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can't throw away!
Trying to declutter but am so mad at myself because i cannot part with much! Any one else in this boat?
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YES. I"m always afraid if I get rid of it, I will need it later.
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Yes!! My solution is to pack up all that clutter that has not found a home or has not been used in say the past year in to boxes, clearly label each box with what is in it, and date packed. I have a master sheet. (you may need to go looking for something) If I get the urge to buy anything, ruler, pattern, pins, etc. I check my master list, I may have it in storage. If I open a box, that date is added to box. If the box has not been opened in two years I get rid of it without looking inside. If I look I'm sure I will just have to keep everything in it. LOL Good luck, I know it s hard to declutter
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I am onboard with keeping everything
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I do keep more than I should but I it is just in my sewing room. When I have trouble finding things I do a clean up and purge to the second hand shop.
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I rearranged and expanded Twice. And AGAIN I'm overflowing and have piles everywhere.
The material breeds like rabbits I tell you. MK |
I'm with MaryKatherine, material breeds like rabbits!
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Sometimes, I know, I spend more time organizing than quilting. Then, I forget how I organized items and round and round it goes. Thanks to all quilters who sent in good ideas for organizing their sewing area. I might do a little organizing this afternoon.
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I' chuckling reading these posts. I am a collector and just tried to due stash. I quickly realized I will probably never use all the fabric and other supplies I have accumulated...like patterns. Yikes! Our guild does a "yard sake" twice a year and we have a boutique during our annual quilt show. Between all that I REALLY HOPE/PRAY I'll make it possible for another lucky quilter to acquire a massive stash :-).
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Granie BJ, will you come to my sewing room? Your plan sounds awesome but I doubt I have the discipline.
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Yes!! As soon as I get rid of something ... I need it! I have paid to replace things more than once
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I throw away only that which was purchased at a thrift, garage, yard,estate sale I have yet to use after 2 years. Never getrid of tools or templates.
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That's what I decided to do - put it in boxes and store them - clearly marked, too.
Right now I cannot find my dresden template ANYWHERE and guess I'm going to have to buy a new one. I could have accidently dropped it into the wastepaper can without realizing it. It's driving me nuts !!! Dodee Tn. |
I donate what I don't need or give to my Daughter. If I don't have room to store things out of sight, out it goes.
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Oh I am in the same boat. I spent the last two month organizing, and all I did was realize I have too much and I could not part with any of it.
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I have to declutter frequently...that does not mean that I don't have too much stuff!! My husband saves everything...sometimes I throw away and donate just to feel on top of things.
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Originally Posted by lizzy
(Post 6771645)
Sometimes, I know, I spend more time organizing than quilting. Then, I forget how I organized items and round and round it goes. Thanks to all quilters who sent in good ideas for organizing their sewing area. I might do a little organizing this afternoon.
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Originally Posted by MaryKatherine
(Post 6771582)
I rearranged and expanded Twice. And AGAIN I'm overflowing and have piles everywhere.
The material breeds like rabbits I tell you. MK KIS peace |
I too keep fabrics that I should get rid of. Ok even I think this is odd but I keep a paper sack of quilting magazines and fabrics in my car that I am not going to use. I try to find someone to give them to that I don't know or I pack it up and give it to someone I met that is going to school or someone who just needs some fabric. Kind of like passing on a little bit of good to someone else. Feels very good and it helps me get rid of fabrics that I really don't want to get rid of.
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Why waste energy being mad with yourself? If you really want to declutter, just do it. Normally, it is fear which prevents us from letting things go. Don't be afraid. You will have enough of what you need even after you declutter. It may be decluttering triggers some other fear from your own life. Can you identify what it might be?
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Originally Posted by lizzy
(Post 6771645)
Sometimes, I know, I spend more time organizing than quilting. Then, I forget how I organized items and round and round it goes. Thanks to all quilters who sent in good ideas for organizing their sewing area. I might do a little organizing this afternoon.
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Originally Posted by Dodee
(Post 6771851)
That's what I decided to do - put it in boxes and store them - clearly marked, too.
Right now I cannot find my dresden template ANYWHERE and guess I'm going to have to buy a new one. I could have accidently dropped it into the wastepaper can without realizing it. It's driving me nuts !!! Dodee Tn. |
I'm a little like this, but I do an "okay" job controlling buying in the first place and that helps. Once I have something, I have it for keeps, but I've reached a point where I see a new ruler/tool and I don't feel like I have to own it.
Even fabric...I don't buy on a whim nearly as much as I did when I started out. I still do a little, but much, much less than when I was a newbie and was still 'stash building'. Now I have what I think is a good sized stash - big enough for variety but not overwhelmingly large. I have it stored so that I can see everything at once so I always have a pretty good idea about what's in there. But the things I DO have...those are MINE and I'm not getting rid of them, even if I almost never use them. |
same here I find when I throw out pieces of fabric my hands hover over the trash can and my hands won't open to put it the trash
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Originally Posted by lfstamper
(Post 6771327)
Trying to declutter but am so mad at myself because i cannot part with much! Any one else in this boat?
I am just as you are, made my self a 93 inches tall and 48 inches wide to put all my Quilting books and magazines, Crochet books and magazines, and also Craft books and magazines last but not least my Cook books and magazines. I collect them so I had to make a large book case. It also holds one of older sewing machines. I have 13 sewing machines also, I will not part with any of them. I did gave a way the first one I ever bought brand new a White brand to my husbands Aunt by marriage she was tickles pink so to speak. |
Depends on how much room you have and what you want to put your survivors through when they have to decide what to throw away. Believe it. It will be done.
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Originally Posted by Sewnoma
(Post 6773570)
I've reached a point where I see a new ruler/tool and I don't feel like I have to own it.
