January is an organizing month. I started by clearing off the long table in my studio so that I’d have plenty of working space. Then, I moved the bin that I use to collect personal receipts and bills into the studio, and began sorting them. I was surprised at how comparatively little time it took me to get papers and reciepts and bills organized. I also found two portable CD players I had ordered!

Of course, the purpose for that organization is two-fold. I now have papers I need to be able to fill in a tax planner, and the bin has been cleaned out for this year’s collection of “stuff.”

Once the table had been cleared off, I was able to use the space for stacks of fabric. I have been using a Swedish shelving system for close to 20 years for my fabrics and quilting projects. Unfortunately, when I bought the system, I didn’t buy enough shelves, so each time I want a piece of fabric, I have to lift fifteen pounds of fabric to get to it. On my Christmas wish list, I provided the information on where to find the shelves and my step-daugher bought me two. What a wonderful gift!

With Dear Husband’s assistance, I got those two shelves in right away, and knew that I was going to have to add at least four more. That was the project this past weekend. Because of the weight of fabric on the units, and lack of space for all the fabric involved, it wasn’t wise to empty off all the shelves that were to be moved at one time. I shifted the fabric for one third of it to start, moved their shelves and got the fabric settled into place before starting the center section of the job.

That section didn’t go smoothly. I had to loosen rods on both the left and right units to be able to move the existing shelving. I dropped the allen wrenches behind the unit, as well as one of the screw-caps that holds a rod in place. I got a wooden shelf stuck at an improbable angle.

I walked away from it for the day.

When I returned to it the next day, things went better, and I had the good sense to call for DH’s help when I got stuck again. He makes things seem so easy.

All the fabric is in place now, and I’m reassessing batting storage, to see if I can free up more shelves. I’m at the point now where I can’t buy more fabric until I use more up in quilts! I wonder if that might be called “critical mass?”

So, my next project is to start scanning family pictures. We have a family member who is willing to work on collecting pictures to disk, so I need to scan what I have and e-mail it to him.

No doubt there will be more work coming my way, but it’s wonderful to have accomplished two major projects that will smooth the way for things I need to do later this year. Yea, January!!!