I downsized from a three bedroom, family room, full basement with a detached garage to a two bedroom condo with no basement. LOVE the feel of freedom from "stuff". It forced to me make those hard choices of what to keep an what to donate, give to family or simply trash. I started with books I went from 5 book shelving units to three. I eliminated one full bedroom of furniture. I got rid of all outside tools. (I do wish I had my small rake, shovel and show shovel for some small projects.) I shaved down the kitchen small appliances, extra vases, and cookie sheets/baking pans. Really who needs 7 pie plates and I am a pie maker, but 7?
My second bedroom is my sewing room. I rarely have guests so it works well for me. I did sort my stash and donated over time all fabric that I KNEW I would not use or of such poor quality that I was not a good choice for any quilt. I have a double wide closet in my second bedroom and it was FULL when I moved in, but with diligence in the past two years, I have slimmed that down to about 3/4 full. Goal: eliminate one tote of fabric per year. That is doable and will still keep me quilting for a long time to come.
In the end, I absolutely recommend the move and the paring down of possessions. I truly live with much more freedom. My goal for this year is to pare down the holiday decoration bins. I have 7 or 8 all stored on shelves in my garage but I need to sort, repack with more organization and donate what is not usable in my smaller living space.
Happy sorting, donating and .... moving!