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I decluttered last year and got rid of so much, especially craft items that I thought I would get into and then never did. I figured someone else could use them. I sent 2 big USPS boxes of beads, etc., to my cousin who does crafts for extra money. Some I gave to my great niece's school art teacher. Duplicates of quilting items went to my niece or friends.
Today, when I look around my sewing room I think, now where did all THIS stuff come from? Must be those rabbits again! |
I like Gramie bus idea, I have a huge box of throw outs but just can't do the throw out, we use to be able to give throw outs to people who run quilting programs in the Women's prisons ( they had to aquire good reports to be able to go to the sewing session,of course they were not allowed scissors or rotary cutters, but these women made some lovely quilts.)
I have not seen anyone collecting for this cause for a while ,how quickly they throw out bin grows |
I find the best time to declutter anything is when I'm angry! Clothing, kitchen items, sewing things I know I'll never use... out they go. I tend, however, to be an even-tempered person, so I don't do it very often. :)
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Originally Posted by KwiltyKahy
(Post 6771413)
YES. I"m always afraid if I get rid of it, I will need it later.
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I do some organizing, I'll never get it all sorted .... then I go looking for something and can't find it. I thought organizing meant I could find things. UGH !!!!!
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Finally did a sale of patterns on QB but have so much more. Thanks to every one for their input....although we sound like "birds of a feather"...lol.
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Good luck! I need to work on my area as well. I keep thinking I can quilt my way out of this mess, but it isn't working too well so far. Can't quilt fast enough.
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I have the same problem you have. We bought a new house I got a huge studio and it is now full to the gills. So now I will really have to clean and thrift stuff as I can't get to the long arm for boxes of good stuff!
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~~~~ yoo hoo, over here, yes i have that problem and now i'm making a hex quilt 3/4"
just need snippets for it. darn |
Purpleprint, I love your way of blessing others with quilting supplies, and "helping me get rid of fabrics that I really don't want to get rid of." It's easier to do, when your "stuff" is going somewhere where you know it will be appreciated!
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I struggled with this to the point of tears!
I mean that many times I cried bc I kept buying and keeping stuff and just didn't seem to know how to "let go". I am compulsive about being organized, but over the years i had accumulated so much stuff, I was living to organize over and over and over. Each time I would find "a better way", and would feel some pleasure and think I had made progress. This went on endlessly and I could never understand why things didn't "feel" better. Every high was followed by a low, when I realized that the latest change was not really better. So back I'd go to cleaning and rearranging a growing pile of stuff. I prayed and I prayed, but the problem was, I had no idea what I was doing wrong. I had a very good book by a man that started his own cleaning business and explained all about the emotional reasons ppl keep stuff. It still didn't help me understand myself and my situation. Then I finally became desperate. I literally began to feel that on my last day in my life, I would be cleaning and rearranging and then somebody was going to say "times up", it's time to go and you blew it. You know what happened then? I got mad....really mad, that my life was being stolen from me by this stuff! I wanted to clean our computer room. It's 8x11 and was jam packed to the gills. Not nastiness. Oh no, it was all in totes and boxes and I knew what was in them. They were stacked neatly and labeled ad infinitum. I vacuumed and swept and I kept a window unblocked in case of emergency, but it was so depressing! When it came time to get something it was not a day's work...it was at least a week or more...like putting up Christmas, and then putting it back...agonizing. With that anger, I said, "Self...empty this room...take it ALL out, and then start putting back only what you need." I started grabbing containers and carrying them out as fast as I am able, I did this until I was exhausted and had to rest. Then the light bulb came on and I realized that I was looking at my stuff like: if it's still intact and useable - keep it. So I kept everything, bc I always took really good care of my stuff! When I finally realized that my stuff was controlling me and I was practically never using it, I began to see the difference in need... what do we really need? water, food, shelter, oxygen...things like that. I hauled off four trunkloads of stuff and still hauling. (my trunk is so big, I say you can stack bodies in there! ) I can't begin to tell you how freeing this was. To finally learn it was my perspective about my stuff that was the problem. I didn't NEED everything. So it was nice stuff. So it was useful. I'm sure the ppl that buy it from the thrift store I donate to, will be very pleased with their purchases and I have helped an organization. (and I don't mean GW...i like to donate to ppl that really need help.) It's not over. I am continuing to "let go", and it has felt like a new beginning. I have no idea why it took me into my 50's to figure this out, but you know what? no regrets. I don't sit around bemoaning all the years i didn't know how to let go. It is, what it is...I'd rather celebrate the fact that my small house is getting bigger all the time. I have more room all the time and I have many years to enjoy my new found freedom. This may not help you, but it was worth a chance to share my personal experience. I hope and pray you find your "mad". |
Our quilting museum had $1/yard fabric for the last couple of weeks...they were finally giving it away, just to get rid of it...I brought home a lot! Today I went through it and filled up three kitchen can bags of fabric to give away - some I had just bought and some I had bought at yard sales previously. I think I'm getting to the point that my stash is big enough. And I still can't find anything to border a new quilt top that has 42 different fabrics in it!! I'm going to have to go out fabric shopping tomorrow!
Margaret F |
I sometimes catch a show out of Canada called Neat. I really enjoy the host of the show and her practical advice and kind support of the people she is helping. She says two things that really have helped me think of all of this in a different way: sometimes it's because you are delaying decisions and sometimes it's because you are having a hard time letting go of the past. We are hoping to move in Oct. of 2016 and I have a big job ahead of me. I am a saver. I have to clean out a classroom as well as a house. I do have to admit that this year it was satisfying to start using things up at school. No one is going to want all of the stuff I've saved and used over the years (at least most of the school stuff). I am hopeful that it will all go as smoothly as possible.
PS We are downsizing as well so stuff is going to have to go! |
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