It begins.

The adventure began several months ago when I decided to move. Up until yesterday it was still a plan in my mind so to speak. Yes the new house has been selected, yes the mortgage process was begun. Yes I've told all my friends and family I am moving. But reality sank in with a BANG yesterday when I started to pack my studio 9 boxes and counting at this point, plus four boxes of yarn that was stored in my bedroom. I looked around at all the stuff that was left to be packed.

I hadn't made a dent.

BAM! BAM!

Lord, what have I gotten myself into? Are you sure you want to do this a little voice is saying. The other voice said, yes you do, you know you do. BUT. No buts. Just take a deep breath and get on with it. Are you sure? Yes, JUST DO IT.

When I moved to this condo my previous studio space was an unused bedroom and on the rather small side, but that space served the purpose. I produced a lot ribbon winning quilts and quilts that were sold. But bigger for me has proved to be better. More ribbons and more sales on one hand then on the other hand, the saying that goes the more space the more stuff is TRUE. Five years of living here and boy do I have a LOT OF STUFF.

Several months ago I donated several boxes of books on the subject of quilting to the Public Library . But I left just as many more books in the studio. And since then, I've brought more books to fill the space vacated by the donated ones. As far as the other stuff that needs to be packed, I will tell you that I've never met a Doodley-Dad (notion) that I didn't think looked interesting enough to buy at least one and try.

My excuse for that indolence has always been; I teach therefore I should know what everything does, who knows when a student might inquires. RIGHT!!!

And when I began to augment my work with paint and ink and crayons and markers I brought and tried many brands. I have lots. And of course there are beads and other found objects. We will not touch on the subject of thread.

BOY DO I HAVE STUFF.

I thought when I was planning this move I had plenty of time and I could and would approach it in a systematic and organized manner. WRONG!

Operating under the delusion that LIFE would wait, I told myself that I would pick up each item, make a decision about it on the spot, keep, toss, donate or adopt out to a worthy home. NOT!!! None of that happened yesterday nor this morning. What I did do was fill each box as fast as I could, keeping like items together. Rulers with rulers, thread with thread, paper with paper., etc. As I did that I knew I was packing stuff that will only be tossed out in Columbia. OH WELL!

Of course in the mist of my plans to move and the funeral; me taking time out to dye 100 yards of fabric that has to be moved to Columbia did not help make me want to move less stuff. But that new fabric all folded and packed in three bankers boxes; I think that is what they are called, you know the ones made of cardboard that you put together yourself.

I would show you the fruits of our labors if I could but I forgot to take my camera with me when I went to Marti's yesterday to retrieve my pile. Marti took some shots with a digital camera but she will wait tell George comes home to show her how to download them into the computer and forward them to me. Those fabric are in the trunk of the car at this moment and will go with me to Columbia when I leave for there tomorrow along with as many other boxes as I can haul in the Jeep. Getting to use the fabric in those boxes will be my reward; for unpacking on the other end when the time comes. I can not wait to get my studio up and functioning in Columbia.

They still sell the standard grey colored bankers boxes, but now they come in colors, blue, red orange and green too, which makes organizing simpler. Some, not even half of my knitting stuff, yarns needles, books and notion was packed in orange bankers boxes yesterday. Four of the orange boxes went to Columbia with Lyn and John. I will still have to buy more boxes and pack at least four more to get all my yarn and knitting stuff moved.

I am packing my studio related stuff in red boxes, All the fabric will be in green boxes which will include all the fabric that now resides in my wire basket system. I still have four plastic 40 gallon tubs of fabric, mostly hand dyes and solids that were acquired for two weeks of classes with Nancy Crow that were never incorporated into the wire basket organizers. I will separate out the hand dyes in these bins later because I haven't developed a fondness for solid colored fabric as yet.

So many ideas, so much fabric waiting to become...
All I need is the space to work and time....