To De-stash or Not to De-stash

 I have been part of Just Get It Done Declutter Challenge for the past 3 years. I admit that this year, I didn't do a whole lot of the decluttering. Mostly because there wasn't a whole lot to declutter after the past two years. Mostly I needed to getting things organized and straightened up. 

Now one of the things encouraged during the declutter challenge is to reduce your stash.  You are supposed go through your stash and what no longer appeals to you get rid of.  Only keep what you have space for and/or will use. Over the past 3 years, I have gone through my Stash. I definitely have more fabric than I can use at the current rate that I am sewing. 

There are many ideas out there for ways to reduce it. Donate and Sell are the biggest ones.

One suggestion is to donate it to charity quilt groups. Another was to donate to Home-Ec departments at underprivileged schools. I often suggest the 4-H programs. Someone else suggested Boys and Girls Clubs. Yet another suggestion was senior centers. All worthy causes.

There are suggestions of taking it to the local guild for the give away table. I don't belong to a guild yet, but I would probably bring home just as much as I donated.  The other guild suggestion was to donate to a fund raiser. I guess they have yard sales to help raise funds for the program. Again I would probably buy more than I donated.

The last suggestion was to sell it. This suggestion gives you a chance to recoup some of your investment. There are many places/ways to sell fabric. E-bay was a site I used often when I first started getting serious about quilting. Facebook Market place is another popular sales site. You could always do your own yard sale. A big suggestion that I hear from podcasters and bloggers is the different De-Stach sites. Web sites specifically for selling you left over fabric.

I have only visited one De-stash site. Feel Good Fibers. Both times I had been given a gift certificate to the site. Interestingly, both time I bought from a podcaster I followed. Both times I bought some nice solids that filled a niche in my stash. But this last time, I also bought two 1/4 #  bags of scraps.  Why on earth would I buy someone else's scraps?  I don't think I would buy just anyone's scraps. Like I said I follow this person. Their color and print choices in fabrics appeal to me. I also wanted some good print fabrics for small hexies. What I had seen her use for prints would work for the hexies. So I gambled on a 1/4# of liberty prints. The 1/4# of scraps was Art Gallery solids. I am pleased with both.

So would I ever use a de-stash site? Yes, to buy prints I can't get anywhere else. To sell, probably not. I am not ready to get rid of my stash. That's not to say I won't share it. I am happy to share with other quilters and or crafters. But to get rid of my precious fabric for the sake of space. Not going to happen. 

I guess I just need to increase the amount of time I spend sewing. That or find more space to store it.

Have you considered De-stashing?

Finished a UFO

 This week I finished a UFO. It only needed binding and that's all it needed for the past month. But it is finally finished and the label is on. I don't consider it finished if the label is not on it. Unfortunately I finish it one day after my two week reign as Queen of UFOs ended. So I will need to send a Fat Quarter to the winner of the next quarter. (or this quarter) I guess I better find that out. 

The fabric is from a set of charm packs that felt rather manly. It is for a man after all and I didn't want any thing flowery.  I found a pine cone and pine needle E2E pattern from Wild Flower quilting and used that quilt it with. The backing is hunter green and this time I matched the bobbin thread to the back. I then used a neural thread color for the top.  I hadn't used mismatched color before. I bound it with a dark brown solid fabric using a slightly wider binding.

This throw quilt is for a friend of the family. Sort of a surrogate grandfather to my kids. I wish I had finished it last week. That way I could have given it to him at church. He is in a wheel chair, after having his leg amputated a little while back. He has just started coming back to church. Last Sunday, the Chapel was really cold. This made it so he needed to leave early. This Sunday I will have the quilt for him. 

This has me thinking about making throw quilts to keep in the chapel at church. Most of our congregation are older. If there were a few throw size quilts on the back pew where you enter, they could grab one and hopefully be comfortable. It would be easy enough to zip up some simple patchwork from all of the 5" charm packs I have. The backing and batting would be the bigger issue. I am not made of money after all.

