Debbie C

I recently downsized my quilting area and that felt so good! I'd been saving fabric for years that I just knew I'd never use. I donated much of it to Savers store which benefits big Brothers/Big Sisters. I'm helping not only myself, but others in this clean out and it feels wonderful to go into my nice clean organized studio now! Good luck to you!!

tessagin

I watch the "Hoarders Buried Alive" show once in a while. I cannot always stand to watch even part of the beginning because of gagging. Especially when it comes to the kitchen and bath areas. To me that is a "true hoarder" problem. When you are unable to let go of garbage, rubbish and feces that is beyond hoarding. Of course you do have to take other safety factors into consideration such as hazards of escape in case of fire or such. I have clear view of all electrical outlets. I don't keep adding but I very well could. I watch those hoarding shows and get motivated. Also any show that involves that Peter guy from Australia that helps people organize. Good luck to all. Now to get to my own mess. I have a bit of a mess but I don't hoard. try not to let it get that bad.

linkd

Big difference between a "Fabriholic" and a hoarder. If the rest of your life is reasonably organized... worry less and enjoy more. If you have to eat off your kitchen floor because you can't find your table or counters --well that's not a good idea. But if you end up eating out of a fabric bowl because nothing else is clean and you can't find the sink anyway - you might call for help (but from reading above -) maybe not your kids. Blessings on everyone who has found the happy spot that works for them. And who among us really doesn't need at least 3 seam rippers.

maggie_1936

keep going you'll love it when its all organized

quiltingcandy

My husband believes that if it weren't for him I would be a hoarder. He came from a family that put away everything! Even in the kitchen they put away the toaster and coffee maker. Their idea of a home library was a shelf on a built in bookcase with a single row of books. His mother was a reader, but got rid of a book after she read it or borrowed the book from a friend. My parents bought books! When they passed a few book store owners came to the house and said we had more book than they had in their stores - just to give you an idea, because they saved more than just books.

My husband's a coin collector, which doesn't take up much room and he loves his movies and records/cd's. Then there is me - I love mystery stories and even after I read them very rarely let them go. I will if someone wants them - my niece wanted the "Cat Who" stories and I had them all, so sent them to her with the promise she NOT return them. I have quite a few DVD's - those old movies and TV shows are fun! But the fabric - it follows me home - it jumps out of the shelves at me and says you need me! Who am I to disagree? A friend and I used to make trips to a place that sold scrub scraps by the pound, it was a bargain and pretty and cute and I cannot tell you how much we bought. We finally quit going to their sales - we weren't using it and for medical reasons we weren't able to sew very much.

After clearing out a lot of my mother's items I was inspired and cleared out many of the pieces of fabric I saved and knew I would never use - sent them off to members on the board and to anyone that was sewing with me that needed a piece that I had. (A friend of mine was going to buy some Christmas fabric to make a stocking for her new grandson - told her before she went to the store to check out my stash of over 200 Christmas fabrics - she was shocked, she found exactly what she wanted. In return, she sewed a binding on a kid's quilt for me.) I have more scraps - keep telling myself to make a string quilt, but that is on the to do list, right now I want to finish a couple UFO's and keep an area where I can work - my sewing stays in my sewing room and fairly organized so my husband doesn't complain - he doesn't go in there though, and also, so when we have someone that needs to use the murphy bed it is easily set down. It was nice to get my fabric on the comic book boards and organized because it makes it easier for me to know what it there. I am not concerned about getting rid of things I love because my children don't want to deal with it when I am gone - that will be their issue when I am gone. Until then, I will continue making my quilts and other items and they will enjoy the results.

So make it better for you, so it makes life easier for you. Honestly I felt like I was playing with my fabric when I got it out and put it on the cards - then separated it into things like children's fabrics, Christmas, Halloween, Fall, Florals, sports and solids. And I keep moving items around - depending on what I am working on at the time. Now I just need to finish a few projects and I will feel really accomplished.

skothing

I have read and re read all of your comments. Thank you all. It took years to get to this level and it might take years to recover. I am doing the studio first. The reason is the new windows. I have given myself a week to get it in shape the first room is almost done. It was the worst. It has all the tools and small pieces of fabric. Then the next 2 rooms will be simple. We are redoing our entire home. The outside is getting new siding going from stucco. All the outside is beautiful with the landscaping(took the entire month of June) and new siding. The tool shed is next for the work crew. But my goal is to have the areas that are out of control shape up by the end of August.

We counted 8 peoples things are stored in our home. They are being weeded out. The 4 have died and the rest are grown children, they have had long enough to get it out of here. It took 3 box trucks, 3 garage sales, 5 families grabbing and unknow number of dumpters filled to clear out my mother in laws house. We gave a year to complete decluttering her 5,000 square foot home. My home isn't that large but I don't want my children to go thru what we did.

Diannia

We are once again reorganizing and restructuring my quilting studio. We have it in the formerly formal living room. I currently have a huge double cabinet (it has doors on the top have w/shelves and drawers on the bottom and it's double in size), a 6' table that holds my sewing machine, notions, and cutting board, a treadle machine, 2 lawyers bookcases full of fabric, and my mid-arm and frame. My wonderful hubby is going to have the garage finished and we will be moving the mid-arm, it's frame, and the double cabinet into the garage. I have 2 more lawyers cabinets in a bedroom that will be moved into the quilting studio (they hold more fabric and my books). And we will also be adding either a recliner or loveseat so that that wonderful hubby of mine can join me in there and watch tv while I sew. He's amazing!!!!

wolph33

Glad are are cleaning up.I have tons of sewing stuff, fabric, vintage machines, etc.I have one daughter who lives close and sews the other is far away and not a sewer, quilter.I think one will be going woo hoo its all mine now and the other will be glad she want have to clean up.It is what I do when fibro allows me so I really dont worry about after I am gone.

QuiltnLady1

Oh do I feel your pain!!! When I moved out of our house in May/June, DD and DSIL came and started packing my fabric. DSIL decided that I don't need to insulate the new garage (I had done the old one), just stack the fabric in plastic bins along the walls. Too bad he didn't realize that I had hired the neighbors grand children to help pack the bulk of the fabric. He was complaining about 20 boxes -- I think I was over 50. I had good intentions of going through it and giving the "why did I buy this" fabric to church for charity quilts, but didn't have time so that is what I will be doing when I unpack. In my old house, I had a kitchen's worth of cabinets in the laundry room and 2 linen closets full of fabric now I don't have those kinds of spaces so I am looking to maximize every inch of my sewing room. I would love to use the closet for fabric, but the master bedroom closet is so much smaller than what we had before that I am going to have to use at least part of the closet for hanging. When we move into the new place, we will be initially staging the boxes for the kitchen/dining room in the sewing room -- hopefully I can get it all unpacked quickly but I am really concerned about having room for everything in those rooms too. Sigh -- I am both anxious to get out of this motel and not looking forward to the job ahead.

Mrs Finch

Support group ... take turns cleaning each others collection? I have white AND red wine! c'mon over!