Hello and happy Friday! Before writing today’s post I reviewed our first 12 weeks of posts. I’m making progress little bits at a time by writing this series–I hope some of the ideas are helping you as well. I have the topics for the next month of posts planned out, and so thought this week would be a good time for a declutter challenge. I’ve come up with a list of things you can get rid of now and also have a tip to share at the end of the post.
Sew Your Stash 2019 | 13 {Declutter Challenge}
It’s easy to say, “Work on decluttering…” but it’s more helpful to have a list of things to do or to get rid of to make that process an easier reality to achieve. You might want to begin by reading this post on Tips for Purging your Fabric Stash, and then see if you can accomplish each of the challenges below. I’ve tried to come up with just five things that are not only doable over the weekend but will also make a big impact. Happy decluttering!
1. Thread Declutter
A couple of week’s ago I talked about choosing a category of the month for organizing and decluttering. Since this is the first weekend in April I’ll be working on going through threads. See if you can accomplish the following:
- Sort through all of your threads and purge those you know you won’t be using. Have a donation box handy when you begin this process.
- Consider how you store your threads. Try to move them all to one location if possible. (I keep my most used threads on a decorative wall rack in my sewing room but have a drawer in the closet for back stock and others used less-frequently.
- Finally, make note of any threads you might be low on and add them to your shopping list.
2. Surface Declutter
Now is a good time to look at the surfaces in your sewing space. Of course you should keep frequently used items readily available. But anything else that isn’t used on a daily (or at least weekly) basis should be moved to a separate storage area. I’m going to work on this challenge for sure. I have a lot of gadgets that I use occasionally that can be moved to the closet in my sewing room.
3. Doubles Declutter
Get rid of anything you have two (or more) of. This might include rulers, patterns, notions, etc. You might also consider purging items that are very similar to other items. If you love your 8 ½″ x 12″ ruler, then perhaps you don’t need the 6″ x 12″ ruler. Add these items to your donation box.
One exception I’ve made for myself in this category is my travel sewing supplies. I do have items I travel with that I also keep in my sewing room. In this case it makes it much easier not to have to continually pack and unpack often used supplies.
4. Batting Declutter
Do you save extra batting? I do. It’s wonderful to have small pieces readily available for small projects, and sometimes I’m able to find larger pieces for wall hangings. But decide on how much extra batting you really have room for and donate the rest. Label all of the left-over batting pieces you decide to keep with the measurement information to make it easier to use it up.
5. A Few More Ideas
I just found this article on “Practical Tips for a Sewing Room Clutter Cleanse from AllPeopleQuilt that is super helpful. Read the article here.
Finally… Use the Reward System
Before I begin any organization or de-cluttering, I try to think of a reward for completing my task list. Usually I “reward” myself with fun sewing…working on some on-going scrap projects or similar long-term projects. This accomplishes two things: first, it motivates me, and second, I make progress on some of my works in progress.
There you have it…accomplish the five tasks above and then you’ll be ready for next week’s post!
And a Tip!
Last month I taught a quilting class in St. George, Utah as part of the classes offered during the Dixie Quilt Guild biennial quilt show. I always enjoy learning things from my students, and received many ideas from this class (as usual). One of the women in class had attached a Command Hook to the front of her machine. She was then able to hang a small pair of scissors on the hook. I could hardly wait to get home and do the same thing. It’s been a great addition to my machine!
Finally…
I hope you enjoyed this Sew Your Stash 2019 | 13 post. Remember that you can read all of the previous Sew Your Stash posts here. Happy decluttering this weekend, and I’ll be back tomorrow for my weekly Saturday Seven post.
Hildy says
Thanks for the tips about decluttering but waht I love most was the tip with the hook for the scissors!
Peggy says
Love the hook idea. I am putting one on my shopping list right now.
Patsy says
Love the scissors tip. Your decluttering posts keep me accountable. Thank you.
Rebecca says
Except I have a pre-schooler in the house – I’m not going to use that scissor tip. She already has cut into scraps behind my back while I was sewing. I’m worried she’s going to cut into something critical so I’m fairly paranoid about where I keep them. At the moment I keep my sewing box so high that even I have to stand on a stood to get it!
brenda king says
Dear Sherri! Thank you for the lovely article about decluttering our sewing spaces. I’m with you on everything except getting rid of duplicates of tools and fabric. I buy duplicates of precuts so I can complete projects requiring more than one! Also having duplicate tools is not a problem with me. Altho’ I try to not duplicate, I’ve purchased more than one ruler required for differing classes. Have you priced fabric and tools lately? I hate to throw something costly away, then find I need it when the last one breaks, or disappears!
Living on a reduced, retirement income, I can’t be wasteful with my fabrics or tools! I try to discard that which is no longer usable, and keep what I’ve already paid for. : ) Brenda
Dianne says
I’m in the same boat of being retired and having to be careful with money set aside for quilting. If I accidentally purchase a duplicate I figure the older one will get a big nick or break and I’ll be ready. I used to teach quilting and it’s nice having g extras when someone wants to learn a new technique too, like my grandson.
sherri McConnell says
I agree with this as well…sometimes our beloved tools do break or become worn, so having a duplicate can be a lifesaver in those cases!
Beth T. says
I have a command hook on my machine and it’s brilliant for keeping track of my scissors and will also hold a pair of “readers” if you need to have an extra pair of glasses when you sew. 🙂
A few months ago, after a tragic event (in this case a wild fire) I heard about a group that was gathering in a different state to make quilts. I knew I wouldn’t be able to make a quilt or even send a block due to other obligations but I wanted to contribute. I called the woman coordinating the effort and asked her if donations of thread would be helpful. She said thread donations would be great because she was expecting a large number of people to come to piece and then others to machine quilt later. So I went through my thread with a critical eye and sifted out thread I had purchased for projects that never came to fruition, or those I had opened, used only a tiny bit of, and then tucked away. Off they went, to do some good. In the months since there has been only one occasion when I’ve missed any of those spools, wishing I had that specific color, and when I realized where it went I immediately felt better, knowing it had been put to good use. I can always buy more thread or, as I did that day, make do with what I have. I mention this because groups such as this, or ongoing groups like Project Linus as an example, would probably welcome good quality thread.
sherri McConnell says
Thank you so much for sharing this! I feel like some of our extras can do others so much good, and we really won’t miss them!
Debbie says
Love the hook idea. I am always looking for my scissors when I sew. Batting…..it multiplies when no one is watching. I need to gaher the larger pieces and donate the rest. Thanks for great tips!
Elizabeth E. says
I save small scraps of batting into a gallon ziploc bag, and tuck it behind my cutting surface. It’s easy to cut off squares of this to dust everywhere, as sewing and cutting seems to generate so much lint! The lint sticks to the quilt batting (I use polyester) and then I just throw the square away.
Thanks for your post on decluttering!
Susan (DE) says
I like the idea of donating excess small(er) batting pieces, but WHERE? Does anyone actually want those smaller pieces? WHO?
Please share?? 🙂