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I don’t view it as decluttering. I view it as taking inventory and poking myself in the rear to finish those great ideas I had when I purchased things. It motivates me to learn the craft or process I purchased the items for.
I have finished 1 project that’s been sitting around for a year. I’ve decluttered some bags and looked through some “to do”projects. I use a white board and a chalk board and list 2-3 things that have to be done just to start. It’s so fun to erase the completed lists daily!
Ive been on the wagon for 6 years. It’s taken that long, not buying fabric, to finally make it through the “projects” in my sewing room and (insert shame here) my storage unit 😔. This year is the first time I’ve bought fabric to start a quilt that didn’t come out of the stash. My storage unit is no more and my sewing room is clean, neat and organized down to my straight pins. It’s sooo relaxing to work in there. Now if I could just accomplish this in the rest of the house. No time for that. I have to sew. 😊
Oh Karen your SABLE award made me laugh so hard. I turned 61 this year and I looked at my sewing room and thought will I have enough time to get all of these projects done. It doesn't help that I work at a quilt shop. Sometimes I feel like that squirrel who gets distracted by the next shiney project that comes along not realizing how long it takes to get it done with everything else in life that gets in the way. Thank you for this video. I confess I have an addition for fabric and learning something new 😂
The ability to help the schools with fabrics, batting, thread and notions that I no longer really cared for really freed my stress of removing things from my sewing room. My husband also keeps the after school crafting clubs supplied with treats from my scrapbooking and stamping past habit. Schools and teachers don’t have items they may want without dipping into their wallet. I love enabling young sewists and crafters that may not be exposed to this at home. I have 3 middle schools in my area that have taken everything I have offered so I wanted to offer that suggestion to all of you. Our Youth are our future.
I watch your videos over and over. I am 82 and have been quilting for years . I have learned so much from you. You seem to be my only tutorial. I love your style in quilting.and teaching. Quilting is my thing. Love ya. Jan O
I finally realized one reason I love your videos so much. You don’t just talk without having some visuals to back up what you are saying. Whoever is putting your photos in amongst your words is doing a tremendous job. It makes your videos so much more interesting than those persons who just talk for 10 or 15 minutes. Thank you so much for all that you do to keep us motivated. 12:46
I busted out laughing when you mentioned the Rubbermaid containers! I have only one but it's huge! Thanks for all you do! Blessings to all in love and light!🙏🏼💜🙏🏼💙🙏🏼🧡🙏🏼💛🙏🏼💚🙏🏼
Most of my clutter is my fabric supply for charity quilts. What started out as a retirement side project turned into a major time and space consuming activity. My solution is to make quilt top kits and ask people to sign up for a sew day to make the tops. Hopefully my 2 big bins will be out of my tiny sewing room and my room and brain can declutter. First kit making session with a few friends is the first weekend in February. Wish us luck!
I do kits for Project Linus which I enjoy making, but often the unfinished top comes back to me to finish. I have several bins of unfinished quilt tops I probably will never get to. Volunteers will take a top and finish a top, but only if the top is nicely done. They don't want to deal with a top that needs fixing. Sorry for venting--just wonder if others have this problem.
One of the things the declutter challenge has helped me do is replace those Rubbermaid solid color containers with clear containers. I got to review the contents, and do a mini declutter on the spot. A container a month worked for me through the summer, and now the ones left have off season clothes in them and seasonal decorations. Those are well labeled on their outsides, too. Thanks, Karen!
Hi Karen, Once again you've done it! Not everyone is a quilter, but we all have a room like your sewing room that is chaotic. You appeal to me with your lovely voice and the fact that I can make your advice work for my office, garage, storage building, etc. Being able to appeal to non-quilters really says something! Keep it up.
😂😂 I think because we are creators and we are so emotional attached to our sewing room or sewing areas, that is very difficult to let go. There’s always a… I’ll use that for something. I can’t get rid of that, oh no! And so…. Our area is filled of future dos and possibilities that we are deeply connected with. 😂😂
Karen, this is great! My sister quit quilting and offered me all her sewing supplies. I did not take fabric I didn’t like. I did not take notions I would not use. But a few months later I went through her fabric again and I donated some of the fabrics to ladies at the church. She also had a lot of kits and they got donated to the same ladies. They were happy, my sister was happy and I was happy and relieved. Recently I went through Halloween and Christmas fabrics and did the same thing. I still need to go through items in my sewing room. I have memorabilia. My sewing room is also My Room. There are things that mak me smile and things that make me tear up. I love it! There may come a time that I don’t enjoy quilting any more but I will still have My Room. Enjoy your weekend!
I have a tendency to ignore the timer, so I use the one on my stove. When it starts beeping it makes me stop what I'm doing to turn it off. When I walk out of my sewing room I know I need to take a break. Love your channel.
My declutter challenge 2023 is DONE! I hope I don’t sound boastful, but I am very proud of what my sewing room is now…neat, orderly and beautiful! It is all thanks to you, Karen. And now, you put out this video, and I’m thinking I can clean out even MORE. I do still have fabric I haven’t touched in YEARS. Like I’m talking 20 or 30 years. But when I was sorting, organizing and putting it away, there are several stacks that are large pieces (over 6 or 8 yards) and I thought I could possibly use them as backing for future quilts. Who am I kidding? Lol So I think I’ll go back through them and donate them to our local quilt guild. I can have space for fabric I truly love, and not feel guilty for passing it on to someone who may very well use it and be thankful for it. I don’t remember seeing the SABLE award, but I’m certain I more than qualify! 😂😂😂😮
This is one of the most helpful analyses of what's going on in my head that is responsible for the problems I have with the sewing room that don't exist elsewhere in the house, at least not to the same extent. I began paring down a lot of craft supplies several years ago for the same reason that you mention: they are not things I will do when there are other options. But much of the fabric stash represents endless possibilities. Also, there's the recent experience of actually finding important use for fabrics that I might easily have thrown away prior to 2020, but then they became over 100 masks that were appreciated by family and friends until more effective masks became widely available. I found I enjoyed sewing small, quick projects and after masks it was doll clothes and has now moved on to quilted bags, purses, wall hangings, and so on. You never know what you might use for any of those kinds of thing. So the challenge is not weeding but finding a sensible way to organize it all.
My rule this year is that I'm not allowed to buy more crafty stuff unless it is necessary to complete a project I am actively working on right now AND my best friend agrees there is not an alternative and it is necessary. Buddy system for 2023. I decluttered my yarn this year and decided decluttering fabric would be for 2024. So making all the quilts I want to make *from fabric I already have* this year in preparation for next year's fabric declutter.
As I look at the three 40 gallon waterproof boxes; one 20 gallon; and two 60 gallon bins full of fabric, I don't even attempt to figure things out. I just sew it. All of it is earmarked for projects of one kind or another. I've just settled on a moratorium on fabric buying unless I have to have it to finish a particular project.
You've done it again, Karen! These tips and inspiration can work on any decluttering marathon in your home. I have been in my house for nearly 40 years and I have tons of things to sort, purge and assign a home for. Your questions can be a big help to me and many others if you just, "Think outside the (quilt) block." Keep it up!
You were inside my brain when you spoke here! Overwhelmed…. When you go into the sewing room with really good intentions, sit down for five, stand up, turn in one circle, walk out. Sadly my longarm is in that room. I need to Just Get It Done! Going back. 😊
In trying to control my “Sable” status this year, I promised myself that 75% of each project has to come from my stash. So far it has worked, but it is only January! 🛍
I kept all my scraps, colour coded and in clear boxes, all ready for my great scrap quilt. I have (like many of us) more projects than life expectancy. You gave me the impetus to say goodbye to them. I put them on online for a price to make a quilter faint and out the door they went within hours. A win win. I don't miss them.
I just inherited my Mom's sewing room...4 sewing machines 16 drawers of material and enough polyester batting to make many quilts. I had to move it all out in just a few days. Six hours of travel each way. Did I mention I am in the process of moving and need a knee replacement? I hope to soon be back to quilting soon!
I hope you've recovered well from your knee op now & managed to sort through your mum's stuff. My mum passed away in 2020 & I'm still struggling with what to do with a lot of her crafting stash😅, knowing that she'd spent her hard-earned money on it all. My point is, it's OK to not be ok.
