More cleaning {scour and scrub 2}

I did a little cleaning when Richard made my new shelving unit, but why stop there? For some unknown reason, there is a table in the studio that I don't need. You know what it became...you probably guessed it: a dumping place for all the stuff that we don't need but it's too good to toss out. 

www.thirdshiftvintage.com

Most of that belonged to other people, some had come home with me when I retired, and some needed to go back to Walmart. We worked on that table early last week because it meant not really dealing with my studio stuff. The good news about some of it: I returned several items to Walmart and found $53. 

www.thirdshiftvintage.com

Eventually, though, I had to get over my emotional self and look at the real problem: I have too much sewing/quilting stuff. I'm working on getting some of that stuff and the emotions under control, and I've made some difficult decisions. 

• New items that I don't need can go to my guild as door prizes
• Fabric that is not 100% quilting cotton will be sold 
• Fabric I can't sell will go to Salvation Army (someone else can wash and use it in charity quilts)
• Fabric that is not good will go into the trash (okay, don't judge--it is fabric)
• Fabric that I don't like (but is quilt quality) can go into a backing stash or be sold

www.thirdshiftvintage.com

Notions are a big problem. I used to make garments, so I have buttons, zippers, lace, etc. Plus, I've tried almost every craft at some point: needlework, beading, sculpting clay, silk flower arranging, and goodness knows what other crafts. I'll try to get into that area of the stash closet once I've moved a few boxes of fabric.


I have no idea how this crazy happened but it probably began many, many years ago when I could barely afford anything for sewing. And it continued for many, many years while I worked and could afford almost anything I wanted. I was very good at bringing in fabric under the guise of other shopping. Do you have ways to sneak fabric in?

pegboard of thread in my studio

Then there were "the Garan gifts." Richard worked at a garment manufacturing plant for 25 years. Garan is the parent company that creates Garanimals clothing for children. There was a plant in Marksville, where he was head mechanic/maintenance supervisor. 

He is such a sweet husband: he'd bring scraps home and my mom and grandmother would make quilts from them. Then the factory closed. Rather than incur the costs of shipping items overseas, the company sold thread, huge pieces of fabric, and other items. Anything that was left was to be thrown in the trash. And so I got quite a few Garan gifts, especially thread, fabric, and elastic. And buttons, hook and eye fasteners, and snaps. And fabric. And thread.

It's time to edit and let some of it go. I hate doing that because it seems as soon as I do, I find a need for some of the things I tossed. Friends tell me I'm silly but it's true, don't you think?