My husband seems to think that there is something wrong with me. And I just want to get your opinions on this.

As I have mentioned before, we are moving (the week of the 21st) and it is a professional move, i.e. they pack, they load, they unload and setup beds and stuff.

Now the weird part, or so my husband says, is the packing of my room. Even though I am one armed for this move, I still want to pack my room - not them - me. He says that they are the professionals, they know what they are doing, and what they pack will be covered by the insurance. I know that this is all true and understand all of it. BUT if is my stuff (stash, machines, books, etc.) and I want to know where it is and how it is packed. I have my fabrics sorted and folded and my project kitted up. And I want things pack in certain ways. Such as the three quilts that I want to start next, and the beautiful applique pattern that was a wonderful surprise, ar pack into a large storage tub all together with their threads and instructions and such. And I want to be able to pack all of my fabrics along the same lines as how I have them sorted. I don't want a 'trained professional' ruining all of the folding and ironing and marking and such while they literally 'throw' it into a box to go.

So, am I being unreasonable? DH says that I am because there is other stuff that we need to accomplish since he is now commuting from Maryland. He leaves at 4a on Monday morning and gets home about 10p and Thursday night until we completely move. I know that I have been off kilter about a lot of things lately, but I don't see this as part of it. But if it is, doen't it make sense to let me at least control this small part of the pack?

Okay, thanks for listening. There is not a lot of consideration around here right now.

Um...... I have been there with the one-arm stuff. We had a water leak and I had to pack up my entire sewing room.( right before surgery) I had help from quilting friends unpack and put it back together.
I have moved many times with the Navy. There are certain things that I insisted on packing into Rubbermaid tubs. They then packed the tubs into boxes, that was fine.
Being that you are not supposed to use your arm..... can you have a friend help? Can you be there in the room when your stuff is being packed? I know there are a million other things that need to be done. You may have to let this one go a little.

Moving is so stressful - even if you do have professional movers! I sympathize with you about wanting to pack your own stuff - I would too!

Good luck with the move and remember that this too shall pass!

I would want to pack my sewing room also. I totally understand. Hang in there. moving is so stressful.

I would feel the same way.I wouldn;t want anyone else boxing my stash or kits.They might mix things up or mess things up.

Perhaps you could supervise the "professionals" and give them guidance to pack your things (not sure if that' an option in your situation) or if DH is worried about it not being covered under insurance if they don't pack it, is it possible to move (depending on the size) of your stash and machines in your car? If you do this, please notify your insurance of the value of these things (learned the hard way with my daughters wedding dress, in an accident 6 minutes after picking it up).

I totally understand, I would want that stuff handled with kit gloves.

If it were me I would want to pack my sewing stuff myself too. Husbands just don't understand.

nope, you are fine and correct too. but you can delegate. the professional can pack what you tell them to and how you tell them to. or your hubby can!!!

You don't want to do anything that will re-injure your shoulder!!! Or make it take longer to heal. Don't over do!!! It will be really hard to pack up your fabrics with just one arm. If you do pack some of it, do a little at a time and don't use that arm!!!!!

I agree with Jim's Gem.....

Recruit some friends to help you pack your items in totes....then they can pack them in boxes. If you want certain totes to be together.... stack/place them together and label each tote in a group with a number/letter/etc.

Hope this helps.

I understand!! You value your things. I'd feel the same way you do. Great suggestion about recruiting a few friends!

I agree with you. I wouldn't want anyone else packing my things. I'm sure the movers are very good but they are most likely not quilters and wouldn't care for or organize your things as you would. It will also make unpacking a much more enjoyable for you because all of your treasures will be in the order you want. I hope your move goes smoothly.

When I had the professional moves do the packing - anything I was concerned about I stayed in the room while they were packing that stuff. Everything all ended up being where I wanted it. And if you want to use tubs then do so and they can be placed in larger boxes.
Hope all goes well.

I agree with you. There is no way I would let movers touch my sewing machines or anything I value. I've seen their work first hand. Never again.

I don't think you're crazy and I understand how you feel, but here is what I would do:

I would pack my "essentials" - everything you need for either your current or upcoming WIP's. Pack for yourself, the one machine and the tools and supplies that you *need* to do those things. Then put them in your car. (Unless your stash, tools and supplies are minimal enough for it all to fit in your car, then I'd pack it all and haul it all myself).

