I hate the way I live my life. I’m a slob! If any of you think I have things together, you’re so wrong. I spend half of each day looking for something. It was so nice when we first moved in because things got put away but now, shelves, cabinets, everything is at capacity and there’s no more room for STUFF!
Yesterday I spent hours looking for fabric that has wine bottles on it. I have a cute little table runner I want to make and I want that fabric for the border. I bought yards of it because I was going to use it for a backing. I had planned to make Vince a quilt when we left Owensboro. I was going to put the wine bottle fabric on one side (because he worked for a wine company there) and flames on the front because . . well, we were leaving what he considered to be hell on earth. Just so none of my Owensboro buddies get upset, I didn’t think it was such a bad place to live.
Never did find the fabric. I knew exactly where it was in the house in Owensboro.
Today, I’ve spent 2 hours looking for Peaky. I found Spike . . but no Peaky. I cleaned the top of my cutting table, I cleaned under my cutting table. I went through all my rulers. Someone tell me why I have three Omnigrid #98 triangle rulers and I’ve never used one of them. Good grief . . they’re just a square cut in half. Do I really need a ruler to do that?
If you’re not familiar with Peaky and Spike, these were the nicknames given to the Tri-Recs rulers by the late and great Doreen Speckman. I love these rulers. There’s a great lesson on using them on Fons & Porter’s site.
I’ve resorted to putting UFO’s in plastic boxes, along with all their fabric so I don’t end up using the fabric for something else before I get back to the UFO . . which we all know will never happen! Anyway, I went through the last few UFO’s that I’d worked with Peaky’s assistance and there he was! I was just
fixing to call Erica, the quilt shop lady, and ask her to meet me at the quilt shop so I could get another one and then I remembered she’d gone to visit her sister this long weekend.
And why am I so determined to find Peaky? I want to start a new project instead of finishing what I should be working on.
So, I keep thinking . . a quilting house. That would solve my problem. It will not. It just gives me more room to spread my clutter. I’m hopeless. I hate looking for stuff. But, I do wonder where that fabric with wine bottles is hiding.
{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
Try the fridge! I always lose my stuff at the place where I started a new thought. Often it’s food! Ha! I hope you do find it soon. Know how that is when you get a wild hare to do something new.
(would you like some cheese with that WHINE?) *vbg*
My best place to look is EXACTLY where it was to belong in the first place. I get jaded by some blindness believing that I never put anything away, and can’t see the forest for the trees. 9 out of 10 times, it’s right there where it belonged. I’m so stubborned that I just KNOW it’s not there and refuse to look a second time. Even knowing all this about myself, I think I must amuse myself-either that or I enjoy the challenge, lol.
I have only one thing to say…
I can relate, I’m my own worst enemy!
Hi Judy,
Boy can I relate- I watched a show about Georgia O’Keefe today and I know that I have a large art book of her work- I just wanted to have a browse through her book~! Do you think I can find the thing- I pulled out a corner by the bookshelf and now I have come to the basement and still no luck. Its not like its as little book- it comes in its own dust cover and everything… VBS I am not sure if it makes you crazy but I know that things like that make me crazy until I find what I am looking for- However, I am about to give up so we shall see if I manage to actually do it. A quilt back is beckoning – Happy hunting- I hope you find your ruler…
Regards from a Western Canadian Quilter,
Anna
I just discovered the Tri-Recs when I made that brown quilt for the quilt shop, and I love them!
I lose everything, so I have absolutely no advice to give you. I put something down and 30 seconds later I can’t find it. It’s awful! LOL
I know why I had / have to do stashbusting – need I say more ?
We keep a running list at our house of missing items. Most do eventually turn up, but we’re still looking for “Bleak House” by Charles Dickens, a cheese grater, a pair of sunglasses, a potato peeler, and other random items.
Good luck!
My own theory on ‘loosing’ things — I think we actually DON’T put them away because we all love the THRILL of finding them! How’s that for a theory. Personally, I LOVE some of those surprises!
An almost-artist-relative explained that the reason I piled my clothing up in a corner, and didn’t put them away, was because I appreciated the way the colors looked next to each other, the look of the folds, the lines. Etc.
Love it! You may use that story!
If I had all the time back that I wasted looking for stuff I’d have tons of time to quilt. You are not alone…hope you find comfort in that
Have you tried http://www.flylady.net
It will seem a little overhwelming, but I’ve gotten a LOT less disorganized since I’ve been following her “system”. You are not behind, you can do anything for 15 minutes, housework evn done incorrectly, still blesses your family. And my friend always says if you lose something, the Bible says ‘clean until you find it” like the lady looking for the lost coin.
I love my Peaky and Spike rulers, so I can understand why you’d want to find them. With those little corner bits trimmed you can’t go wrong with them.
Clutter takes time to clean up, and most of us would much rather be stitching than tidying!
*hugs*
Tazzie
LOL ok, i confess–i cannot talk and do something else that involves the brain at the same time. I used to be able to juggle three or four different activities simultaneously, but not now. This “getting old” thing does have it’s disadvantages. *wink*wink*
ps. i don’t have a tri-recs tool yet, so now i can go out and buy something else to loose!
I have *lost* lots of things with this latest move. I’m sure they’re somewhere – most likely the walk in closet I can’t hardly walk into. I hate taking a break from quilting to clean and straighten up.
I never did find my small longarm ruler so I bought another one when I was at MQS but are lots of other things I haven’t replaced yet. I also have Peaky and Spike somwhere but haven’t even used them yet.
I’m sorry I laughed as I read your post…sounds just too much like me!
Maybe when you get your quilting house you can have the space to organize? What a dream that would be!
So, Judy, which border did you decide on? My choice, late as it is, would be the multi-color border. Clutter is my pet peeve as well, but I’ve come to terms with it in the last few months. You do what you can do, when you can do it! My new motto..lol
And didn’t I begin my day looking for a pattern………. I had to call a friend and ask for the pattern name again so that I can order yet another one……….
One Day I Will be Organized………
or maybe not……..
Judy, I guess I have to chime in with a “me too,” I’m very disorganized and it zaps energy right out of me!
Try looking for something else and the fabric will show up!
Why, I just went out and bought 4 new boxes for UFO’s and a smaller one with moveable dividers for buttons (instead of the 4 i”m currently using). Go figure!
Marne
Hmm, you had asked:
Someone tell me why I have three Omnigrid #98 triangle rulers and I’ve never used one of them. Good grief . . they’re just a square cut in half. Do I really need a ruler to do that?
It’s for making quarter square triangles – I was looking up mine when I started making step 5 of Bonnie’s mystery. It makes wonderfully accurate hourglass blocks!
Those numbers in yellow going down the middle are the finished size (not including seam allowances) of the hourglass block.
I found this post when I was googling omnigrid #98 – so nice to find a friend when googling!