Get Sew Organized!
Sewing Room Declutter Begins
by Cynthia Townley Ewer, Editor
OrganizedHome.Com
Set Up Clutter Central!
 Choose a workspace and sweep the
counter clean, if you must. I've assembled my Clutter Central essentials:
notebook computer, Perry the teddy bear, 3-by-5s for notes, planner, pens, boxes, black
garbage bags, and boxes for storage and give away items.
I plan to donate clothing to charity, and give extra fabric away to friends who
sew. I'll note the contents of storage boxes on the notebook computer.
There are lots of good home inventory programs, but I'm using Windows Cardfile for
now.
I'll keep a running list of donated items on the computer, too. Once printed, an
itemized list can be stapled to the donation receipt and filed away for tax time. My
planner stands open to handle any action items that occur to me as I sort and clear.
Before I begin, I remind myself of the rules. Each item is to be handled only
once. A decision--keep, donate, give away or throw away--must be made while the item
is in my hands. Items that don't belong in the sewing area are to be placed in a
"put away" zone near Clutter Central. I'll put them away when the job is
done.
Empty Those Closets
To get started, I empty one closet. Just getting there isn't easy! I have
to walk on, over and around piles of fabric, trim and patterns. I begin to haul out
the contents of the first closet.
Here's a pleasant surprise! Some good clothes are there, hiding behind all the
mess . . . new pants for Steve, not hemmed, CEO rayon pants made last summer, but never
put away. They're dusty and covered with snippets of thread. I add a laundry
basket to Clutter Central, and set up a mending box.
Don't Be Sidetracked By Sentiment
Buoyed up by this pleasant surprise, I meet my first challenge: grandmother
Mim's sewing machine. Sentimental value. Dragged from Texas to California to
Georgia, to Washington.
My options: I can clean, oil and set it up for use in the sewing room. Or,
clean, oil, and donate to family in need of a sewing machine. I could continue to
store it, unused, but in different place--but I'm motivated today! Hug Perry Bear
and think about Mim. I decide I'll clean, oil, and set up the machine, photograph it
(with Perry?) and donate it to a family that can use it. Mim would never treasure a
thing over a person. Perry approves.
Find more sentiment: two grandmothers' sewing baskets. These I'll
keep for display in the new, clean sewing room, together with Mim's high school sewing
class textbook. I fight the impulse to sit down and read about how girls were taught
to sew in the 1920's. On with the decluttering!
More clothes. New "Liz" coordinates bought last summer. Never
worn: too tight in waist, loose in hips, need ironing. Decision: donate, made
easier by finding I can't button the waistband. I put donated items into black plastic
bag--quick, quick!--to avoid second thoughts.
I find lots more clothes. Much food for thought here: there are over a
dozen pair of men's dress slacks. Size 34, 36, and 38. Decision:
donate. I also decide to be more enthusiastic about Dr. DH's diet plans, and make a
note in my planner.
Here's a lost treasure! A favorite summer skirt, ripped at the back pleat.
I try it on, and decide that a simple knee length hem will save this comfortable old
friend. To the mending box.
I sort a rack of old coats. Most to be donated. One more time,
sentiment rears it's head: Dr. DH's Haight Ashbury Free Clinic letterman's jacket
with "Steve" embroidered on the front. A keeper. I start a Clothing
Archive box for DH and enter contents into computer home inventory database.
A few coats are modern, in good shape, and suitable for consignment.
I move them to a closet I've designated as an "action" area for a
consignment store run. Donated coats go straight to the car. No second
chances!
Sentiment redux: my wedding gown. Must keep, but it's
not cleaned or prepared for storage. Move gown to "action" closet, and
note "gown to cleaners for preservation" in planner.
Almost there! I can see the back wall. One last item invokes
existential questions. A prime purpose of decluttering is to free you from the
outgrown shells of older personalities. So, where does an old knitting machine
fall?
It's a new acquisition, passed on from a family member's estate. I
don't know how to use it, and learning would be a real commitment. But . . . I've
always wanted to learn machine knitting, and golfing means I will need golf sweaters and
cardigans. Knitting machine stays, with a note in the "goals" section of
the planner.
One hour into the declutter project, and it's time to clean!
[ Previous Page] | Next Page ]
Get Sew Organized with these features from OrganizedHome.Com:
Top 
|
Setting
Up Your Sewing Space
Dream
Sewing Spaces
Fit
for Real People
Making
Gifts with Rubber Stamps