Your parents look adorable. I love the flopping on the new mattress scene. Thank you for these great tips. I am not a quilter, I sew apparel, but your organizing tips apply to everyone who sews anything. I feel better hearing about your batik situation because I've been buying way too much fabric online and some of it I don't like. I'm not going to force myself to use it after you note that it seriously damaged your sewjo to use up the batiks you disliked. I'm going to donate the fabric I don't love and hope someone else will love it. I've stopped buying fabric BTW and it's a relief!
My hardest challenge is this one but the most important this year. I am motivated to not leave a mess behind. Not that I plan on going anywhere but I have cleaned up after 3 people. So it is not something I want my kids to inherit. Just a little bit at a time gets the job done. 👍
My gosh, I know what you mean. I have a couple of relatives that I know it will be a nightmare cleaning out their stuff. I don't mean to sound unkind, but very little of it is actually useful stuff. Anyway, every year I either finish or donate unfinished projects and I try hard to keep everything else in order. I want my family to be able to look at a project and want to finish something, but I don't expect that to be the case with everything. I also try hard to keep everything organized and labeled and for there to be some sense behind what they see. I want them to be able to know that it is what it is and like-minded stuff is nearby so that they don't have to dig through everything guessing what's inside or if they'll find more like it elsewhere. That just causes people to gather it all and just get rid of it because they don't know what's what
I've made it a joke, but one that I have told repeatedly I will admit, to each of my parents that when they die I'm hiring a 30-yard dumpster and that's where 98% of their possessions are ending up. They kind of laugh but they do get the message and they are dealing with their mess.
@@lisawallace1741 boy do I hear you. When we had our children, my MIL offered me some maternity clothing. Wonderful, right? Well. They were hers. From 1955. I’m sure they’re still in that house someplace. There are rooms over there no one can walk in. I did say once when she asked what we’d do with all her stuff…”I’m coming in here with a shovel”.
I know wat u mean. I have also decluttered a couple of family members. And like u, I don't want to leave this for my kids to do. They would be saying 'What was Mom thinking' 🤣
Same! I have cleaned out homes for family members 3 times now and I will absolute not leave a mess like that for my kids to deal with. I will go with the match option first. 🔥😂
I've just been transferring my clutter to my new sewing room. I've been organising scraps and realise that I really don't like string piecing, although having cut them to size, they are looking quite pretty. It was hard to let go of a larger piece in case it would be big enough for an end triangle bit, but now I put the off cuts in a box ready to fill a pet bed. Once I have dealt with the rest of the strings and found a quilt for them to go in (current idea is for a bear's paw), I'll not be saving any more. The most recent scrap squares and triangles are now in my mum's discarded Ferrero Roche boxes - 1.5", 2" and 2.5" and are so much neater than a plastic bag. Long process but I can dive into the baggies and get rid of them first as leaders and enders. I have a plan!
Thank you. I can donate my knitting supplies because after 50 years, I no longer knit. I will store my tools, and donate the yarns. Whew! I have been getting outsider objects out of my space today. Yarn is out.
I loved doing your Declutter Challenge! Still processing the scraps and project leftovers but I do need to set a timer on that. My husband was so impressed he started decluttering his model railroad / storage room! 😊
Your channel is in my top 5 favorites: well done and so helpful! What I really needed to hear yesterday and again today when I re-watched this was "We miss the logical connection between buying the supplies for a project and THE EFFORT NECESSARY TO COMPLETE IT". I think that I will post that in my sewing room.
My sewing room is a heap! There’s a big cutting table in the centre which I squeeze round to get at the table up near the window, where I sew. I tend to pile the ironing on the table, and spare pillows, things I can’t immediately find a home for, especially if someone’s visiting and I need to tidy things away if not up! And fabric. I reasoned I’d get to it soon. Well, today my old mum died. Sewing was my restoration between visiting her so often and recovering in between. There will be a steep climb to sort her affairs but maybe I will now get to sew and let it do me more good. I felt guilty about spending precious time quilting, until I found a verse in Proverbs ch 31 about a good woman. It says she makes coverings for her bed! Well I make coverings for other peoples beds too, and this delighted me! I felt like God was saying, it’s ok
I recently cleaned out my sewing room. I’ve been a sewist for over 55 years and am finished with that part of my life. I started quilting and am obsessed with it. I decided to get rid of everything that I could not use in quilting and give it to one of my sewing students. This has been so liberating. I realized I spent so much time digging through sewing clutter to find quilting supplies and it feels so good to now know that everything in my quilting room is just for quilting. So glad I did this.
I think I accumulated enough fabric for three lifetimes. LOL. Once I figured out how to declutter it became so much easier. Your videos are inspiring and have really helped me. Thank you!!!
You give such great tips, Karen. I’m in the process of decluttering my sewing space. It is overwhelming at times. I’ve been quilting over 35 years and I’ve accumulated a lot and a lot doesn’t make me happy any more.
HA! Karen I had the best of intentions! I had two full totes of fabric ready to donate to the local guild for charity quilts. Then COVID came along and I had to wait, and wait. Then finally when I could donate again, I was told quite abruptly, that they would not accept any fabric that was more than five years old (!) (yes really!) So here we are a couple of years later and now the worst thing has happened - I have started using it! Oh (groan) - no escape now! Best of intentions...
You know me so well! I am so well! We had a fire at our duplex Christmas Day it wasn’t real serious but bad enough that we had to move out so they could do a Pack out of the house. So it really opened my mind when I cleaned out the things I could save in my sewing room. I di machine embroidery as well as some quilts. So I am watching all your Decluttering Videos so When we move back I can step my sewing room for great success this year!! Thank you so much for all your tips and tips!!
I sew, knit, weave, macrame, dry felt, wet felt and make leather jewelry. Plus I love to repair holes in clothing using the Japanese method of visible darning called Sashiko. I have so much stash and a very small space for doing my crafts and storing my supplies. Last year I sorted through and decluttered my fabrics. I had watched one of your videos and you said something like 'your space is your space, you don't have any more space than you have'. That struck a cord with me and I began decluttering very old unused supplies. I will declutter more fabric and sewing supplies again this year. Last month I started decluttering my yarn. There's 2 kinds of yarn, knitting yarn and weaving yarn. Plus there's cord for macrame and darning yarns for Sashiko. I have so much yarn that if I were only 20 it could last most of my life. However I turn 70 this month. It's difficult to let it go, hard to choose but absolutely necessary to declutter. However the bonus is that I'm creating so many things because I remembered I have the thing and want I wanted to make with the thing. When you said the acronym SABLE I laughed out loud. I've considered this while decluttering but you created an acronym. Thanks for a little laugh at myself!
I also win the SABLE award. I made it a priority last year to reduce the fabric stash. I still have accumulated more, but I’m actually using it. I found a friend in the most unlikely of places; and I’ve sent a lot to her! I have another box ready to go to her today. 🙂it’s nice to find fellow quilters that love fabric, and can make use of it better than we can.
Karen, I’ve repeated your sage advice from Day 15 over and over and over. “If you had a day of uninterrupted sewing, would you work on this project?’ Consequently, everything up here in process is a thing I am excited about seeing and working on. Such joy and freedom. A truly serenity filled space. THANK YOU ❤❤
This year's declutter challenge helped me downsize my sewing space from a whole room to a sewing cabinet in preparation for baby #2! "Not can I, but do I want to" helped me so much, especially when sorting through the bundles of fabric I inherited from my grandmother. Thank you Karen
After two-three projects I do spend a day picking up, sorting, sweeping re-arranging and prioritizing the next project whether it’s embroidery, knitting, spinning or quilting. I haven’t shop Hopped for years. Im using what I bought then. 😂
I just discovered you in January. Did the challenge in my quilt/garment sewing/ music/ acrylic and watercoloring/ library/ family history space... I swapped out unattractive painting supplies for wall hangings and quilts that had been in a closet... Now my bookshelves are pretty. I am enjoying my space and am enjoying ALL of my hobbies...
