"Iffy" items -
 

What do you do with your more or less usable tools/fabrics/other equipment - that are "not good enough" for you to use anynore?

Examples: rulers that have a bit of a bow on the edge
fabrics that bleed - but are still "good"
scissors that have a nick in them, but still cut

For me, donating them is not an option - because if someone is starting out to be a quilter, that someone does not need the aggravation/frustration.

I still have trouble taking those items straight to the trash. Why? I paid "good money" for them -
Did they give me long and faithful service? Some did. Some did not.
I need to become more ruthless in discarding not-useful things.

Anyone else hang on to things that are past their prime?

(I know there are a couple of members that can pitch things easily - I am not one of them)

Bearisgray, I'm like you. I hate throwing things away. But sometimes, ya just gotta do it. Those things are no longer usable, or worthwhile to anyone. Perhaps the plastic in the rulers can be recycled. Toss and be free. :)

~ C

Cutting mats that are aged-out become bench toppers for my husband's shop benches. They can get glue or paint on them there, but they have extended their useful life.

Depending on the price of the scissors, if they still cut and are a decent brand, just have a nick, they might become "paper scissors" or "garage scissors". If they are dull and can't be sharpened for some reason, they are trash.

I haven't yet has a ruler with a bad edge, but if when I do it will probably become a "convenience" ruler for things like trimming area rug pads, etc.

I try to repurpose items, like cutting worn out cutting mats to use for tote/ purse bottoms, rulers can be recycled- I have a couple favorites that I’m struggling with the decision right now- edges aren’t bowed, but the corners are rounded instead of good 90* corners- when I replace a ruler I recycle Or repurpose the old one. I have good scissors- sometimes the local scissor sharpener guy can ( fix) a Nick. Sometimes they go to the ( tool/ junk) drawer, never know when you need to cut cardboard, a weed, a rubber something....
so, I repurpose what I can, recycle what I can- throw away very little

If it is useless to me and no one wants it, it goes in the trash and forgot about. I have never felt guilty about throwing anything away. I'm really going to keep everything?

I did have to laugh because my husband has had trouble with a weed eater. He was so frustrated he told our son if he took it to the dump site to bust it up good. He didn’t want anyone else to take it home and go through all the headache he had.
=35pxFor me, donating them is not an option - because if someone is starting out to be a quilter, that someone does not need the aggravation/frustration.

that's me, too. lol

remember when there was somebody local who sharpened scissors and knives?
(i have tried all sorts of home sharpening devices with little to no success.)

Like you I keep things much longer than I should because I paid good money for them. If it’s any consolation, when I finally let go and toss them, I do get a sense of freedom and relief.

I grew up with a father that very rarely threw away things that we may be able to fix, may need later, or just because. We called it the Lancaster Gene. My youngest daughter has it too. But I am beginning to over come this genetic disorder. Books that I have read - are going to someone else because I will never read them a second time. Projects I started and know they will never be touched again - have been sent to people that believe they will want to work on them. But there is a small pair of scissors that are a total waste of space and for some reason keep dodging the trash can. It takes time to go thru cupboards and drawers to get rid of stuff. It may take a couple of times looking to get rid of stuff. But I am not sweating it - my daughters may have to hire one of those giant dumpsters to clean out the house when I'm gone, but that's okay. They will still love me.

I used to hang onto things like that. Finally I realized that they are just not worth the hassle. I always seem to pick up the pair of scissors that doesn't cut all the way down the blade anymore or the bowed ruler. I look at it this way. I have probably used it dozens of times and even though I did pay good money for them, I have gotten the worth out of them. Bleeding fabric on the other hand, is a danger to keep around. I will toss it immediately if it doesn't stop with frequent washing. Love those color catchers.

I find it very freeing to get rid of things that no longer serve me. They are soon forgotten about and then I have more room for the things I love. This is especially true of fabric. I refuse to use anything I don't love. By donating fabric I feel good that someone else will enjoy it.

Sounds like me. On faded rulers where the lines have worn out I even have drawn new lines. Never accurate but at least semi useful???

