Photos of Shame and Re-Inspired!

I got myself into a bit of a sewing funk at the end of last week. I had an idea for a project, and when i started sewing, it just wasn't working right. Then, when it finally seemed to come together, I made a silly math mistake and screwed up a row of half-square triangles. When did I realize that I screwed up, you ask? Of course after they were stitched into a row and ready to join the two halves of my project. Argh.

Add on top of that the fact that I couldn't walk through my studio without stepping on something, much less see the carpet, and I was not feeling the sewing love. And lest you think I'm exaggerating about the studio mess, I'm (bravely) posting a photo!
Every time I start something, I pull fabric out. Somehow, I don't put it away when I'm done. Maybe that's because most projects are works in progress? Or I'm just too eager to get started on the next thing? Or I'm lazy. You pick.

(And if you're looking closely, that IS a step ladder as the chair at my sewing table. I have a chair, but it was at my desk, and it was easier to use this step stool (which I keep in the room for taking photos from above) than try to lug the chair through the mess. Yes, it's THAT bad in my room.)

And then here are my boxes of scraps, sorted by color.

I'm on week 9 of a 16-week Color Challenge block series at 15 Minutes Play, and each week I've tossed the fabrics I've used back in the direction of my scrap bins. Yikes!

So between my project frustration and the disaster that was my studio, I was not a happy camper. The solution? Take advantage of a second wind and spent from 10:30 pm until 1 am on Thursday straightening up. I made huge progress, though not quite enough to take an "after" photo. I put fabric back, sorted out stuff I'm not going to use anymore to donated to my guild, and organized future projects into neat piles.

And then, the best part. As I was admiring my future projects at the end of the night, I quickly (I really needed to go to bed!) laid out some blocks I'd made about a month ago and hit the jackpot--I finally figured out the layout! This seems small, but it knocked me out of the little funk I was in and really made my day (morning?) at 1 am. I had a busy weekend and didn't get to start piecing, but here's a peek at what I'm planning. It's not much to look at, but it was enough to get me excited again!

I'll talk more about this when I have the top finished, but these blocks are made using the disappearing nine-patch technique using a tutorial I found at the The Cottage Mama. I knew they needed breathing room rather than just being rotated and sewn together, and I love how the white sashing and center square create an entirely new block design!
Once I get out from under a pile of laundry and work from my day job, I'm ready to start sewing again. Can't wait!

p.s. Linking my newly found re-inspiration over to Confessions of a Fabric Addict's Can I get a whoop whoop?