Time to Get Serious
Posted on October 14, 2023 by prairiemoonquilts in OrganizingGrab your cuppa — this is gonna be a long post chock full of information you may or may not be interested in!
This topic has been consuming me for quite a while, and altho I’ve been steadily working on it for a couple years now, as the title of this post proclaims: It’s Time to Get Serious.
Back in August, I turned 61 years old! Back in my twenties, I never thought I’d make it this far. But here I am, on the downhill slide — haha!
(By the way, my daughters think I’m being morbid for thinking on this track, but I promised them they will thank me later for even thinking about it at all!)
When My Cowboy and I bought this place where we now live, we were buying it because his health had taken a serious downturn, and I wanted to move back closer to my family in case I end up alone at some point. My first question about the place was: Will it hold up for at least 20 years? Cos I was thinking that would be about all we’d need it for (haha — and I was only 50 years old then)!
Turns out, after 10 years here, this 102-year-old house is getting the better of us. We’ve been under constant remodel since the day we moved in. Those projects are going so slowly that we’ve had to RE-fix some of the things we already fixed once and we’ve not even gotten through the entire house yet!
My Cowboy is a) not a carpenter by any stretch of the imagination, and b) not in any shape to do long-term physically-taxing jobs. So I was mainly doing all the remodeling projects myself, with the occasional help of any handyman we could get to show up. When they advertise there’s “No job too small”, don’t believe them — I’m here to tell you, there are evidently LOTS of jobs that are too small for most of them. We’ve had so many take one look at this place and never show up again! (Not that I can blame them.)
After breaking my elbow, whatever projects I had in the works at that point came to a screeching halt as well. So with our dining room crammed full of various pieces and parts for projects we decided we could never finish, and one last call to a handyman that never showed up, we threw in the towel. The Money Pit has won the battle.
We’re done. We’re moving. We’re downsizing. A lot. And as much as I love this house, I’m not really that sorry about it. Two “old people”, one of whom is not in good health, do not need a 2-story 6-bedroom fixer-upper that’s falling down around them faster than they can fix it up. We downsized the farm part over the last couple years, and now it’s “Time to Get Serious” about the rest of it.
Where are we moving to, you ask? Well . . . into our own back yard! We love our location, we have great neighbors, we’re close to the doctors/hospitals we like, I’m close to my family, it’s private, and lovely, and quiet, and while My Cowboy still thinks he needs an 800-acre cattle ranch in Wyoming, it makes the most sense for us to just stay right here. So we are building a barndominium in between our current house and barn. Everything will be under one roof. We won’t even need to go outside to do chores!
It’s all one level, it’s simple, it’s smaller, it will be easy maintenance, and all handicapped accessible. And my intention is to NOT fill it up with STUFF. So that’s why I’ve been working toward getting rid of so much stuff, and downsizing not only my sewing stuff, but everything else we own as well.
Having watched this process unfold a myriad of times, not just with our families, but with other folks we know as well, My Cowboy and I are trying to be proactive so as not to be a burden on anyone as we get even older. And it’s not just stuff — there’s a lot of paperwork that goes along with this, too — property deeds, beneficiaries, Powers of Attorney, wills, etc.
But for now, I mainly want to talk about my studio downsizing efforts. The studio in the new place will not have as much space as what I have now, which is by design. I NEED to not have so much stuff, so this is really forcing me to deal with it once and for all.
Here are some of the things I’m working on as we downsize and get ready to move:
Basic Cleaning and Purging:
I’ve always called this type of cleaning mode “Cleaning with an eye for Moving”. Meaning: I ask myself if I even want to move the item(s), or do I just get rid of it now so I don’t have to pack it or move it? If I don’t use it now, or haven’t used it by now, and I know I won’t be using it in the new place, it might as well go now. Well, turns out there’s a name for this type of cleaning — it’s called “Death Cleaning” — my name for it isn’t quite as morbid! But here’s a great article that explains it: “6 Swedish Death Cleaning Strategies to Free You From Clutter“. You don’t have to be dying to do this — why not enjoy the benefits of it now???
