Before & After: Mom's Sewing Room Edition : O-2009

Before:

 

After:

 

There's something magical and inspirational in the transformation of a cluttered and messy space. We may not be able to control the outside world, or our bratty children, or the urge to finish off the bag of half-eaten, semi-sweet chocolate chips sitting on top of the microwave in the kitchen (Done!), but we CAN get organized.

Let me put it another way: chocolate chips = no control,

organizing the closet by the front door = control.

In life, there must be balance.

Besides being absolutely crazy about home decorating and organizational magazines, I'm also magnetically drawn to television shows about de-cluttering and creating new, fresh spaces.  I love those shows where the host is also kind of a psychological coach, who asks very deep questions of the pack-rat home-owner like:

"What does this stuff represent to you?"

and

"Why is letting go so hard?"

Also,

 "Can't you see it's keeping you from living your authentic life?"

Then the host will convince the home-owner to part with large amounts of clutter and trash and to embrace a new way of living. In 30 minutes, we get to see a complete transformation before our very eyes. The organizational expertise and inspirational purging is almost like a religious experience. Alleluia! Praise Jayzus! Clutter be damned!

The problem with my attraction to magazines and televisions shows like these, however, is that it appears I've begun to fancy myself an expert in home organization. This is not to say that my own home is completely organized, uncluttered and spotless. Nein, far from it. It's just that when I see OTHER people's messes, I feel obligated to intervene. To lend a hand. To offer unsolicited, somewhat annoying advice. In short, to star in my OWN make-believe organizational show, in which I am the expert host. YES!

An example:

The following tale of my summer 2009 organization project in my mom's sewing room ("O-2009), is entitled, "You Agreed to Let Me Help You Organize Your Sewing Room, So Stop Getting Mad at Me for Telling You to Throw Your Crap Away." Also, "You Have 57 Pairs of Scissors and 37 Seam Rippers, I Think it May be Time to Stop Buying Scissors and Seam Rippers."

It's a beautiful tale I hope you'll enjoy--a tale of mother/daughter bonding, with some "tense moments" along the way. What exactly is the word for the adult- child-version of infanticide?

I kid.

Truly, Mom, I'm kidding.

I know you'd never knowingly hurt me. (At least not physically.) Wink!

Let's begin the tale...

This past June, I flew back to Atlanta to spend the summer with my family. My loving and generous parents threw open their doors and welcomed me into their lovely, comfortable lakeside home.

 

There were fabulous meals. Scintillating conversations. An environment of complete and utter relaxation and rest.

Then.

I saw it. 

I saw my mom's sewing room, and felt the hand of destiny on my shoulder.

It was a challenge of epic proportions. 

Only I could save her from herself.

So, I volunteered to help her get things under control down there in her sewing room and make her space more functional and less overwhelming. The piles on every horizontal surface had to go. The overcrowded shelves had to be paired down. Everything--every sewing utensil and craft item needed a home.

It was a two week process, from start to finish. We went through every square inch of the sewing room and the large storage area nearby (not pictured.) Everything, every object, had to prove its worth before it was allowed to stay.

I was ruthless.

I was determined.

I was way out of my league.

You see, my mom takes a few days to get warmed-up with the whole organization mindset. We've worked together before. I knew this. At times, it was much like running full-on into a brick wall. Over and over. If I was playing the Peter Walsh role, she was playing Genghis Khan. I took a beating, most of which was mental.

Haha. Want to know the meanest thing Mom said to me at our most confrontational, as we battled about what fabric stayed and what fabric went bye-bye?

THIS: 

"I think someone's getting very fussy. Why don't you go take a nap."

You should've heard the TONE OF HER VOICE, though. It was cruel!

To which I responded,

"You'd like that, wouldn't you? Well, I'm not going ANYWHERE. I'm watching you like A HAWK. You try to sneak any of that fabric out of the donation pile, and I'LL BE ALL OVER YOU LIKE A CHEAP SUIT, SISTER."

She just rolled her eyes and kept going. I think we both knew who was boss.

Really, though, we managed to work and make progress every day, even with the occasional, inevitable head-butting. Mom turned a corner at one point a few days in, and suddenly the fire was lit under her. I'd find her downstairs in her sewing room pulling things off the shelf and piling them in the donation pile. She spent HOURS and HOURS down there every day. She donated TONS of bags of fabric to her local quilting store, which has an annual fund-raiser each year for the SPCA and also donates fabric to retirement homes and church quilt guilds. She donated several truck loads to a neighbor who was having a fund-raiser yard sale. She donated to Goodwill. She threw out and recycled lots of odds and ends that had been collecting over the past few years. She was unstoppable.