I will have to think on this a little bit.

What are you working on?

Fabric Hoarding (from the perspective of the dragon)

 I am a Fabric Dragon. My hoard consists of mounds of fabric in all shapes, sizes, colors and patterns. All of which I adore and treasure. Doesn't that sound so much better that a fabric hoarder. 

I fully admit that I am addicted to color, patterns, and textures. I don't part with fabric simply because I have too much of it or that I finished the project that I got it for. I don't throw away scraps until they are too small for me to use. I am even finding uses for smaller bits these days as I venture into more EPP. I am eager and happy to take on anyone's discards even if they are only scraps. 

My hoard has definitely reached the classification - STABLE. Stable sounds pretty good doesn't it. But when you know what it stands for, it's not as positive as it seems. Stable = Stash Total Accumulation Beyond Life Expectancy.

My whole family knows that I have too much fabric. Yet they encourage it, enable me to have it and actually contribute to it. As addictions go, this one isn't so bad. Part of my addiction goes back to harder times early on in my marriage. If I was working, I didn't have time to craft. (I had small children) If I wasn't working, I didn't have the money to craft. As I am approaching retirement age, I am well aware that I won't have the funds to do all the things I want to once I retire. So I am accumulating it now. At least that is how I justify it.

Do you have a stash?  Is it STABLE?  Do you want to De-Stash? (let me know if you do)

Scrap and Stash Management

 So the declutter challenge ended and I didn't de-clutter much of anything. Oh, the trash went out and things got put where they belong. I even trimmed up some scraps. But I didn't really declutter. Partly because I've done this challenge 3 times now. Mostly because I don't want to part with anything. 

Yes, I have limited space, but instead of getting rid of stuff I want to use it up. So I need to find a better way to manage that. I need to continue to sew every morning. I need to start sewing more in the evening. That means I need to start coming home on time. That is a little trickier than I would like it to be.

I am also thinking about how I store my scraps and fabric in general. Right now I cut scraps into specific sizes. Then I put them in baggies. What I need to do is sort them by color and size. That will make it easier for me to use them. I do have some baskets to hold the baggies.

As for the fabric, the yardage is in clear storage totes. I have some separation of types of fabric such as Christmas, White, Batiks, 1930's, etc. I am thinking I need to sort by color and maybe pull out the solids and sort them separately.

Pre-cuts. well there are way too many of those. I have them mostly stored by size and collection. I need to just start using them. I do have a couple of pre-cut friendly books. I guess I need get them out and plan some quilts.

How do you manage/store your stash?

Breaking the Creative Funk

 I was listening to a podcast today that was talking about how to break out of a creative stalemate. Everyone gets into a funk now and then where they just can't seem to get motivate to create. This podcast was talking specifically about not being able to sew/quilt. 

I found it interesting that the first thing that was suggested was to clean your work space. Basically remove the clutter to free up your mind. I find that works for me, but only to a certain extent. Probably because I thrive in a little clutter.

Another suggestion was to do a different creative hobby. Basically take a break from what you normally do. So instead of sewing or quilting, try decorative painting, or jewelry making. I was in a very long funk that lasted about 2 years. When I started making the jewelry and flowers for my daughters wedding, that funk lifted. I got back to sewing/quilting. and have kept at it.

I have been in a bit of a funk lately. Partly because of the holiday let down. Partly because of outside commitments. But mostly, I have decided, it is because I have been trying to get all these UFO's done and what I really want to do is start on something new. We have to be careful not to stifle our creative instincts by holding ourselves back. Sometimes we need the excitement of a new project to keep juices flowing. 

I may start a new project this month. just as soon as I finish up a quilt. I have been made Queen of UFOs and have 2 weeks to get a finish done. Fortunately I just have to bind a quilt to make that happen.  