Dealing With the Fabric Stash:
I’ve been seriously working on taming my stash for a couple years now; I got even more serious about it once this move became real, and I realized that I’m not gonna have near as much storage space in the new studio as I have now. So . . . I’ve handed off lots of fabric to my friend, Amanda, to use in charity quilts, and have been resisting (for now) buying any more unless it’s absolutely necessary to finish something I have started (even tho I haven’t been 100% successful at this).
It has gotten even more real as I have been mulling over how things WILL get stored in the new studio. I’m only giving myself a certain amount of space for fabric storage, so I already know it all has to fit in that space, and there’s really no place to keep it if it doesn’t. And I refuse to have boxes sitting around in the new studio waiting for “someday”, cos we all know someday never gets here.
So I started going through all my bins that are sorted by color earlier this year, and I think I have 3 or 4 (out of the 12) left to do. My goal is to get all of each color to fit into its designated bin for now, because my new storage will have drawers about that size, and it all has to fit in the drawers. In addition to what I gave away, I have also been using up a lot of it. It’s actually quite fun to shop at home when starting a new project! You come up with ideas you might not have thought of otherwise. Not that I need to start new projects (we’ll get to that next), but . . . when the urge hits, I refuse to purposely go buy something to make things worse for myself!
Here is a great article by Sherri at A Quilting Life about purging your stash: “5 Decluttering Tips to Help Purge a Fabric Stash“.
I’ve also been working hard to tame all my scraps and not have huge bins of those sitting around. I will have a new method for storing all my scraps in the new studio as well, so I’m working toward that now so I’ll be ready when it’s time to move it all. I’m happy to report that I am down to only one HUGE bin, and am working my way through that one.
What About the UFOs and WIPs?
I call everything a UFO once I pull the fabric for it. I guess because I envision myself working on it steadily, even tho I have proof in my storage closet now that some of those UFOs have been stewing for years in their respective boxes. My mind works faster than my hands.
But I’m on a mission to whittle down the number of UFOs as well. I’m finally putting some of my own un-quilted tops into the longarm rotation since I slowed down my customer schedule in anticipation of moving. I sorted out all the ones that are for donation, and intend to finish those first, because once they’re done, they can actually leave the house and won’t be moving to the pile of quilts that also need to be stored.
I’ll soon have the quilt that’s in my hand-quilting frame finished, and then I’ll take the frame apart and make some needed repairs to it and refinish it and give it new canvas leaders and have it all fresh and refreshed so that I can use it in my new studio.
I’m going through each tub and each UFO and seeing what needs to be done with each one. Some of them, I cannot figure out what my original plan was because I didn’t leave myself any notes, so I’m making new decisions and revising them just to get them finished. My guess is I might like the new ideas better than the original ones!
Some of them I’m downsizing. Here’s one example . . . I started this little DWR quilt in a workshop I took from Victoria Findlay Wolfe a few years ago when she was teaching in my neck o’ the woods. A bunch of us got together and showed up as students to surprise her! Anyway, I had planned to make 4 rings and have a big table topper or wall quilt for Halloween. When I pulled it out the other day, I decided that I was gonna stop with the one ring I had almost finished, and turn it into a smaller table mat.
I’m also pulling out all the UFOs that are meant to be donation quilts and seeing how many of those I can finish up and get gone from here even before we move. Anything I don’t have to move will be a bonus.
As for starting new projects, I’m trying to only start really quick and easy scrap quilts that will use up stuff I have on hand so I don’t have to move it. Or projects that I can quickly finish and give away so they’ll be long gone before the move.
And All the Other Stuff?
