I used to be the queen of list making. Put my hand in any pocket of any dress, skirt or coat and I could most likely pull out a list. Sometimes it was groceries to buy, but often book titles, fitness ideas, phrases or words I liked, too. Having goals, especially deliberate, defined ones is a great thing and I'm never short on ideas of what I want to do, explore, achieve, etc. Here is a list of what I'm thinking right now this minute...
1. look into isometrics- can I really tighten my stomach muscles by breathing in and holding it???
2. stop being concerned with stitching output/finishes or the lack thereof - don't let WIP's be a source of sadness not gladness. Accept you are a process stitcher!
3. write down more memories of both grandmothers
4. feel less panic stricken about what might (or indeed, might not) be in the future;
5. re #4, stop trying to predict the future, you have never had that capability and time is running out for you to acquire it
6. try to keep up with friends/acquaintances...at this rate, in very short order, outside of the tiny family, nobody will even know your name.
The wording of that last one was influenced by what we are still watching to end our night's tv viewing these days. But you know we can still laugh at the Coach's lines.
What was on my garden to do list was transplant the Coleus which had quickly outgrown its' planter. Got that done. It is getting ginormous and if only I could give all you gardeners a slip of it to grow your own. I think it is the composted soil that is helping this along but it also loves heat.
Should I or shouldn't I ...show you this photo below I wonder...
Diann at Little Penguin Quilts recently shared a view of her very neat and tidy sewing room. That day I couldn't resist taking a photo of mine to share. Some of you might want to look away...just looking at this might give some of you the heebie- jeebies. Am I right? I'm sharing this so you can feel so good about how you tend your own space...you're welcome, :)
And further to that I had made a goal to spend more time machine stitching and I'm happy to say I've been accomplishing that this summer.
Happily sharing this post with Songbird Designs, The Inquiring Quilter, Creatively Beth, The Quiltery, Alycia Quilts and Small Quilts and Doll Quilts.
31 comments :
I can't see your sewing machine LOL - occasionally my room looks like that when I am going through colors. I used to make a ton of lists, not so much now. I keep my grocery list on a note pad maker on my phone, other things I have on a paper calendar on top of the microwave and some list by the computer. I have a coleus plant just like yours in a pot - the same green/burgundy type colors. Yours is larger.
Gee your room looks a lot like mine!! hahaha I am in the process of un-earthing any wips that have been hidden away over the years here...
So pulling out everything--along with cutting a 6" strip off of ALL my fabrics (yes, I am crazee!!) to stop me from saying: "Oh how can I ever cut into that beautiful fabric"? And to actually USE my stash and not buy anymore...(we'll see how long I can hold out--prices are going sky high on fabrics for sure!!)
I love your list esp'ly #'s 2 and 4 which tend to be running through my mind when I try to sleep at night often!! I used to be a list maker and still do a bit, but have found that I feel "pressure" from trying to hod my "feet to the fire" with them;((((
Your coleuses (colei??? sp??) are simply gorgeous--don't you just love those colors? Hmmm--yet another project???
Take care and enjoy the rest of this summertime...Julierose
A friend, now deceased, used the phrase "tickety boo" regularly. It brought a smile to my face reading it here. I'm not really a list maker (well, except for books to read), but I do jot little notes about things and always have a pile of them, not that I can find what I'm looking for later. I'm really trying not to worry about things over which I have no contriol, which it a lot these days. Yes, my sewing room can look like yours (or worse) from time to time, but I haven't been sewing much this summer (no AC).
Pat
Hi Jocelyn, 2, 4 and 6 on your list resonate with me. The only list I make is a grocery list, but I do like to have a notebook and pen in my bag when I'm out, just in case I need to jot something down. You should see my sewing room, the crates and bags are still pulled out of the wardrobe when I had to get it fixed, hopefully I'll get to sort them out soon. But I have repackaged and returned crates holding backing and batting to the wardrobe floor, although they are too full to get the lids on them.
Lists and sticky notes on the kitchen cabinets are both a bane and a blessing. Not just to-do lists but also friendly reminders so we don't forget to remember birthdays, etc. Your sewing room is beautiful and who cares if there are a few piles of fabrics laying about - just call them future inspiration!
I am refusing to put a picture of my sewing/craft room up as it really is a mess, and I do wade through things on the floor some days.
I think my list making came to be when I was working first as the parish youth co-ordinator and then as an Educational Assistant in the schools. Those lists were life savers for my mental health.
God bless.
I'm not much of a list maker anymore, but I do love sticky notes! I love the look of your sewing room - it looks like you're working away on something amazing. My sewing "nook" is a corner of the master bedroom, so I have to clean up after myself most days. The opposite corner is a bookshelf stuffed with not only books, but lots of sewing stuff. It's a mess and I was just telling myself I really need to get that cleaned up! Your coleus is beautiful, Jocelyn - so lush and healthy!
I feel a messy room is a well used room! I like seeing your room so well utilized! I usually clean up my room at the end of the day but there are times I leave everything out for easy access next session. I used to make lists but I haven't in awhile. Your coleus looks great! It's so lush and colorful!
Happy Monday, Jocelyn. I loved reading your list. I am a list maker too. I too aspire to write down more memories of my grandparents. They were such great influences in my life. I loved seeing your sewing room; it looks like a very happy and creative space to me. Your coelus looks fabulous which reminds me I need to replant 2 of mine. I hope you keep us posted on what you think of the wrinkle cream. Have a wonderful week. Hugs.
That is a very good list...I do make lists - but more boring things like sewing projects and groceries.
A sewing room cannot be tidy all the time - sorting scraps is a messy hobby!