This was far and away the most useful video I have ever seen, it was like you were talking to me, I struggle with letting go of my fabric, I love it! I saved this video and will watch many more times, Thank You
What a great add on to the 23 days we just completed. I watched each day and loved each one. I am guilty of just keeping as it had a space we are moving and I am getting my first ever sewing room. I have my crafty things all packed up ready to go and plan on doing each one of these tips as I set up my space especially what crafts don’t I do any more. I remember cleaning with our girls when they were small. The whole room was overwhelming they couldn’t get it done but if we started with just one part pretty soon it was done. I had forgotten about how we used to clean. Thanks for this reminder.
I have o much stash that all I do is stare at it. Not knowing what I want to do with it. Since watching you I have decided to take it and treat it like scraps. I cut it into 1/2 yds, 5” strips and squares and 2.5sq.now I will be able to sew them into blocks. So glad I saw you video.
omg the body under the boxes caught me off guard in a funny way. looks like my night on the daily. lol. i am ahead ofbthe challenge :( I am doing it this week. sick and tired of my mess in the sewing room. this video is cracking me up. because wow a great analysis of the issue and I have totes upon totes plus the wall of fabric 🥴 reality though barks out in a “essy for you to say” but the how..
I just sorted my sheets and quilt covers, basing what I kept not on 'Does it still have life left in it?' but on 'I only need two sets per bed. Which are the best two sets?'. You've really helped me with this. Thank you.
Karen thank you so much. I have been overwhelmed because my sewing room is also my cardmaking room, my scrapbook room and craft room. No wonder my head was spinning...I was trying to tackle too many things at one time! I am now at ease applying the simple methods in your video and I feel so much better and I am making progress!
😄 I actually have the opposite problem. I like keeping my sewing room clean and organized. It's the rest of the house I struggle with. Fortunately, the tips on these videos are helping with those other areas.
Another point about those other decluttering areas is, those rooms are also likely used by other folks if you are not a single person living alone. So the impetus to keep those "more public" rooms somewhat organised does make the process somewhat easier. Odds are, you are the only person who uses your craft space.
It has plagued for me years to organize my scraps to work for me. I work fulltime so quilting is a gift of time. I sought the advice of pros and friends but I finally came up with something that makes me happy. You are so right, Karen! It has to work for me and not what others say. Onto the next triumph in my sewing area! Thank you for encouraging us all the time.
I had never heard of SABLE and I had a good laugh when Karen said it. I have definitely earned that reward for my yarn stash (although I do crochet a lot - I have Rubbermaid bins of it even after my pre-Christmas donation blitz. So I am watching my fabric purchases carefully so that I only keep what fits on my shelves. No more purchases until the space becomes available. And thanks to Karen’s decluttering challenge I have a bit less fabric and it is better organized. Thanks for the inspiration Karen!
You give us so much good sense advice, Karen. Thank you. And that term "SABLE status" cracked me up. I'm 80, so I have to be more careful than someone in their 50s. (And I just got home from my local quilt store's Flash Sale. Oh oh!) LOL
So true I have tonnes of tapestry fabric in all my appartement and at the end I was overwhelmed and I'm actually loose all my passion because of too much things .I even don't know where to start .
I enjoy decluttering in my sewing room as it gives me the opportunity to see again what I have, re-inspire to make things, an re-organize the stash. Thanks Karen for your inspiration!
Thanks, Karen. I appreciate your smile and your positive style. I don't know IF my sew-jo will return, but delaying decisions is not helpful towards feeling peace when I enter my sewing room. The rest of my home is tidy and uncluttered. When the kids were small (30 years ago) money was tight, so it's hard to let go of things I bought with money. Listening to you, I now see my error. Checking assumptions to see if they still apply is vital to decision making. These days my passion is gardening but, if my sewing room was uncluttered and welcoming, who knows what could happen?
I love your vlog. I have an amazing dil that declutered my sewing/craft room. I moved my sewing machine into my bedroom because my "sewing room" was a disaster
I found the declutter challenge very useful. Thank you. I'm now working on all my UFO's. When my friend told me she needed a baby quilt I had everything I needed in my stah to make it. Being organized is wonderful. Thank you again.
I have siblings who have known me forever, I was married to a wonderful man for 21 years, I have 5 children and we are all close, yet none of them "get" me the way this wonderful lady half a world away, "gets" me. Karen, I feel seen. I've been there, done that, have the scars and thought it was something wrong with me. "It's on special, buy the whole bolt" "I no longer love it, but I spent all that money so I HAVE to finish it". I have the platinum SABLE award in at least 4 crafts (sewing, knitting, paper craft, and doll house miniatures) and probably also a bronze or silver award in some sub categories of those crafts. You not only make it sound normal, you make it okay. You also make it okay to say - enough, something has to go so what do I really love doing because that's where my time and energy is going to go. Thank you
SABLE O YEAHHHH )))) I promised myself I will not buy another inch of cloth. EVER. Anything that arrives at my door "because you're a quilter.." will be donated to the local church sale. There's enough cloth in the color bins to make 10 quilts out of each. AT 77, I'll have to sew reeeeally fast to use it up. hahahaha. Snow-thaw season is coming up fast so the garden will try to take over all my time. Pretty colors everywhere. Garden in daylight. Quilt after sunset. )))
I bought a library card catalog for fat quarter and tool storage. Best investment ever for organization. It's organized by color. The drawers pull out and I take to my cutting table. Has saved me hours and hours of looking through plastic tubs. Best part is it's beautiful and looks great!!
lol, we move around. and have had to gift many totes of fabric. I makes so sad to have to set up my room again. so for this time i have been just adding to the stash of all my Hobbies in there. what a mess. so for today I will go through door and start in on the wall that is along side of it. oh boy. boxes, totes and more. here i go again. but if i can't find a spot for it out it goes.
Do I WANT to make it concept has happened to me after serious shoulder injury and a year of rehab. Time is our treasure, & I’m limited physically now so YES, I’m only doing a few beautiful projects
Wow, some of the photos used could have been taken in my sewing room. I’m so guilty of most of all the topics you covered. So glad to learn that others have a room that looks like mine and I’m not alone. I have a few friends whose sewing rooms are ‘perfectly organized’! SO DISGUSTING! Thanks for your post. I need to signup for your challenge!
Oh gosh this resonates so much with me. I'm not a quilter but the problems relate to all sewists. Fabric and habby represent Potential. I can "see" the finished article but getting there is what's difficult. Definitely SABLE at my stage of life. Does anyone in Johannesburg South Africa want to raid my stash?
I did add one thing, I made an inventory list and made my room into zones. that way I can recall what is where and approximately how much of what I have. My memory has left me since mom passed away and I get easily distracted and forgetful I love this inventory book.
I love your content, Karen. You say things I need to hear! :) I'm so in tune with what you say around minute 11 of this video. Getting in my sewing space and having this time, although EXTREMELY limited in my life is what my kids call my "state of flow" where I'm so enthralled with what I'm doing that I completely escape noticing the passage of time. If I'm ever lucky enough to have a day to do this I will go downstairs after breakfast, jump into a project and my husband will come down and ask me what is for dinner, and it is only then that I feel plucked from my altered reality to look at the clock and realize that I've been down here for the better part of the day, for what feels like only a brief time. LOL! I have an endless list of things I want to make for people because when you are making something for someone it is not just about the beauty and utility of the item, it is the time I have spent thinking about them, and/or praying for them, while I'm working on their project that helps me feel connected and brings me joy. But yeah, I should do some decluttering, thinking of some of the items people have donated to me over the years. Thanks for the inspiration!
I seem to have a different approach when it comes to my projects. I tend to design my next project and then buy the fabric and essentials. Sometimes I see something in the fabric store that sparks an idea and make a purchase. But I don't think I have ever bought fabric just because I like it. Maybe my approach is better for me. Otherwise, I would have a SABLE. LOL. I have many leftovers that I have to deal with though.
Changing the question I ask myself (do I want to make it?) has really been the key to helping me make progress in my sewing room this month. Thank you for a great series and this summary!
