The latest organizational effort

So like I said yesterday, I made some changes to ye olde craft space recently in hopes that I can get my projects wrangled a little better and have more workspace. You can see from a previous organization effort that I have a small space, an oddly shaped loft with an inconvenient floor vent and a balcony over the stairs. It has to be both workspace and storage, and there’s no closet. I could really use a smaller ironing board. It could be prettier.

So I went to Ikea in hopes that a large collection of stuff would inspire me.  I returned with what I call the project tower. It’s actually a closet organizer with drawers, designed to hang on a closet rod. I hung it on two shelf brackets bolted together and bolted to the wall (precariously, I might add, tho’ it hasn’t fallen).

Each drawer represents a project. It’s hard to remember when I return to languishing projects after weeks away what I originally intended . So each drawer contains all the materials, tools and plans necessary for a project. I hope this way I won’t lose a notion, forget what size hook I need or what color thread I was using, or wonder what I did with the pattern. They’re also portable. The drawers can come with me to the desk for working. When I’m done for the night I pile it all back in and put it away, so the CAT can’t mess with it.

On the outside are places to hang tools and stick notebooks and current magazines. Theoretically, I can’t start a new project until one of these is empty. Theoretically.

I also got a new desk/table that I love. It’s tiny. And portable.  And bright green. And it expands.

The idea is that (1) it’s a place to work on/store my computer (this clears off my workspace), (2) I can use it for sketching and stuff, (3) it takes the load off the poor power switch at my desk and (4) at need it can be an extra workspace, particularly when I expand the top. Plus I can keep an eye on downstairs while I work. I’m there right now.

I like my new additions to my space. Very few projects won’t fit in the drawers. Those are usually the large art project, and they don’t count.  Having extra workspace is great. And it all fit into the tiny little space I have for crafting without too much fuss. You can tell I love organization, can’t you?

The CAT hasn’t been able to steal any bells and yarn lately, either.

Storage and Crafting

Ran across a piece of furniture for crafting on the Unclutterer blog today.  They didn’t know what to make of this piece of furniture.  It’s called the Original Scrapbox (warning: the site has videos.  With music.).  What do you think?

First of all, I was a bit irritated at the commenters.  If you don’t have a craft, you might not get why junk piles up, or why lots of compartments might be nice.  One person said “Having so much craft crap that you need one of these is awful.”  Yeah, doesn’t get it.  Another person said “these people with their crafts need places to put stuff” – which is understanding, but … “these people?”

So anyway, the lovely video at the site tells me this is for scrapbooking, but you can see that it would be good for any sort of craft that involves lots of small bits of things.  Sewing, for example.  I’m kind of divided on what I think.  I think the outside could use help.  I think that table is too small.  I think the size is overwhelming (though they do have a smaller version now called the minibox).   I think it’s pretty darn expensive at $1,295.

But on the other hand, I admit I struggle battle to keep my junk organized and put away.  I keep adding to my organization.  I have a lot of small bits I don’t know what to do with.  I can’t manage to keep anything safe from The Cat.  Plus I admit the problem will only grow -  I can’t throw perfectly good supplies out just because they’re cluttery.   Yet I can’t say I’m ready to put money like this toward a piece of furniture – nor am I quite willing to give up my miscellaneous organization things but …  I gotta say, the idea of having one compact, centralized, labeled place for everything that I can close up is NICE.

Tomorrow I’ll show you what I just did with my workspace, which is working out beautifully…

Loverly!

So what’s the first thing to do when you make a New Year’s Resolution? Break it!

What’s the first thing to do when you make a pattern? Do something else!

Such is the story of today’s craft project. I did swear I was going to finish at least some languishing projects before starting anything new, so in remembrance of that spirit, I’d like to present my brand-new project, completed before a single old project was even contemplated. I am very pleased with said bag, so if you don’t like it, don’t tell me!

I did, in my defense, have good reasons for moving this one up in the schedule.

#1) I wanted really needed a new purse. My old one had ripping fabric, and was not long for this world. Plus, I decided a while ago that a girl who makes purses should no longer trek to Target for a new desperation purchase when the old one wears out.

#2) This one was a gift from my cousin Chelsea. I got a $10 gift card from her for Christmas, and I went and purchased 2 scarves and a little wallet with it. They became the purse, with the addition of some conveniently matching lining fabric (same shiny blue I used to wrap my wreath) and thread from my mom’s stash, and fusible fleece and a magnet closure from my stash.

The bag was intended to be a “pocket” – you know, tiny, just enough to fit a wallet and keys. However, the fabric and notions that I came up with just didn’t speak to me that way. For help with details,  I turned to the ever-brilliant Lisa Lam of U-Handbag and borrowed some aspects of her eyeglasses case. I borrowed lining tips and the square-bottom bag. Aside from that it just … made itself. You know how I’ve said that I don’t like to am incapable of following recipes? I can’t even follow my own – not recipes, not directions, not patterns … hopeless. It just appears as I go. It’s why I can’t bake. You can’t fudge baking!

Yeah, so the inside is thick. It’s got 2 layers of fusible fleece and 3 layers of fabric for each side. Why? Because scarves are very, very thin. These are silk, so not much substance, very whispery thin fabric. The fleece is the structure. Scarf #1 is the outer fabric, my mom’s fabric is the lining, and scarf #2 is the shiny silver strap. See those clear rings? You’ll never guess – they’re the plastic rings that the scarves are tied to in the store. I liked how they looked, and that they make the strap adjustable. Use what you have!

So there are some details there. You can see (clockwise) the flap, the rings & strap, the flat corner and the lined inside with the magnetic snap on the flap. You may notice the ugly magnetic snap fastener on the flap there? Yeah, not planned. Turns out the magnet is strong has a grip like the Hulk, so it was only stable enough if I put it through all the fabric layers. So then I went through 3 hours of 4 iterations of hand-sewn decoration before settling on my piece of wrapped silver. Which actually was supposed to be a rose. C’est la vie. What’s important is that I like how it turned out.

You know what else? I can’t see. OK, I forget. You don’t know this, but I have 20/700 vision. Myopic. Near-sighted. Nearly blind. So at 28 years of age, it was extremely upsetting to me to be forced to get reading glasses when studying manuscript palaeography. First I can’t see far, now I can’t see close? 28? WTF?

First I blamed the manuscripts – after all, monks in the 9th century did have small handwriting, and that oak gall and iron ink does fade. Then I found myself with the glasses at work for those pesky “small print reports.” But this weekend I couldn’t see the thread to yank a stitch or thread a needle, even in strong light. I was forced to get a 2nd pair for home. I am resigned, but … but … *sigh* At least they’re red with rhinestones.