- Option 1: Clean as you go?
- Option 2: Make a glorious mess and tackle it all at the end?
These photos were taken about 30 minutes apart while I was working on a baby quilt. 😄
Photo 1: Creative chaos.
Photo 2: Everything back in its place.
I always start out planning to clean as I go, and that sticks for the first hour or so.
But then I get so focused on quilting that the mess keeps growing until I can’t stand it anymore. Then I stop everything and do a full cleanup before moving on.
So… what’s your style?
Team “Clean As You Go” or Team “Clean It All Later”?
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Like you, I work as things pile up until the chaos impedes my progress–even if the impediment is only in my head!
But then, I’m one of those that has to have my kitchen in order before I can start a meal. Which will occasionally add quite a lot of time to my meal prep.
My soul is happier when things are ship-shape. Go figure.
I agree that less clutter is always better. As a CPA, I have spent my life dealing with pieces of paper. Even now when everything is digital, I still have a stack of papers that live on my desk!! As soon as I deal with one, another one appears!!
Like Dianne, when I’m working in my kitchen (where I do my domestic machine piecing), I have no choice–I must clean up and put away when it’s time to prepare the next meal. But if I’m working on my longarm, which is in a room no one uses except me, things often get to the disaster stage before I do a massive cleanup.
I spent a lot of years working in my kitchen and on the dining room table. It was SUCH a relief to finally have a room where I could close the door and walk away.
I clean and straighten as I go….whether it be quilting or cross stitching. I just can’t seem to work in clutter. Plus, the room I work in is rather small with limited table space. But, I make it work. Luckily, my 115lb. GSD prefers my husband’s music room to my quilt room!
Yes, I can imagine that 115 pounds of ANYTHING would quickly “clutter” up your space. Sometimes I think it is better to NOT have a lot of space since we know that we will just fill it up!!
My sewing space is a loft that we walk through regularly, so…I clean as I go. And I always put everything back in their place at the end of my sewing session. If I had a room that I could close the door, I might work differently, yet I love the open feel of my space and the fabulous natural light. Biggest mess comes from designing process. But once those decisions are made, the production process is easier to keep tidy.
My office opens onto our den, meaning that I am still part of the family even when I am at work. I agree that it is wonderful!!!