photo: Martha G. Brady
What do you collect? In going through closets and things that need to be in closets, I’m finding that I collect too much of too many things!
I'm finding that I collect too much of too many things! Share on XI’ve been going through some things recently…and actually threw a lot out. But I realize I didn’t get rid of enough. I don’t have space to store what I have. Over time, I have had many hobbies and learned a variety of crafts. I have cut back on the crafts I do now and realize I need to get rid of more of the craft supplies I have on hand so I have room to move around in our apartment. That takes priority!
Then I will be down to my main craft…quilting. Of course, it creates another problem. In order to quilt, I need a fabric stash…and I have one! Yes, I collect fabric very easily. I love it! I have a lot of beautiful fabric. But it really isn’t valuable to other people to sell unless it is made up into projects. stop
Are your collections taking up space you need for other things…like living?
So as I wade through my collections of things that take up too much space, I need to realize I must stick to one hobby: quilting. All the other hobbies must be cleared away.
It has been fun since my recent cleaning/sorting spree, to have projects to enjoy. So I have taken the time to do some quilting projects. No, I haven’t made big quilts. It’s too much work and too much expense! But I can make table runners. They are small enough to manage and short enough to be fun! I’ve been learning some new techniques and short cuts that make it fun as well.
What am I learning regarding all my “collections”?
- That when space is short, they aren’t nearly as enjoyable or valuable to have on hand.
- That when there are too many collections that don’t get used, they get forgotten and are useless and wasted.
- That I have dragged around a lot of “supplies” and wasted a lot of space having these supplies on hand for no good reason. They have not been used enough to make them worth the space they have taken and the cost it is been to move them around. I wish I could have figured that out a few moves ago!
- A lot of my stuff was kept on hand “just in case” I needed them. I really haven’t used them and many of the things are now obsolete. Those books that try to help us streamline our stuff were right after all.
So, as a child of people who lived through the Depression and one who was strongly influenced by my grandmother who was probably a bit of a packrat, I must confess, the genes were passed on to me after all. I’m a sentimental packrat…and I must get rid of more of this stuff so we can move around our apartment and enjoy the actual space we do have.
How do you manage your collections that remind you of the life you have lived, the things you enjoy, and the people you love?
What about you and your “collections”? I don’t know if they are valuable or not. They may only be valuable to you! It is often difficult as you get older, to decide what to keep and what to get rid of, especially when it seems you are saying “goodbye” to so many and so much.
It is difficult to decide what to get rid of, especially when it seems you are saying goodbye so often. Share on XNow is the time to think through what you are collecting.
- How much space is it taking in your life?
- What is the cost to you in maintaining it, in keeping it, in moving it from place to place?
- What is the value you place on it compared to the use it is to you?
These are questions you may need to ask yourself as you sort through your stuff as I am. Each time I go through my things, it seems easier to get rid of more and more. This is especially true as I realize the space each item takes up that keeps me from having space to move around in my apartment.
This is great wisdom! It reminds me of something I read in Ann Ortlund’s book, Discipline’s of a Beautiful Woman. Great work, Martha!
thanks meg:) that is quite a compliment:) the book by Anne Ortland is one i read MANY years ago now.
This post made me smile because it reminds me of my grandmother. She does art quilting; she paints on fabric and creates abstract designs and even hand-dyed some butterfly cocoons to use on one. The amount of stuff she has is overwhelming, but she loves it. I hope you’re able to enjoy more time quilting now that you’ve cleared some stuff out!
i had to smile marie, as i read your note:) i’ll bet your grandmother has quite a variety of supplies for her projects:)
I don’t tend to be a saver…or a collector – but we all seem to have “things” that, as you said, can actually take up valuable space – that we need for living. Too many “things” clutters me, mentally, and interfer with my living that way. Enjoy your quilting – such a nice hobby!! Happy Friday!
thanks jennifer:) i too, have discovered that clearing away a lot of the clutter helps me thing much faster as well:)
I’m getting ready to move, so I’m sorting and getting rid of too much stuff. I tend to have a lot of office supplies. . .
yes, i have a lot of those too:( as you can tell, i just have too much stuff overall. lots of duplicates!
I think we all are guilty of collecting too much. I know I easily slip into that category.
i didn’t think i did too bad until i started down-sizing tara. wow! it has caught up with me big time! it has been hard, but it gets easier and easier as i need more and more space to live!
I hope you fare better than I when I did this. Like you, I have more than one creative interest. I decided it was time to scaled down my focus and gave a lot to another creative friend. I still have a small fabric stash (from my earlier quilting days) but I got rid of nearly every stamp I had and, of course, could have used one or two on a mixed media project. But you know what? I managed quite well. There’s much to be learned through the habit of sorting, literally and figuratively . Good lessons Martha.
i have had a few years of not using many of these supplies debby, so i’ll have to go with that. it goes against many of my feelings of course, but i’ll have to follow the lead of those who know better than i. i suspect i won’t miss the stuff at all. i know i’ll be glad for the space:)
Martha, this is terrific…and I think a lot of people need to print it out and come back to it every time they ask themselves, “Save or keep?”
#1 at FMF this week.
https://blessed-are-the-pure-of-heart.blogspot.com/2017/07/your-dying-spouse-339-revelation-and.html
thanks andrew:) it does seem i need to be in the right place mentally to do that. often, i just want to sort in order to say i did it. this last time, i needed to clear the decks! i still have a lot more to do.