Many years ago, I got a call from my oldest and dearest friend, who had recently lost her mother. She and her sisters needed to clean out, divide up and organize their mom's belongings and cull out and sell what they did not want. But they were at a loss as to how to go about doing this, and, when they knew what they were going to sell, how much it would be worth. She asked for my help.
So my darling daughter and I packed up and went to Oregon for a long weekend.
Amidst (and despite) the heartache and loss and frustration and sadness, I learned something that weekend that I have taken to heart and that I want to pass on to anyone who cares to read this...
This dear lady obviously loved handiwork and making things. Her husband had build her an enviable shop/workroom where she had her sewing machines, quilting racks, and projects all beautifully set up and organized. (I cannot begin to say how much I would LOVE a space like that for myself!)
I took box after box and container after container of yarn, fabric and patterns, from the shelves. Each one was labeled: "make quilt for _______", "crochet afghan for ______", "this fabric and pattern would make a cute dress for ______". Mind you, it was not just five or six boxes...but dozens...an overwhelming number of never-to-be-done projects.
I do not know what this lady did accomplish in the way of projects, but it was painfully obvious what she did not accomplish! And that weekend, I vowed not to become that lady...the lady who always says (as my husband loves to say), "oh, I've been gonna do that".
As a person who loves Stashes, and who is constantly on the lookout for bundles of paper, yarn, fabric, patterns, etc, at yard sales and estate sales, I am prone to piling up a lot of projects. So, every few years, I go through things and clean them out. A lady like me needs to be able to lay her hands on the things she needs to put a project together. And here in Montana, you do not just jump in the car and run down to the Craft Store, (although we did just last year get a Hobby Lobby in Missoula!). But I am not kidding when I say that it takes an hour and a half to get from my house to a craft store!
So, I have my stashes to keep me busy and entertained. And every January, I make a list of projects I want to make in the new year (it is kind of like my New Year Resolution list). However, I routinely clean things out and give them away or sell them. No doubt there is somebody else who will love a good deal on a great stash!
And I sew, crochet, knit, scrapbook, cross stitch, embroider, and bead things I intend for the people I love. I do not just look at them and say, "oh, I've been gonna make that..."!
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