Saturday, February 01, 2014

My 2014 New Year post didn't get published in the New Year; here it is, February already, and I'm still adding bits to that post. Time to just finish it, and make new resolutions throughout the year if I need to.

One thing I'd love to do this year is catalogue my vintage machines, organise them and all their spare parts neatly, and start to sew on a lot more of them, the way Bonnie does. 

That will take a bit of work, as some of them are missing parts, or need adjustments to sew properly, but I'd like them to be in a useable state on the shelves.  Some of them I can get rid of, as I have multiples.   I need to make notes of which machine needs parts replaced, which ones just need cleaning and which ones are for parts only.  That will take me a while, but it will be very satisfying once it's done.
I'm going to make a concentrated effort to clear out the very old UFOs.  At the end of last year, while I was hunting for something to finish quickly,  I realised that I don't have a lot left from my early quilting days, and it would be great if I had NO unfinished projects from the '80s or '90s.  Hopefully by the end of the year I'll be able to say that they're all done.  Maybe they won't be quilted ,but they won't be in pieces anymore.

I want to set up guilt-free quilt storage for all my finished tops and finished quilts.  I hate letting tops get wrinkled from being crammed into drawers, and having my quilts in a 20 high stack just gives me the irrits.  So I will be investigating different ways to store things with no long term ill effects.
This isn't acceptable!  I need to refold and put all the similar quilts together and stack them neatly.

I have one resolution that is really drastic.  I would like to downsize my possessions by 30% over the year.  It may seem extreme, but I am a hoarder from way back, with deep cupboards.  I adore kitchen stuff, and china, and books, and Christmas decorations, and material and wool and craft stuff.  I don't mean to get rid of anything I truly love, but there are things it makes no sense to keep.  I rarely eat bread, but I still have at least a dozen bread tins in the cupboards, relics of when I used to bake all the bread for the family.  They are sentimental favourites, but I just will never use them again.  So they can all go.  I've kept just about every frying pan I've ever bought, and I don't need them anymore.  I have two toasters (see comment above about not eating bread).

If I'm really brave I will tackle my vase collection, and collections of tin kitchenware, baskets and old enamel.  I can keep what I love, but I don't want the collecting to be about sheer quantity.  I've seen so many people with enormous collections of stuff, who leave it to children who just don't care and can't wait to be rid of it.  Neither of my kids want all this stuff, and if I ever have grandchildren with the same interests as me I will happily collect it all again with them.  But I'd like a bit of breathing room between now and then.

8 comments:

Kate 9:57 AM  

This is a great post. I LOVE to see all your vintage machines lined up like that. I have a few (201K in Canberra with Mum, 221 and an Empisal here in Brisbane), and keep looking for more, but don't get too many for sale here (Brisbane) - surprising. I might be a tad miserly :) All 3 vintage machines are a DREAM to sew on. The 221 is my retreat machine - no on believes it's a for real vintage machine at first. The Empisal is solid and quiet and stitches beautifully, and I am in love. I am on the hunt for a 66.
Re downsizing - I've been doing that the last few years. It's so hard at first, so my suggestion is to do it incrementally - it gets easier and easier the more passes you do. I have also limited my storage capacity - eg with books, I have vowed: no more shelves; with clothes: no more hangers. This helps me keep collections from expanding again.
You'll find it's a hugely liberating process!!
Kate in Brisbane

julieQ 10:14 AM  

OH yes...I can totally relate to the downsizing of things...useless things that I have just way too many of!! My kiddo does not want any of this stuff either...hope I have grand children someday that do!!

Tanya 10:20 AM  

I'm a bit of a " must have " kind of girl to. In saying that I'd be very interested in any machines you are getting rid of lol. I'm on the hunt for a 301 but no luck yet :(

Mary Johnson 2:30 PM  

Good luck decluttering ... I just went through that a couple months ago and could stand to do more. I don't like to call myself a hoarder but I am definitely a pack rat!

Jan 2:31 PM  

I must admit to being shocked at 30% reduction, but the more I think on it, it's a brave, and great idea.
My resolution, along those lines, is to throw three things away a day. Hopefully, many of the items can be donated or recycled.
You are so right about what people leave behind. I had the job of clearing out my parent's home of fifty some years, and it was a houseful. My mom was a Depression baby, and saved a lot of things. Some were lovely, like handmade linens, cut glass, and the like, but not many people want to care for such beautiful pieces anymore. We will be doing a great favor to our kids to weed out our possessions now. Fabric and books are tough ones for me!
Good luck on your machine collection, too!

Sue SA 5:32 PM  

My mother is decluttering the house now, after having to clear out her own mothers and MIL's. It is difficult to do, but starting with those things you dont use is a great idea. I am not sure how you are going to calculate 30% reduction, but I guess some spare cupboard space will be a good indicator. I think a garage sale is also a good way to start, as you can see the volume leaving the house - and once its in the driveway, if it doesnt sell, put it in the boot for the op shop! One of the best ways to store quilts I have seen is to simply lay them all flat on a spare bed and the one on top is kept face down, to avoid fading. Of course this only works if you have a spare bed you don't use...or the dogs cannot get on!

moosecraft 10:00 PM  

Love all those vintage machines! I just have one machine... from the 90's... lol! I'll cheer you on with getting rid of stuff you no longer find important! I started that last year and once I got started, it was so easy to keep going... simply because of the relief and light feeling one gets when clutter is not in sight... or in a cabinet (when you need to find something in said cabinet)... and you don't have to clear it all in a day... or even a week.... just start... :-)

Karen 12:33 AM  

I look forward to more about your vintage machines. There are lots of hidden treasures on the storage shelves.

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