Sewing Room Photo - a breakdown of "what's up with that mess?"

So - we shared images of our sewing rooms today - here's a map of what's up:

1. I received a notions Christmas Tree from my niece (the 4T Chickadee) as a gift - it's full of tape measures, thread, button, and stuff - it holds a place of honour on my sewing table.
2. I have a RTW size dressform for teaching people how to sew (so they don't mess with my body-double dressform)
3. Giant wipe-off board with measurments for my friends, projects, family, - this rocks
4. thrifted sewing machine that needs some attention.  Brother Walmart special, but it was cheap!
5. My awesome Husqvarna Opal
6. McCall's poster of patterns that comes when I order patterns online - it's currently acting as a slide for my thread scraps into the convenient garbage can (I can't reach very far while I am healing)
7. My body double - currently named old me - I need to re build her for my post surgery body.
8. A GIANT mirror (old sliding closet door)
9. 27 year old Elna 4thread overlocker
10.  Sewtionary and Betzina's Fabric Savvy
11. 25 year old cutting mat
12. Fuchsia!
13. Iron (for reference)
14. Built-in Vacuum (so handy!  the hose is on the floor)
15. Zippers, Finishings, etc
16. Pattern and fitting tools
17. hanging patterns
18. Stash Bins (there are many up there along a long shelf)
19. Scrap bins (two wire basket cupboards)
20. a peek at the top of my lower stash (see 34 if you can find it)
21. under the table stash
22. end of the table stash
23. laundry tub stash (just kidding - that's current projects #1)
24. Iron (for reference) on its board (aka work surface #5 - the only clear one)
25. the serger for reference (see #9)
26. Pattern Drawer (Lady clothes)
27. Pattern Drawer (kids, Men, Home Dec, and PDF Instructions)
28. the handiest little magnet cup - it's a locker tool
29. Paper and Envelope stash
30. Paper Trimmer (for PDFs)
31. books
32. cupboard of buttons and fasteners
33. Hanging patterns
34. lower stash
35. UFO - duffel bag
36. My unsolicited Christmas gift from my hubby - WINNER - seam ripper kit

Not Pictured: My Trims stash and Ironing Tools cabinet - and Current Projects #2 and #3 (on the floor in bags under the ironing board)

Fabric set aside on mini bolts

My Upper Stash

My Trims stacked up next to the mini bolts

My Husband's gift of height to my folding table

Serger thread stash in the serger table

My monitor above my sewing table - it's an old photo, there's no computer there now - I move it there when I am in a project

My brag book of stash snips

A shot of tidier times

Strategy for Fabric Busting in the 2016 Pattern Stash Contest

Have you figured out your pattern attack?  I've decided to hit my Seamwork backlog since their sizing runs to accommodate my dimensions, so alterations will be predominantly grading instead of slash and spread.

Now it's time for fabric.  I have a large percentage of my stash occupied by other people's fabric.  Really nice fabric, mind you, but in colour-ways I wouldn't normally pursue.  I am thinking that since I am whipping up what will essentially be wearable muslins I should start with wearable fabric that isn't precious (to me).

In this sort of contest your fabrics should be ready ahead of time: pretreated before you are ready. This step is easy for me. I usually wash my fabrics as they come into the house. I wouldn't say I am paranoid about germs and bed bugs and dust mites and odors (although listing them like that is giving me the jitters) but incoming fabric (especially other people's fabric) gets a run through the washer before it hits my sewing room.

The exception, of course, is wool.  Wool is treated as I sew it.  I have a plan to use a printed wool viscose for a skirt in the coming weeks, so as I psych myself up for THAT, I will be thinking through the prep.  This fabric is NOT a good candidate for the contest: wool easily doubles the time you spend on your project.  The cost,  pressing, shaping, shrinking, steaming, underlining and finishing of wool undermines fast sewing.  I like me a little slow sewing,  so I will probably start preshrinking this fabric this month, but I won't be including this in my contest.  (However, I may make a wearable muslin of the pattern for this contest...).

For the Main January theme for our group, Judy has us addressing our stash and stash organization.  As you prepare for this, consider our supplemental contest: what patterns are you using?   Grab the appropriate fabric for the patterns - don't mess around with the pattern's suggestions: if it says knits, grab a knit, if it says lightweight cotton woven, grab a pretty quilting cotton.  Switching up the fabric adds time for fiddling, adding in ease, and should be done when you are working with a rehearsed pattern.  Unless, of course, you are into self abuse.

A great strategy would be to pick 5 patterns that use the same fabric, and will use the same needles and thread.  This will mean constant sewing - and if you dedicated and VERY organized - you could cut all the patterns out at once and just sew non-stop.  (Insert hilarious uproar here - I know you exist Super-Sewer,  but that's insane).

 - but the strategy still applies -

If you have a serger, you know what I mean - you sew items that will work with the same serger thread back to back so that you can get away with NOT changing the thread back and forth.  This applies well to the approach to this contest - sew the seams, and switch to a double needle for hemming and hem several items at once - when your thread and needles work on several items, you create a production line environment and find efficiency.

My favorite Christmas gift (received)

My son and DH helped me install a powerfully supported shelf in my sewing room, with a closet - rod for my patterns.

There was no way I was going to share the before picture.  I couldn't get to an angle from which I could do justice to the nearly a ToughMudder of a course I had to get through.

I am so happy with the result.   It's liberating and inspiring.   Bring on the 2015 stash busting challenge!