Ahhh...clean...

I haven't been able to touch my machine in some time. I've been traveling for work, or out of the house for meetings, or working late, or taking a little yellow fuzzy thing outside every hour or so to try to avoid clean-up duty.... Progress in many areas of my life, but not in quilting.

So last night I finally had a free night. No one home, even. Just me, two dogs, a cat, and a guinea pig--one dog, cat, and guinea pig nicely left me alone. Little yellow fuzzy dog kept trying to sleep right between my feet no matter where I was sitting or standing. Cute, heart-warming, but a little inconvenient.

All day long I dreamed of an evening spent at my machine or cutting table, finally getting to fondle fabric. At the end of my work day, I shut down my work email and closed out of the many and varied software programs I'd been skipping back and forth between, stretched, took a deep cleansing breath, and then--eyes alight with excitement--looked over at my sewing area to decide just which project I would tackle.

Hmmm. What's that stack of files and folders and binders all over the ironing board? And what are those piles of CDs and cords and a random garbage can sitting on my sewing table, crowded around my sewing machine? And my cutting table? I averted my eyes.

All of my ins-and-outs over the last several weeks, hurried switching from one bag to another more appropriate to the current meeting or trip, piling no-longer-needed files next to will-be-needed-next files, had left my sewing area looking remarkably like a compost heap. (The garbage can on the sewing table is due to afore-mentioned yellow fuzzy. Easier to put it out of his reach than keep fighting him over it.) As I assessed the situation, I saw my evening of zen-sewing slipping from my grasp.

Strangely, though, as I ended up designating my sewing time as cleaning-sewing-room time, I found myself nearly as satisfied as I would've been sewing. There's something very peaceful about a house in order. I put a stack of copied patterns from magazines in their final resting place in a 3-ring binder, I finally added a few new book purchases to my spreadsheet library tracking system, and I measured, labeled, and put away new fabric that I'd either bought or been given as gifts. Each of these steps helped me remember moments of excitement over the last few months as I'd opened a new box from the book seller, or ripped birthday wrapping paper off a gift. I flipped through magazine pages to remember which projects I imagined making for which niece or nephew, and yes, fondled a whole bunch of fabric.

And now my sewing area is ready again for the next time I find myself with an unexpected free evening, or even a free 15 minutes. Next time I'm ready for it, it'll be ready for me.

The process inspired me to get other houses in order--my work "house", for example, in which I'm suddenly once again a little overwhelmed with trying to attend to a myriad of seemingly disconnected details. I have some spreadsheet tracking systems to create. I have been given permission by my supervisor to set aside a certain amount of time each week to develop my skills in certain softwares and techniques that I want to improve, so I need to enter those times in my work calendar. In my home life, I have some closets I need to attend to so that our rush-out-of-the-house can be a little less stressful; I need to adjust some family and volunteer calendar issues so we're a little more cohesive. I have some pondering to do on some forests so I can improve the individual trees. I don't mind being busy--in fact, I usually prefer it. I just want my busy-ness to be with direction and order rather than flying all over the place with a lack of clarity about what I've actually accomplished when I'm done.

So as I took a couple of hours last night to put my sewing house in order, I'm making a promise to myself that I'll take some time this weekend and in the early part of next week to get my home and work houses in order. It would be nice to have a sense of peace again!