Purge! Simplify! De-clutter!

My daughter, my sister and my sister's sister-in-law are planning to visit on the same weekend. I haven't been sewing because I had to get the house ready for company. It would have been easy if it were only my daughter or only my sister, or even my daughter and my sister. But my sister's sister-in-law counts as "real company" and I want to make a good impression.

Whenever company comes, I have to dismantle my sewing room and use the extra bed. I wanted to store the cutting mat under the bed. There were boxes of seldom used craft and soapmaking stuff already there so even sliding the cutting mat under the bed proved to be a small challenge. The idea of a purge made me tremble and sweat, but when you can't even slide a cutting mat under a bed, it's time!

I began by reminding myself that I'm a sewer. Yes, I enjoyed the little crafty projects, but in my heart, I'm a sewer. The big foam stamps, little bottles of paint, and jars of dried-up Mod Podge just waste valuable space. I can't even remember when I last used the stuff under the bed. I haven't actually thrown the stuff away yet. I'm going to store it in the basement (I purged the basement a few months ago so there is room). Then, I'm going to offer it to my sister while she is here. She and my nieces might be able to take if off my hands have fun with it.

The next time I need to put someone up in the sewing room, it should be a simpler matter because I'm determined to de-clutter. I always feel better sewing when my space is organized and neat. I probably even sew better in a neat environment. It's too bad organization and neatness are the exception and not the rule.