I may have a problem

I am an organizer. I like order. I like things to have a place. Now, they are not always in their place, but when I’m over the throes of creative passion, my things have a home.

To make it worse, when I’m stressed I like to sort things. Just the act of putting things in order, using that critical part of my brain to categorize, helps me to puzzle out the next step in my project. Over the weekend I needed a little stress relief, so I organized my scissors.

Have you ever seen the shows about hoarders? I must admit, I’ve watched them in horrified fascination. Kind of like a car wreck or a public spat, you know you shouldn’t look, but you just can’t tear your eyes away.

I would be a purger. I regularly go through my stash, which is pathetically small compared to most quilters, and cull away the fabric that no longer fits with the way I work. There are always charities which welcome donations. Not to mention the family members, also quilters, who don’t mind shopping in my cast offs.

I’ve recently discovered how great these Command hooks from 3M are. They are my new favorite organizing tools. I really like that they are temporary. When my needs change I can easily reposition them, with no holes left behind.

Now some folks may take notice that I have more than one of some of these scissors and think that I, too, have over indulged. To be honest, I probably have this many more scissors hidden away in my teaching boxes.

(But it’s that organizational thing, I swear! I have a teaching box, actually, it’s an Art Bin sachel, with all the step-outs and tools I need to teach that particular workshop. And of course, I have a different one for each workshop. But I digress.)

Scissors are an important part of my applique process. I’m always on the lookout for better scissors, more comfortable finger holes, serration, sharp points, blunt points, long blades, shorter blades. Nothing is more pleasing than the right tool for the job.

Plus, having duplicate tools means I can slip one or two into a project box and have it ready to grab and go when needed. Besides, clearly I have a place for all of them, with room to spare. Not a hoarder. Nope. Not me.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 15th, 2011 at 8:18 am and is filed under General Silliness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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