kjackson

Hi,

I have been accused of being a hoarder by my daughter, especially in the area of fabric/quilting supplies/crafting supplies, etc. In order to prove her wrong, I am doing a major cleanup of my basement sewing area. I have an entire trash bag of fabric which I was going to give to the local Veterans of America thrift shop. Then I think "do they want just random fabric? Will people buy that?"

If not VOA or Goodwill, who else might want mostly home dec fabric? (I didn't get rid of much quilting fabric

MarionsQuilts

I signed up for sewing classes to learn how to work my serger. The instructor goes through a lot of scrap fabric so I brought in a whole bunch of my scraps she was absolutely thrilled

kjackson

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. I just hate to dump something off at Goodwill they can't use.

NJ Quilter

A quilting friend of mine found a local group that was contributing (largish - 5" x 5"???) pieces of fabric to a group that was sending them to a group in So. Africa (?) to teach sewing to whom she donated what she no longer wanted. If there is no other quilting group by you that could benefit, perhaps something like this.

I also know of another local quilter who takes much donated fabric (freecycle and the like) and makes various projects for local (and further) charity groups. Wheelchair quilts; fidget quilts; walker bags and the like.

Perhaps there is someone local to you that does similar? If no one local, PM me and I can hook you up with the aforementioned person.

cashs_mom

Just because I'm nosey, does your daughter have any interests or hobbies that she's passionate about?

kjackson

Makeup!! We went to a makeup store (not Sephora, but similar) and her eyes lit up. I said "This is your Joann's!!" But she doesn't have an entire basement full of makeup she hasn't used in years. I really do need to purge not just fabric and crafting stuff, but things I've moved from house to house and will never use.

kjackson

Thanks, I would love to donate to something like that.

zozee

I commend you for making strides to get rid of stuff. True hoarders don't do that, and they keep things that are utterly useless, like old gum wrappers, dry-rotted tents, and rusty nail clippers--things that are also unsanitary.

I would encourage you to also see if there's a freecycle or a FB backyard sale group in your area. But put a quick time limit on it--3 days or something so you're not holding onto it.

quiltingcandy

Every so often I try to go thru fabric and drawers to try and get rid of stuff I hang on to that I know I don't need. But I only purge things I want to get rid of and am not concerned with what my family will do when I'm gone.

Your donations will help others. My niece had a friend that took a large amount of fabric to Haiti several years ago. They made clothes and they taught people how to sew. Thrift stores look to use items before they get rid of anything.

ptquilts

I second Freecycle - that way you know THEY know what they are getting and want it. You would not believe what I found homes for when I was downsizing pre moving. I did not have to throw anything out.