd be RICH! Geez. It feels really good to clear out the unnecessary, and I'm even doing it in a way that doesn't feed my landfill guilt. So far I've made 2 trips to the recycling center with a van load of 'unnecessaries' and I only have about enough for 1 trip to the landfill. As long as I can balance the ratio I'm happy. I'm also either going to have a yard sale or a major haul to Goodwill.

The best part is that once this is completed I feel like I will have breathing room for fresh ideas to bloom. I can't wait to get back to creating - only from this point on I hope NOT to create such an insurmountable mess! Hmmm...I wonder what room I'll hit next.....

Retreat!

How much fun it is to go away with Bernie! Um, no Bernie is not my husband...Bernie is my Bernina sewing machine, whom I love as much, but in a different way. OK, well, maybe not quite as much, but love it I do, and off we've been on a wonderful quilting retreat in the beautiful mountians of NC. Normally my quilting time is spent on art quilts, but I also enjoy "traditional" quilting and that's what I worked on during this weekend away. The gift quilt mentioned earlier is now a top...backing is about 1/3 done, quilting to follow shortly...I have until June 1 to get it done.

I made several more blocks for the Christmas quilt I've been working on. I started this project on my last retreat. Not sure yet which Christmas it will be completed, as it requires 36 blocks and I'm only up to 15, but hey, it's still progress!

I also caught up on my 'block of the month' , which for me is 'blocks of the months'...I'm doing two different sets and I had slipped a bit behind schedule. Now I'm back on track and I can go to this month's meeting without feeling like I have to sit on the back row...wait a minute, that's where I sit anyway...

It was so much fun to be with such a large group of women who share the same passion for quilting. There were lots of stunning projects being worked on, not the least of which was LP's "Southern Album" top that she completed. And LS's "Seminole Snakes"...wow!

As they say, a good time was had by all...