Hi Karen! I cringed, blushed, and giggled when you mentioned the blue Rubbermaid tubs! I have 12 of the larger tubs that contain fabric and my Bucilla stocking kits. (And my fabric is folded ever so carefully in baskets that are put in the tubs, making use of every inch of space!) "And the Sable trophy is presented to" I'm at least a runner up for winning that award. Thanks for another wonderful and inspiring video that gives me something to really consider. You are the best!
Don’t be disheartened. If you know a charity quilting group, like Project Linus, just bequeath all your fabric to them, and enjoy your stash meanwhile, if you’ve got space for it! After all, we could all win that award, since we don’t know when God will call us home! Given the price of rulers and stuff, it’s as well your executor knows what they’re worth, and not to bin them! Actually, my mother died today, bless her she went so easily, we were just sharing a cup of tea together, she had a little clench and she was gone. Bless her tired heart. Before you ask what on Earth I’m doing here, I’m taking a rest from the shock, mayhem of organising what’s to do, and battling the insomnia, with what I love, quilts. It’s 2 in the morning and I’d better turn in. Hope I didn’t shock you. I’m thinking deep thoughts today. Thank you Karen!
@@bella-bee, I'm so sorry to hear of your mother's passing. My heart goes out to you. I'm sending love and prayers for you and your family. You do what you need to do, and if that means taking a break from what happened today and what will need to be done in the future, then that's is okay. I'm sure that Karen will read your note above too.
Interesting, I was to have company last week. Before the company arrived I put 2 boxes of items for the thrift shop into the sewing room rather than put them in the car to actually have them out of the house. The boxes are still in the sewing room. While listening to your video I paused and made a note ‘Take items to thrift shop’. Thank you, enjoy your weekend. Dale O
I sew and I knit. This year (so far), I’ve been able to avoid the lure of buying more wool. I have bought enough fabric to make a new project bag. I could do that without feeling guilty because I followed the challenge steps and refolded and looked at my fabrics, kept only those I love and will use gradually throughout this year. I’m putting the same steps into place with my yarns. I have a lot of garments I want to knit and I am making a realistic queue, auditioning wool in various colours and committing to the project. For Roxanne’s Finish it February (it may be everyone’s thing but I was introduced to it by Rox Rocks) I have 1 UFO and 2 almost completed current projects. For my sewing I am truly indebted to you Karen for helping me clear my mending pile, composting those items which are way beyond redemption, and finishing various small mending tasks. I’m continuing my declutter journey. It’s not onerous for me now. I’m really trying to clean up my act. Your daily inspiration has been extremely motivating and helpful. Thanks for acknowledging how difficult it can be and that we can go at our own pace. I’m grateful to pass on things to people who will use them. In our part of the world, we have an increased group of people who are homeless. I want to share my joy in beautiful fabrics and yarn with people who may be able to put them to better use and perhaps bring happiness to them or at their most basic, bring warmth or cover, rather than sitting in a cupboard waiting disconsolately for me to use them. I’m so grateful my circumstances mean that I am bountiful enough to share with others. Happy making to you Karen and all my fibre and yarny companions in 2023.
I love your videos! the sable award was so funny! Of course, it's me! I have decluttered my quilt room and one of my sewing machines that I've had for 10 years! I am now learning to use it!! hugs!
The overwhelmed brain resonates with me. I find it is easy for my brain to get fatigued, especially when I have to make decisions over and over. Even going through the mail is enough to wear me out - how did this happen? So I put things off. I appreciate how you say to give my brain a rest. I went through last year's challenge slowly - took almost the whole year. That's why I didn't do this year's - yet. A couple of months ago I decided I needed to clear out enough of my books (not quilting books) to make room for other books and stuff I couldn't find a place for. I think I cleared out around 100 books. I usually donate to my library but they weren't interested and I did not have the time or energy to figure out something else - so they went to recycling. I was afraid if I didn't do something with them in that window of time, they would end up in my garage forever.
January was a work filled month for me so I haven’t started my declutter. I hope to start Monday and work through February. This video was extremely helpful and has me thinking my upcoming challenge. The “Does It Bring You Joy” question will stay at the forefront of my decision making process- I hope !! Thanks Karen - you are a wealth of great info.
You have given me my zest for life back. I have made inroads in my sewing room and I’m looking at my stash and tools in a new light. I can finally sit in my craft room and sew or do card making. I have two identical bookcase/cabinets and one is now sewing and the other paper craft. If I purchase something new, it has to be able to fit in the appropriate cabinet and my serger is now on a rolling cart so I can use the table space for sewing or crafting. Thank you
You're so amazing!! Thank you so much for this! I just got rid of all of my yarn because I don't crochet as much as I use to! I'm a full time student, business owner, single mom and also work part time. If I have time, I'm going to quilt, just like you said. The yarn ended up going to a teacher to teach her students how to weave! How cool is that!?
Thank you so much for this video! After following through with your sewing room declutter challenge for 2 years, my sewing room is well organized and looking great. However, when my husband and I moved in 2014 the large room in our basement became our storage room. There are boxes filled with memories that haven't been touched since. I am using your hints to tackle this room WITH THE TIMER instead of always running to my sewing room to avoid the basement.
The trick I find is to give your brain some kind of reward. I find that podcasts and audiobooks are just enough to keep my intellect (squirrels!) occupied while my body deals with the tedium.
It took me a whole 7 days to sort fabric. I ironed most crumpled scraps etc...amazing how this enabled me to say yes or no and sorting into easy to find. 2 large rubbish bags for the compost / friends removed and now I can actually find what I like. My breaks from the sewing room enabled me to finish a hand sewing project. Thanks.
Thank you! I found this video and chat very helpful! I worked decluttering my sewing/craft room for about 5 hours the other day and when I finished for that day, I was totally exhausted and was wondering why, I love your tips and will apply them in the next days of decluttering.
What a great way to wrap up this year's challenge with all of these valuable tips. Thank you for addressing them and encouraging us not to feel bad when we let supplies/projects go without being used or finished.
Hi Karen, still working on my challenge. I got bogged I my ufo's and lost momentum . But I remembered something my late mum said in her last letter to me. "It's just stuff ,the memories are still with you and I( mum) will haunt you if you make a shrine of stuff that no one uses. So out it went or combined to make a new project.I feel lighter , thanks.
Great ideas, having back problems so bending abnd stretching are out of the question. Love your 1/2 hour time limit, You are giving me incentive. You are so LOGICAL!
It's always fun when I pull my parents in for a video. Visit birchliving.com/quilts to get $400 off your Birch non-toxic mattress plus two free pillows! (PLUS A PERSONAL COMMENT ABOUT THE BRAND #BirchLiving
I was happy to see Birch sponsoring you. I needed a good mattress and frankly was tired of spending $3000 for something that created a foxhole for me to sleep in after 2 years. Did a lot of reading, comparison shopping and gut instincting and Birch came out on top. I got the simple model not the luxe and I've LOVED it completely! I could go on and on about why but suffice it to say here's one of your subscribers who supports your sponsor.
I don’t view it as decluttering. I view it as taking inventory and poking myself in the rear to finish those great ideas I had when I purchased things. It motivates me to learn the craft or process I purchased the items for.
Now that is a great idea. I am stealing it. Lol!!
I have finished 1 project that’s been sitting around for a year. I’ve decluttered some bags and looked through some “to do”projects. I use a white board and a chalk board and list 2-3 things that have to be done just to start. It’s so fun to erase the completed lists daily!
Ive been on the wagon for 6 years. It’s taken that long, not buying fabric, to finally make it through the “projects” in my sewing room and (insert shame here) my storage unit 😔. This year is the first time I’ve bought fabric to start a quilt that didn’t come out of the stash. My storage unit is no more and my sewing room is clean, neat and organized down to my straight pins. It’s sooo relaxing to work in there. Now if I could just accomplish this in the rest of the house. No time for that. I have to sew. 😊
It can be done just 15 minutes at a time
“Choose you. Make the projects that fill YOUR Bucket.” ❤
Oh Karen your SABLE award made me laugh so hard. I turned 61 this year and I looked at my sewing room and thought will I have enough time to get all of these projects done. It doesn't help that I work at a quilt shop. Sometimes I feel like that squirrel who gets distracted by the next shiney project that comes along not realizing how long it takes to get it done with everything else in life that gets in the way.
