Friday, February 2, 2018

Can a Quilter and Fabric Collector Be a Minimalist?

Outside of the quilting studio I am working on major decluttering - I'm not quite to minimalism, but that is my eventual goal. Bringing nothing new into the house except for those things really needed.  Decluttering room by room and donating and selling as much as I can.  I envision a space that is open, clear, comfortable. Neat and tidy and easy to care for. I see me spending time with family and friends, sewing and having fun; not spending time organizing and cleaning stuff.  You can't really organize your stuff, you just have to get rid of it. 

 The Living Room is there. Family Room and Kitchen are at about 75%. Bedroom about 95%.  Office needs some work - about 40%.

 Then I go down to my quilting studio. 
Most days it is in a state of minor chaos even though I have the intention of tidying up after every project change. I am lucky that I have lots of space to spread out and can still work with a little chaos.

I have fabric that I bought because it was pretty, but don't know what to do with it. I have over 100 started and asking to be started projects. I have patterns and books. I have thread. I have notions. I have buttons and ribbons. Yarn. Loom. Spinning Wheel. Stuff. And I love my studio stuff. But I don't come close to using it all.
How do I balance my desire to have a well-stocked studio and a neat and stuff-less home?  I can easily clear out my books and closet, but I'm just not there yet with my fabric, patterns, and crafting stuff.
I don't want to waste time organizing stuff I don't need or really want. I may not always have the luxury of such a large and comfortable studio space. I need to get it under control. Just because I have the room for it now, doesn't mean I should keep it all, right?

 I've got lots of routines, storage bins, and lists. I also have too much stuff. So I guess I have to bite the bullet and get rid of stuff I don't use, patterns I'll never make, fabric that I don't like anymore. 




OK, so I pledge to use the "Organize" spot on my rotation to actually identify things to get rid of.  Ideally I would like to reduce my stash by about one third. It's not going to be easy, since I downsized when I moved here 4 years ago - of course I have upsized some fabric and patterns since then.
Here's my plan of battle:
1. Books
2. Patterns
3. Fabric
4. Knitting Stuff
5. Cross Stitch Stuff
6. Miscellaneous Stuff

 Maybe a crafter's garage sale is in my future.
I can do this! Who wants to do it with me?
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3 comments:

  1. DeniseFebruary 2, 2018 at 11:00 AM

    I got through my books today. 6.5 book inches going to either my guild or a garage sale.

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  2. DebrafromMDFebruary 2, 2018 at 11:59 AM

    I feel your pain. I am also minimizing and have done the main parts of the house. I have started on my studio, but it is slow going. I purged my books and gave over 100 titles to my guild library for their annual book sale. I go through the bookcases regularly to see what else I can live without. Many of the books I was keeping were reference books, and I have decided that most of the information, should I ever need it, is now available online. I have also made a firm rule that if I add a book to my library, one must go out. At least that way I am not going backwards. I have recently started purging UFOs and PIGS. I need to be honest about what I will actually go back and finish. I haven't started on the fabric yet but hope to minimize that as I work through my projects. I also severely limit the fabric coming into the house. I only purchase fabric if I need it to complete a quilt - no just because it is pretty purchases. I have gone through tools and other supplies and gotten rid of duplicates or items that I no longer use. I am organizing whatever remains so that I can find it when needed. This isn't a quick process, and I expect to be doing this for a long time. I am seeing progress however. I can now see the floor in my studio and have (mostly) clear surfaces to work on.

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  3. grammaterry6March 10, 2018 at 10:04 PM

    Hearing you, Lady!! I do think after a certain age.... and as long as possible, our goal should be to have fun with what we like to do the most! And I get jazzed by fabric and sewing, so what is a girl to do?

    Denise, you have a wonderful space and mysterious tubs full of goodies!! Maybe you should continue with destashing the books as by now, you have probably honed in on what you really want to work on. I have a huge stash of the paper books and now find myself going to e-books and patterns on line.
    But the fabric!! Especially the ugly fabric!! So much of mine has been purchased in the last 7-8 years so it’s not really at the truly old stage yet and I can’t bear to part with it. But beyond that.... I have some that is 35 years old. Yikes!!
    No matter what the age your fabric is..... look into Bonnie Hunter’s scrap saving system. She has a method of cutting it into Quilt Friendly Strips and I am slowly going there with a lot of my older fabric. Should you never use it in one of her quilts.... but you will.... you could then just donate the already cut fabric!

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