As you well know, we quilters also collect a lot of supporting items for our hobby. Thread, notions, rulers, batting, needles, pins, pincushions, scissors, cutters, and random other items that also need a place to live. And if you have more than one hobby, there’s all the stuff for that one, too! I’m a knitter, so I have lots of knitting needles, knitting UFOs, and a yarn stash, too!
I’ve been on a mission for quite awhile to use up all the odds and ends of random thread I have around here, and that’s been working really well. I’m hoping that when I move, and everything is all in one room again (instead of 4 rooms), that I can whittle down some of the multiples I have, since I won’t need a seam ripper in every room, and I won’t need several pairs of scissors at every workstation.
I’ve nearly worked my way through all the batting scraps by making placemats to donate to my guild’s placemat drive, and piecing the larger chunks together for throw quilts.
The shelf of yardage in my closet is getting emptier, as I use those big chunks to piece backings for nearly every quilt I make, if I can find pieces that work.
And I’m taking a good hard look at all the random things I have and making sure every item is something I can and will use in the new studio. If not, it’s gonna go — before we move — so I don’t have to move it twice.
So . . . that’s some of what I’ve been doing the last few months. I’ll update you again later with any more grand ideas that present themselves along the way. I’m sure I’ll have a few more light-bulb moments as I’m actually making the move to the new studio. Plus, you’re gonna want a tour of the new workspace, right? I’m excited to see it my ownself!
Meanwhile, here’s a picture of the front of our new house. I can’t get real good photos yet because the old house is still in the way!
Your house is looking great!
The down sizing is a lot bigger project than we realize. This has been a very slow year for finishing quilts for me. Praying next year sees many many finished.
Your ideas a real kick in the pants of me. I need to do UFOs massively. I seem to always put new ideas in the way of what was planned
Your house looks great! I like your circle topper.
Your ideas are pushing me to do what you are doing.
Wow! You’re doing what we all should be doing at our age! Are you planning any kind of “garage” sale? Good luck!!
Sounds like you’re doing a great job. I’m 76 and doing my best to work through my scraps. Use larger pieces for backing. If I had to move, I’d find it incredibly intimidating. Looking forward to moving into a new place must be a great motivator. Best of luck to you.
Kind of bittersweet for me as I have so many memories there with my grandparents, the Bumpies!
Will the barn come down too? I’m hoping not, but I know nothing ever stays the same!
thank you for letting us know. I really feel like I know after all the years of counting blocks and checking in . My dear friend, asked about my count of blocks this year. She seemed shocked at the number. I just delivered 11 charity quilts today and where those blocks went.
You sound you have a great amount of work to do in your sewing. I keep trying to downsize myself. This week I made 4 lap quilts with flannel fabric less than 2 yards. I make pj bottoms for grandkids every year.I do have my scraps very organized and all my fabric measured. Trying very head like you not to buy any fabric, unless need to finish something. Keep up the great work and keep us posted with your progress.
Unfortunately we all have to go someday. It has been on my mind to give my friend some of the cutesy children’s fabric. I’m not likely to have grandchildren but she makes charity quilts for children. Some I bought for my daughter’s fun I spy wedding quilt because they had little ginger haired cowboys (her husband is a redhead) and little girls with chickens and kittens, all sorts. So it will be fun for my friend’s stash and she’s just learning how to quilt on her domestic machine. Things I kept “just in case” will have to go too. I’m 65 and we never get younger, although plan to stay here for at least another 15 years! Our house is also over 100 years old, but pretty solid – the new additions to it – like the studio – has gone on too long. We are having the roof fixed for the second time as our builder was basically a crook. At least we know winter will have a decent leak-proof roof! Nearing the end after 3 years with a nightmare! Glad the sewing room is finished because that’s my bolt hole – and when it rains. Your cowboy wanting 800 acres – I can identify with that – I wanted more – we have 4 in all including the house and garden. It is enough – more than enough!
Finished quilting another UFO – still a UFO because it needs binding, but now on a clean up session (sidetracked with making granny squares – in my defence it was raining a lot this week!)and I might have just cut a few pieces of your quilt pattern!
