rryder

Spent some time tidying up, putting away all the thread I bought at MAQF this weekend and also rearranged the 9 Debby Brown quilts that were stored in a single large roll on a shelf in my studio closet. It was getting too heavy for me to take down when I need to add another quilt, and since I've got one more in the works, I'm going to need to add it to the shelf. Hence, I unrolled the quilts and folded them neatly so they stack on the shelf. Now I can easily put away the October one once I get it done.

I'm wanting to do some more decluttering, but I'm kind of stuck- not sure where to begin for the next phase. Now that I have mostly gotten rid of the stuff that was taking up floor and table spaces and found homes for most of the stuff that actually gets used, I'm finding that I'm not that bothered by what is here and it's easier to keep the house cleaned and straightened up. But, I still feel like there is waaaaaay too much stuff in the house.

Anyone have any suggestions for how to get unstuck?????

Rob

Teen

Great work, Rob!! For me, decorating is my favorite past-time so maybe look at the different areas and see if your decor is displayed or showcased the way you like it….Are all your pretties visible or are they stuck in the middle of other decor clutter you can’t seem to part with? What area is the worst area for you to perform regular cleaning? Likely because there is too much stuff to clean in that spot. Typically, that is my main focus when choosing what to keep and what to get rid of. I’m a minimalist…
For me, the things I like around me I want visible…not cluttered with other stuff. And, I like themes so that helps with decor choices and what to display. Anywhooo…that’s my 2 cents..

Edit: On a side note: sometimes, too much furniture causes the feeling of clutter. Maybe look at the pieces of furniture that is just taking up space and consider getting rid of it or rearranging it to give the appearance of more space.

jmoore

Rob, I am envious of all that you have accomplished. I keep defaulting to sewing projects and have not focused on closets and cabinets where things have been stuffed for years.

I have to agree with Teen about furniture…as a realtor, I visit homes to be listed for sale and one of the suggestions I often have to provide sellers is to reduce the amount of furnishings before listing and photography. Sometimes even just an extra bureau or side table. We like to use the word “sparsely” furnished…but maybe rearranging would also help.

rryder

Thanks everyone. We do have a lot of furniture in this house. And, since we've been in it for 29 years our decorating scheme could definitely use an update. I'm going to look around and see if some simple rearranging and perhaps removing one or two pieces would work.

Rob

aashley333

I have been reading all the threads here, and it is so motivating to organize. We enclosed the garage a few months ago to create my workroom. Sewing on one side, glass on the other. I've rearranged my sewing center 3 times. Now I feel like it flows. I wrapped fabric around the magazine boards. Instead of arranging fabric by color, I grouped my fabric by

• amount-1 yard-shelf, thick folded amount-shelf
• 108 inch section
• themes-stripes, sets of same fabrics but different colors, etc

The glass cutting side of the room got organized as I moved the sheets of glass out of their original shipping crates into their new storage table.
I love the ability to leave a project as is and return later, or have several projects going on in different stages. I feel so blessed!

rryder

That looks great, Aashley333! Good job getting the fabric and glass organized.

Rob

Teen

Oh…so nice, Ashley.. lots of room and wonderfully organized….big windows for lots of light. Very cool! Love the stained glass in windows. I have a lot of that in my windows, too. My 2nd cousin did this for his profession so I have several window panels and lots of window catchers, lamps etc. Just beautiful!

EmiliasNana

What a beautifully organized space Ashley333. It's not easy to combine two very different hobbies, but your larger space sure helps the organization and the flow. What a great space.

WMUTeach

I am sitting in my sewing room but not organizing my sewing or stash. I am capturing all of the photos of my grand children that are stored on multiples thumb drives and on my current laptop and putting them in individual files by year. Then on a thumb drive with one family on that storage unit. My oldest grandchild is graduating from high school in a couple of months and her mom, my daughter, has lost the thousands of birth to about age 10 photos or they are locked in a device she can't access. Grammie to the rescue! I have put on my cape, my spandex costume and have been organizing for days. Not all photos will be named and dated, but they are in files by year, month and child. The up side is I am enjoying some glorious memories of my grands as little kiddos.

In the middle of all that photo rescuing, I found some quilt photos. Some were quilts I had forgotten I have even made. Some were, just WAY out of place and I thought they were lose. The quilts have now been returned to their proper year's file. Yeah!!

retiredteacher09

WMUTeach: Way to go! Like you said, glorious memories and the bonus of lost quilt pictures. It’s also a reminder for me to go through CDs and the pictures on the old desktop.