I've got four of the grands this week, and it's bittersweet because next week they move halfway across the country. We had a tea party yesterday, and there are craft supplies everywhere, because I've been letting them make whatever they like while they have access to Nana's craft supplies. Since they live on a farm, visiting will be on us, and I already know a visit in 2025 won't be happening. We've got to make memories while we can, but I'm really thankful for all the methods of communication we have available these days.
I have gotten little bits of sewing done here and there. I've had all the units done for Lady of the Lake blocks for ages, and I've managed to assemble several blocks this week.
All the small HST's are bonus HST's from another project, but I made the large HST's for these blocks.
Before the kids arrived on Sunday, I managed to get the binding sewn on my 24th finish of the year.
These blocks were leftover from a quilt I made several years ago. It was about time they ended up in a finished quilt themselves.
I'm out of basted quilts, but I do have one needing binding. Next week I'm hoping to have a big basting spree, and get enough quilt tops basted to last me at least a couple months.
I've been thinking about my quilt and sewing supplies, and although I am very consistent about decluttering the rest of the house, I am very hesitant to declutter quilting stuff. I've always thought of my stash as my retirement account. The fact I have so much will allow me to quilt long after DH retires, even on a tighter budget. Seeing how many UFO's I have, and realizing how long it's taking me to "catch up", has really highlighted the fact it's not supplies I'll run out of, it's time. Everything takes so much longer than I think it will.
I have donated quite a bit of fabric over the past few years, but I've also bought quite a bit of fabric over the same time. I have been much more mindful of what I bring into the house now, so my purchases have either been basic solids and blenders, or something I need for a specific project. I've curated a working stash, and I have plenty of the "boring" stuff to let the really pretty stuff shine. I don't need fabric very often now.
All of that said, I still have too much stuff crammed into my sewing and fabric rooms, and I've been thinking how to deal with it. I think next year my sewing focus will not be quilting. I'll be quilting for sure, it's my passion, but I've been looking around my fabric room and I have some great fabrics that I don't want to make quilts out of. I think next year I'm going to do a deep dive into non-quilt related sewing projects. I know one thing I want to make next year is pillowcases. I've got some great kids prints that would make fun pillowcases, and how fun would it be to see some of those being used instead of sitting on the shelves?
Some of my stuff may just be decluttered though, not made into anything but passed on to someone else. I've listened to so many decluttering podcasts, watched decluttering videos, watched decluttering TV shows, read decluttering books, and done a good job in some parts of my house. I've learned a lot.
This week I was thinking about so many of the decluttering questions I've learned about. Does this item spark joy? I'm sorry, that question doesn't work for me, I hate vacuuming but getting rid of my vacuum cleaner is not the answer. That question may help you go through your wardrobe, but not your stash. If you only keep the gorgeous stuff, you won't have enough backgrounds left to make a quilt.
Have I used it in the past year? Not a perfect question. I have finished UFO's this year that are several years old, and I have more of similar ages. Just because I haven't touched it this year doesn't mean I won't. I have things for entertaining that I don't use all the time, but they are invaluable when we have a big event, and too expensive to replace all the time. This is a great question to use when decluttering your kitchen drawers, but not your quilt studio. Just because I haven't made a tumbler quilt in the past year doesn't mean I should ditch my tumbler die or template.
My daughter sent me this question. If an object got poop on it, would you take the time to clean it up, or throw it away? It's a funny question, but doesn't work for me. I raised five kids and used cloth diapers, plus had multiple dogs over the years. I've cleaned poop off of all kinds of stuff. Unless it was destined for the trash anyway, I'd probably just clean it.
This week, I heard a new decluttering question, that may actually help me in my quilt studio. If this object spontaneously combusted, would you immediately replace it, or be secretly relieved? Let me give you a couple of examples. If my seam ripper (any of the half dozen I own) spontaneously combusted, I would immediately replace it, even though I have others. Why? Because I like to have a seam ripper at every sewing machine, plus one that stays in my sewing travel case. If I have to rip out a seam, I'm already irritated, and I don't want to waste time searching for a seam ripper. There are some fabrics that I would feel no loss if they spontaneously combusted, and others, say my bolts of solid black or white, that I would immediately replace. Here's another one, batting scraps...I have three containers full of batting scraps, I've made dozens of quilts with frankenbatting, and batting is so expensive I feel like I have to use every bit of it. BUT, I would be secretly relieved if the batting scraps spontaneously combusted, so I didn't feel like I HAD to take the time to use them.
I'm going to be thinking about this some more, but which of those questions resonate with you?
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