So when I was quickly reviewing recent back blog posts to see what I had been working on before I, well, stopped working on much of anything, I realized that I’d posted about starting the 2022 DeCluttering Challenge a year ago but never let you know how it all turned out. Turns out, it turned out pretty dang good! I did, indeed, offload a decent number of books, although I’ve now filled that vacuum back up again. My bookshelf will always be a challenge for me. What was more significant is what I did with my fabric stash.
Everything is now on comic book boards except the higher yardage (backing) pieces. And now my jelly rolls look like a shop shelf—so fun to see and more out in the open to encourage me to use them. During the process, I finally decided to off-load all the fabrics I was entirely sick of looking at—the stuff that had been in my stash for years, much of which I had gotten from my Mom’s stash when she passed away in 2009. I told myself that I’d rather have a smaller stash of fabric I was interested in using than stacks n’ stacks of stuff that just made me feel vaguely guilty. A quilty friend of mine got first dibs with all the bags of fabric that came out of my sewing room, and then the rest went to my guild for their “fabric roulette” swap at retreats. It’ll get well-loved somewhere else! I think I cut my stash down by at least a third, maybe a half. It feels so much happier to me now. To be clear, because a significant proportion of that fabric had come from my mom, I didn’t have nearly the guilt about having spent money and not using it that I may have otherwise. But even the stuff I spent money on is earning its keep by making other people happy. I’m good with that.
I also got several wins in one in regards to better utilizing the storage cubbies on my cutting table while at the same time having a better solution for my scrap storage. Meanwhile, my SIL was a very excited recipient of my two original rolling carts with colored drawers—they’re making great craft and toy storage for her three-year old. Wins all around.
My shelves formerly-designated for office supplies and books are now home to my growing AccuQuilt die collection.
Plus, as I’d mentioned in the original challenge posts, my main goal was to dismantle my old office desk and replace it with something more streamlined now that I have an actual work office outside of my home. It took one weekend to dismantle everything and another weekend to get it all set up again, but I love everything about the revamped space.
I didn’t do the decluttering challenge again this year but will likely do it next year. Stuff does tend to creep in on you, plus with the chaos of the last 9 months or so, I haven’t entirely staying on top of things. But it’s all upwards from here!