Friends, apart from a delightfully easy
project I'm hoping to finish imminently – Dixie DIY's new Hot CocoaSweater download - I have to hold my hands up and admit that there won't be much
sewing on my part for a little while.
'Why on earth not?', I hear you ask.
Well, put simply, my shit's in serious disarray. Just 14 months after
an overhaul of my sewing space, I've found myself in an even worse position. It's no secret, and
certainly, no joke that my stash of sewing stuff (so much stuff) is
out of control.
This time it took a one-man
intervention to tackle the issue. When my boyfriend told me we needed
to have a serious talk last week, I was ready for the ultimatum I've
been expecting – to choose between him or my beloved hobby.
Luckily, he's not a drama queen, so he suggested instead that he
replaces our furniture with pieces that are more fit for purpose...as
an early Christmas present for me! Isn't that the nicest thing
ever!?! Sssh, don't tell him...but I do wonder if he's merely
enabling me by being so accommodating. To be fair though, seeing it
all laid out bare is pretty embarrassing. No one needs this much
stuff, ever! But I've already posted about my stash-busting plans,
which will be an ongoing adventure.
Jane, avert your eyes! Sadly, this isn't even the worst of it...there's more stuff squirrelled away in every nook and bloody cranny!
For now we'll be spending most of our
free time re-organising, collapsing and moving old furniture,
ordering new furniture and eventually building it. As you can
imagine, I've also been busy de-stashing by listing things on eBay,
taking things to the charity shop and by setting things aside for the
lovely ladies joining Kat and I at the Birmingham Rag Market this
Saturday. To my beautiful blog friends who aren't coming along, don't
worry, you can expect a number of delicious giveaways coming your way
soon!
Anyway, just wanted to fill you in on
my short sewing sabbatical. I sincerely hope I get my sewing space
sorted once and for all - it will be much more inviting and conducive
to creativity and productivity.
How do you keep your stash under
control? Do you even have one?
It's worth it... I'm just changed my second room furniture to sewing fit furniture and I'm delighted
ReplyDeleteThank you, I appreciate the encouragement!
DeleteCould you give link to your ebay profile, may be I will buy something to make my stash bigger?%)))
ReplyDeleteHi Sveta! The sewing things I had listed have sold, but as soon as I list more I'll send you a link. I might also list them here on the blog, as a few people seemed interested!
DeleteAww what a cute little stash! Really, it does not seem so bad to me, but if it is bringing you more frustration than happiness, then maybe "curating" it a bit will be more satisfying.
ReplyDeleteTo be fair, you can't see everything in the photos, so it's much worse in real life! But I remember once reading about your sewing pattern stash and my jaw hit the ground...so compared to you, I'm probably an angel ;o)
DeleteDon't feel bad. I have just as much stuff as you do, if not more. 95% of my stuff is purchased at the thrift store, so I have to buy it when I see it and stash it. That is how I rationalize it, anyway. And some of it is really amazing fabric and notions just waiting for the right project. I have good storage in a dedicated sewing room, and I make sure that I sew from stash. I am too far from any fabric shops anyway. Good luck with your organization!!
ReplyDeleteIt makes me feel better than other people buy stuff when they see it and that most people have a sizeable stash too!
DeleteWell, what a lovely boyfriend you have! It doesn't actually look that bad, to my eyes. I'll take that blue spotty stuff. I'm joking!!!! See you on Saturday.
ReplyDeleteIt's worse in real life, I promise...you can't see it all in these pictures ;o) But, yes, the boy is very nice indeed. Can't wait to see you on Saturday!
DeleteOuch, what a lot? I've managed to contain my "stash" into a small box/chest and feel a bit bad that I've just bought some more, but seeing your stash, I reckon I'm an angel!
ReplyDeleteYou are an angel! And don't break your good habits, it's such a slipper slope once you do!
DeleteWhat a sweet boyfriend! :) It will make such a difference to have appropriate storage.
ReplyDeleteOh good work Marie (and boyfriend!), you'll be so pleased when it's all finished and looking fabulous. Thank you for the warning to brace myself before the photos appeared, it would have resulted in a massive trauma otherwise! x
ReplyDeleteHaha, I remember your reaction from last time so I just had to warn you ;o)
DeleteI'm sure you'll feel a lot better about sewing when the space is in order! I've done some changes the past 6 months and am finally getting to the point where the room really works for me. Then I decided to do a wardrobe clean-out and now I have a whole new mess to clear out as the closets looks great but the piles on the floors are overwhelming...
