The school year is upon us and the teacher in me is feeling the urge to be productive! Now…I am what some people, who shall remain nameless…but live with me & I didn’t give birth to, may call organizationally challenged. I prefer to think of it as extreme multitasking. It’s a skill. The problem is when too many tasks are floating about not a whole lot seems to actually get done. Also…trying to be a reuser and a declutterer at the same time doesn’t often help matters. So…in an effort to be a better business woman and further my efforts to declutter and squeeze the most out use out of everything before shipping it off I have decided to tackle the beast of beasts…the sewing basket. (I use the term basket lightly…entire house would be a more accurate description of the vessel that contains my sewing projects.) My plan/your challenge comes in two parts.

Stage 1. Get those clothes that are actually salvageable back into circulation. Mend, darn, rebutton, bedazzle… whatever it is that needs to be done to make those things wearable again. (Do it before fall/winter shopping. All summer I had been nagging at my husband that he needed a new pair of shorts. Guess what little ol’ Needle found in the heap…at the end of summer of course? Brand new shorts that were missing a button.) I will also be reclaiming into the land of the living the following: 1 very cool skirt, 2 pairs of super hero PJs, 1 pair of very expensive dress pants. Do a realistic evaluation & say farewell to what can’t be saved. Move the duds into the great fabric afterlife….the rag bin.

Stage 2. Get moving on those..”I’m gonna make my own….” projects. Whether it be shopping bags, produce bags, girly pads, macrame bras, etc. Actually do it and clear out that heap of materials. Having plans for great projects is great, but when I get too many on the back burner it gets overwhelming and just becomes a Jabba like pile with no purpose but cluttering up my house and annoying He Who Shall Not be Named. Since I have a ton to do, both personal and professional, I have made myself an actual schedule…including a list of what is being used for what. One major project per weekend. This past weekend I FINALLY made a few girly pads out of an old cotton baby blanket and a wee wee pad. More information than you probably need or want coming tomorrow. Next weekend I will be focusing on my son’s lunch & snack bags. And of course…I have 101 Organic Needle bag plans.

Now…I am not one to hand out challenges. Quite frankly life is usually challenging enough without your computer telling you you got more to do. But I may just have one for you today. See that heap of clothes in the corner…the “sewing pile.” Make September your Get-Your-Crazyass-Projects-Under-Control month. In addition to sharing every stitch I make ad nausium with you, I will also be highlighting other’s really nifty so-easy-anyone-with-fingers-can-do sewing projects throughout the month to try to inspire you… and myself. Get cracking. You may just discover that old matching windbreaker suit with bedazzled flame embellishment that needed a crotch reinforcement has has come back in style full force. Just make sure your macrame bra doesn’t clash. You don’t want to be tacky!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008 at 6:57 am and is filed under projects, sewing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.