Saturday into Sunday

SATURDAY:  I had a list of things to do today and they didn't include much cleaning.  However, I got stuck into sorting out heaps of fabric and half-finished projects, and a corner of my sitting room now looks massively neater.  I should've taken a 'before' photo really, but it would've merely been a picture of a mess.

Now things are in clear plastic tubs and neat-ish piles, and I feel a whole lot better for it.  I'm convinced that if your head's in a muddle or you're stressing about the million and one things you imagine you ought to be doing, then you need to do one of the following.  Or preferably both.  

Go for a long walk.  

Clutter clear a section of your home.  By a section, that could mean a kitchen drawer, a shelf, your wardrobe, maybe an entire room.  In my case it was a bookshelf that acts as a sewing/fabric storage area.  My fabric stash is now divided up in colours.  The yellows and greens together.  Reds and browns.  Black, white and grey.  Blues.  There're separate tubs for my quilts-in-the-making.  Terry Rowland style blocks, Chris English style scrappy blocks, my 'winter' quilt of corduroy and velvety material.  There's also a tub with orphan blocks in it.  Odd little bits of stitching that I gathered together and hatched a plan to deal with.  I'm going to sew them together any old how, clashing colours and patterns, anything goes!  Then, the resulting fabric can be used for either a cushion backing or a quilt backing.  

I'm determined that 2024 is going to be the year when I get to grips with my many half-finished projects - either completing them or re-purposing them or finding another home for them.  This morning I've already bagged up a stack of large hexagons and hexagon rosettes made in the English paper piecing method.  My eyesight's not as sharp as it was, and realistically I'm not going ti make anything with these large hexs.  So it's off to the charity shop for them, and hopefully a keen sewist will see 'em and think she's got herself a bargain.  I've also got masses and masses of small EPP hexes.  Some made up into rosettes for a Granny's Flower Garden style quilt.  I might batch these up and try putting them on Etsy.  See if there's any interest.  

SUNDAY: Okay, it's late on Sunday afternoon, and I've no intention of staying up till midnight to see the New Year in.  I'm already in my PJs and I'm certainly not putting glad rags on and going out.  I thought I'd show you some pictures of what I did with the orphan blocks and odds & sods that I collected together when tidying up.  Basically, I sewed 'em together into one big piece of fabric.  

It looks mad, but I think it's fun, and it's better to use all these offcuts and scraps up in true Zero Waste style than to bin them, isn't it?  

I even used the strip of material that has these manufacturers marks, a series of numbers.  I love those two squares blocks of chunky crosses, might make more of those.  

There's a section of Slow Stitching here, with the pale blues and greys.  I'd sewn it as I just fancied stitching by hand, so it's good to find a practical use for it.  

Tonight, I'm watching an old episode of 'Strike' on the BBC iplayer, will read a little more of Wray Delaney's 'The Beauty of the Wolf' (reader review: 'hmmm, not bad but I'm reserving judgement') and drink copious amounts of tea.  Oh, and scoff the odd Bueno bar.  That's my final evening of 2023 sorted.  Hope you enjoy your New Year celebrations, whether they involve partying or pyjamas.  Have a good 'un, and let's raise a glass - or a teacup - to a new year and a fresh start.  January, here we come!