Thank you for this video. I confess I have an addition for fabric and learning something new 😂
The ability to help the schools with fabrics, batting, thread and notions that I no longer really cared for really freed my stress of removing things from my sewing room. My husband also keeps the after school crafting clubs supplied with treats from my scrapbooking and stamping past habit. Schools and teachers don’t have items they may want without dipping into their wallet. I love enabling young sewists and crafters that may not be exposed to this at home. I have 3 middle schools in my area that have taken everything I have offered so I wanted to offer that suggestion to all of you. Our Youth are our future.
I watch your videos over and over. I am 82 and have been quilting for years . I have learned so much from you. You seem to be my only tutorial. I love your style in quilting.and teaching. Quilting is my thing. Love ya. Jan O
You are so welcome!
I finally realized one reason I love your videos so much. You don’t just talk without having some visuals to back up what you are saying. Whoever is putting your photos in amongst your words is doing a tremendous job. It makes your videos so much more interesting than those persons who just talk for 10 or 15 minutes. Thank you so much for all that you do to keep us motivated. 12:46
Thank you.
I busted out laughing when you mentioned the Rubbermaid containers! I have only one but it's huge! Thanks for all you do! Blessings to all in love and light!🙏🏼💜🙏🏼💙🙏🏼🧡🙏🏼💛🙏🏼💚🙏🏼
Most of my clutter is my fabric supply for charity quilts. What started out as a retirement side project turned into a major time and space consuming activity. My solution is to make quilt top kits and ask people to sign up for a sew day to make the tops. Hopefully my 2 big bins will be out of my tiny sewing room and my room and brain can declutter. First kit making session with a few friends is the first weekend in February. Wish us luck!
this is abrilliant idea!
What a great idea
I do kits for Project Linus which I enjoy making, but often the unfinished top comes back to me to finish. I have several bins of unfinished quilt tops I probably will never get to. Volunteers will take a top and finish a top, but only if the top is nicely done. They don't want to deal with a top that needs fixing. Sorry for venting--just wonder if others have this problem.
@@DH-qz2so It’s so nice to have them all precut, I know some groups get donated random pieces and blocks they have to figure out what to do with them
If you’re in central Texas I’d love to join
One of the things the declutter challenge has helped me do is replace those Rubbermaid solid color containers with clear containers. I got to review the contents, and do a mini declutter on the spot. A container a month worked for me through the summer, and now the ones left have off season clothes in them and seasonal decorations. Those are well labeled on their outsides, too. Thanks, Karen!
Hi Karen, Once again you've done it! Not everyone is a quilter, but we all have a room like your sewing room that is chaotic. You appeal to me with your lovely voice and the fact that I can make your advice work for my office, garage, storage building, etc. Being able to appeal to non-quilters really says something! Keep it up.
😂😂
I think because we are creators and we are so emotional attached to our sewing room or sewing areas, that is very difficult to let go. There’s always a… I’ll use that for something.
I can’t get rid of that, oh no!
And so…. Our area is filled of future dos and possibilities that we are deeply connected with. 😂😂
Karen, this is great! My sister quit quilting and offered me all her sewing supplies. I did not take fabric I didn’t like. I did not take notions I would not use. But a few months later I went through her fabric again and I donated some of the fabrics to ladies at the church. She also had a lot of kits and they got donated to the same ladies. They were happy, my sister was happy and I was happy and relieved. Recently I went through Halloween and Christmas fabrics and did the same thing. I still need to go through items in my sewing room. I have memorabilia. My sewing room is also My Room. There are things that mak me smile and things that make me tear up. I love it! There may come a time that I don’t enjoy quilting any more but I will still have My Room.
Enjoy your weekend!
I have a tendency to ignore the timer, so I use the one on my stove. When it starts beeping it makes me stop what I'm doing to turn it off. When I walk out of my sewing room I know I need to take a break. Love your channel.
My declutter challenge 2023 is DONE! I hope I don’t sound boastful, but I am very proud of what my sewing room is now…neat, orderly and beautiful! It is all thanks to you, Karen. And now, you put out this video, and I’m thinking I can clean out even MORE. I do still have fabric I haven’t touched in YEARS. Like I’m talking 20 or 30 years. But when I was sorting, organizing and putting it away, there are several stacks that are large pieces (over 6 or 8 yards) and I thought I could possibly use them as backing for future quilts. Who am I kidding? Lol
So I think I’ll go back through them and donate them to our local quilt guild. I can have space for fabric I truly love, and not feel guilty for passing it on to someone who may very well use it and be thankful for it. I don’t remember seeing the SABLE award, but I’m certain I more than qualify! 😂😂😂😮
This is one of the most helpful analyses of what's going on in my head that is responsible for the problems I have with the sewing room that don't exist elsewhere in the house, at least not to the same extent. I began paring down a lot of craft supplies several years ago for the same reason that you mention: they are not things I will do when there are other options. But much of the fabric stash represents endless possibilities. Also, there's the recent experience of actually finding important use for fabrics that I might easily have thrown away prior to 2020, but then they became over 100 masks that were appreciated by family and friends until more effective masks became widely available. I found I enjoyed sewing small, quick projects and after masks it was doll clothes and has now moved on to quilted bags, purses, wall hangings, and so on. You never know what you might use for any of those kinds of thing. So the challenge is not weeding but finding a sensible way to organize it all.
My rule this year is that I'm not allowed to buy more crafty stuff unless it is necessary to complete a project I am actively working on right now AND my best friend agrees there is not an alternative and it is necessary. Buddy system for 2023.
I decluttered my yarn this year and decided decluttering fabric would be for 2024. So making all the quilts I want to make *from fabric I already have* this year in preparation for next year's fabric declutter.
As I look at the three 40 gallon waterproof boxes; one 20 gallon; and two 60 gallon bins full of fabric, I don't even attempt to figure things out. I just sew it. All of it is earmarked for projects of one kind or another. I've just settled on a moratorium on fabric buying unless I have to have it to finish a particular project.
You've done it again, Karen! These tips and inspiration can work on any decluttering marathon in your home. I have been in my house for nearly 40 years and I have tons of things to sort, purge and assign a home for. Your questions can be a big help to me and many others if you just, "Think outside the (quilt) block." Keep it up!
You were inside my brain when you spoke here! Overwhelmed…. When you go into the sewing room with really good intentions, sit down for five, stand up, turn in one circle, walk out. Sadly my longarm is in that room. I need to Just Get It Done! Going back. 😊
In trying to control my “Sable” status this year, I promised myself that 75% of each project has to come from my stash. So far it has worked, but it is only January! 🛍
A good idea 🌸
I wish I knew about sable statue BEFORE I bought all that fabric!!
I kept all my scraps, colour coded and in clear boxes, all ready for my great scrap quilt. I have (like many of us) more projects than life expectancy. You gave me the impetus to say goodbye to them. I put them on online for a price to make a quilter faint and out the door they went within hours. A win win. I don't miss them.
I just inherited my Mom's sewing room...4 sewing machines 16 drawers of material and enough polyester batting to make many quilts. I had to move it all out in just a few days. Six hours of travel each way. Did I mention I am in the process of moving and need a knee replacement? I hope to soon be back to quilting soon!
I hope you've recovered well from your knee op now & managed to sort through your mum's stuff. My mum passed away in 2020 & I'm still struggling with what to do with a lot of her crafting stash😅, knowing that she'd spent her hard-earned money on it all. My point is, it's OK to not be ok.
Your parents look adorable. I love the flopping on the new mattress scene. Thank you for these great tips. I am not a quilter, I sew apparel, but your organizing tips apply to everyone who sews anything. I feel better hearing about your batik situation because I've been buying way too much fabric online and some of it I don't like. I'm not going to force myself to use it after you note that it seriously damaged your sewjo to use up the batiks you disliked. I'm going to donate the fabric I don't love and hope someone else will love it. I've stopped buying fabric BTW and it's a relief!