ReplyDeleteI think most people who sews gathers too large stashes. I remember reading a helpful comment when Gertie overdid her sewing space: when re-organizing a sewing space, always leave yourself room to grow. If all the new containers and shelves are full, then the stash and sewing space will just be cluttered again in no time. I did that this time, and it really is a great advice. My stash's "normal" (aka acceptable) size is a bit smaller than before I purge it, but still a little bit bigger than just after a purge. There's no getting around it: if I find a pretty fabric on sale I'll buy it, regardless of storage issues. Same for nifty tools I didn't know I needed and so on... After all, it I wasn't so fond of fabric and haberdashy I'd probebly have a different hobby =)
You make an excellent point about allowing yourself room to grow! Right now, everything is rammed in, with no room at all! So d-stashing is also a big part of this process!
DeleteI know what you mean about clearing out your wardrobe, I'm actually in the middle of that too...it's so messy!!!
That's a great plan, I'm actually hoping I'll eventually convince my bf to turn the spare room in a (mostly) sewing room.
ReplyDeleteWould you give me a link to your ebay profile (maybe privately)? I wouldn't mind at all to relieve you from some unwanted fabric! :D
I hope you manage to convince your boyfriend Anna!
DeleteAt the moment my sewing stuff on ebay has sold, but as soon as I list more I'll let you know. I might even list them on this blog as quite a few of you showed an interest.
Good for you tackling the stash, you'll definitely feel a lot better when things are more in order. And how sweet is your boyfriend?!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the purge x
Thanks Kerry! It's definitely a very necessary process for me right now!
DeleteI have a tiny stash as I haven't been sewing that long. I don't think it can grow much more though as I have to sew and store stuff in the living room and although my boyfriend is cool with that at the moment, I don't think he would be if it took over the whole space!
ReplyDeleteHonesty, big stashes are a pain in the butt...I seriously think they stifle your creativity, so I think you're in a good position ;o)
DeleteIts great when you have a chance to sort stuff out, Its really cathartic! Hope everything goes ok you sound like you've got pretty good man there!
ReplyDeleteI wish I wasn't working Saturday! I'd love to come along to the meet up, I'll try and get a London one organized nearer Christmas I think! x
Yeah, it really is cathartic and it was a long time coming! It's really sad that you can't come on Saturday, but if you organise something in London in December, I'll try my best to come along ;o)
DeleteMy stash is getting out of control too. Whoops! I just try to be very careful what I take in (like, if I don't have a set plan for fabric, then I don't buy it - unless it's some kind of magical awesome deal, like $5 cashmere or IDK), and give loads and loads of it away. Also, stash-busting is really fun - it feels like you're getting clothes for freeee!!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your bust! If we lived closer together, I'd come over & help you purge & organize & set up... apparently I'm really good at it, haha :)
I seriously LOVE your sewing space Lauren, but I can totally get how your stash is growing...if I lived so close to amazing flea markets I dread to think what mine would look like!!!
DeleteShame we don't live closer (by far), I could do with some expert help!
I think I might have more than that and yours looks so much tidier in comparison! And the most embarrassing thing is...I can't even sew properly yet! I think my husband is too nice, he talks about plans to make one of our spare rooms into an awesome craft room for me (I also have a stupid amount of wool, beads and fixings, paper craft stuff etc) but I think it's because he'd like the rest of the house to not be covered by all my sewing and craft junk!
ReplyDeleteI think mine looks tidy, because I had to line it all up to assess the situation! Your husband sounds very thoughtful, would be great to have your own room! I too think that my boyfriend is being so nice, just so that I don't start overflowing into the rest of the flat ;o)
DeleteMy stash is a MESS. I have fabric in two dressers, on top of a dresser, spilling onto the floor, etc. I need an overhaul so bad! I'll miss your posts but I totally understand. Get that stash under control and we'll see you soon!
ReplyDeleteGet sorting then Amy, you'll feel much better for it ;o) Don't worry though, I don't think I'll be gone for long!
DeleteMarieeeeeeeee! You're making me feel bad. My room is a LOT worse than this.