And I was very proud.

Down at the quilt store, however, I was VERY UNPOPULAR. When Mom came in to drop-off her donations, the ladies eyed me suspiciously. Mom liked playing the victim in their company. I saw the sparkle in her eyes. We were in HER WORLD now. I made the mistake of trying to justify the purging of the fabric to the quilting ladies...to no avail. I was all, "Organization is wonderful!" And, stuff about "more efficient!" and "more creative!" and "authentic life!" One of the little elderly women behind the counter sized me up. "She's making you get rid of your fabric?" she asked, accusingly. "I'd like to see MY daughter try that." Then she stared at me menacingly and cracked her knuckles. 

Yikes. Those ladies are dangerous.

Hey, Mom? Remember how we were doing this sewing room organization thing together to help get you more efficient...how this was supposed to help you?

No.

Mom threw me to the wolves.

The silver-haired wolves at the local quilt shop.

I didn't stand a chance.

Actually, they were very happy to get all that fabric and it went to good use. I did manage to justify some of the fabric purging when I found several sales receipts still pinned to some of the fabric from 2002 and 2004. Fabric does have a use-by date, it seems. Anything sitting on a shelf more than five years, should probably go. Plus, then there's room for more fabric! Are you with me here?

Okay, so we worked and worked and worked. Finally, we started seeing progress. It really was more than a week before it stopped looking worse and started looking better. Once the space started looking more open and less cluttered, I could tell my mom was getting excited about it. There was suddenly more space to move around. The eye could rest without being assaulted.We found things that had been lost or missing or forgotten...lots of things. We cleaned and vacuumed. We folded and stacked. Emptied and filled. The room began to sparkle. The magic was happening.

Here are some photos I took with my camera without a flash. The before photos were taken stealthily. I couldn't let Mom see me in action. I didn't want to provoke the beast.

Before:

After:

Before: 

After:

Before:

After:

After:

Organized!

Before:

After:

Getting organized is exhausting.

When it was all over, my mom and I had come to an understanding. We were both headstrong. We were both stubborn. We were both way too much alike. But we had accomplished something together. Something important. Something beautiful.

With a clean and uncluttered work space, Mom could be creative and efficient. She could make lots of fabulous stuff and know exactly where all her supplies were kept. There would be no stopping to look for things under piles. There would be no searches for just the right fabric (it was all organized by theme and color!) There would be no un-use-able space.

We uncovered a gem of a workspace.

It was a miracle!

In reality, Mom did 75% of the work involved in the sewing room overhaul. I like to think my 25% was just the energy needed to push her to let go, be free and live her authentic life.

Comments

[kmkat]

It is too late for this so I probably shouldn't burden you. But this (http://ibol.wordpress.com/ (Iraqi Bundles of Love)) would have been a great recipient for that fabric. Although it would have required a second mortgage to ship it there...

Great post! Want to come help me uncover my desk?

[Lauri]

I think Tex is the one really in charge...he's got it all goin' on...

What an awesome space Mom has - I wish I had half that room to dedicate to "That Which Helps Me Maintain My Sanity" or "Dedicated Creative Space"...seems my kitchen table is not so handy in a practical sort of way - seems the family demands that they eat dinner EVERY NIGHT!! I KNOW - THE NERVE!!

Sounds like you had a great, productive, creative visit with the family...but, I must say, I'm soooooo glad you're back..

[The Coffee Lady]

Do you know, I can't tell a blind bit of difference.

(chuckle)

[Eleanor]

I think a couple of reds got mixed in with the yellows on the bottom left shelf, it just jumps out at you, never mind. You did your best.

[Kathy Woods]

I would just love a space like that to sew and I would love to have all that fabric! How wonderfull. Well done to both of you in organising it all

Kathy

[Paola]

Bless your heart! What a darn hard project, but hey, it looks AMAZING (that is if it is still like that ... )
Bacio

[Green Girl in Wisconsin]

I'm aghast--that's a lotta fabric. And I am laughing at the idea of you in that quilt store facing those women...

[Lynn]

Come over right this instant and make sense of my life. I'll ply you with beer. And pastries made by my husband, who bakes well and lived in Germany, so he's practically Frau Muller.

P.S. I wish people would command fussy ME to take naps. That would be nirvana.

[Not Afraid To Use It]

That is the most amazing thing I have ever seen. I am a sucker for organization, I just need to get better at it. A lot better.