My hardest challenge is this one but the most important this year. I am motivated to not leave a mess behind. Not that I plan on going anywhere but I have cleaned up after 3 people. So it is not something I want my kids to inherit. Just a little bit at a time gets the job done. 👍
My gosh, I know what you mean. I have a couple of relatives that I know it will be a nightmare cleaning out their stuff. I don't mean to sound unkind, but very little of it is actually useful stuff.
Anyway, every year I either finish or donate unfinished projects and I try hard to keep everything else in order. I want my family to be able to look at a project and want to finish something, but I don't expect that to be the case with everything. I also try hard to keep everything organized and labeled and for there to be some sense behind what they see. I want them to be able to know that it is what it is and like-minded stuff is nearby so that they don't have to dig through everything guessing what's inside or if they'll find more like it elsewhere. That just causes people to gather it all and just get rid of it because they don't know what's what
I've made it a joke, but one that I have told repeatedly I will admit, to each of my parents that when they die I'm hiring a 30-yard dumpster and that's where 98% of their possessions are ending up. They kind of laugh but they do get the message and they are dealing with their mess.
@@lisawallace1741 boy do I hear you. When we had our children, my MIL offered me some maternity clothing. Wonderful, right? Well. They were hers. From 1955. I’m sure they’re still in that house someplace. There are rooms over there no one can walk in. I did say once when she asked what we’d do with all her stuff…”I’m coming in here with a shovel”.
I know wat u mean. I have also decluttered a couple of family members. And like u, I don't want to leave this for my kids to do. They would be saying 'What was Mom thinking' 🤣
Same! I have cleaned out homes for family members 3 times now and I will absolute not leave a mess like that for my kids to deal with. I will go with the match option first. 🔥😂
I've just been transferring my clutter to my new sewing room. I've been organising scraps and realise that I really don't like string piecing, although having cut them to size, they are looking quite pretty. It was hard to let go of a larger piece in case it would be big enough for an end triangle bit, but now I put the off cuts in a box ready to fill a pet bed. Once I have dealt with the rest of the strings and found a quilt for them to go in (current idea is for a bear's paw), I'll not be saving any more. The most recent scrap squares and triangles are now in my mum's discarded Ferrero Roche boxes - 1.5", 2" and 2.5" and are so much neater than a plastic bag. Long process but I can dive into the baggies and get rid of them first as leaders and enders. I have a plan!
Thank you. I can donate my knitting supplies because after 50 years, I no longer knit. I will store my tools, and donate the yarns. Whew! I have been getting outsider objects out of my space today. Yarn is out.
I loved doing your Declutter Challenge! Still processing the scraps and project leftovers but I do need to set a timer on that. My husband was so impressed he started decluttering his model railroad / storage room! 😊
I just love when I hear your partner is inspired too
Your channel is in my top 5 favorites: well done and so helpful!
What I really needed to hear yesterday and again today when I re-watched this was "We miss the logical connection between buying the supplies for a project and THE EFFORT NECESSARY TO COMPLETE IT". I think that I will post that in my sewing room.
My sewing room is a heap! There’s a big cutting table in the centre which I squeeze round to get at the table up near the window, where I sew. I tend to pile the ironing on the table, and spare pillows, things I can’t immediately find a home for, especially if someone’s visiting and I need to tidy things away if not up! And fabric.
I reasoned I’d get to it soon.
Well, today my old mum died. Sewing was my restoration between visiting her so often and recovering in between. There will be a steep climb to sort her affairs but maybe I will now get to sew and let it do me more good.
I felt guilty about spending precious time quilting, until I found a verse in Proverbs ch 31 about a good woman. It says she makes coverings for her bed! Well I make coverings for other peoples beds too, and this delighted me! I felt like God was saying, it’s ok
I recently cleaned out my sewing room. I’ve been a sewist for over 55 years and am finished with that part of my life. I started quilting and am obsessed with it. I decided to get rid of everything that I could not use in quilting and give it to one of my sewing students. This has been so liberating. I realized I spent so much time digging through sewing clutter to find quilting supplies and it feels so good to now know that everything in my quilting room is just for quilting. So glad I did this.
👏👏👏 so good to hear. Space is so good for creativity
I think I accumulated enough fabric for three lifetimes. LOL. Once I figured out how to declutter it became so much easier. Your videos are inspiring and have really helped me. Thank you!!!
Thanks for this video on the psychology of the reluctance to Declutter. I laughed out loud at the picture of me you painted perfectly.
You give such great tips, Karen. I’m in the process of decluttering my sewing space. It is overwhelming at times. I’ve been quilting over 35 years and I’ve accumulated a lot and a lot doesn’t make me happy any more.
It’s the worst that when you stopped enjoying what you love
HA! Karen I had the best of intentions! I had two full totes of fabric ready to donate to the local guild for charity quilts. Then COVID came along and I had to wait, and wait. Then finally when I could donate again, I was told quite abruptly, that they would not accept any fabric that was more than five years old (!) (yes really!) So here we are a couple of years later and now the worst thing has happened - I have started using it! Oh (groan) - no escape now! Best of intentions...
I just realized I am never going to cross-stitch or embroidery any more. Hallelujah I can donate it,guilt free! Thank you Karen .
You know me so well! I am so well! We had a fire at our duplex Christmas Day it wasn’t real serious but bad enough that we had to move out so they could do a Pack out of the house. So it really opened my mind when I cleaned out the things I could save in my sewing room. I di machine embroidery as well as some quilts. So I am watching all your Decluttering Videos so When we move back I can step my sewing room for great success this year!! Thank you so much for all your tips and tips!!
I sew, knit, weave, macrame, dry felt, wet felt and make leather jewelry. Plus I love to repair holes in clothing using the Japanese method of visible darning called Sashiko. I have so much stash and a very small space for doing my crafts and storing my supplies. Last year I sorted through and decluttered my fabrics. I had watched one of your videos and you said something like 'your space is your space, you don't have any more space than you have'. That struck a cord with me and I began decluttering very old unused supplies. I will declutter more fabric and sewing supplies again this year. Last month I started decluttering my yarn. There's 2 kinds of yarn, knitting yarn and weaving yarn. Plus there's cord for macrame and darning yarns for Sashiko. I have so much yarn that if I were only 20 it could last most of my life. However I turn 70 this month. It's difficult to let it go, hard to choose but absolutely necessary to declutter. However the bonus is that I'm creating so many things because I remembered I have the thing and want I wanted to make with the thing. When you said the acronym SABLE I laughed out loud. I've considered this while decluttering but you created an acronym. Thanks for a little laugh at myself!
I also win the SABLE award. I made it a priority last year to reduce the fabric stash. I still have accumulated more, but I’m actually using it. I found a friend in the most unlikely of places; and I’ve sent a lot to her! I have another box ready to go to her today. 🙂it’s nice to find fellow quilters that love fabric, and can make use of it better than we can.
Karen, I’ve repeated your sage advice from Day 15 over and over and over. “If you had a day of uninterrupted sewing, would you work on this project?’ Consequently, everything up here in process is a thing I am excited about seeing and working on. Such joy and freedom. A truly serenity filled space. THANK YOU ❤❤
Nice
This year's declutter challenge helped me downsize my sewing space from a whole room to a sewing cabinet in preparation for baby #2! "Not can I, but do I want to" helped me so much, especially when sorting through the bundles of fabric I inherited from my grandmother. Thank you Karen
Karen, you're looking so much better. Looks like the twinkle in your eye is back. Thanks for the video.
After two-three projects I do spend a day picking up, sorting, sweeping re-arranging and prioritizing the next project whether it’s embroidery, knitting, spinning or quilting. I haven’t shop Hopped for years. Im using what I bought then. 😂
I just discovered you in January. Did the challenge in my quilt/garment sewing/ music/ acrylic and watercoloring/ library/ family history space... I swapped out unattractive painting supplies for wall hangings and quilts that had been in a closet... Now my bookshelves are pretty. I am enjoying my space and am enjoying ALL of my hobbies...
