How Does It Happen?

I try to keep my studio semi-organized all the time, but somehow every time I finish a couple of big projects, I not only need to do a quick clean but somehow find myself doing a major overhaul. I understand the need to dust and vacuum on a very regular basis, but what draws me to sort out other fabrics, cut blocks, and, most interestingly, break out the iron? This process always seems to take a couple of days and brings me to the point of having 3 or more new projects in the planning stages. (I generally have 5 or 6 projects brewing already.)

Yesterday morning before work, I cut up my scraps and made 4 1/2 inch blocks, 2 inch and 1 1/2 inch strips, then sorted them into color places for more cousin quilts, etc. or into their light and dark strip boxes. When I got home from work I reorganized my embroidery software and quilting books (did not look inside) and started restocking my thread trays until I got distracted with another idea when I saw a rug pattern which I started thinking about this flannel that I have had for more than 10 years.

I decided that the flannel I still have from my mom's stash would not be used for a quilt back, but rather for a rag rug using a toothbrush handle as my needle (something I have been wanting to make for several years.) So, in the middle of all my cleaning and sorting, I stood in the studio and tore 9 yards of fabric into 2 inch strips. I think it will be one of my non-quilting projects for the winter. The pattern says it will make a 18x36 inch oval rug. I am proud to say that I did nothing more than place the strips, the pattern and toothbrush needles in my travel basket and set it by my chair in the family room. Then I went back to cleaning and organizing.

I have 3 hours before I need to get ready for work, so I am going to head into the studio and see just how much more TROUBLE I can get into before running the vacuum. If I did not have so much fabric or love touching it so much, I would probably be done much sooner, but this is one of those tasks that I love!