Slow-poking it to the finish line

…or, time to take inventory, and make adjustments.

Life is telling me to take a good look at my surroundings. I'm a bit overwhelmed, and I know that a clean-out and reorganization are needed. Let’s call it what it is—a reality check.

And I am exhausted. Sleep has been eluding me lately, and I have no clue as to why. I am in uncharted territory here because neither of my parents made it to my age, and I don’t have any older female family members left to ask. Three funerals last week also tell me that life is short and if I want to whittle down my stash and finish projects, I need to seize the day. 

I have my label maker at the ready. Extra label tapes and batteries are also on hand.

Fabrics will get unfolded and refolded and restacked.

And I recognize that the best practice is one project at a time.  

Can you tell I haven’t sewn in more than two weeks? Hubs said, “More like a month.”

The 2026 Plan of Attack will be edited. I am reviewing what I would prefer to finish besides this year's unplanned projects. The five (!) unplanned projects are two WIPs (one with a class last week and a second class in three weeks and major homework), two flimsies awaiting quilting, and a NESTY. One planned project is the Pumpkin Pie quilt, also ready for quilting. It’s the end of August third week in September, we’re expecting Kelsey and her clan in October, then there’s Thanksgiving and Christmas. A quick trip to Texas is almost guaranteed. All of that is good, and it's really great if I finish all of the aforementioned projects. 

Vicki came over one day to inspect some of The Bins before they move to their new location. She was going to help me find the Yellow Brick Road blocks (haha, roadblocks) that were MIA and on this year's Plan of Attack, but I located them as I was taking down The Bins to begin the clean-out—Project Bin 23 to be exact. But at this point I think that quilt will be moved to next year. 

I am focused on the changes for the studio organization and beyond ready to be able to sit down and plow through. It’s going slower than I had anticipated. Going through several of The Bins with Vicki reminded me that I wanted to finish most of those projects. Vicki went home with some orange fabric and Halloween scraps left over from a couple of Halloween bags I made several years ago. I don’t think I posted that make on the blog, so if it comes down from the attic this year, I’ll try to remember to post it. 

And reviewing those UFOs made me smile and brightened my day. I was surprised to see how far along a lot of them were. Maybe next year will be just a finishing year, but it’s too soon to commit to that lofty goal. We’ll see how I feel about it at the end of this year. 

Vicki also suggested that I hibernate for six months and tell everyone I’m too busy to attend to their needs. What a luxury that would be! Katrina called me that afternoon and when I told her what Vicki had suggested she asked, “How about a hotel room for a long weekend?” I said, “How about an AirB&B with a cabana boy for a week?” But I can’t realistically do that without throwing down some major bucks, and I don’t want to do that either. 

The sewing table Hubs built for me is now in its new home and I am slowly getting the room set up. Hubs is also finishing up some mods to the table that I hope he finishes this week because I am itching to get stitching. I am loving the space. The photos don’t really tell much but I’ll post the finished spaces after completion: 

The new sewing table

A wider view of the new sewing room

The former sewing room is now the fabric cave and cutting room.
The table will be adjusted to allow room to walk around a bit.

So stay tuned—maybe a mini-retreat will be happening. We’ll see. Carry on, and go make!