This was far and away the most useful video I have ever seen, it was like you were talking to me, I struggle with letting go of my fabric, I love it! I saved this video and will watch many more times, Thank You
What a great add on to the 23 days we just completed. I watched each day and loved each one. I am guilty of just keeping as it had a space we are moving and I am getting my first ever sewing room. I have my crafty things all packed up ready to go and plan on doing each one of these tips as I set up my space especially what crafts don’t I do any more. I remember cleaning with our girls when they were small. The whole room was overwhelming they couldn’t get it done but if we started with just one part pretty soon it was done. I had forgotten about how we used to clean. Thanks for this reminder.
I have o much stash that all I do is stare at it. Not knowing what I want to do with it. Since watching you I have decided to take it and treat it like scraps. I cut it into 1/2 yds, 5” strips and squares and 2.5sq.now I will be able to sew them into blocks. So glad I saw you video.
This made me cry. Especially the part about colours that fill your soul. I have so many fabrics that dont.
omg the body under the boxes caught me off guard in a funny way. looks like my night on the daily. lol. i am ahead ofbthe challenge :( I am doing it this week. sick and tired of my mess in the sewing room. this video is cracking me up. because wow a great analysis of the issue and I have totes upon totes plus the wall of fabric 🥴 reality though barks out in a “essy for you to say” but the how..
I just sorted my sheets and quilt covers, basing what I kept not on 'Does it still have life left in it?' but on 'I only need two sets per bed. Which are the best two sets?'. You've really helped me with this. Thank you.
Karen thank you so much. I have been overwhelmed because my sewing room is also my cardmaking room, my scrapbook room and craft room. No wonder my head was spinning...I was trying to tackle too many things at one time! I am now at ease applying the simple methods in your video and I feel so much better and I am making progress!
😄 I actually have the opposite problem. I like keeping my sewing room clean and organized. It's the rest of the house I struggle with. Fortunately, the tips on these videos are helping with those other areas.
I agree - the ideas may be intended for sewing space - but who said good ideas are confined to one room.
You can choose where to be messy and where to be a minimalist. I found the moment when I recognized this it was a huge weight off my shoulders.
I am also the only person who uses my sewing space. I share the rest of the house with others.
Another point about those other decluttering areas is, those rooms are also likely used by other folks if you are not a single person living alone. So the impetus to keep those "more public" rooms somewhat organised does make the process somewhat easier. Odds are, you are the only person who uses your craft space.
It has plagued for me years to organize my scraps to work for me. I work fulltime so quilting is a gift of time. I sought the advice of pros and friends but I finally came up with something that makes me happy. You are so right, Karen! It has to work for me and not what others say. Onto the next triumph in my sewing area! Thank you for encouraging us all the time.
I had never heard of SABLE and I had a good laugh when Karen said it. I have definitely earned that reward for my yarn stash (although I do crochet a lot - I have Rubbermaid bins of it even after my pre-Christmas donation blitz. So I am watching my fabric purchases carefully so that I only keep what fits on my shelves. No more purchases until the space becomes available. And thanks to Karen’s decluttering challenge I have a bit less fabric and it is better organized. Thanks for the inspiration Karen!
You give us so much good sense advice, Karen. Thank you. And that term "SABLE status" cracked me up. I'm 80, so I have to be more careful than someone in their 50s. (And I just got home from my local quilt store's Flash Sale. Oh oh!) LOL
I wish this was the first video I saw on decluttering. It might have helped me. Alway tomorrow??
So true I have tonnes of tapestry fabric in all my appartement and at the end I was overwhelmed and I'm actually loose all my passion because of too much things .I even don't know where to start .
Love the SABLE!! That's me!! Now, I just need to get off my bottom and start doing! Thanks for a great video!
I started with magazines and books, and I’m still there!
I enjoy decluttering in my sewing room as it gives me the opportunity to see again what I have, re-inspire to make things, an re-organize the stash. Thanks Karen for your inspiration!
Thanks, Karen. I appreciate your smile and your positive style. I don't know IF my sew-jo will return, but delaying decisions is not helpful towards feeling peace when I enter my sewing room. The rest of my home is tidy and uncluttered. When the kids were small (30 years ago) money was tight, so it's hard to let go of things I bought with money. Listening to you, I now see my error. Checking assumptions to see if they still apply is vital to decision making. These days my passion is gardening but, if my sewing room was uncluttered and welcoming, who knows what could happen?
I love your vlog. I have an amazing dil that declutered my sewing/craft room. I moved my sewing machine into my bedroom because my "sewing room" was a disaster
I found the declutter challenge very useful. Thank you. I'm now working on all my UFO's. When my friend told me she needed a baby quilt I had everything I needed in my stah to make it. Being organized is wonderful. Thank you again.
Isn’t it great to know where things are
I have siblings who have known me forever, I was married to a wonderful man for 21 years, I have 5 children and we are all close, yet none of them "get" me the way this wonderful lady half a world away, "gets" me. Karen, I feel seen. I've been there, done that, have the scars and thought it was something wrong with me. "It's on special, buy the whole bolt" "I no longer love it, but I spent all that money so I HAVE to finish it". I have the platinum SABLE award in at least 4 crafts (sewing, knitting, paper craft, and doll house miniatures) and probably also a bronze or silver award in some sub categories of those crafts. You not only make it sound normal, you make it okay. You also make it okay to say - enough, something has to go so what do I really love doing because that's where my time and energy is going to go. Thank you
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SABLE O YEAHHHH )))) I promised myself I will not buy another inch of cloth. EVER. Anything that arrives at my door "because you're a quilter.." will be donated to the local church sale. There's enough cloth in the color bins to make 10 quilts out of each. AT 77, I'll have to sew reeeeally fast to use it up. hahahaha. Snow-thaw season is coming up fast so the garden will try to take over all my time. Pretty colors everywhere. Garden in daylight. Quilt after sunset. )))
I bought a library card catalog for fat quarter and tool storage. Best investment ever for organization. It's organized by color. The drawers pull out and I take to my cutting table. Has saved me hours and hours of looking through plastic tubs. Best part is it's beautiful and looks great!!
Boy, I feel very seen in this video. You are so wise! Thank you for sharing this.
The Rubbermaid totes really hit home!
lol, we move around. and have had to gift many totes of fabric. I makes so sad to have to set up my room again. so for this time i have been just adding to the stash of all my Hobbies in there. what a mess. so for today I will go through door and start in on the wall that is along side of it. oh boy. boxes, totes and more. here i go again. but if i can't find a spot for it out it goes.
Do I WANT to make it concept has happened to me after serious shoulder injury and a year of rehab. Time is our treasure, & I’m limited physically now so YES, I’m only doing a few beautiful projects
Excellent tips. Thanks Karen 🇦🇺
Hey I'm Aussie too! 😁
Wow, some of the photos used could have been taken in my sewing room. I’m so guilty of most of all the topics you covered. So glad to learn that others have a room that looks like mine and I’m not alone. I have a few friends whose sewing rooms are ‘perfectly organized’! SO DISGUSTING!
Thanks for your post. I need to signup for your challenge!
Oh gosh this resonates so much with me. I'm not a quilter but the problems relate to all sewists. Fabric and habby represent Potential. I can "see" the finished article but getting there is what's difficult. Definitely SABLE at my stage of life.
Does anyone in Johannesburg South Africa want to raid my stash?
YES YES PLEASE !!!
@@itsmyparty4637 Am I being dumb? I have tried to reply giving my email but it does not appear.
I did add one thing, I made an inventory list and made my room into zones. that way I can recall what is where and approximately how much of what I have. My memory has left me since mom passed away and I get easily distracted and forgetful I love this inventory book.
I love your content, Karen. You say things I need to hear! :) I'm so in tune with what you say around minute 11 of this video. Getting in my sewing space and having this time, although EXTREMELY limited in my life is what my kids call my "state of flow" where I'm so enthralled with what I'm doing that I completely escape noticing the passage of time. If I'm ever lucky enough to have a day to do this I will go downstairs after breakfast, jump into a project and my husband will come down and ask me what is for dinner, and it is only then that I feel plucked from my altered reality to look at the clock and realize that I've been down here for the better part of the day, for what feels like only a brief time. LOL! I have an endless list of things I want to make for people because when you are making something for someone it is not just about the beauty and utility of the item, it is the time I have spent thinking about them, and/or praying for them, while I'm working on their project that helps me feel connected and brings me joy. But yeah, I should do some decluttering, thinking of some of the items people have donated to me over the years. Thanks for the inspiration!
