Guess I’m no lady, then, because I’m about to chat about exactly that.
One of the things I had planned to do even before everything changed this year was to clear out some of the accumulated crafting crap taking up far too much space in the basement. I managed to get my yarn down to a manageable single container (plus whatever is currently in my knitting bag) and took a full bag over to a young, eager knitter who is up for the challenge of the odds and ends I could no longer justify keeping around.
I tossed all the candlemaking and soapmaking stuff (yes, my prepper side hesitated at both, but honestly I don’t see a time in the near future when I will use the stuff). Next was a bunch of foam stamps (the kind kids use with tempera paints) and rubber stamps that just weren’t getting any use. I did keep some rubber stamps but I had SOOOO many, I just thinned down to my faves. I also cleared out a box of actual junk — bits and pieces I’d been keeping around for some sort of found art assemblage that has never come to fruition.
Today…. I tackled and sorted out my fabric That was a tough task. Apparently, I was buying felt in my sleep, judging by the stacks of it. I got it down to a single container and I have a large bag that will probably go to a preschool or daycare that can make use of it. I also have a smaller container full of the die-cut felt bits I’ve collected and bought over the years. I do use those when I make felt pins and use them for appliques, but I definitely don’t need to buy more for some time (maybe ever). I also bought dolls’ eyes by the crate-full and managed somehow to get those into one smaller container. Both felt and eyes are components used for making my Huggitz dolls, along with the fake fur, velour, and other fuzzy and stretchy fabrics taking up about a third of my BIG container plus another container the same size as the one full of felt. I haven’t decided whether I will keep making monsters…. but I’m not ready to get rid of the materials to make them yet.
Aside from those containers, I have one mid-size one full of Christmas prints and quilt batting and a box of polyester stuffing. Finally, I have one basket full of some coordinating flannel and part of an old sheet that I salvaged as backing for what will be a lap quilt. This is a project I had in mind when I bought the flannel and I want to make it soon — once I finish sorting the rest of my stash. The big container also has a stack of shiny fabric (satins, mostly) and a bag full of various mesh fabrics and the remainder is cotton/cotton blends. Some of that cotton is packed into a bag so I can make a bed-size quilt (I have a big king size flat sheet put aside for the backing). That will be the next big project. That and going through the box of Unfinished Projects — either to finish them or throw them away.
What’s left? I have to go through the rest of my art supplies — paints, pens, paper, and so on. I got my card-making supplies back into one container; collage papers into another. My craft toolbox is now stuffed full and I may have to reassess what is in there. I cannot believe just how out of control my crafting corner had become. Throughout this process I keep finding things I clearly bought again because I’d lost or buried the original. I have three pairs of rivet pliers. I have a mountain of hand-sewing needles. I found many pairs of misplaced scissors.
And then there’s the crap I don’t even recall buying — like the little battery-powered “craft sewing machine” (made for scrapbooking) that had a thrift store price tag of $2.99 on the side. Clearly I thought it was a deal I couldn’t pass up but I have no clue how long it has sat on the shelf, literally collecting dust. (It left the house today).
I may have to take a second pass before I am done but when I am done, I can get back to crafting in a much less cluttered space where materials and tools are easily found!
Buh-bye, crap!