Can I be down and dirty, gritty and real here for just a bit?
Alycia from Quilts Girl got me thinking….. Actually, I’ve already been pondering some related things, but her post was a definite piece of the puzzle. She wrote a great post about finishing, or not. You can read it here. Go ahead, I’ll wait. 😊
I’ve been working on cleaning out my house lately. Mr. Wonderful and I would eventually like to downsize our Michigan home. I don’t want to leave a big mess for my kids to deal with down the road.
This means lots of sorting, donating, selling, pitching. It’s a big job. It’s hard. It’s messy. But I’d rather do this than leave it for my kids, not that I’m planning on going anywhere soon!
Clearly, my sewing stuff is a big category. I have been giving quilts away, and have more to part with. I need to pare down the herd of sewing machines and collectibles. (This one is not for sale yet 😊).
Alycia reminded me that one thing I can let go of, is finishing every project I have started. My kids are under no obligation to finish them either. Who made the rule that we have to finish everything? I will say that I do enjoy finishing most things, but I hereby release myself from the obligation of it. Big difference.
So, I’ve decided to put these away for now. Eventually, I might let them go altogether. I’ve given myself permission.
Life is too short to spend on things that don’t matter. And in the light of eternity, it does not matter if I don’t finish this little thing, but move on to something else more important or engaging.
And if my kids want to drop everything that’s left at Goodwill for another quilter to find, I’m good with that.
So, you all just got a little peek into the chaos of my head! I’m still processing, so if none of this makes sense, that’s my excuse. 😁
And if you have any tips or ideas regarding downsizing, please share!
Have a great day!
KatyQuilts 
I used to stress myself out by having several projects going at once, wanting to make every quilt I saw, and worrying about which quilt to start next. Add a demanding full-time job to the mix and you get quite a bit of anxiety. That is why a few years ago I devised a system that would allow me to finish more quilts w/o all the stress and anxiety. My Quilty Bucket system. I write the names of quilts I want to make on pieces of paper and put them in my bucket. Whatever I pull out of the bucket I work on until completion…for the most part. I do go rogue every now and again, for instance I sewed a JRRQ for Nat’l Sew A Jellyroll Day. I’ve learned not to put too many projects in my bucket at one time though and I’m happy to report my system is working wonderfully for me. I have “frogged” a handful of projects over the years, but now I’m just more selective about what I start and I make sure it’s something I can and will finish.
trying to let you know how much I enjoy your blog posts
Sometimes a project needs to marinate in time out till we get another view on how we can finish something. Some of my “almost finished” tops just needed the right border. 4 of those are getting done this year. I have one more of those to sew the borders onto, then it too can go to the longarmer. Sometimes we need to rethink how to use the parts and just say, “Ok, I’ll do it this way instead.” Instead of a bed quilt it will be a throw. Instead of using these all together ill make some wall or doll quilts.
I went through this 4 years ago when we moved from a 5 bedroom 1970s colonial into a 2 bedroom 1927 Craftsman bungalow. Not a lot of room, so we got rid of a lot! I let go of so much, but didn’t manage to get rid of any sewing or knitting/crochet supplies because those were MINE for retirement. We had a “Come get your ” S__T” BBQ for our kids before we moved which got rid of quite a bit and made many trips to Goodwill. We still have too much, but I don’t miss anything. But I agree, if it isn’t necessary or doesn’t bring you joy, get rid of it. Life is too short and I know my kids don’t want my stuff!
While the book Declutering at the Speed of Life isn’t about down sizing in particular, the concepts do apply, at least for me. It helped me clean out our house of 28 years and I haven’t really regretted anything I parted with. And, once we moved, I realize there is much more I can part with.
I used to live in MI, but now live in CA; I share your concerns about down sizing. You might want to read The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning by Margareta Magnusson. I’m going to pick up a copy from my library. This book was recommended to me from a fellow quilter—it might help you!
Kris
Katy,
This really resonated with me. Funny thing, I had just been looking at my current five stacks of blocks in my sewing room, each for a different quilt, and thinking that one of the five just wasn’t getting me excited and that perhaps I should simply give it away. Fortunately, we have a charity shop in town that specializes in craft supplies and it is the perfect place for it to find its next life. You are right that setting priorities is important. Doing things out of guilt is not a good use of anyone’s time.
Oh my!! First thing I saw was the Montgomery Ward’s label on the picture envelope! Talk about time travel. We did the purging when we moved from MI to SC. Not so say there still isn’t things that could go, but not just yet!!!
Also, our daughter works with refugees in Grand Rapids. If you have any bed-sized quilts you want to release, her clients always need bedding. Many of them come from Africa, so they need lots of blankets.
Hi Katy,
I would suggest making the postage stamp remnants into a table runner.