Housework is hazardous; not doing it again

All clean, lots of room now

In the midst of cleaning out my closet, I smelled a funny smell. I wasn’t sure what it was. I know that at times, one or more of my cats sneaks into the closet at night. They know how to open the wooden bi-fold doors. In fact, they are pretty darned good at it. I wondered if perhaps they had forsaken their litter box. But thankfully, I knew this was not a cat-related smell. With six cats: four inside, one inside-outside, and one outside, I know ‘that’ smell. This wasn’t it.

I decided to clean out my closet because I have just plain run out of room. I keep seeing signs that now is the time. I’ve taken notice of various emails from well-meaning organizers and self-help gurus. I’ve seen ads on Facebook about cleaning up and cleaning out. And it dawned on me that I washed my clothes last week but have kept running into the laundry room for clean clothes. I just never put them away. There was no good place to put them due to the frustration of reaching for a blouse hanging in the closet only to take it out and find it needs to be ironed because it was crammed in so tightly with everything else.

Then, a friend of mine decided to clean out her closet. She had been sick and lost some weight. She is no longer my size, but she used to be. So, when she offered to give me some of her clothes, I was happy. I am not a clothes hound and rarely buy anything new, so this would be great. When I got home though, I wondered where I would put them.

All signs pointed to the need to go through my clothes and get rid of the things I no longer wore. I still had clothes dating back 20 years when I worked for a living. I was a journalist and had to have a decent wardrobe. I had always reasoned that they were just too good to throw out.

As I started going through my closet, I tried to think of the coming winter and what would keep me warm on those cold, winter evenings. I thought about the few things that I’d bought in the last several years. Those were all keepers. Then I looked through the rest. I tried to not think about the memories or the circumstances of when I bought them or who may have given them to me. The pile on the floor continued to grow. The closet still wasn’t very roomy, so I did it again, with a little less regard for the past. I was thinking only of the present and perhaps the future.

Another thing I did was dump those wire coat hangers. Oh, I’ll keep them in the garage because they often come in handy for things other than holding clothes, but they no longer have a home in my closet. This is a real plus because I’ve always thought them to be completely annoying as they bent into the oddest configurations and seemingly wound themselves around one another into a tangled metal sculpture. Who needs that?

All the while I was doing this, I this odd smell persisted. I poked my nose into the depths and it seemed stronger in the corners. But I could see nothing. Then I looked up. There was a pillow form I was saving for a project sitting next to the light bulb. It was smoking! I grabbed it and ran it under the faucet.

I almost made fast work of cleaning out the closet, by burning it down. Thank goodness I caught it in time. I know I’m not in the mood to evacuate a disabled husband, four inside and one inside-outside cats, my computer, and whatever important papers I might grab.

So much for cleaning house. It is dangerous. I’m not doing it!

Clearing out and cleaning up

I'm going to get a new bathtub

For the past several years, I have wanted to have a bathtub installed in the master bath. It is plain to see in this photo, at left highlighting the tile I had recently installed, that the shower is very small and rather utilitarian. 

I wanted more, so it is time for a change.

For years I have been saving for this project. I have devoted hours contemplating every possible option, including gutting the room and starting with a blank floor plan. While that would have been the simplest solution, it would also have been the most expensive, making it just not practical.

So, I opted for the easiest option, knocking out the wall behind the toilet and turning the toilet 90º to the other wall. That would open up the room for a standard size, of course jetted, tub, the only item on my current bucket list.

This would not be easy for me, since behind that wall is a bedroom closet, a

secondary space where I keep quilting supplies and other artsy goodies like buttons, batting, lace, ribbons and other sewing needs. The picture at right is deceiving because it doesn’t show the entire closet. There is a lot more crammed into the space.

Fortunately, there is another bedroom closet, so this one is not exactly vital, except when I try to figure what to do with what is there.

This past week, I set out to clear out the closet, and at this writing, it is empty. Thing is, I have filled my house with piles of stuff that seemingly has no place to go. My solution, clean out all the other closets and get organized.