Another reason for the funk is not having enough time to get done everything I want to do. I need to ease up on myself. I have been working every morning on something. At first it was EPP stuff. Then is was cutting up scraps and taming that mountainous pile. I should mention that I love cutting up scraps. I like to cut fabric. I know some people see that as a chore or a necessary evil. But it is something I really honestly enjoy.

There is also the limited space, I don't have the space to set up my studio like I want it. Storage is at a premium. I needed to set up my big board ironing board to press some seams and some fabric. It isn't that hard to set up, I just didn't want it in my way. I need to figure out a better placement for it. But it is set up now and I am ready to stitch some rows together.

How do you break out of a funk?

Declutter Challenge and Queen of UFOs

 I have had a busy week. I did not get done all that I wanted too, but I have kept up with working on something in the studio everyday.  Having done the declutter challenge the past two years means that a lot of the daily challenges are not much of a challenge, rather more of a good reminder. I try to walk through the declutter steps a couple times a year, when it comes to my studio. I need to employ the steps in other parts of my home. 

I did resist buying a vintage singer sewing machine in a cabinet. It was a model that I wanted as well. To be honest if I had the truck instead of my car I probably would have bought it, even though I don't know where I would put it. 

I still haven't started the oil bath on the model 201 singer that my friend gave me. I just need to grab a pan to set it in and then I can start. 

As for UFOs, I still haven't finished the one I quilted last week. I have moved up to Lady in Waiting on the Queen list for my Queen of UFO's facebook group. That's the highest I've ever been. I just need to finish this one quilt and I will be bumped to the bottom of the list. But I think that will wait until after next Saturday. I may get the binding made this week. I just don't know how many hours I am going to have to be at work this week. We have new management starting tomorrow.

Sometime in the next couple of weeks I need to list my UFO's and plan out which ones are a priority and what order I am going to work on them. Last year (2022) was the year of finishing UFOs but mostly because I had started the grandbaby's quilts before December 31st.  I may not have gotten as many done if they hadn't qualified as UFO's on January 1st. 

I am going to make 2023 another year of completing UFOS as well as getting some grandkid's quilts done. this will require that I not only stitch for 20-30 minutes in the morning each day but also work in the evenings as well. That means keeping up with decluttering and organizing the studio. Continuing to tame Mount Scrapmore. Taking time to get quilts on the machine and quilted.  I have fabric and patterns pulled for so many quilts. Not to mention the kits that I bought that are waiting to be done. I doubt I will ever be free of UFOs but I sure can put a dent in them.  I also want to do at least one scrap quilt this year. And I want to do one foundation paper piecing (FPP) quilt this year. Plus, I expect to keep doing EPP throughout the year as well. That's a lot to accomplish but at least I will be busy.

What is your plan for 2023?

Day 6 Post 6 - Distraction

 Today I got a gift from a sweet friend and coworker. Angela gifted me an old singer sewing machine. She thought I could put it on a shelf for decoration, if nothing else.  I believe it was her mother in law's old machine.She knows I love old Singers.

This one is a model 201 and was built in 1948 at the Elizabethport, NJ factory. It's been sitting in a shed for years. It's in rough shape. The wheel doesn't turn freely when the drive is engaged. The needle bar and thread lever are definitely frozen. I may not be able to make it work again. But even if it just sits on a shelf in my studio, it will be worth the effort I put into it. Angela was so sweet to think of me

This brings my total of old electric Singers to 5; 2 from the 40's; 2 from the 50's and 1 from the 70's. I also have 2 Singer treadle machines and 1 New Home Treadle. All of which I need to give a little attention to.

This year I am planning on taking a course in sewing machine repair. At the end of the course, I would be certified in sewing machine repair. Both modern and vintage machines. I am getting my son, Killian, to take it with me. We think it might be a good side hustle. Especially since there aren't any places around here to get your machine repaired. 

In the meantime, I will watch some you-tube videos on machine restoration and contemplate getting started on one of these babies.

What is you distraction?