Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Eighteen Years of Stuff
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O, if these were only all the quilts I have to move, but no, they are merely the tip of the quilt iceberg. More are under the bed and in my studio and on my walls.

I have no idea where they will go in my new house. But that is a problem for another day.

When one goes through drawers to pack, one discovers multiples and redundancies. I am using the third person here, to try for some distance on my own compulsions. I found that I have a need to save pens, or buy more when I already have 6000. And the same goes for magnetic pincushions. If one is good, four must be better. And why save old toothbrushes? They are popping up all over, as though there is some mysterious need awaiting their use. I suppose I was going to scrub grout or make paint spatters, but no. They never were used for either purpose.

Out they go.

And then there is the scissor collection. How many scissors does one need? I have counted 42 pairs. Disgusting. And there are seven rotary cutter handles and uncounted new and used blades. Sewing machine needles, brand new in packs of six, for classes I haven't taught in ten years. Six bottles of Fray-Check. Don't even guess at how many spools of thread have taken up residence. Straight pins, safety pins, t-pins, cutting mats, rulers, and six tubes of glue stick. Everything one would need for three lifetimes of sewing.

Part of this accumulation is from the moving sale that Quilter's Resources held early last year. Warehouse clearance is more like it. I bought batting like cotton was an endangered species. And when you can buy entire bolts of fabric for $5, wouldn't you? So now I am moving it all. Some stuff is just junk and is going in the garbage and then when I get to Tennessee I am going to find a girl scout group and donate like mad.

14 comments:

  1. Anonymous9:42 AM

    Accumulation...we are all guilty. I am an office supply junkie, too....and, I always said when I die they are going to wonder why that woman needed so many scissors. When you get to TN you may want to donate or teach at the local senior center...our seniors are often neglected. Happy packing.

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  2. Anonymous10:52 AM

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  3. Anonymous10:53 AM

    LORDY why wait and haul it??? Call the Girl Scouts, local elementary schools right in your neighborhood so you won't have to HAUL IT!!

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  4. Anonymous10:55 AM

    Crud- had to make a change in the profile as I do NOT want to see me bundled up for a while.

    Anyway, I think I need to move about every 5 years or so to force me to declutter.....

    teri in warm and sunny Chester, Nova Scotia with a nice breeze coming in off the ocean

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  5. If I stopped packing now and decided what I should give away, I would never finish packing. Time is of the essence and the new place will make it even more evident that 80% needs to go!

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  6. Your donations in Tennessee will be so much appreciated--and give you an opportunity to meet local folk!

    Peggy in Chattanooga

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  7. I have been in the same house for 35 years. Maybe I should pretend I'm moving now and purge, to prepare for the real move later. You are giving a real wake up call.

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  8. I had to laugh when I read your post. I cleaned out my sewing room a few months ago and found that I had three copies of a blouse pattern from 1980--all in the same size. I must've really loved that pattern, but apparently I never made it.

    The thing about "stuff" is that you never know what little bit of it, saved for years, is going to be exactly what you need in a moment of inspiration.

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  9. I'm just amazed at how quickly your housemove is happening - here in the UK it takes MONTHS!!!

    I love the pics of the house you've bought...

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  10. The joys of moving is cleaning out the junk, making decisions of need vs want. Up until 3 years ago I was an apartment liver and now with a house and full basement I see my self slowly packing each and every room with stuff.

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  11. I only lived in my last house 3.5 years and I had accumulated more stuff than I realized. We donated it all to charity. The nice thing about that is they come to your door with a truck.

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  12. Anonymous12:48 PM

    Ms Mel, it is probably better to unload it now, because you will be packing and unpacking it for moving and then where will you put it all once it's unpacked?

    The sad part of all this 'collection' is when you stop to think about the money which could have been saved instead of hoarding! If all those things were $$$$$!!!

    I won't tell you what I hoard!

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  13. Anonymous1:25 PM

    Juanita said with much joy over you finding a place that fits both you and Dave. Why not find that girl scout troop in IL and get rid of the stuff before you go. Why pay for moving it?

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  14. Anonymous7:20 PM

    We retired almost 7 years ago when we lived in CA and we thought we wanted to be "full-timers" traveling around in a fifth-wheel. Well, we sold our house and everything in it. I don't care how much storage you have...it's never enough. I had all my sewing supplies, stamping supplies, embroidery supplies, etc....and I got rid of most of it because in a 40' trailer you have to be selective. We traveled for 4 years and then bought a house in S. Texas. Now, I'm back to replacing everything I had gotten rid of. I sure wish I wouldn't have gotten rid of a lot of my "stuff".

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