Fabrics that bleed more than I wish to deal with go to the fabric recycling drop off. That's where you are supposed to take nasty old pillows and things. We have "transfer stations" (trash collection sites) that have a recycling center next to them with separate bins for things like fabric and other things that can be sorted like cardboard, plastic, glass, cans. There have been fabrics that even I have given up on -- and I'm not going to pass them on to anyone else.

Old rulers I keep in the tool closet. Often need a straight edge and is nice to not have to worry about permanent marker marks. I keep broken rulers around for a long time, until I get to a project that bothers me to have that one corner bitten off or I realize I already have a better smaller ruler.

Scissors I'm pretty fussy about, I have Fiskar sharpeners I use on them, if that doesn't fix it, I write Paper or something like that with marker on the handle and stick it in the non-quilting places for my husband to use. One of my sewing ladies is going to give me a set of Ginghers that she just doesn't use or appreciate (she likes Kai), the sewing repair place I like also sharpens scissors so I'll be taking them to him when they need it.

I use my rotary blades longer than I should. I'm trying to break myself of the habit and look at it that even a $5 blade is cheap compared to mashing $100 of fabric. I buy in bulk and tell myself to replace but it's a work in progress.

I have a hard time throwing rulers away but I don't want to donate them and have someone else have a faulty ruler and get discouraged when they try to use it. I guess I would just keep it (I don't know why??!!) If I have fabrics that are no use to me and are bleeders, I think the fabrics could go into dog or cat beds and still be useful for that reason

They aren’t more or less useable. Throw them away. A bowed ruler won’t cut straight. Messed up scissors don’t cut period. Fabrics that continue to bleed ruin entire projects. Don’t inflict them on someone else.

I keep old mats to use for projects where I have to use glue, like collages. Then I don't get glue all over the table.
Old blades, I keep and they get used in an old rotary cutter handle that has a ribbon tied to the handle so I know that it is for paper only.
Scissors that are no good anymore and can't be sharpened immediately go down to the garage.

Watson

I’ve gotten to the point where I throw out something that can’t be repurposed. I spent too many years trying to make do with not-so-great things. I had a really cheapy sewing machine where I had to hand wind a bobbin because the bobbin winder was broken on my machine. And I used cheap scissors and thread and only sale fabric because that’s what I could afford. It’s possible to sew with these things, but life’s getting way too short now for me to make do.

If the item is unusable I will throw away. If it just doesn't work for me any longer, I donate to my guild's free table.
I look at the item as taking up valuable real estate in my sewing area and I could use that space for something that does work for me. I agree with Doggramma, life is too short to put up with "faulty" tools and try to make do.

It may take me a while, but eventually I have a day of clarity and I get rid of them. After they are gone, Ii don't miss them at all. https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images/smilies/boy.gif

I have a tote bag of quilt books that have been sitting by the door for months. I just can't throw them out. I think that when quilting groups start up again, I can donate them there.

Don't forget to think outside the box - "worn out" cutting mats might be refreshed with a long soak in warm water (good maintenance technique - they wear out because they dry out and cuts don't "heal"), bleeding fabrics might be just what an art quilter wants so she/he can play with the bleeds in a quilt, etc. Quilt guilds usually have a "free table" where one can put out items for others to take - just be sure to add a note of any unique feature (bleeds, nick in blade, etc.)

Saving items to repurpose, to store until someone needs them, to put in box to wait to fill to donate, is still keeping them. I want them gone and out of my way. None of the items cost that much that can't be bought new using coupons, sales. etc.

Used, damaged items
 

Donate them to a school or scout pack.

Old rulers can have a new life ......
The rough edges and bitten off corners, can be cut off.

It's a great way to get a ruler for a special project.
I have one re-cut to 5-3/4" square ... for a specific project where the precise size
made cutting-life a lot easier than working with a 6-1/2".

Quilting is my pleasure. I don't want to be burdened with things I can't use. I must say, though, that I am using things I bought years ago and haven't used before. Still, I've given away lots of duplicates and extras to people who will enjoy them.

