How did you do this past week on S-1, sorting and removing? The day before I posted the S-1 post, I had already given away to some friends a lot of my scrap stash and some blocks from a project I'd decided I wasn't interested in finishing. They were glad to get them, I was glad to be rid of them. FTW.
Specialty rulers and accompanying books I'm not quite ready to get rid of.
On the ruler drawer I said I wanted to sort? Well, it turned out to be harder than I thought. You see, the rulers I've hung onto but not used are pretty much all inherited from Mom. That means they either (1) still have that sentimental "this was Mom's" feeling clinging to them or (2) are no longer readily available so I worry that if my quilting tastes shift again, I may someday think, "Why did I ever get rid of X ruler?" I have used a couple of them and wasn't totally sold, but still am not quite ready to off them, either. So I hedged my bets. I moved them out of my sewing room and put them in a box in the basement, with a note to myself in my ruler drawer that I did that.
I did, however, get rid of this bendy ruler--virtually impossible to actually use.
I know--it's really not taking care of the problem long term. But I'm typically really, really good at getting rid of stuff, so I decided to give myself a little grace on this one. (Someday, when I'm gone, my kids will open up that box in the basement and think, "What the...?" It'll only serve them right for when I gave their bedrooms a good cleaning after they went away to college and thought, "What the...?")
Time for week 2!
S-2 Shine and Inspect
When was the last time you had your sewing machine cleaned? How old is that rotary cutter blade? Have your pins developed rust?
I realized recently that my beloved pins--so beautifully thin and long--were clearly showing their age. After about 15 years of stabbing them into my design wall and forcing them into thick stacks of fabric, many of them had developed an inconvenient curve and most of them felt like they had lost their sharp, pointy tips. This particular pin isn't cheap, but I really do love them.
And I suppose I really ought to stop stabbing them into my design wall which, by the way, is a felt-backed tablecloth hung face-side down against my wall. No foam. I'm stabbing the pins into the wall. Pin abuse. (And I don't plan on ever letting that wall see the light of day until we move. It's likely not pretty.) Plus, I should stop using this same set of pins for all purposes. I have thicker pins that would put up better with bulkier seams or stabilizer. These are just so easy to grab. Time to change my lazy ways, I suppose.
Got one of these micro vacuum attachment sets? I love mine for using on my sewing machine (carefully!) and my computer vents. Click here to find it on Amazon.
In any case, we all know that our lives are made easier by well-functioning tools. So this week, check out your equipment. How's that sole plate on your iron looking? Do you need a few new packs of sewing machine needles? Could your sewing machine use a good wipe-down or tune-up? How are your scissors doing?
Leave a comment and let us know whether you found anything that needed some shining and inspecting!