This morning I tidied up my strings, and thought rather smugly that I was using them up really well and that soon there wouldn't be any left.  Should have known better than  to come to a conclusion like that.  I was looking for something in a stash cupboard, and found a box containing my real strings; crooked pieces from straightening up fabric, last little bits from fabric long since used up, leftovers from backings and borders, scraps gifted to me by friends, strange bits from op-shop scrap bags.

It's the mother-lode of strings/scraps, and I should be grateful to have lots more variety in my blocks, but I realise now that one string quilt won't take care of all this lot.  I'm going to have to choose another pattern to make after this one, if I want all those strings gone.

It's really good that I found a heap of wide scraps, because I can use those as the corners of my squares.  There's also a pile of bigger pieces that I will cut down into smaller strips, or maybe triangles even.  I have a die that has strips in 1", 1.5" and 2" widths, so I'll send the wide strips through the Go Big, and have an instant string collection.  Anything I really like I'll cut into triangles and stockpile them.

Even this panel for a stuffed toy will be used; it came in an op-shop bag, and I've cut out the printed bits.  I'll put the text instructions into my box of words and letter fabric.

Leah Day had an interesting post on cleaning up, and being more organised, something that I need to address in my own sewing room.  I think this need to deal with the scraps and strings is part of my own feeling that the lack of organisation is getting in the way of quilting, or even enjoying my quilting.  I'm quite determined to concentrate on this until I can see a difference, and once I've dealt with the clutter, the sewing should be a total pleasure again.  At the moment I"m blocking out the mess, and only seeing what I'm working on, but it will be wonderful to walk to my design wall without tripping over something or having to move something.  I am Committed!!