Cheers!
Thanks for sharing your journey and thoughts with us.
The new place looks great❣️
My sister is going through this too! They are moving closer to her son, and downsizing. This last year I have been working on my UFOs.
My husband and I moved a year ago to be closer to family (nine miles instead of 125 miles). We went from a four bedroom ranch with a full basement to a three bedroom ranch with no basement. We had to get rid of half our stuff since we no longer have a basement. Of course, my longarm was in the basement and now it’s in a bedroom. So, we really have a two bedroom house plus a sewing room. We had been getting rid of stuff for a few years, but we finally had to just do it. We took a van load of stuff almost daily to a donation center and filled out trash can multiple times. It was hard, but we love our new smaller space. By the way, I am 71 and in poor health. It was hard, but worth it.
At 55 and 64 we are contemplating that day. It is work, but worth it. And so nice that you will not have to move far. More of a “fresh start” than “starting over.”
I’m excited for you guys! Can’t wait for you to get your barndominium done so you can move in. I’ve downsized each time I’ve moved and it’s nice to not worry about all that stuff. It will definitely be easier for the kids once I’m gone. But downsizing my stash is a whole other story!
Wow – a big move! I’m 77 and need to do this sort of activity in my house, too. It’s hard to get rid of stuff.
Hugs,
I’m going through and dealing with what my parents have left behind after 45 years in the same house. I had already started reducing my stash – sharing with a friend who lived a couple of hrs away and is a part of 2 groups who make things for foster kids.
I’ve been reducing what I have for years after moving so many times, and am getting ready to move into what was my parents house by the end of the year, Lord willing. I’ve already made decisions on what to not take with me in the way of furniture. And am culling my stash of fabric and other craft type stuff.
Thanks for sharing your journey. I am packed up and ready for our move almost 2,000 miles away. I have given away a lot of fabric and supplies. If I can’t find places to donate the quilts that I make I will give away more fabric. I agree with the idea that certain things have to fit in a bin or whatever. The overflow has to go! At 79 I have to be realistic at how much time I have left to sew and I am trying to make some quilts that I have always wanted to make. Good luck with your move.
I think a lot of us are in your position. We cleaned out our attic years ago, and have started working on the basement ….started that during COVID. We have made great progress, but we’re just talking a couple of days ago that we need to make another pass. It is getting much easier to part with things now that we have been at this for a while.
As far as my stash (and all things quilting related), I have a small sewing room, so the stash is not as big as it could have been. The only fabric I have bought in the last three years was to supplement my stash for a quilt I was making for a nephew’s wedding. His brother got married three weeks ago, and will be getting a quilt, and I will do the same thing this time…only buying what I have to. I do think I will need to start purging from the stash sometime in the near future though. I am predominately a hand piecer and hand quilter and have begun to have issues with my hands and wrists, so I am beginning to gradually step away from quilting. I can still knit and cross stitch without the same hand/wrist issues (don’t know exactly see why that is, but am thankful), so I will concentrate on those projects as long as I can. Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed for any of us, so I will take any years I get!!! (I will turn 75 next month)
Thank you for your post….very timely, for a lot of us!
Wow, I’m so happy for you. This must be so exciting to see your home being built, watching it progress. It would be a great motivator to purge things, for sure. I have the book on the Swedish Death Cleaning and I enjoyed it. I’ve been trying to declutter, too, as we may move in a few years and I don’t want to be taking too much. So I’m ‘pretending’ I’m moving shortly.
Best of luck with the downsizing and can’t wait to see your new studio!
Wow. I am impressed with all your work. I need to thin down my stuff, but it is so hard. I am 71.
It’s great that you have made the decision of where and what you are doing. Makes the decisions so much clearer. Your new space will be great! Good on you for making your decision and getting it done! Definitely sounds like a good fit for you and hubby. Keep up the good work! It’s inspiring.
