This week is the last week of Shonny's break from college, it's back to school next Tuesday, and I'll be back to helping out three days a week.  It's been a lovely break, even though I've been down there every 10 days or so to help out and babysit for special occasions. I'm determined to actually achieve something in the next few days, I've started so many jobs and not finished anything, so I have to stop getting distracted.

I've moved cupboards that haven't been moved in 10 years.  I've opened so many boxes and sorted out the contents.  I've gone through my tax records and ditched anything older than 5 years.  I've been ruthless with clothing and linen and kitchen things, determined to pare down my possessions to a reasonable level.  It's interesting and a  trip down memory lane, and most of the time it feels good to get rid of things that no longer hold any appeal.  But now that I've sorted and thrown things out, I have to organise what's left.  That's where I'm coming unstuck, trying to categorise all this stuff. But I shall persevere.

My reward for all that has been some serious sewing sessions, and a lot of tidying up in the sewing room.  I'm finished with the Plaid top made from the leftover shirt scraps. 

The piano key border has used up nearly every skerrick of leftover strips, so it was worth it.

Of course I needed a leader-ender while I was putting this together, and I used up all the blocks I'd kitted in this Rail Fence variation.

 It's not very big, just a nice couch size, and I resisted the temptation to make it larger. I actually don't have any leftovers now, so last night I cleared away all the scraps of the shirts, packed away the two boxes of shirt pieces, and now I'm ready to go back to my reproduction fabrics.  The reclaimed shirt fabrics were a fun diversion, but it's time to get back to my other projects.