I agree with the 3 pile decluttering. Take alittle bit of time each day and eventually you'll tame the clutter.

Pat - I find it works best for me to organize one specific thing at a time: home decorating, civil wars, cross stitch. Once I get some system set up, as long as you can keep family & friends from mixing things up, it tends to stay that way. Just like your kitchen - you have a place for plates, glasses, utensils, etc.

my sister and i cleaned out our mothers house. o my goodness. it has made me rethink alot of stuff I keep. I'm slowly going thru everything and getting rid of alot of stuff I know I will not use or display. I donate alot and will be selling some. But hopefully, my kids won't have the job we did when Mom passed.

I am trying to do this too...........I was pleased when I had 2 boxes to get rid of..........and then I was thinking, I can use that thin stuff as filler for the thick stuff I can use to make doggy beds, so I need to.....and there I went, taking things back out of the boxes that I was going to get rid of.............now I have to go back and make me again toss those things into those give away boxes........why is this so hard??? I think a lot of us were raised during those years when you didn't throw things away if you could use them...........and now we have tight budgets, esp those of us who are retired...........we hate to take something away that we might be able to use later....soo there it is, CLUTTER....I need someone to come along and de-clutter everything in this house............

Read this thread and was inspired. I went in the kitchen and decided to do a quick throw away of stuff while the kettle boiled for drink of coffee. All thrown away ready to make a drink no coffee jar . Can you guess where it was ....in with the rubbish.

take care when throwing away.

I have seen picture of there they have taken their batting and hung it from the ceiling. You would need a high ceiling to do that. The holder was a heavy netting.

every couple months I go thru my fabric and choose what I do not want or need and donate it I am also not buying much I have bought about 5 yards this year. Last year I bought over 20 yards so I am getting better.

Getting Organized and Finding Room for Everything
 

Pat, when I only had a portion of a closet for my storage, I had quilting items stashed everywhere. Under-the-bed storage bins are great for storing batting, hanging devices for the closet, such as slacks hangers (wonderful for larger cuts of fabrics). Save your wrapping paper rolls and use them for larger cuts too. Hanging shoe bags can be used for notions, and manageable sized stackable clear bins marked well with labels. And you don't have to keep all those magazines. If there is one quilt you love, create a binder with clear protector sheets and file that pattern in the binder. Little file cabinets are an excellent way to store fabrics by hanging them in the drawers by color family. They take up little space and can store a lot of fabric in an organized fashion and you can use the label holders to add color family information. Also, Pinterest has some excellent ideas for organizing and stashing craft, sewing, and quilting goods. Lastly, if you are like me and forget where you stored something, keep a little notebook and be faithful in recording the location of all of your quilting items and returning them to their place. Then, you won't get frustrated hunting for that one special tool you need! Happy Quilting!

I empathize with you -- I'm in the middle of trying to pack 35 years worth of stash, magazines, etc. for moving! I even found an unbleached cotton batt from about 1970 -- and two bags of kapok stuffing!

Oh boy...sounded like me when I started clearing out my junk/sew room......about half done now. Did donate a lot to quilting guild, sold a few things at yard sale, give away two boxes fabric to friends...but anyhow some lost/forgotten items can now be used! Lol