My Piling System...

Brynwood Needleworks - Fabric Studio Chaos

 

I'm still sorting...and cleaning...and I'm tired. I took Sunday off and just rested. There's a whole lot more in this room than I'm sharing in this single image. You can see I still have organizing to do here, and the closet in this room is where I discovered the fabric that I thought was gone. I'm sure more treasures will surface as I continue working in here.

 

Brynwood Needleworks - Sewing Studio Chaos

 

While I'm cleaning out this room, I'm still shipping orders and doing my computer work. I need to keep a little free space to be able to do that. I vacillate between keeping and tearing out those cupboards. This room was an upstairs kitchen at one time, and the cupboards are the remains of that function. 

 

I look at the storage they provide, or wonder whether or not the beautiful maple floors go all the way to the wall if I take them away, and decide I'd better keep them where they are (at least for now). Then, I decide I'd better focus on my tasks, or this is going to take a lot longer.

 

Brynwood Needleworks - Orderly Thread

 

I have sorted my threads by manufacturer and color into the DMC cabinets I used to have in my shop. Valdani™in the first four, then DMC™ 8 in the next four, DMC™ 12 and 5 in a single drawer, Sulky™ 12 spools, and the bottom two drawers hold more machine embroidery threads. Aren't they pretty?

 

Brynwood Needleworks - Floss Cabinet

I also cleaned up my antique spool cabinet, adding my Anchor™ pearl cotton balls to the DMC™ and Anchor™ floss, and a few other specialty threads. Small accomplishments, with more to do.

I have quite a few bolts of fabric pulled now to donate, or photograph and list. I need to clean my counters off first. In the meantime, I'm taking the chance to show you that I'm just like you. Sometimes my workspace looks like a bomb went off. It's not always "Better Homes and Gardens" or "Where Women Create". Sometimes, it's just an embarrassing, chaotic mess of creative supplies.

It's okay. I'll get this back under control again. It won't take much longer. Another day or so and we'll be good to go. I should be able to start listing up fabric by the end of the week. 

I'm glad I have Tag to take up a little slack for me tomorrow. I hope he has something polite planned for tomorrow (for a change). We'll have to see. In the meantime, I'm going to have a cuppa coffee and get back to my sorting. I'll see you again on Wednesday.

Sharing My Biscornu Progress...

You knew my first attempt at making a biscornu was going to involve acorns, didn't you? Of course, you did!

I chose five DMC cotton floss colors and just started stitching on 28 ct. antique white linen. This is my own design, but I haven't even put it to paper yet. I just started stranding floss and making x's. (I usually draw it out on graph paper first, but decided to just jump right in on this one.)

I like the way it looks lying flat like this. The design is 34 stitches square. I think next time, I'll make the sides an uneven number (33 or 35). I read in one of the tutorials that it might be easier to sew the two sides together if the number of stitches is uneven. We'll see. I promise to let you know how it goes stitching an even number of stitches together into the wonderfully wonky biscornu shape.

I'm happy with the design, and have already stitched the border for the back piece. I'll be putting it together today and then I'll take more pictures to share with you. Wish me luck!

Thank you to everyone who left a comment on this project idea. I'm having more fun doing small projects this summer - not my usual fare, to be sure - and I'm so glad that some of you have either made these before, or are willing to give 'em a shot. If you do, please send me photos. I'd love to share them here for everyone else to see.