The coleus looks gorgeous...hope the cream works - maybe 5 years off??? LOL
I’m going to think about #1……would it really help? But numbers 4 and 5 are so a part of my life! I will waken alarmed for no reason, and have to lie there and talked myself down and pray for help. I have a daily calendar and one of my favorite pages says the Lord only intended for us to live one day at a time. It is so hard, but in panicky moments, I try to think of that….just focus on this day….it is the gift, not tomorrow or yesterday. What sort of pictures are you working on….family photos? I have a tub full of them that I should work with but keep putting off. And yes, I am a list maker. Carol in Texas
P. S. As to #2, I love to watch the flosstubes of Carol Saltbox Stitcher. She has dozens of WIPS and happily starts new ones. She says it does not bother her that she has all those WIPS. That is her hobby and she does it for pleasure. Karen Combs has much the same attitude, as does Nicole’s Needlework and Lisa Kindred Stitcher. They all finish things but they have many, many unfinished pieces and they start new things on a whim or just to make themselves happy. I am much stricter, mainly because of cost!!!!! But I am a process stitcher and will die with lots of unfinished projects. I try not to let it bother me!!!!! Carol in Texas
I think my sewing room could give your's a run for your money!
I cackled at "Some of you might want to look away" - LOL! No Jocelyn, it made me want to get in there and look at all the treasures in your room. Did you embroidery the Canadian Needle Nana on your wall. LOVE the wood in your house, it is beautiful. And your view must be spectacular.
I used to keep lists. At work I had a small spiral and wrote things down as they were thrown at me. Nothing gave me more satisfaction than to check those things off as I did them. It helped me be a great employee. And it extended to my home life, where I kept a list in the kitchen and ticked things off. Especially used lists before a vacation. I love organization, but I did not excel at it until I started making lists!
Love your coleus, one of my favorite plants. We had a gorgeous, bushy variety the first summer we lived in the house and it burned alive in the summer heat. Lesson learned - don't put them in shade-less front landscaping!
I am definitely a list maker. And my sewing room looks much like yours right now. Actually it has been a mess all summer. I just can't seem to keep it neat and organized.
I still make lists but more ot the 'remember to do this tomorrow' kind! lol I clean up after every sewing session--I need the clean slate each day! I don't mind yours messy if you don't!
Your coleus plants are so pretty and healthy. I am definitely a list maker. I do well with my lists but not so much with my goals. I need to be more realistic when setting those. Your sewing room looks fine to me. Sign of creativity, I'd say. The propeller blocks are turning into a nice scrappy quilt.
Yay for lists! I couldn't live without them. I have pads of paper everywhere. My sewing room often looks like yours, especially when I'm in the middle of a project. I hope the wildfire smoke isn't too bad where you are. Have a good week!
I am a list-maker, too, though most of my lists these days involve writing down things I need to do so I won't forget. Your sewing room looks like you have a quilt in process. The room where I sew usually has stacks. After I cut fabric, I usually refold it and stack it, hens the stacks. But I will say I've seen sewing rooms with fabric across the floor, quilts in progress on the floor, and boxes and boxes of fabric strewn around, in and out of the boxes.
I read a quote somewhere that said a messy sewing room is a sign that you are a creative person. You and I ( and many others ) are very creative! Your coleus plants are looking very healthy. I have a few in patio pots at my house too. Worries…we all have them…just keep stitching away …I find it helps. Gail at the cozy quilter
That is not mess, it's a part of the creative process. Lists are great.
I love to make lists as they keep me focused. The joy of checking something off is so strong I've been known to add something to a list just to check it off. As far as the "mess" it's how the creative process works, at least for me. I make messes, make decisions on a project, make the project, then clean up and then it begins again with a mess. Fine by me--I'm comforted by the fabric. Thanks for sharing on my weekly show and tell, Wednesday Wait Loss.
https://www.inquiringquilter.com/questions/2025/08/06/wednesday-wait-loss-444
Gladys Taber is one of my all-time favorite writers. "Contentment is a list with half of it crossed off," she said. I make physical lists and I also make mental lists. My challenge is that the physical ones are all over the place -- scrap paper, a legal pad and sometimes where they should be: the day planner system that I've used for decades. Chummy, a character in early episodes of Call the Midwife, said "tickety boo." Meanwhile -- your sewing room may be messy but what a wonderful view you have!
Most of the time my sewing space looks pretty much exactly like yours. I'm pretty certain to do a clean every two weeks when my friend comes for coffee and needs a place to sit.
I'm not a list-maker beyond grocery lists or if we happen to travel I will make a packing list.
I don't make a lot of lists except my weekly to-do list for stitching. Your "thoughts list" is pretty spot on though! My sewing room looks like this most of the time. It seems I can't work in a neat space! That's my story and I'm sticking to it! LOL Thanks for joining us at Monday Musings. Have a great weekend.
PS: Let us know how that cream works for you!
The title drew me in...I like to make lists, mostly to-do lists. I use paper and also digital Post-Its on my computer desktop. Your #1, 2, and 4 resonated with me. I feel like my sewing room is messy right now. In fact, I've been tidying rather than working. I can't stay focused if my room is messy. I don't know why. Your flowers look gorgeous.
I do like lists because they remind me of my intent but am guilty of tending to put too many things on them and then quickly get off track in checking things off. Definitely identifying with the creative mess -- mine is scrap sorting related too with a side dish of too-many-interests-itis, LOL!!
Oh I do love lists - however, I am great at forgetting where I put them. I like your list tho - especially the last one - that hits home. Your sewing space looks like creativity overflowing to me! love it!!
Sometimes I am great at lists and accomplishing things on them. I even have a calendar book organized by weeks. But other times, I work by my inspiration or energy level. And my sewing area is a hot mess, too.
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