I had some patterns in my sewing room under the stairs.
I had two boxes in the attic.
My husband went through the boxes from the attic out on the drive way.
If ever there were nesting mice in the attic, that is where they would have been.
No mice. No bugs. No dust.
They were in good boxes.
All the seventies and eighties and nineties women's clothing patterns went in recycling.
I kept all the nursing clothes patterns as well as all the Halloween costumes and kids' patterns.
What prompted the pattern clean out was my search for my original Christmas tree skirt pattern.
I knew one specific pattern piece would give me the right curve for the outside edge of my pie wedges (on the tree skirts I am making now).
I found the pattern and the piece.
It was very helpful.
I am going to draft my own pattern and take it to a local glass company to have it cut out of plastic. It will be my own rotary ruler, the perfect size and shape.
It took a deep breath to put dozens of patterns in the recycling bin.
I cannot picture clothes sewing ever again (other than nursing tops or dresses for one of the girls, kids clothes or Halloween costumes). BUT even if I do sew clothes again for some weird reason, it would not be with those patterns. I would get contemporary patterns.
As I packed a bin with the keepers, my husband very happily packed the rejects in the recycling bin. I was able to get all patterns, including some three ring binders with quilting stuff in one organized bin. That cleaned one whole cubbie from my sewing room under the stairs.
And middle sorted the mess that is our bead bin. It moved into a bigger bin, is all together and organized.
And my husband moved all middle's children's books to the massive cupboards under the counter in the studio. Very good place to store them until she needs them. Books take up about 2/3 of that space.
My color friend took two of my old sewing machines. She has the exact same one. So now my two are parts for her one. That way her beloved one will keep going indefinitely. (They no longer make the parts for old metal machines, you have to selvage parts from other old machines, kind of like cars in Cuba.) I was so glad to send those machines to a good home where they will be useful.
