Saturday, October 17, 2020

Fall Cleaning

Did you feel the earth rumble or hear the angels singing the Hallelujah Chorus? This week I began my fall cleaning! And by Fall Cleaning, you’d think that would be an annual event, like, um, every fall or something. But you’d be wrong. This is actually more of a periodic purging, a dynamic decluttering or a kool KonMari kaper.  I think we can all be grateful at this moment that my alliterator has conked out. Mary Anne, I’m looking at you when I say this is all your fault! (wink)


Actually, we’re beginning The Official Downsizing of the Aged. Specifically, this weekend we’ll be getting rid of an old beat-up computer work station and a double bed. My two sons are coming over to do the actual work. My computer work station in our downstairs office will be replaced by an old desk that is currently situated in my sewing studio. The desk is in its fourth life now and is a beastly heavy solid maple thing. It was my son’s desk in its third life, my desk in its second life, and my mom’s desk in  its first life. Yeah, it’s almost a hundred years old. After the desk shuffle, there will be a bed shuffle upstairs. Our old double bed (mattress, box spring and frame) will join the battered work station outside where they will await re-homing by 1-800-Got-Junk. The guest room daybed (with pop-up trundle to make a double bed) will move into the master bedroom. That will leave the guest bedroom almost empty so I can shampoo the carpet and set up the kitties’ own lair. There are a couple old armchairs in the downstairs bedroom that may join them. I’m torn between getting rid of everything now or waiting until spring to have a monster huge yard sale. We’ll see...

But in between emptying drawers and removing a foot of dust off the old junk, I did manage to get some stitching done. I quilted two kids’ quilts for Quilts for kids, so they’ll join the five other donation quilts that I’ll be dropping off this morning before The Great Reshuffle begins. I made a serious dent in my yellow scraps this week sewing blocks and things for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge’s yellow October. 

First, here are 27 yellow string blocks (I had a lot of strings) at 6.5” unfinished size.


Then I began tackling the little scraps, sewing them into panels to make another scrap basket.


Here it is on the shelf with the yellow and orange fabrics and the orange scrap basket. 


When that was done, I made three Beachcomber blocks.


That completed all the blocks I need to assemble this Rainbow Scrap quilt top. It will be waiting its turn in  the assembly line, probably in December.  But here is a sampling of some of the blocks that represent all the colors.

Also, with Cousin Kim’s help, we got a better picture of Tyrol, the quilt I finished last week.


And just for a laugh, I have to share this picture. When I was clearing out the old clothing storage under the bed, I found my old majorette costume from high school. We were the Royal Oak Romans (Royal Oak High School, Covina, California, Class of ‘72) and our school colors were blue and gold. This was a halter style, backless and left virtually nothing to the imagination. 


And my Letterman’s (Letterwoman’s?) Sweater


These are going to the thrift store, because I know my kids will have no interest in them (and who can blame them?). They may just make a funny Halloween costume for someone...

26 comments:

  1. Good for you doing Fall Cleanup--I need to do a clean-out of my spareroom closet
    (aka "crap" closet)--but don't seem to be able to work up the energy these days...maybe on a cold, snowy Winter's day...hmmm procrastination time....
    Your RSC yellows are so vibrant...those strings do sing...
    hugs, Julierose

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  2. Your comment about the dust made me laugh out loud. Sounds like a few places in my house. With five cats and two people it adds up fast. Congratulations to you for tackling things that need done!

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  3. Who, moi? An enabler? Never!!!
    And....I dare you to post a picture wearing the costume....just sayin'.

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  4. Congratulations on your fall clean-out! Please show a photo of the desk :)

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  5. My goodness the things we keep! I had a good purge 2 weeks ago when my new sewing table came, I had been using my mothers old 1940's singer table which was fine for the viking lily I used to have, not so much for the bernina that I have now! SO finally, I have a table that's big enough for the machine AND it goes up and down so I can use the table for other stuff. efficiency is key in small spaces.

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  6. Strings, a YELLOW basket, AND Beachcomber blocks?! Amazing progress in addition to the decluttering going on, Cathy!

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  7. I am totally impressed and now I have to stop congratulating myself for just now getting around to spring cleaning. Molly thinks that Alfie and Darla should use their new lair to foster kittens.

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  8. Lots of lovely scrap projects there. Snap - I also did a yellow fabric basket using up my scraps.

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  9. That sounds like quite a clean out and reshuffle, Cathy! We keep doing those, and then more stuff shows up... I love those yellow string blocks - lots of sunshine there! I need to take a closer look at the Beachcomber blocks - I seem to have a lot of crumb bits lately!

