Have you made arrangement for your stash?
 

Years ago I knew that my stash would outlive me and that its value would not be appreciated by many. The thousands of dollars that makes up our stashes should not go out into a dumpster as I heard this happened recently when an older quilter died and her survivors just considered it a big waste of their time to go through it.
I decided that as I prepared my Will I should take care to preserve this stash and be sure it was not tossed or found of little value. I placed in my will that what my children did not want for personal use should be given to a guild I belonged to years ago. I need to update that a bit since I am now in a different guild. But no matter it is to be put to charity quilting!
I know a lot of us do not think about this valuable asset but should. How many have made arrangements for their stash. Loved ones may just not want to deal with it.
Just a thought

You have a good thought. A friend of mine passed away last fall. Her stash was huge! Her family had a garage sale to sell it. It was a big turn out with the local guild as well as a sewing group she belonged to. There was still a lot left over and I am not sure what they did with that. My oldest daughter is a quilter so she will take mine. The other kids all agreed they think she should have it all.

One of my DIL'S would probably take a lot of it. My boys wouldn't trash my things though. They would donate to a good cause. I've already told them. It's hard to imagine people trashing things that meant so much to someone.

So many quilter's don't make provisions for their stash. This past year two friends estates have gone up for sale. Family has no idea what to price things, so often someone looks on online or somewhere else and expects things to go for huge prices. 30 year old fabric doesn't sell for huge prices. It's a good thought to provide for it.

All of my belongings will be inherited by my only daughter. I just organized all of my crafting and sewing supplies with a list of what is in each storage box. I also have a sewing machine inventory telling her what I paid for each machine, the accessories I have for it, and what each machine does. I told her she can do whatever she wants with it. She knows a lot of people all over town so she probably won't have a lot of problem finding homes for my things.

There is a note stuck inside my storage cupboard door with directions to contact the local Project Linus coordinator. Not for a while though I hope!!

My BFF, Imogene, and I have known each other for 45+ years and have sewed/quilted together all of that time - traveling all over the area to quilt shows, fabric shops/hops, etc. She worked part-time at a quilt shop and was "paid" with fabric. She had one whole bedroom lined with bookcases with bolts of fabrics, etc. A second bedroom was her overflow from the first bedroom. Both bedrooms had big closets full of fabric, etc. Then in the basement was her quilting room with long-arm, rolls of batting, etc. She had a massive stroke but lasted 5 years before she passed away. Every single time that I went over there (which was very often) she insisted that I go into her room and take home some fabric - to "shop" her stash first before going to the store. Her DH piled up a bunch of furniture in that room so that she could not get in there with her wheelchair - so she would sit outside in the hall while I was in there. They did sell her long arm, etc. before she passed away. She had a sister (in town) who also had a long arm business and she had 3 daughters. Imogene had one daughter-in-law and two grand daughters - none showed any interest in quilts or quilting. After she died, I did not go into her bedrooms - just visited with her DH in the family room for months. I did not ask what he was going to do with her things because I just thought that he would give things away to her sister, nieces, daughters-in-laws and granddaughters. So, imagine my shock and horror of going there one day and he said "Nikki, go look in Imogene's sewing room" - so I did - and it was empty. I came out and asked where the things were and he told me that he had spent the past two days burning everything - we live out in the country and can burn if we wish to. But, I was able to look into the closets and see her plastic totes with more fabric in them, that she did not have room to put them onto the bookcases. I just told him that I was taking home all of the rest and I did. I found a bookcase in the hallway that had her quilting books in it - so was able to rescue them too. I even found some antique quilt blocks, pieced by hand. So I called her sister and she said that they were either from their grandmother or their handicapped aunt - so, of course, I saved them for her. I did find all of her cutting mats behind a dresser and lots of rotary cutters and rulers. So, not all lost. No thread or paper patterns though.

I left a letter for my daughter who will inherit everything about the important stuff to me that was not important enough to be formally in a will.

My dear friend and quilting mentor passed away earlier this year. Sadly she knew what was coming and that it was coming quickly.

Her stash was not huge but of very good quality. I also am friends with another quilter who does much charity sewing. That is where my dying friend wanted her stash to go. And it did. Her daughter took many of her tools and what she did not want my other quilting friend and I split as we desired. Her vintage machine went to her daughter and her newer machine went to her granddaughter.

Sadly my friend was able to help in the distribution of her quilting items. I finished up some tops for her; her SIL is in the process of quilting those for her family. I have one other of her quilts that needs to be hand quilted that she started years ago for her husband. I'll get that one done eventually.

It is very wise for all of us to make sure our family knows our desires regarding our stash; machines; tools; etc. I'm sure most families will abide by those wishes.