Reorganisation progress in Studio136

...the studio formerly known as Cloud Cuckooland - I feel real hope that it will be a place of joyous work again. Already I have sullied the whiteness of the pristine worktops, by doing a big drawing, and when it comes to the sorting of materials I'm trying to be more ruthless - for instance, yesterday my stash of coloured tissue paper was halved. Whether what's left is really needed is a question for consideration "later", in Phase 2.

The hunt is on for the folded maps project that I worked on at last year's CQ retreat - I'd like to continue with it this year, and have two weeks to find the safe place where I put it...

So the plan is to take every box and bag out of every cupboard, to open every drawer - put them on the vast expanse of clear surface, and SORT, touching each bit of paper or fabric only once. Is this possible? ... we'll see...

Today I came across some unexpected things.

First out of the box was the maquette for a silk wall hanging I made sometime in the 90s and sold at a Cloth&Stitch show held at the TUC building - ah, those were the days! - but I don't have a photo of the finished piece. The bits of tissue are coming off the backing, and I'd like to resurrect this, develop it in some way -

Next to it was a lidded box, which revealed scissors and threads that had belonged to the mother of a friend. Three friends have passed on to me their mother's sewing things - an honour and a responsibility, and much cause for thought -

Somewhat crumpled and still in its wrapping, Winter 2010 issue of The Quilter. It had arrived while I was absorbed in family matters in Canada, so I had a quick look through, enticed by the detail from a quilt by Lena Wik of Sweden -

 ... and found this image of a quilt by Elizabeth Brimelow, one of my favourite artists -

In among the sewing things (why?), this beautiful bowl by Mary Vigor, bought at Chelsea Craft Fair in the early 90s ... I used to buy something every year, support living artists, that sort of thing...

A traditionally-made wooden box from a jumble sale a very long time ago - it was empty, what to keep in it? -

 A battered tin box containing a collection of sewing kits and a pincushion made for me by my pre-teen son. Apart from the pincushion, and even that's a "maybe", I'm ready to let go of this - any takers?

 The box has a vintage pic of the Royal Yacht Britannia -

 This next item was a surprise, and more cause for thought - it dates back to some workshop or other, definitely last century. Laying out the cards, I could see some I'd move to other categories now -

 Photos of my parents round about the age of 80 - my mother's hair never did go grey - and a note from "chocolate auntie" who sent parcels of Ritter Sport from Germany before it was available in the UK -

Silk bags made from a pattern in the Omiyage book ... and in the canisters, film rolls from the half-frame Olympus family camera, 1960s -

Another collection, from a 1995 trip to Moscow and St Petersburg - of Soviet toilet paper! -

Embroidery from last century - I took chinese characters and split them up, then embroidered the shapes solidly with silk threads. The presentation leaves much to be desired ... I'll rework these somehow -

In a basket behind a box, a collection of little clothespegs and lots of pins ... and some yummy beads -

At the end of the session, a happy feeling to see things put away but available when needed -

Two "secrets" of reorganisation: clear (see-through) storage, and labels.

Also found, a scrap of paper with this quote -

"Every creative act involves a new innocence of perception, liberated from the cataract of accepted belief." - A Koestler