Cleaning is More Than Just Throwing Things Away....

Cleaning is more than just throwing things away, but it's a good start.

I probably throw things away and give things away that I shouldn't. I grew up in the house of a hoarder and my experience affected me greatly. Has anyone ever watched Hoarders on A&E? I haven't because I think it would hit too close to home. I've seen clips and that's been enough. My mom is a hoarder.

I hoard fabric to a point. Sometimes I can't bear to use it. I buy more than I should even when I know that I won't use it. I feel a rush when I buy it. I still have a large collection of fabric stored in my basement. I can't believe how much I have left even after donating a ton of it a couple of years ago and selling a lot of it off to make ends meet a couple of years ago. I cried so hard!

Sometimes I think I should get rid of it all, but I can't even bear the thought. As sad as I get, as annoyed as I get with myself, as hopeless as I sometimes feel....a voice always tells me that I shouldn't be so drastic and that I would never recover. I have vowed to use as much as I can this year and to find some of the joy I've lost in my quilting by making quilts for my home and others. In addition to the home improvements I want to make, I also want to make as many quilts as I can and donate them.

I have spent the weekend going through my magazines and patterns. I love to buy quilting magazines! I keep them for awhile and then I get busy ripping them up, saving only the pages with quilts that I would consider making . I've regretted doing so in the past because sometimes I find that I've thrown a pattern away that I need back. I can't let that stop me. I'm considering better storage options. I've got everything stored from before in 3-Ring binders, but I don't have things organized better than that so the system I have is almost useless. I'm exploring my options.

M reluctantly helped me measure the wall where we're going to move our bed. I want to start making our quilt so I needed the measurements. I've got the quilt drafted as 72x86. I need to check my stash for more fabric before I shop. I only purchased 1/4 and 1/2 yd cuts recently and so if I use those, I will need to buy more yardage. I haven't started S's quilt yet. If you will remember, she picked out a kit. I usually avoid kits because I don't like the restrictions they place on me because of yardage and recommended piecing methods, but she really wanted it. The fabrics were only available in the kit so I couldn't buy the pattern and fabrics separately. As it is, I may change the border since the kit only allows for a pieced border and I prefer a single length of fabric for mine. C has decided she wants a skull quilt. Oh, joy. I started collecting skulls on pink fabrics a couple of years ago, but she's decided she doesn't like pink now. The plan is to use the Beyond the Block book for her quilt.

I'm thankful that we have a Goodwill location just down the street. I always have a bag or a box going. M regularly rolls his eyes at me when I ask him to take a collection down for me on his way to running whatever errands he's on his way to completing. I'm in the process of going through the kitchen cupboards and drawers. I'm still trying to get M to go through the closet and his dresser. I may have to do it....

We're all still recuperating from cleaning the kitchen last weekend so I gave everyone, including me, the weekend off from cleaning. I hope to get back at it next weekend. I'm afraid to lose my momentum by slacking off in any way... Good news is that the kitchen is still in good shape except for the floor and areas I didn't get to last week. We've all been working together!