The Hard Work of Purging

It is so easy to close the closet door, turn one's back on the mess within, and focus on the pretty project waiting at the sewing machine. Instead of pulling boxes out of the closet and dealing with decades of accumulations - which I have done for the last 32+ years - I have had an uncanny ability to put it out of my mind - totally. 

Reality has come slamming into me recently - maybe this happens with age - and I'm slowly accepting the fact that I need to downsize this considerable collection of fabric, scraps, notions, keepsakes, memories and ephemera. 

Remodeled master; still needs decor, ceiling fan, but mostly done.

The master bedroom remodel we did earlier this summer eventually morphed into combining two previously separate rooms - the long arm room and the sewing room. In order for that to happen, a goodly amount of "excess" needed to go. Like vamoose. Out and away from here. The dreaded "P" word - PURGE.

Would you use a quilt as a throw over that chair??

How much can one keep for "just-in-case-I-might-need-it" purposes? No doubt I way surpassed my limit. As I've dealt with so much of this stuff lately, I've realized that it's my attachment to it all that I've had to reckon with. I attach too much significance to items, yet I have them boxed up and stored away. If I truly cherish these things, shouldn't I be displaying them or using them?

Lest you think I am a hoarder, I don't think so. It seems that over the last 10 years or so, as friends and relatives have cleared out their sewing rooms, I have been on the receiving end of so much. I couldn't say no! The reality of the situation became clear this summer. My need to consolidate two sewing rooms into one, forced me to face facts.

Former long arm room; now a guest room; still need bedside lamps, wall decor.

So I give you all this explanation to illustrate what seems to me an enormous undertaking. I just don't do well with purging my stuff. I seem to be doing things in "rounds." 

First round - the easy stuff. Old clothes; really outdated fabric; items that I simply know I will never need or use.  

Second round - sharing Grandma's stuff with cousins and nieces. That was fun, seeing them take an interest in these things I've stored for so long. I still have a lot of her things left, but a good amount was dispersed into the loving hands of relatives.

Third round - big stuff going to Goodwill and offered in a yard sale. It was a good feeling to get rid of my giant desk, and gobs of random pieces.

This went to Goodwill; it served me well, but was too big to stay.

Maybe I am now in my fourth round. It seems it's a round of endless sorting. I am not a good, systematic organizer. *waaah*

My efforts, however, are paying off. The sewing room is mostly in usable condition, with some further purging, organizing and sorting still needing to be done. The hallway linen closet has been completely emptied and the contents have been divided into Keep/Donate piles. The donate pile is bigger than the keep pile - a big WIN! The linen closet will be repurposed; I will share more on that later. 

One final room awaits my attention - the remaining guest room. It became the dumping ground through all this business, and the randomness of things jumbled up in this room is overwhelming. I will say, though, that a very large stack of EMPTY plastic storage tubs fills one corner. Empty bins are a definite indicator of progress.

Purging is hard for me, but I do feel a sense of accomplishment for tackling this task. A weight feels lifted as if the burden of all the excess was too much to bear. I get a good feeling as I drive away from Goodwill after leaving a donation. I liked seeing someone buy an item in my garage sale, knowing I no longer had to own it, and that someone had a genuine need for it. I must remind myself of this as I tackle the remaining room. 

Lotsa' words today, Peeps, and no quilt pictures. Maybe you can zoom in on those bedroom shots - plenty of quilts in both rooms!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne