Tips for Purging Craft Supplies, Tools and Fabric

Tips for purging fabric

Yesterday, I posted here a little about what has been happening with me over the past year and a half or so.  It sort of feels like the theme of this time period has been Purging and Starting Over. Downsizing has taught me quite a few things. To that end, here are suggestions/tips for purging your craft supplies, tools and fabric. 

Tips for Purging Craft Materials and Fabric

Be honest in your assessment

Really look at what you have. Pull everything together that is of the same category.  How many pairs of scissors do you really need and use?  How many markers?  What about straight pins? Rulers? Thread? Paper? Craft and sewing items are hard for me to part with and I am trying to convince myself that I do not need as much as I have. The reality is that all of it will not fit into the allotted space. So, I will have to make some hard choices about what stays. In the end, I would rather have a functioning space with fewer things, than an overcrowded one that feels unwelcoming. Clutter, for me, stifles creativity.

Are you going to live long enough to use it all?

One more thing to give some serious thought to is, what is the likelihood that you are going to get to the project that uses those materials and supplies. In realistically assessing my life expectancy, I can not get everything made for which I have accumulated the supplies. It would be better for those things to be used by someone who will make them into something.

What to do with the items you are removing

Now, here is where some people may not agree with what I am going to say. If you are able to sell your excess stuff, Wonderful!  Give yourself a deadline, though. If you keep it around with the intention of selling it and it has not been sold in six months, donate it. For me, if I haven't sold something in a couple of months, I am not going to sell it.  Truthfully, if I do not sell it immediately, upon deciding to part with it, I am not going to sell it.  Recently, there have been some fundraisers in our area for some neighborhood children who have lost a parent.  Some amazing people organized yard sales for them and I was happy to give away some very nice things that do not fit in this much smaller house. I could not think of a better way for the proceeds to be spent than on children in my community.

Whether you are downsizing or taking stock of what you have, a good purge can be cathartic. It can help you transform your workspace. Maybe even give you more space with which to work! And if you are passing your supplies onto someone else to enjoy, all the better!

Organized office before downsizing 

Do you have any tips or suggestions for downsizing?  I would love to hear them!

In a few days, I will post some before and after pictures of our house and the extensive repair/remodel we have been doing.  My studio isn't ready yet, but some of the storage areas are. Wish me luck in getting the pared-down stash to fit!

Cheers!

Beverly

Moved! Starting Afresh!

Door frame growth chart

About a year and a half ago my husband took a new job in a new state. Our large house and, more importantly, several rooms of craft supplies and workspaces had to be packed and moved into less than half of the space.  Downsizing is not easy for most people. But for quilters, paper crafters, and art supply collectors, we may as well be told that we are moving to a deserted island with no Michael's or online shopping opportunities. That is how excited I was, to be giving up my set-up.

Pre-downsizing craft room storage wall

It took a long time to figure out how to effectively store things in that house. After 10 years there, it felt Just Right. Pictured below is one of the areas that worked very well.

Wafer thin metal dies on magnetic sheet on the wall

It is a 24"x 5' long magnet for my thin dies collection. Here is the link to what I bought on  Amazon. All of the Spellbinders, Scrapbook.com, Avery Elle, etc., wafer-thin dies stick on here and are easy to see.  If I see things, I am more likely to use them. And pack them!

Items that almost got left behind!

So the adventure began. Purging and packing. Purging some more. Packing some more. After the moving truck was packed and drove away, I discovered a cupboard that hadn't been packed. I quickly threw the stuff in a box. But knew I'd have a problem with how to move it since my Ridgeline was full. The idea was that I would take valuables, food, and chemicals in my vehicle along with the dog and the 13-year-old kid.  There was no extra room for this box of crap, goodies of metal tins, cards and other papercrafting items. I am not saying that I gave away a box of chemicals to the neighbors so that I could bring my craft items on the 1,400-mile trip. However, that stuff is now stored in my garage waiting to be put away.  What? A year and a half later and you still haven't unpacked? You may be wondering what is going on here! My tale of woe continues. We moved into a house and then it fell apart. More on that another day. With Before and After pictures!

Looking back on these pictures, the only one that really makes my heart constrict is the first one with the growth chart we made in my daughter's closet.  You can see on it that she measured herself (without us knowing) a couple of times over the years.  I wished that we could take it with us. And I'll tell you the truth. I actually shed a few tears when I took that picture. It was the only house she had known and she had many wonderful friends that she was going to miss in Arizona.

Tomorrow, I am going to post some suggestions about purging craft supplies and fabric.  This is mainly for my benefit because I need pep talks periodically and things are finally getting finished here so it is time to purge. Again!

All the best to you! Sorry for the long absence. In all honesty, this has been a pretty rough year and a half for me so I do feel like I need to start anew.