The filing cabinet (and unpacking)

Well, we did it! We are in!

Many crates later and, if I'm honest feeling somewhat jaded, the end is in sight. Moving is stressful and it's certainly not something I would want to do too often but it does have its up side. During the course of the unpacking, (rather than the packing?), an awful lot of sorting out and rationalisation has gone on! 

I think it is true to say that we probably have thrown out more as we unpacked then we did when we packed it. This means that we moved an awful lot of junk! Does everybody move awful lot of junk? My housemate, Mark, who I have to say has been an absolute stalwart with regard to this move, is more experienced than I am when it comes to moving. He has moved several times since I have known him (he is a work colleague and we have worked together for 10 years) and has also moved aged relatives. He said, as we started to unpack and decided that actually we didn't need whatever it was we were unpacking, that in his experience more throwing out happens after the move than before it. 

Last night my attention turned to my new studio space. Everything has just been dumped in the boxes by the Packers. In fact it was a very good exercise because I found things that I had forgotten about, and taking it slowly I was able to create much more order in the old wooden filing cabinet that I use to store quite a lot of fabric and wadding (when there isn't enough to store it on a roll). This old cabinet has been with me for a few years now. I don't actually remember where it came from. I think I just found it outside a junk shop, to be honest I'm not sure about that. For a while it was with my daughter in her flat in London, but when she came home it reverted back to me. At some point, again I don't exactly remember when, it came up from my home to my 'home from home'. 

As a general rule of thumb, filing cabinets are not particularly pretty pieces of furniture. They usually come in metal and in rather drab shades of battleship Grey. This one is wood, not a particularly good wood, it has to be said, but nevertheless it is wood and has a rather trendy vintage feel to it. The drawers make excellent storage because they are so deep. 

 

In fact it could be said, that they are too deep because things get lost at the bottom. However, last night I pressed into service a box that I had been saving for sometime because I thought it was too useful to throw away! This box originally had wine in it. It's not a wine crate, but rather a presentation box that came with some gifted wine that I had one Christmas. Therefore the box is strong and fairly shallow and has a nice finish (by which I mean it isn't rough cardboard, but rather has a laminated shiny surface). It also fits perfectly inside the drawers of the filing cabinet. So I pressed it into service as additional shelves within the drawers, bringing much order to the potential chaos. ( is it only me who has a tendency to stuff bits of fabric into drawers when engaged on a project?) 

Of course, my studio is here at my 'home from home', because that is where I spend most of my time. When I go home a take a particular piece of work with me, if I am working on anything. I'm really excited about my new studio here. We should be in this house for two years, and I'm bursting with anticipation at the opportunity for some good work! 

But first the studio must be completely unpacked and everything put away. 

I'll share piccies when that's done. Meanwhile, here's the garden from the studio French windows.