The most wonderful time of the year is here!
That's right. It's the perfect time of the year to think about organizing, decluttering, and just plain purging!
If you're like me, and most hobbyists and sewists I know, you love every piece of fabric you buy — every yard, scrap, and selvage (they're like my extended family!. You have fabric stashed in closets and boxes, under beds, and just lying on the floor, and you resolve each year to clean up and use up your "stash" before the new year's goodies start rolling in. But just the thought of de-stashing and organizing gives you goosebumps and heart flutters and makes you nash your teeth.
But not this year.
This year I'm here with ideas that will make getting your life/hobbies organized less stressful, and you may even get warm-fuzzy feelings from a few! You ready?
If you're hoarding fabric that's is just not "you" anymore, it's ok to let it go. In fact, sending your fabric to a new home to someone who will use it is a win-win-win for you, the fabric, and the fabric's new family! That fabric wants to serve its life purpose, after all!
- Post it on Facebook on community marketplaces.
- Thrift sales and yard sales are great options too.
- Charities or clubs are a wonderful place for unused fabrics. (Warm fuzzy feeling idea!). They use donated fabric to make blankets for children and nursing homes.
- You can also reach out to your children's teachers, who are happy to have scraps/fabric for hands-on learning.
If you've decided to keep fabric, that's great
but it's time to get making to help eliminate overflowing baskets and bins in your sewing room!
Make a Boho bag or crazy quilt for yourself or someone special in your life. Giving someone something you've taken your precious time and fabric to make makes the giving better (warm fuzzy), and these projects are great scrap busters!
Wait!
- Why not make a basket made of scraps for your scraps?
- Donate to a new SEWER. If someone you know has shown an interest in sewing, help them out (warm fuzzy feelings galore!). By sharing your stash, you're helping them learn a lifelong skill and de-stashing your sewing space, and it could lead to a lifelong friendship!
- Use your sewing community. Gather a group of friends and hold a fabric swap. Stringent rules must be put into place and adhered to because you could end up coming home with more than you gave away if you are not careful.
As we celebrate this New Year, let's remember how good it feels to be organized and how great it feels to release those things we won't use anymore so others can enjoy them! Who knows, you might enjoy the process and make it a once a year goal you actually keep!