Welcome to Day 21 and the final day of the Declutter Challenge.
It once seemed so far away. And now we are just about done!!!
As I stand in my sewing space, I can see all the clean surfaces and it makes me happy. In the past week, I have wrestled with some tough problems, finished off some small projects, and have cleared out the items I no longer want or need in my sewing space. This is my fifth year, and I have peeled off another layer of stuff. Not simply the items I no longer need, but I also see that I have more confidence in knowing what I like to make so I can let go of past choices. And I see from the photo’s and comments online that you have done the same.
Not only have we been decluttering our sewing rooms but we have been decluttering our minds.
There remain a couple more things to do.
First, if you have enjoyed this challenge, please do me the favor of subscribing to my YouTube channel. I am trying to get to 450K followers and I would appreciate your support.
Second, follow through with your boxes. Take out the garbage and the recycling, which shouldn't be too hard.
A bit more challenging thing to do, will be dealing with the items that you want to donate and the items to sell. They need to get out of the house, so that they do not talk their way back in. Ask me how I know that one! Don’t just move them to the trunk of your car to drive around with for months either. Find out through your contacts who can benefit from your stuff.
If you are part of a guild, donations may be easier. There might be particular projects or new quilters you might want to assist. Or there might be a donation table. If you are not part of a guild, share the items with your online friends. As I mentioned my Toronto Modern Quilt Guild is having a garage sale at the end of the month that my extras will be going to.
For the items that you want to sell, you’ll need to figure out what platform you want to sell them on, take the necessary photos, write descriptions, decide on a price and shipping costs. Once you know how much effort it will take, some items might move to the donation list.
The last task is to cull all your excess boxes, bags and containers.
Containers can be project boxes, plastic containers, Rubbermaid tubs. Try to eliminate one type or more. Your space will be easier to organize if items are stored in the same type of container no matter how much is inside them. Clear and stackable is best.
Bags might be cloth or plastic. Again, try and eliminate the sizes that are less useful.
I never throw out a zip lock bag. But there are definitely some sizes that I am not using. So I will move some to the kitchen and some to the studio to be used there.
I also find that I am using less bags. I used to have so many to store my projects. But I am using my space differently now. With my longarm, they are not stockpiling the way they used to. I find the ones that fit project-totes the most useful. So I am decluttering any that cannot fit one. The boxes are from Michaels if you are wondering.
It’s also not a bad time to consider cleaning the windows and washing the floor as it might not be this spacious again.
I hope that you have found this experience as rewarding as I did. I hope that you have reclaimed space in your sewing room for an amazing creative year ahead. You have all been a delightful, supportive and generous community. And not to mention funny. You should be proud of all the hard work and effort you invested in yourselves.
And if you are still on day 15, or day 5, or just beginning, you are not behind. Stay steady and that will get you to the finish line. These videos will remain online until November 2025 for you to revisit from my website or from my YouTube channel.
On the Declutter Challenge Page you can find the library of all the video’s and blogs.
Thank you everyone for showing up. If you enjoyed your time here, consider joining Karen’s Quilt Crew. It’s right there, beside the subscribe button on YouTube.
Take care and I’ll see you next time.
While I haven’t done the entire challenge, I worked through several days of it and did take the time to start finding a way to move my back up/embroidery machine accoutrements into my sewing room. In destashing fabric I avoided fomo by cutting a few strips in various sizes off of each piece to add to my scrap system. I still haven’t figured out the best organization/storage for my scrap strips but my fabric can breathe a bit now! I may take another pass through the stash to downsize more but first there are a couple of days I need to circle back to. Thanks for providing a mechanism to prioritize this important task!