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  10. I plan to leave all my crap for everyone else to sort out when I'm gone from this old house so there will be no strains of Hallelujah Chorus coming from this direction. No minimalist tendencies or cleaning tendencies here!

    Love those strings.

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  11. Cleaning and purging! Dont you wish the cleaning faries would come and do it all while we sleep? So pleased you still had time to do some sewing as well.

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  12. hard work to be sure - and I'm glad you took pictures.

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  13. Wow you've made so much progress all at once. The string blocks are so wonderful. Your cleaning and purging sounds like it is going at full speed.

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  14. I love your yellows, and the majorette costume is just a scream. The real question is-- does it still fit? :) We have done the downsizing thing twice now, and it's crummy while you're doing it but feels great afterward. Look up "Swedish death cleaning." You will either laugh or be inspired!

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  15. Well done on your decluttering! A never ending job. I am continually getting rid of things (did a lot during our Lockdown ). Last week I received an email from one of the Charity(Thrift) Shops in town to let me know that they had made £100 from my gifted items. Love the yellow string blocks and the yellow Scrap Basket.

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  16. I’m inspired by your string blocks! I really need to make a few. And Beachcomber blocks are in my RSC21 notebook!
    I keep saying are downsizing! But man, it’s hard to throw it out! Kudos to you for gettin’ it done!

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  17. We had a lovely red sunset the other night and wondered if it was smoke from the western fires again. Now I know it was the giant cloud of dust from you! (And let's be honest, there was some cat hair in that cloud, too. Right? Or do you have the special magical kitties that don't shed or leave coughed up gifts?) That spangly majorette dress! Tell me that's stretchy? Did you try it on? Would you have to lose a limb and match Bruce in order to fit into it? I couldn't slip a high school dress over a single thigh these days...

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  18. After binge watching Marie Kondo at my step-daughter's house two years ago, I decided the Kondo Way was not my thing. I've heard of the Swedish death cleaning, too, but don't know the details. But regardless of the method, my husband refuses to part with anything and hence, there are several rooms were I can't even enter to banish the foot high dust. Even in the areas that I control, I don't last more than an hour before the hacking and sneezing cause a halt. I'm glad you found time to produce some yellow blocks. I need to gear up to restart RSC next year after a year off.
    Pat

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  19. Love the yellow string blocks. Some year I need to declutter........ hubby's room is sparse but I think seeing my 'things'! Opposites do attract I guess. It would be great to see what the outfits become for someone!

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  20. All that moving and de-furnitureizing is a lot of WORK and TIME CONSUMING. If I put it on a shelf out of the way when we moved here do I REALLY need to dispose of it? Yes, but where? I took some stuff to St. Vincent DePaul only to bring it back because the building was gutted! Old info on Google, SMH. Lots of great yellow stitching going on at YOUR house.
    xx, Carol

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  21. Your yellow blocks are amazing. They look like pure sunshine! I like your scrap baskets & beachcomber blocks as well. Your Letter Woman's sweater is so neat! I would totally wear it, if I had it. The yellow & blue are so pretty in it. I really like your sweater a lot!!! Congrats on your Fall cleaning. I need to do the fall clean out too. Enjoy your day! 🌾🍂🌻🙂

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  22. Lol! I keep telling my husband we need to start downsizing...and he just keeps ordering more stuff from Amazon! I cleaned out my Halloween closet last week and took a laundry basket full of decorations and other Stuff to the thrift store. Now I have more room to store fabric! (oh, wait...I'm supposed to be downsizing...hmmm) Love all your yellow scrap projects. I noticed a distinct lack of yellow scraps in my stash, which is sad, because yellow bits make quilts sing. I must work on this!

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  23. Oops - PS - LOVED seeing your majorette costume and letter sweater! My high school colors were blue and gold as well. I was a band geek, though. And maybe a year or two behind you.

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  24. Hooray for you! Enjoy the cleared-out, spiffed-up spaces! [My husband is clearing out files, too. Is your post reinforcing his message to me??].....Those beachcomber blocks are very tempting....

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  25. My imagination fails me. If you did not model it, at least show a picture from yesteryears. Tyrol is a beauty, but she is not a diva or a snob. She looks warm and welcoming and I sure would like to hug her. You are a super-duper woman, Cathy. You did cleaning and sewing too. I am impressed. Love how the pink is photobombing the yellows :-p

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  26. oh! I saved a post with a pattern for the scrap baskets and forgot about it. I need to get on those! Especially after I emptied 2 drawers of scraps looking for red and white this past week.

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