I have declared independence from clutter!

I have not been getting much needlework done lately and I blamed it on the clutter. We got home from vacation to a mostly clean house, except for my sewing room and big cutting table. Both were disaster areas, heaped high in an ugly configuration of old junk and new shop hop purchases. I'm sure my beloved cleaning lady (Mrs. "G.") had trained herself to not look at these two train wrecks. "How can I possibly work in this mess?" and "No wonder I'm not getting anything accomplished!" I told myself. This cutting table was a particular mess. There was so much stuff on it that I was afraid I might damage something by accident while rotary cutting.

I should have taken "before" pictures, but it was too shameful. Instead of getting some real quilting or design work done this weekend, I decided to put my OCD to good use and actually tidy these areas. A foreign concept for me, I know, but I wasn't able to work through my needlework block any other way, so why not? The end result is not nearly as impressive as if you could see the way it used to be, but it was just too embarrassing. I don't know what's up with the wire mayhem below the computer; I've never even noticed that mess before. The angle must be bad (or good, depending on how you view it) to see snarl.

The bed is now officially cleaned off. Gramma Ann made this quilt in the 1980's. It's not nearly as bright as it looks in this picture. I was messing with the saturation levels and, well, I failed. The above picture captures the colors of the quilt much better. But never mind all that. Notice how there is not one single thing atop the bed besides the quilt. You could actually sleep here! And I'm not even expecting company. This is a first. I'm afraid this is my primary dumping ground for all things hobbyish and they tend to take root right here among the maple leaves.
I didn't organize this closet this weekend. It's clutter had been throttled by a previous bout of OCD (BTW, that stands for "obsessive-compulsive disorder". I try to channel anxious thoughts such as "Is the stove really off?" and "Was that noise our foundation cracking?" into sublime Container Store fantasies. What can I say? I find see-through boxes very soothing.) Anyway, this has been the Trish Suhr Memorial Closet for quite some time now. This weekend I merely added a few of the larger boxes to house the shop-hop treasures, and the three smallest boxes, which are perfect for storing siggies and Dear Jane blocks. The best part is that if company were to come (and my Mom is engaged to be married after all, perhaps they'll come visit on an post-nuptual tour) the hangers can be easily shoved to either side, leaving plenty of room for her clothes.
These little darlings need a thorough re-org, but that's trouble for another day. When you find yourself sorting the pins in the pincushion by pinhead color, it's time to stop. I made another trip to the Container Store (I really need to buy stock in that place) for two more large boxes to store the unwashed fabric you see stashed by the Laurel Burch bag. We can't have that stuff just laying around or it will levitate to the maple leaf quilt and take root there!