It seems many of us are on the same journey. I’ve been decluttering in spurts since I retired 5 years ago. Looked around the other day and see that it’s time to make the rounds again. I’m ready to make deeper cuts. Quilts and stash are the hardest for me. I want to be ready to move but haven’t found the right place yet. I really need to work on all that paperwork stuff too…groan!
I’ve been trying to downsize the stash by working thru it, but I can’t sew fast enough. My next pass thru I’m going to remind myself that if I’m sewing for donation anyway donating the materials and supplies is like hiring subcontractors and the outcome is the same and I get more time.
I’m excited for you. You have been working hard. can’t wait to see your new studio!
I, too, gave up on redoing a 112-year-old house and sold it last year. I bought in a MUCH better location with a the amenities I had wanted in the old house. The big PLUS, for me, was gaining more quilting/sewing/embroidery space where I can be even more organized. So happy that you were able to stay where you are and enjoy what you have AND get a modern, clean, DONE home!! Congratulations on the “move!”
I have been trying for a couple of years to get those bins emptied. The big fabrics are going away………….BUT those bins of small scraps and strips are growing and growing………no matter how many scrappy quilts I make. If this was flowers in the yard, I sure would be happy. But bins in the closet? ? ?
Congratulations!! The barndominion is so cute! A sincere thank you again for blessing me with your fabric; some has already went into Project Linus quilts while some is waiting to be utilized in the Guild’s charity projects.
Oh Shelly, It’s so difficult. I had to pray, hard about my emotions as ‘things’ started leaving the house. Then my health took a bad turn and now I’m practically useless at doing anything physical for any length of time. I was allowed to keep almost everything I need to make quilts. It just didn’t get brought over to me yet. However, I haven’t bought any fabric this year, and so far have used 30 yards……so that’s a good thing. 🙂 We learn to cope and be content with peace.
I recently told my daughter, I would like to downsize the house, a smaller house I could clean in a couple of hours. Her response was good luck moving your fabric, ect into a smaller house. Don’t forget Christmas “stuff”.
She gets her smart mouth from her dad…rude awakening, no way could I move into a smaller house. I will watch what you do, maybe I can apply some tips to my reality. I wish you all the luck, and a strong back to do all the moving!
When my mother died I was 41 and pregnant. We were living in the house we had recently purchased so she could come live with us. I was a teacher, so I spent the entire summer down in the basement going through all her boxes item by item. It was horrible!!! With each item I felt as if I was passing judgement on her life and belongings. Very tough emotionally and I swore that I would not do that to my children.
Fast forward 25 years and we still live in the same house but now our children are grown and moved out. So I made the decision then (now 7 years ago) that with every house project – even moving a piece of furniture from one room to another- I would treat it as if we were moving out of the house. So everything gets a thorough “going through” and clearing out. I discovered that when moving a desk, the bottom drawer still contained all my daughter’s arts and crafts supplies from when she was a kindergartner!
Tell your daughters it’s not morbid to think ahead, it’s realistic!!! We cannot continue the same life style as we age(I’m 73) that we had as younger versions. It’s not fair to leave all that work to our children!
Finally, I’m having a whole new kind of fun”shopping from my stash” or choosing projects based on UFOs or fabric I already have than just buying whatever. I’m actually liking it!!!
We downsized 6 mo ago from a 2 story house that we’d lived in for 40 1/2 years to a ranch style. This has been one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done…at age 82 and me at 81! We packed everything ourselves because that way we could clean out at the same time. We donated and donated, sold some furniture and tried to convince our daughters to take things and we still have too much. We still are unable to park our cars in the garage! I am still sorting UFOs and fabric and trying to find places for everything. I have fabric in 3 rooms…closets and containers under the bed! Good luck with your plans. It’s a hard, hard job!
I’m only 41 and still have my seven kids at home, so I’m not quite ready to downsize, but I definitely feel the urge regularly to make more empty space!