Working Neat/Working Messy

I have always wished I were one of those people who could, when quilting, "work neat."  I seem incapable of doing this!  Whatever project I'm working on, and especially if I have two or three going at the same time, my studio soon looks as if a tornado had hit it!

Yesterday I straightened up my studio, since I had company coming over for dinner.  I felt sure some of the women would ask to see my latest quilts, and I was embarrassed by the chaos.  So I straightened it up at least to the point that someone coming in wouldn't wonder about that possible tornado! (As it turned out, only two women came in, and these I invited!)

So while it is in decent shape, I'll enclose a few photos!

I actually started out in the hall.  I reorganized my bookshelves, which had gotten to be truly chaotic. On the shelves you can see are my quilting books, one shelf for traditional and one for art quilts, plus my quilting magazines, and miscellaneous how-to-do books from drawing and painting to crocheting and knitting, and lots of decorating books, as well, from the days planning this house.  (We've lived here four years now.)

Now we move into my studio.

When you walk in, you can see my cutting table in the center of the room--an Ikea portable kitchen cabinet that
has drawers and shelves in the side you can't see.  In the corner of the room is my computer, where
I am right now!  

On the left wall is my Bernina sewing machine and one of my Elfa drawer
"towers" which houses white and off-white fabrics, as well, in easy reach from the machine,
various necessities such as bobbins, scissors, pins, etc.

To the right of the door I have just put my radio and CD player in its
new home--on a never-used "TV tray".  This used to be on the shelves in the
hall, but I never liked it there.  Its cords were unsightly, stretching to the nearest
outlet--an eyesore that could be seen from the dining room, next door
to my studio.

Here's a better view of my design wall.  I made it from insulation panels, nailed to the wall and covered with flannel.
It goes from right above the electrical outlet to the ceiling--10' ceiling in here.  My 10 Material Maven
quilts are here most of the time, though sometimes covered with more flannel, if
I need to pin a biggish quilt on the wall!

My ironing board is sort of moved here and there in the room.  Here
is is in front of a second-hand dresser I bought here in town, made of blonde wood 50ish
furniture that, in this case, in incredibly sturdy and well-made.  What a buy!
It has a total of 8 drawers, which hold all manner of things from art supplies, to
grandkids' crafting stuff, to the CDs onto which I once saved all my photos, and on and on and on!

Beside the door and on the back wall of the room are my Elfa drawers
that hold my stash--or part of it!  These drawers are loosely organized by colors and/or by types
of fabric.   My threads are on top, as you can see.  On my cutting table I laid on the "painted, cut, and stitched canvas"
quilt that I have started since getting home from Quilting Adventures.  I am eager
to finish all four of these, but baby quilts keep taking precedence!