One more thing, done.

In my opinion, this box of ric-rac is the most impressive of all the things we organized.  Perhaps it's because it has the most potential for disarray.  Only my mother could spend an afternoon folding and winding three huge boxes of ric-rac and neatly fitting them sorted perfectly by color into one container.   Thanks, Mom!

While we were sorting Mom was sorting all this trim, I remembered a meeting that I attended once for the Fiber and Material Studies department where I teach at SAIC.  We were all talking about ric-rac, and suddenly someone asked "what's ric-rac?"   Well, I've never heard more people breath a collective gasp of shocked air.  I felt pretty sorry for that individual.     What's ric-rac?  Only the best way to mark a zig-zag!

A place for everything, & lots of things in their place

She came, she conquered.  My mom is amazing, and I owe my newfound state of organization to her.  These threads have never had it so good.  I can't wait to unpack all this stuff and plunk it down into its new home in Brooklyn with ease.  Just look at this.....

 

 

Six Strand Floss, Sorted By Color

Pearl Cotton, Sorted by Color

All the Button Twist

Thanks, Mom!

Sorting through it....

I'm working in the studio again today after a break.  I started sorting things around the house to get ready for our move last week and couldn't stop for awhile.   Did you know that between us, Katy and I have four swiss army knives?  They are now all housed together in our newly organized tool boxes.  My afternoons last week reminded me very much of the sorting scenes in Amelie. 

 My mom and dad are coming down to Chicago this weekend to help me sort the studio, which is the biggest task.  I invited my mother because she can stay on task really well while remaining detached from the sentimentality of things.   She's a no nonsense kind of a woman, which I appreciate.  My dad is coming along to cook for us.    Here are three different views of three different piles....the fabric is the most overwhelming. 

A small collection on the radiator

I'm saving the thread boxes as a little treat for us this weekend, since I think those will be fun to organize. There are several boxes of thread that are of course in usable shape in the studio, but after a summer of three workshops around the country and seven years of teaching at SAIC, I am finally consolidating all of my demo materials and sorting it all out before the move. 

 Although I am definitely not a neatnick by any stretch of the imagination, I certainly do enjoy sorting things (remind me to show you my button collection some time), and I look forward to getting everything back in order this weekend. 

Work In Progress

I've been in the thick of it in the studio these days; hacking things apart and recklessly sewing them back together.    I apologize for the dim studio light, it's been raining a lot.

Dreaming of Brooklyn

*please see a postscript in the last post for winners, etc.... regarding the latest samplers.

I spent the last four or so days in Brooklyn, planning and dreaming of the big move and taking measurements and photographs of our new home.  The studio there is much bigger than my current space, and I am excited to move in.  I took a few "before" pictures, and you'll have to stay tuned until January for the "after"......

The cabinet is built in and goes up really high....I can't wait to arrange books, boxes, etc. on all that open shelving.  What's not in the picture are the windows, which look out onto a garden with a small pond and a fountain.  Brooklyn, I think I love you.