ReplyDeleteSorry to make you feel bad, but you've just made me feel a whole lot better ;p
Deletewow, what a nice boyfriend! it does'nt look *too* bad, but I know how it feels when your stash (and sewing stuff) starts to just take over! This summer I treated myself to some proper sturdy storage boxes for my fabric, and some good filing boxes for my patterns/papers - it made a really big difference! But I have a teeny sewing space, so I have to be strict about keeping it tidy - if I had a whole room, it would always be a disaster zone! Sorry to miss out on the meet up this Saturday - will read the blog posts on Sunday with much envy! (ps, could you perhaps email me your ebay id - I might like to investigate some of your cast-offs!) x
ReplyDeleteI think it looks worse in real life, but it's slowly getting there! Good to hear yours is in control, it makes the world of difference! You'll be missed on Saturday, but hopefully we'll get to meet one of these days!
DeleteThe sewing things I listed on ebay have already sold, but I'll let you know when I list some more!
I was in the same boat a while ago, so I know what you're going through. Once you get organized you will LOVE your "new" room and won't want to leave. It's such a good feeling to be clean and organized!
ReplyDeleteWow!! That's a lot of stash! Good luck with the clear out and you may have inspired me to clear out under the bed in my spare room! :)
ReplyDeleteI know, scary right!?
DeleteWhat a fabulous space, and three cheers for Mr Odyssey! What a lovely thing for him to do. I bet you'll discover some gems you forgot you had... Can't wait to see it when you're all done! If you're going to list any good knit fabric on eBay, could I be cheeky and ask that you let me know? One of the 'bonuses'?! of having one local place to source fabric that is also expensiiiive is that my fabric habit is pretty controllable, but also that sourcing some things is a nightmare! I'd rather spend money with a fellow sewist if you see what I mean?
ReplyDeleteThank you and of course I'll let you know!
DeleteThat'd be awesome!
DeleteYou lucky girl! At least those heaps are tidy ones! ;)
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to seeing your cocoa jumper - I sent my download to print at work and then forgot to go and pick it up :S
True, they are tidy at the very least ;o) How annoying about your pattern...I've done that before a few times!
DeleteOh gosh, I'm the same way-- my stash is taking over, and my furniture doesn't suit sewing at all so things are really a mess. I'm excited to see how you decide to organize and revamp your sewing space! I just finished the Hot Cocoa sweater myself, although mine didn't turn out that well (totally my fault, made a terrible fabric choice!). Can't wait to see yours!
ReplyDeleteOh dear, sounds like there's many of us in the same darned boat! Hope you get yours sorted at some point. Hot Cocoa sweater coming soon...I hope it turns our well because it's animal print. Yay!
DeleteBravo to you for tackling your stash! I did that last weekend - the buttons alone nearly killed me. Reorganizing is so rejuvenating, I think! I'm excited to see how it looks once you're done!
ReplyDeleteOh dear, how many buttons do you have Meg!?! Hehe!
DeletePoor thing, I sense that you have a lot of (unnecessary) guilt! I think our stash guilt is directly proprtionate to the impact it has on our living space, so I'm sure you'll feel better once you have some good storage furniture and a bit of organization.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't tell you how much I have because I started trying to catalog it all last year around this time and gave up after a month. Let's just stay the fabric is hovering near the 1000-yard mark and the patterns are around the same number. I have to "organize" every couple of weeks or else my creativity gets buried under the weight of the mess. So I understand the issue.
You will have it all under control in no time!
Oh my goodness Katrina, sounds like you have A LOT more stuff than me! Crikey!!!
DeleteHey Marie, I just wanted to let you know that I've nominated you for a blog award. You can see the details here: http://mymessings.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/some-blog-awards.html
ReplyDeleteThank you Rachel, that's so kind of you!
DeleteHiya sweetheart. Good luck with the de-stash and sort! Your boy sounds like a real gem. If it makes you feel better, my fabric stash is bigger than yours by the looks of it, and one of the reasons I have to rent desk space with storage! xxx
ReplyDeleteHaha, I love how so many people are making me feel better due to their bigger stashes! I think/hope getting the right kind of furniture/storage will help matters loads!!
DeleteIs that unused lobster print I see? Use it now before I come round and steal it!!!
ReplyDeleteYes, it certainly is! I must use it soon, I really must! I did give some away at the Birmingham meet-up though, so that makes me feel slightly better!
DeleteOh my gosh your sewing corner looks almost as disastrous as mine! Good luck with that -- maybe it will inspire me to get mine in order. :-) Enjoy your vacation & we'll miss you on your hiatus!
ReplyDelete