Getting organized is a project in itself, But it is one that is rather satisfying when completed. At least I can attest to that once it is finally completed. I admit I am well on my way. So, I spent the week cleaning out three closets at a time, the bedroom closet, the hall linen closet, the main bathroom linen closet, and even the laundry room, just for good measure. The bathtub will be installed in two days; the closet is now empty, the hall linen closet has now been deemed the artsy room, and the bathroom linen closet now contains all the towels, sheets, and other such items, with room to spare.

The older I get, the more I realize the adage that everything has its place and everything must be in its place. Unfortunately, I’m not quite there yet, but it is coming along. The garage sale items are piling up and there may be one or two extra trash bags, but I’m on my way.

Before long, I’ll be able to ponder solutions to all current and future problems while I soak in the hot, swirling water, as I take in the aroma of scented candles and sip some wine. I’m just sure this will make my brain more efficient, my body more relaxed, and my temperament greatly enhanced. For now, it’s bBack to work!

Happy New Year; happy quilting!

It is only Jan. 8th.

My apologies. for starting my first blog of the new year a full eight days into it.

The truth is I've been busy following my primal instincts to organize. My body clock is somewhat confused. It can't discern whether it wants to warm the nest for a long winter or start cleaning for the coming of spring. Darned climate change has me so confused. I'm working entirely too hard on this nest! Being the consummate optimist though, I see this as a positive. I love being organized, although most people who know me think my chaotic surroundings are simply messy. To me though, my messes are methodical.

Anyway, I've been trying to get my quilting life in order. Order is the key word in our tiny retirement mansion that consists of only two bedrooms. We previously lived in a huge two-story house. There I had a sewing room on the second floor. The problem is, I had just begun sewing. When we left there I was working on only my second quilt. Now that I am really into quilting; I need lots more room and I just plain don't have it. No problem though. A little organization can do wonders. It is something I have been working on over the last couple months as I continue to collect a fabric stash and get more involved in quilting projects.

My quilting areas can be broken down into three main areas. The first is the most important.

It is where I can get creative--where I sew. I just converted what was supposed to be a breakfast nook just off the kitchen into a mini sewing room. It is a perfect out-of-the way place, with natural sunlight streaming through the window and in close proximity to the ever-hungry felines in our house.


The 'bar' is divided into three sections.

The first is a cutting area. This is where I keep all my rulers.

TIP: I keep my rulers handy and accessible by using two plate holders--you know those little plastic hinged pieces that fold up when not in use. They are expandable, so they are perfect for the many different sizes and types of rulers needed. I have one ruler that is about 24" long--way too long for one holder--but not too long for two of them side-by-side.

There isn't much that can be said about the middle space. It is my sewing area and contains my sewing machine. I have a Jenome that I bought at Sears many years ago. It was probably the cheapest machine they made, but it is a little work horse. I keep it on a cutting mat for last minute trimming.

It is very convenient to keep my pressing area close to where I sew. My husband made a little ironing board out of plywood on feet that I covered with fabric and batting. It is perfect for pressing those perfect 1/4" seams.

The other parts of my sewing life would not be complete without storage areas. I keep all my fabric in shallow bins that store under my bed. I sort it all by color. I generally buy 1/2-to 1-yard pieces of many different fabrics rather than large yardage of a few. I love the variety. I love the colors and feel of the fabric. I love just having it; looking at it. I'm the same way about yarn, although that has taken a backseat to quilting of late. I have been crocheting and knitting since I was a youngster, but quilting is still fairly new to me. I have so much to learn.

I also have a bedroom closet converted into a sewing storage space. This is where fabric goes before it gets sorted. I consider sorting fabric into bins rather like filing paperwork. I don't do that often either. I just happened to have taken these pictures after sorting. Otherwise there are stacks and stacks of fabric in there.

This closet has lots of goodies in it--knitting needles, crochet hooks, sewing and embroidery thread, rolls of eyelet lace, ribbon, quilting magazines, batting for the next several quilts, and all kinds of stuff. Those tubs are filled with fabric scraps. The cedar chest on the bottom left, contains my husband's grandmother's tatting shuttle, which I've yet to learn how to use. One of these days, if and when time permits.