I don't know how your moving company works, but I used to work for one. We could not load anything into the truck that we had not packed ourselves. For two reasons: First being to save your butt - your stuff is not covered if you pack it. The second reason was to save OURS. If you have packed something that the company cannot move, for whatever reason (aerosols were a big one for us), and they don't know...and it causes any kind of accident/incident, it is not covered for us or you. Even for those rubber maid storage bins, we had to go through *every.single.item* in them before clearing them for loading (imagine the day I found a whole rubbermaid bin full of Play Girl magazines and HAD to go through it...)

I would rather have to re-fold and re-organize than lose it all with no reimbursement.

Ask if you can be in the room when they pack your stuff, I'm sure they have had stranger requests.

I would be worse than you. I would feel the same way about my kitchen things. Even my DH knows better than to put things in my cupboards.

At one time we were moved by professionals and they would not take anything packed in totes or plastic. They took it out of the totes and packed in boxes and then packed the totes. Their reasoning was be cause anything plastic will crack and break as things shift in the moving van. Don't know if that is true today,
might want to check it out.

I also moved computer and sewing machines myself. My hubby moved his electronics and TV/s. We actually took a pickup and van load cause there was alot of house hold stuff they wouldn't take.

Pack your stuff....We hired "professional" movers last time I moved, they broke things, packed stuff incorrectly, couldn't find anything....Just saying...

Sandi

What if you call the moving company and tell them your concerns and request their best crew? I moved 3 times (for work) and the first and third time the movers were a family owned company and they were great. No problems. The second time the timing was not right and we had a local company with day workers and it was not fun! Also have a couple of your quilting buddies come over and help you supervise. Once you explain what you want to them, they can help you supervise because they will understand and can help you keep things in order.
I was told the same thing about packing, they had to re-pack everything I had already packed and put into storage. We did have a few special things that we moved in our cars.

DO IT YOURSELF...having moved about 20 times in my life, let me tell you what can happen if you let them do it...all the stuff in drawers will be dumped into boxes...have fun sorting that out...books will be crammed into boxes, however they can get them to fit...wait till you see those corners and covers.
If you want it to look like it does now, then YOU have to pack it...they do not get paid to sort, arrange, organize, etc...they get paid to dump into boxes, tape them shut and put them on a truck!
It took my mom 3months to sort her sewing drawers..and that is all she, 4 drawers..

I completely understand you're wanting to pack your things.

Twice we have moved cross country and both times I did all of the packing. When I was a child we did some large moves and always there was damage to our things. I really thought I could do a better job if for no other reason...I have a vested interest in having everything arrive safely. And everything did.

The movers were dubious when they arrived to load the truck. They could see that we packed ourselves (didn't use their boxes), but once they handled our boxes, they could tell that I had done a good job...nothing shifting and the boxes felt solid (no air). You can insure all of your household goods...even if you do the packing. We used Allied.

As for how much time it takes..it really can go quite quickly if your things are already organized. I packed all of my sewing things in several hours, and trust me, I have a bunch of stuff. I numbered every box and created a list with a short summary of each box. It made it very easy to unpack what was most important first at the other end.

Good luck with your move. :D

I would want to pack my own as well...them being professional movers means nothing. When I was 20, I too worked for a few months for a moving company...being the professional I was then..LOL...I was trained to pick it up the correct way and throw it in the truck where it would fill it up best...if something got broke or messed up they had insurance to cover it...that was gist of the training

I haven't read through the replies, but I completely agree with you. Is there something that he's passionate about that you could compare this to? Would it help if you organized things in the way you want it to be packed, if packing it yourself is not an option?

I would supervise and make them do the work.

Take care of your arm, make sure it is not overly strained.

BUT with movers, you never can tell. Most of my family, me included, have been moved by military movers, and almost ALL of the time we've lost something valuable. My son was moved by the Navy and lost a lot of stuff, including a lot of his childhood Boy Scout medals and other household furnishings, wound up with a very nice foldaway bed sofa, but lost the water bed plastic mattress. One of my brothers was moved by the AF and lost all his wife's gold jewelry she'd collected for many years.