The only thing g I could see the rulers used for is if cut down they could be used as bases for a bag

I wouldn't think they would be a good idea in a bag ......
Wouldn't they be too breakable to set in the bottom as a stiffener??

My ( iffy) tools generally get moved from the quilting stuff to the crafting or even the junk drawer- the scissors may wind up in a first aid kit, or just in a sleeve in the glovebox of the car ( I’m amazed how often I’ve needed scissors in the car- to cut a tag, those pesky plastic things- or just to break into a quick snack)
the rulers are usually still good enough for paper crafts, or any number of handy moments outside the sewing room. Fabrics I don’t use for quilting can still be put to use- my granddaughters used to love making what they called treasure boxes- usually a file paper box with a lid- they would grab my basket of those fabrics, ones that I wouldn’t use for quilting and they glued fabrics pieces all over the boxes- they love those boxes- smaller boxes and pizza boxes work great too. Lots of uses for those things we no longer use to make a quilt. 🤗

I have found a use for a couple of broken rulers (about 6 x 24 size---ask my GSon how it got broken! Good thing it already had a bow in it.) They work well on my LA table where I place my pantographs. I use them to measure how far from the edge to place the panto and then use them as "weights' to hold the panto in place. The lines don't bother me while following the panto. The 12 1/2" square which is still in good shape works well too.

I'm in a weird position with this. If it's a pair of scissors and I even have one problem with them, my fiance takes off with them to sharpen them. When I first started quilting, I had a pair of ergonomic scissors that were torqued somehow and wouldn't even cut paper, those he could never get them tuned correctly and they just don't cut anymore, but he's taken them into the garage and uses them. We're all about re-purposing until it can no longer serve, then we give what we can to a friend that scraps and he'll recycle them.

I know I've got people ready to take my cutting mats when it's time, the problem with that though is that I'm taking such good care of them, it's going to be a very, very long wait for them. I also have a couple of women that want my wool mats when it comes time to get rid of them because they make great hot pads, but they've been told I'm not giving up my wool mats until I'm ready to stop sewing, which isn't in the plan for a very, very long time.

I haven't gotten into my quilting corner to start purging, so I'm really not sure what I have that could either be repurposed or tossed. I'm not much on tossing anything until I know for an absolute fact I won't use it again, then it gets put in a separate location so I can think about it. My fiance sometimes doesn't help in this situation, he brought home another stack of old quilt, crochet, and knitting books and I can never say no to those. The older patterns, I believe, are better than some of the newer ones, so books being donated/given away are absolutely not going to happen.

Quilting and sewing is my hobby and brings me joy. If something is worn out, and I can't use them and they aren't good enough to donate I toss them in the trash. I do not send them to the garage for the slight chance they may be used. Why move junk into my husbands space, he doesn't need or want it either. We're both very organized neat freaks. I figure even though I paid good money for things that's ok because I got a lot of use out of them.

Why do we say "we paid 'good money' for something"

and

(I've never heard anyone say ) never say "we paid 'bad money'" for something" ?

I have struggled with this as well. I'm getting better at it - because if the item no longer fulfills its purpose, it can go. Released to the universe. Which releases me of the aggravation of using it, the space it takes, and the mental anguish of owning something that doesn't work. It's quite freeing to throw things away. My husband and I had to clean out his sister's house when she died, and it took 2 dumpsters and a GIANT yard sale and loads of giving away. My stash alone will keep my kids working when I go..

I have a very difficult time tossing things out. Many of my worn out quilting items make it to the craft barrels and are used there. Mostly for scrapbooking. A worn out ruler is still great for getting a good cut of paper and worn scissors are great with paper most of the time. I do my best to repurpose all my tools. Even worn out seam rippers are great for fine placed items that need a gently pointed movement.

I just found a company that sharpens knives and scissors by mail. They were a Shark Tank winner, https://knifeaid.com/products/knife-sharpening
I have sent out 5 of my worst kitchen knives and will report on the results. They have awesome reviews.
Best part??? $15/knife including shipping both ways!

How can something not good enough to use anymore still be good enough to keep? That makes no sense to me. The
usefulness is the reason it was bought in the first place.