Fourth Friday

Here in this area, every fourth Friday, there is an arts showcase.  This month we started the evening with a Mexican dinner, although the music that was supposed to be showcased at that restaurant had cancelled.  It was a good meal with way too much food. 
As we crossed the street to go back to the car, I noticed an art store, and because I had seen a new (to me) technique.  I picked up some gel medium to play with, as well as a few new pens in a brand I had never seen before.  I also picked up this fun pack of "Color Your Own Monet".  The paintings are intense, but it is going to be a good challenge for me.  I picked up my twistable crayons this afternoon after working in the basement, but I found that the tips are just too wide to get an detail from them.  I got the sky background on one page done, but I think that I'll switch to color pencils for most of the work. 
Continuing on our art trek, we stopped for some Jazz, went up a few blocks to watch a Henna artist and painted glass work, and finally down the street to see a photograph display.  We missed a couple of things, but we hit most of the things that we were most interested in.

So again, most of my art day was spent setting up my art space and unpacking a few more things, but soon I'll be done with that and I'll have all the boxes empty and in place.  Every Sunday as Art Day, it won't take much longer. 
I worked today until I was too tired to do any more, and then did a few boxes that are still on the first floor.  After the nice weather yesterday, I thought that maybe I should get my summer clothes out and put away. 

Back To Work

The day finally has arrived.  You can walk into the sewing room and turn around without tripping on a box or bin.  Fabric is back in the hanging bins in the closet.  The lost fabric has been found.  Books are on the shelves, gadgets are in baskets, plans are made and the calendar and to-do lists are up, so the day finally is here....
I actually got to sew today.  It feels so good to have the sewing room all set up an functioning.  I completed a repair, finished a pair of sleep pants for the gift basket, and started putting together a wall hanging that I had started last fall.
I've gotten a few projects finished.  The wonderful wooly dragon sweater is on the blocking board, I sewed together a sweater that we found in a box, that my mother had made for Rebecca when she was little. It maybe just might fit Ruby in the fall.
And I finished my shawl, that I had started in September, on a whim, just needing a quick crochet project. It was quick too, if you don't count all the time it sat waiting for my attention. :-)
The finishing feels really good and I'm hoping to keep the momentum going and get more and more things crossed off.  When your "want to do" list is over 100 projects, something needs to change.  I certainly have enough to work on, and the time to do the work.  I'll the work that I did at the beginning of the year is paying off, every project is kitted with it's parts and each months goals are all in one bin.  All I have to do is set the bin up in some kind of order and get to work. 
I'm trying to weave some old UFO's in with the things that I'd like to start for this month, which seems to be working in all areas except the hand work.  I've gotten so slow, but I do have three sweaters almost done.  Too many things get started at once. 
I have to wonder if there will ever be a day that I have only a handful of things started.  That would actually be surprising, but a huge goal for me.  Maybe by this time next year, when I open a bin, that will be all that I have started instead of all these past UFO's that clog my mind and work space.
I did find a quilters group already.  And I know there is a knitters group that meets in a town not far from here.  I'll find a book club soon, or I'll start one. 
Lots of changes on the horizon.  I hope they are all good ones.

Finally Unpacking

I'm setting up my new sewing room, and because this room is smaller than my last one, I'll have to separate sewing from art just to make room.  Even that isn't really working, but I hope to be able to make good use of the space I do have. 

I put two of my machines in the front windows.   The light is beautiful in the morning and it will encourage me to work. 

I unpacked my bedroom and some of the kitchen before I started on the sewing room and the dividing, and so I am really just now getting to the sorting.  My pattern bins on the closet shelf, it will work quite well.  I've already found two of my projects that I want to do first, and as soon as I get a little energy back, I'll move on to more sorting and making sure that only sewing and yarn are in the sewing room, save for my blanket chest, which seems to not have another space right now. 

I was able to find my knitting baskets and get back to work on a couple of those projects.  It will be good to be setting my new schedule and getting things done. 

I think the smartest thing that I did in my packing was to sort projects into monthly bins.  They take up quite a bit of space right now, but in the long run it will be wonderful to have everything I want to do in a bin, ready to go.

I still have some January projects and so I guess that needs to be first on the list after the customer items that I have waiting for me. 

Only about 40 boxes to go.  I'm doing great!