Turkey Day Countdown

I love the holidays, but I also hate the holidays.  I love the cooking, and having family around, I hate when family turns it into drama.  I was kind of hoping that Thanksgiving could slip by when I was told by the MIL she was going to DH sister's house.  The youngest daughter was going to cook at her home, so I thought just maybe, DH and I could have a low key no hassle holiday.  I could sew, and do nothing for a few days.  Also I am a little worried about the holiday.  This will be my first holiday with being pre diabetic.  Many of the staples for Thanksgiving I cannot eat.  No rolls, punch, mashed potatoes, jello salads, dressing, and the one I am really going to miss--Pumpkin Pie!

Then the oldest daughter called and asked "What are you doing for Thanksgiving, and you are making dinner aren't you?  DH told her that he had to talk about it with me, and we would let them know. All I could think of is I have 10 days to get this under control!

This is the dining room table.  I have been using it to cut and trim fabric.  In front of the china cabinet is a sewing machine set up with a special foot, and portions of the drunkard's path blocks.  At the end of the table is a machine I use to machine quilt, and right now it is stacked with two quilts to work on.  The other side of the door is a featherweight machine in a featherweight table where I have been piecing.

One dining room chair has scraps piled on it, and draped over the back. 

Under the featherweight table is the Viking which I pull out to do some sewing and quilting using the walking foot.  Then there is my quilting frame, and the machine on it. There are two chairs with project boxes on them.  One the project is finished, and the remaining fabric needs to be put into my scraps system, or put away.  On the cross members of the quilt frame are the blocks I have been working on with an online group. 

My little kitchen table which has charity quilts, a mini ironing board, and a pan of corn which has been prepped for making corn bags. Underneath is my batting I use for small projects, and a tote with my cross stitch.   I need to get this all picked up and put away before Thanksgiving. 

And just look at the table top!  I am embarrassed at how bad it is. 

Templates, rulers, strips, patterns, pins, and fabric and a couple of totes with projects too!

Now I don't know about you, but I do know if I put this stuff away, it will take me forever to find it again.  Before I put everything away I was going to do my darnedest to get some of the scraps cut up.  Now normally as I cut I have piles sitting to the side.  Hexies, tumblers, squares, strips, and I knock them off the table, constantly.  I have my 2 1/2 inch squares, and 2 1/2 inch strip boxes sitting out, as well as my stings box, and a dog pillow which I fill with stuff that is too small to use.  But I needed to figure out how to keep the other stuff from getting lost in the shuffle.  I decided to use Dawn's idea from Sew You Quilt 2 that utilizes the plastic boxes that you get your veggies in.  Once my day of cutting was finished then I put the pieces in the appropriate boxes. 

I cut a bunch of tumblers.

Hexagons, and strips to be made into hexagons.

My box of 2 1/2 inch strips runneth over, as well as my strings box, which you can see under the table. I think that I may need to consider breaking those up into color families soon.  Which means I will need more boxes!   Yep there are more scraps to cut to the left there too, and you can see the dog pillow that I put the trimmings in that are too small to use.  

I put quite a dent in my scraps and started working on cleaning up the area.  I need to get things prepped so that I have projects to work on after everything is put away, and they are easy to "grab and go".  Oh the holidays!