Suggestion..beg, borrow, or rent a cam corder, and stand outside the house where you can see the open part of the truck, and get good pictures of each thing carried out, PLUS the faces of each man who is doing the carrying.

I'm not saying all movers are like that, but do a lot of careful pruning of the stuff you are sending, and what you are taking with you. Wear all your best jewelry and don't leave it in purses or pockets in coats, and be sure to get pictures of your household stuff when it is unloaded.

Do a lot of Internet checking on the correct way to do a move from here to there. And I would put duct tape over my plastic tubs, with perhaps an ink mark along each line of the tape, just to see if it's been removed and put back on.

Take care of yourself and make time for sitting with your arm in it's most comfortable position for at least 15 minutes at a time.

Being retired AF, I don't think anything is wrong with you. We did that same thing, along with what they packed up, we packed what we were moving ourselves.. computers, software, things that we wanted to get there safe and sound without the possibility of being broken or stolen (yeah, it happens), so we had the movers, plus we did a small DITY..
PS at the time I wasn't sewing, had only quilts that my grandmother had made and yes, those came with me, not the movers!

Perhaps you can let the movers know that you want your things a certain way? You are paying them to move you, so it wont hurt to try!Good luck and let us know.

I am totally with you. I helped a friend with her "professional" move this past November and was present for both the packing and unpacking. It was horrifying how poorly some of her most valuable pieces of glass and china had been packed - and that was after the movers had been told how valuable they were. I always take care of such items myself.

Yes you def should be in control of that part of move so you know where everything is once it arrives!

if he's gone most of the week anyway, pack your stuff the way you want to...but do it in your (off-time) from doing the other needed tasks -- as long as it all get's done its not going to hurt anything...and the movers will probably appreciate having one less room to pack. just make sure you label it and make it clear when the movers arrive that they are not to un-pack/re-pack any of it. they may still need to put your packages into their own shipping cartons...might matter on how the truck is loaded maybe the fabric should be in smaller boxes so they can be repacked without opening...and the machines should be in their original packaging if possible or identified very well all over the box...those would be the most important.
good luck with your move, hopefully it will go smooth

I agree with Jim's gem.. pack what you can into rubbermaid totes and label them etc... also we have moved many times. (former military) and I HAVE NEVER LET THE MOVERS MOVE MY SEWING MACHINE... it went in our car with the luggage,kids and whatever else we had ... just my own phobia... so I totally understand what you are going through.. moving is hard enough. Do what you can before the movers come to pack you up, then let them do their job. Make sure everything is documented and remember this too shall pass..Hope all goes well and know you are not alone. Hugs Quiltinmama

I would feel the same way with my sewing stuff.

I would pack my room in their boxes, then attach a note to each that I packed the things in this box, so they are not liable for it. I would let them pack the machines (in original packing as I keep that kind of stuff just in case) and I would be there to observe that they pack it correctly. I'd let them pack breakable things though. Lets face it they can't break fabric!!

I understand your concern about your items. Maybe you could be present when they pack your room and label each box with contents as they pack. You are paying them so don't be afraid to demand things be done a certain way.

You are not being unreasonable. Nobody can understand the order you need to pack your things in but you. I consider my sewing/quilting supplies sacred (well, almost ), and need to have them in the order I choose. If you need help, pay a neighbor kid a few dollars to pack them exactly as you want them. Kids like to see all the fabric and sewing supplies, and you would be there overseeing it all, so you would know it would be the way you want it. Stick to your guns and take care of your stuff :) :)

I am in complete agreement with this one! Control what you can and let the rest of it go. Supervise the movers AFTER you have packed the most important stuff....and be careful with your injury. Frustrating as this may be, reinjuring yourself is the last thing you need right now. Good Luck, and keep us posted!

Call in the troops! (friends and neighbors) Ask them to pack for you and you be "Supervisor" - don't mess up your arm again. Good luck on your move.

I like the idea of putting your fabric in plastic tubs and then having the pros pack in a box. just in case of water damage. I also like the idea of you supervising them. But I really think I would put my machine in the car with me. Even all of them, if I could. Good luck with the move.