I seem to have a different approach when it comes to my projects. I tend to design my next project and then buy the fabric and essentials. Sometimes I see something in the fabric store that sparks an idea and make a purchase. But I don't think I have ever bought fabric just because I like it. Maybe my approach is better for me. Otherwise, I would have a SABLE. LOL. I have many leftovers that I have to deal with though.
Changing the question I ask myself (do I want to make it?) has really been the key to helping me make progress in my sewing room this month. Thank you for a great series and this summary!
Thank you Karen! You hit the nail right on the head! I need this talk to get my sew-jo back that the clutter has robbed from me. 😢
Hi Karen! I cringed, blushed, and giggled when you mentioned the blue Rubbermaid tubs! I have 12 of the larger tubs that contain fabric and my Bucilla stocking kits. (And my fabric is folded ever so carefully in baskets that are put in the tubs, making use of every inch of space!) "And the Sable trophy is presented to" I'm at least a runner up for winning that award. Thanks for another wonderful and inspiring video that gives me something to really consider. You are the best!
Don’t be disheartened. If you know a charity quilting group, like Project Linus, just bequeath all your fabric to them, and enjoy your stash meanwhile, if you’ve got space for it! After all, we could all win that award, since we don’t know when God will call us home! Given the price of rulers and stuff, it’s as well your executor knows what they’re worth, and not to bin them!
Actually, my mother died today, bless her she went so easily, we were just sharing a cup of tea together, she had a little clench and she was gone. Bless her tired heart. Before you ask what on Earth I’m doing here, I’m taking a rest from the shock, mayhem of organising what’s to do, and battling the insomnia, with what I love, quilts. It’s 2 in the morning and I’d better turn in. Hope I didn’t shock you. I’m thinking deep thoughts today. Thank you Karen!
@@bella-bee, I'm so sorry to hear of your mother's passing. My heart goes out to you. I'm sending love and prayers for you and your family. You do what you need to do, and if that means taking a break from what happened today and what will need to be done in the future, then that's is okay. I'm sure that Karen will read your note above too.
Interesting, I was to have company last week. Before the company arrived I put 2 boxes of items for the thrift shop into the sewing room rather than put them in the car to actually have them out of the house. The boxes are still in the sewing room. While listening to your video I paused and made a note ‘Take items to thrift shop’. Thank you, enjoy your weekend. Dale O
Hah
I sew and I knit. This year (so far), I’ve been able to avoid the lure of buying more wool. I have bought enough fabric to make a new project bag. I could do that without feeling guilty because I followed the challenge steps and refolded and looked at my fabrics, kept only those I love and will use gradually throughout this year. I’m putting the same steps into place with my yarns. I have a lot of garments I want to knit and I am making a realistic queue, auditioning wool in various colours and committing to the project. For Roxanne’s Finish it February (it may be everyone’s thing but I was introduced to it by Rox Rocks) I have 1 UFO and 2 almost completed current projects. For my sewing I am truly indebted to you Karen for helping me clear my mending pile, composting those items which are way beyond redemption, and finishing various small mending tasks. I’m continuing my declutter journey. It’s not onerous for me now. I’m really trying to clean up my act. Your daily inspiration has been extremely motivating and helpful. Thanks for acknowledging how difficult it can be and that we can go at our own pace. I’m grateful to pass on things to people who will use them. In our part of the world, we have an increased group of people who are homeless. I want to share my joy in beautiful fabrics and yarn with people who may be able to put them to better use and perhaps bring happiness to them or at their most basic, bring warmth or cover, rather than sitting in a cupboard waiting disconsolately for me to use them. I’m so grateful my circumstances mean that I am bountiful enough to share with others. Happy making to you Karen and all my fibre and yarny companions in 2023.
I love the shot of you and your folks lading on the mattress! Karen thank you for tapping into the heart of quilting for me! Quilting is healing!
I love your videos! the sable award was so funny! Of course, it's me! I have decluttered my quilt room and one of my sewing machines that I've had for 10 years! I am now learning to use it!! hugs!
The overwhelmed brain resonates with me. I find it is easy for my brain to get fatigued, especially when I have to make decisions over and over. Even going through the mail is enough to wear me out - how did this happen? So I put things off. I appreciate how you say to give my brain a rest. I went through last year's challenge slowly - took almost the whole year. That's why I didn't do this year's - yet. A couple of months ago I decided I needed to clear out enough of my books (not quilting books) to make room for other books and stuff I couldn't find a place for. I think I cleared out around 100 books. I usually donate to my library but they weren't interested and I did not have the time or energy to figure out something else - so they went to recycling. I was afraid if I didn't do something with them in that window of time, they would end up in my garage forever.
It’s hard because you don’t want to contribute to the garbage problem but sometimes you need to put yourself first
@@JustGetitDoneQuilts Hopefully they get recycled - I placed them in the paper bin.
January was a work filled month for me so I haven’t started my declutter. I hope to start Monday and work through February. This video was extremely helpful and has me thinking my upcoming challenge. The “Does It Bring You Joy” question will stay at the forefront of my decision making process- I hope !! Thanks Karen - you are a wealth of great info.
You have given me my zest for life back. I have made inroads in my sewing room and I’m looking at my stash and tools in a new light.
I can finally sit in my craft room and sew or do card making. I have two identical bookcase/cabinets and one is now sewing and the other paper craft. If I purchase something new, it has to be able to fit in the appropriate cabinet and my serger is now on a rolling cart so I can use the table space for sewing or crafting. Thank you
You're so amazing!! Thank you so much for this! I just got rid of all of my yarn because I don't crochet as much as I use to! I'm a full time student, business owner, single mom and also work part time. If I have time, I'm going to quilt, just like you said. The yarn ended up going to a teacher to teach her students how to weave! How cool is that!?
I have not missed them yet. I hope it's the same for you
Thank you so much for this video! After following through with your sewing room declutter challenge for 2 years, my sewing room is well organized and looking great. However, when my husband and I moved in 2014 the large room in our basement became our storage room. There are boxes filled with memories that haven't been touched since. I am using your hints to tackle this room WITH THE TIMER instead of always running to my sewing room to avoid the basement.
I have cleared out so many spaces 15 minutes at a time
Went through my scrap bins today! In my early sewing days I kept everything 😂 now I’m more selective about what I keep
Karen, can you and your MOJO just come to my home and help me declutter??? PLEASE! 🙏 🙏 🙏 🥺
The trick I find is to give your brain some kind of reward. I find that podcasts and audiobooks are just enough to keep my intellect (squirrels!) occupied while my body deals with the tedium.
It took me a whole 7 days to sort fabric. I ironed most crumpled scraps etc...amazing how this enabled me to say yes or no and sorting into easy to find. 2 large rubbish bags for the compost / friends removed and now I can actually find what I like. My breaks from the sewing room enabled me to finish a hand sewing project. Thanks.
Thank you! I found this video and chat very helpful! I worked decluttering my sewing/craft room for about 5 hours the other day and when I finished for that day, I was totally exhausted and was wondering why, I love your tips and will apply them in the next days of decluttering.
What a great way to wrap up this year's challenge with all of these valuable tips. Thank you for addressing them and encouraging us not to feel bad when we let supplies/projects go without being used or finished.
I needed this missed my daily Karen video!! I have sable in scrapbooking supplies lol.
Hi Karen, still working on my challenge. I got bogged I my ufo's and lost momentum . But I remembered something my late mum said in her last letter to me. "It's just stuff ,the memories are still with you and I( mum) will haunt you if you make a shrine of stuff that no one uses. So out it went or combined to make a new project.I feel lighter , thanks.
Thanks for sharing
I think this video full of gentle advice did more for my decluttering mentality than the entire month of every day tasks. Thank you!
Great ideas, having back problems so bending abnd stretching are out of the question. Love your 1/2 hour time limit, You are giving me incentive. You are so LOGICAL!
Well I finally packed up “most” of my card making supplies! Moved a box to the attic. If it’s not been touched by this time next year, it’s GONE!
That’s what I did with a couple of crafts too.