Happy New Year! Typically, each year you’ll find me cleaning my sewing space right after the holidays. But not this year. We moved last month, downsizing from our big suburban family home of 20 years to a smaller rural mountain home in Grand County, Colorado. While we downsized, sold, and donated a lot of things from our former large home, we are still settling in and unpacking boxes.
It will also be several months until I can really unpack and settle in. We will convert our garage to my creative studio once spring thaw is here. That’s exciting, but also means we are cozy with the longarm, my sewing machines, and some pared down sewing and stitching projects in our living room for now. I’m grateful for a very patient and understanding husband!
So, I’m still going through my stash - just with a little different goal in mind. However, I’m using many of the same techniques I consistently use to clean and reset for the new year. Here’s what helps me get ready and inspired:
Taking stock of my projects. Each year I go through my project bins and look at what projects remain. First, I decide if I want to finish them. If the answer is no, I decide if I want to share them with someone else or if there are any supplies I want to use in another project or donate.
List and prioritize my projects. If the answer is yes to finishing them, I add the projects to a list. I bump any projects with a deadline or that I’m really excited about to the top of the list. I’ll refer to this list as I work through my project stash. The list is simple with things I want to make and UFO’s. You can find a free copy here to use with your stash!
Schedule time for projects with a deadline. For gifts or projects that I need to complete on a timeline, I’ll add time to my calendar to work on them. While it’s tough sometimes to find and take the time needed, I find adding them to my calendar helps me focus on them better.
Taking Stock of My Supplies. Now it’s time to go through fabric, notions, and tools. I often feel like Remy from the movie, Ratatouille, who said, “Food always comes to those who love to cook.” I feel this way about fabric and supplies! My fabric and notions seem to multiply each year. To help me manage this, I go through my supplies as time allows and consider the following things:
- Do I still love it? If the answer is yes, it stays in the stash another year
- Do I think I’ll really use it? Yes? It stays with the stash. No? I put it in a pile to either sell or donate.
- Will it fit in my storage space? This year I get a pass with this question since my storage/fabric space is in flux. But I do consider this as I’ve found living within my supply means helps me feel more creative and inspired.
I don’t go too deep when I evaluate fabrics. This framework helps me quickly evaluate what I want to use for the next year.
Keep my stash and projects in mind when shopping. The past few years, I’ve kept a file on the notes app on my phone with pictures and info on projects I’m working on. I also keep a list of fabrics or supplies I need or want to shop for. This has helped me use more of my stash and shop smartly.
Tidy my space. Typically, I straighten things back up as I go through them. Sometimes it can take a while and that’s okay. I work on things as I have time. I’ve always had zones in my creative space, so things have a home. This way I can put things away quickly.
Really follow up on my commitment to find time to sew! Each year I try to attend at least one quilt retreat and set aside time each month. Last year, I joined a sewing bee and loved having a day each month committed to sewing on my projects and having fun with everyone! I’m looking forward to finding a group here in my new home.
It’s okay to not finish projects. This one was hard for me. As someone who always has multiple projects going on, I felt guilty not finishing them all. My husband helped me on this one – he said that some projects are just for learning and not all projects have to be finished. This helped me greatly, knowing that it’s okay if I don’t want to finish a project I no longer enjoy or will use.
Give myself some grace. Often, I hear quilters or stitchers talk about their stash like it’s a problem to have many supplies on hand. I think if we are comfortable with our stash and it’s useful and inspiring, we can decide how big it can be without guilt. So, let’s ditch the shame shawls and enjoy the gift or our stashes!
If you are not comfortable with your stash and it’s become overwhelming, it may be time to go through it and make some decisions. I was at this point before we moved. My stash had grown, mainly thanks to the quilt shows I attended during my QOVF tenure and some good shop hops over the past few years. I was forced to pack and evaluate everything because of our move.
Surprisingly, I got rid of less than I thought I would. I donated 2 bags of yarn, and 3 boxes of craft supplies. I thought this was pretty good considering we’d been in our house for 20 years. And my supplies filled less than a ¼ of the 6’x10’ storage shed we have on our new property, which I counted as a win.
My plan for this year looks a bit different. Before we moved, I did package up my projects I wanted to finish into kits and put them into a project bag. I figured it will 6-8 months before I am moving into my sewing space so they will keep me busy. And I do have enough projects to get me through that time, possibly more.
One final tool to share – my Project Planner. Each year I use this tool to help me track and evaluate my projects. It has some of my favorite tips on what’s worked best for me to manage my UFO’s and have more fun creating. You can download a free copy here.
Let me know, too, what you are working on and what helps you the most with your stash and projects. I’d love to know!
Happy New Year!