Room clean out

In April or May, expecting all the kids home for a week in June, youngest and I talked about her old bedroom. It was still quite full. 

She went through it, packing what she wanted to take. The week she was here, we took a very full load to the resale shop. 

My husband has a second full load packed in the SUV as we speak, I am dropping that off to the resale shop this morning. 

And then we are mostly left with paper. So much paper. I plan to take that to a shredding service tomorrow. 

The room will then be clear of everything but furniture for the first time in several decades. 

The upstairs beds will be made and then covered with dust covers. All that linen is already washed.

When everyone is headed home, the next time, we will have very little prep. And that makes a huge difference. 

Their June visit we had an enormous amount of prep including cleaning out the three car garage. When there is that much prep, honestly, one questions whether or not the company is worth it. 

Having the upstairs cleaned out, greatly decluttered, makes a big difference in how it looks and how easy it is to clean. 

It was a little tough

For the first time in ages, all our kids were home at the same time, plus granddaughter’s first visit here, for a full week. 

Of course my washing machine died just before they arrived and there was a three week wait for a repairman. 

This is tradition, other years we have had air conditioner, stove, and one year the dishwasher die as various company was set to arrive. It is a thing.

Three weeks without a washer is a long time. My personal solution was to have middle wash a couple loads and then I simply bought more clothes to tide me over.

Prepping for this visit sent me down a much needed decluttering rabbit hole of resurgence. 

The room granddaughter (age 2) slept in had become a depository of cast off furniture. We got rid of 75% of it only keeping a chair, bed, nightstand, and the metal cabinet where we store photos.

Youngest had a long list of preplanned work. She did it all - cleaned out her old room, replaced our PC monitor, sorted all the extra cords, formatted an excel list of quilt groups. She also put in a grocery order for herself and did most of her own cooking which simplified the vegetarian issue.

I had just settled into the routine when the week was up and they all vanished again. 

But the decluttering continues. In the last two weeks I have taken about 6 SUV loads to the resale shop, and sold a ton off my front porch via Facebook Marketplace.

Double bay of the garage

I think the last time we did a garage clean out was 2023. The last time we did a BIG garage clean out was several years before that. 

Saturday and Sunday, we cleaned out the double bay of the garage. This was sorting and scrubbing. 

Everything came off the shoe rack, it was pulled away from the wall. The rack was scrubbed, the floor and wall were scrubbed. We took everything out of the cupboards, scrubbed, sorted what went back in them. We worked our way around the parameter, sorting and scrubbing. We did a lot of rearranging. 

Both vehicles always fit in the garage, so the middle was empty, it is just the parameter that collects.

We had a big recycling bin, two large garbage cans, two big boxes for donations, a table set up for sorting. 

The dogs were with us Sunday, we kept the big garage door closed, propped the door to the house open, so they had options. 

The back of my SUV is now filled to the brim with donations headed to the local charity shop when it opens at 10am. 

And next weekend, the single bay of the garage calls. 

Scrap jail mentality

 I have been quilting for decades. 

I have never kept my fabric scraps. I have a bag going at all times. My larger/useable trimmings go in the bag. When the bag is full, I give it away. 

When I start a project, my good with color quilting friend often calls dibs on specific fabric. So she not only gets the scraps, but she gets the larger leftovers too.

Other quilters have commented on this habit of mine, over the years, because it is unusual, most quilters have lots of scraps. In fact people write extensively over how they store and save their scraps. Again, not me, I rehome all scraps.

A unique recent comment caught my attention. 

I was at a sewing bee, and we were talking about my not keeping fabric scraps, and one of the quilters said she just recently realized she is a slave to her scraps. 

When most people say that they are talking about sorting and storing their scraps, that’s a big topic.

But that is not what she meant. She was talking about being creatively restricted by her scraps. Most projects she sews are all about using up the scraps. She is not really designing or planning her quilts, she is just using up what is on hand. 

Do I make scrap quilts? Yes, I love them. But mine are not made with literal scraps. I plan and collect fabric to have a scrappy look, without using actual scraps. 

Sharyn Dorfman

 Does that name ring a bell, but you just can’t place it? 

Google it. If you were an Oprah fan, you will recognize the circumstances immediately.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/hoarder-oprah-show_n_4005719/amp

I have no idea what’s happened over the last decade, but I think about Mrs Dorfman on a fairly regular basis. 

Domino effect

The only way to have a clean/empty kitchen table at my house is to be a bit militant. 

We have a large kitchen table that is a clutter magnet. 

It has two looks, with no in between. It is either chock full of clutter or it is empty. Those seem to be the only options. In order to have it empty, I have to be very vigilant.

For the last many months, the kitchen table clutter was all mine. I started using it to lay out quilt blocks and it became a fabric magnet. It has been piled for many months. 

In order to have the kitchen table empty, I needed another work surface to lay out fabric and quilt blocks. Luckily the old kitchen table is in my sewing room. Unluckily it was full of fabric too.

This is where dominoes come in to play. 

In order to have the old kitchen table available to spread out my current quilting projects, I needed storage spots for all the fabric. 

The first step was to find a home for all the bolts of fabric I bought at Joann’s during their closeout. They were piled on the old kitchen table. 

I wrote about it here - 

https://baby-steps-v.blogspot.com/2025/07/better-use-for-shelf.html?m=1

That shelving unit will empty itself as I use that fabric. I will not be buying more bolts. Joann’s is quite gone/fini.

There is still more fabric. It is the folded fabric, not on bolts. There is a lot of it. 

I have a second shelving unit in that same little sewing closet under the stairs. 

It was very tidy. But I realized it was an under used space. Many of the tidy items on those shelves are obsolete, I no longer need or use them. 

That is where I am working now - I am sorting everything on those white shelves.

Better use for a shelf

The shelving unit, behind the door in my sewing closet under the stairs, was very organized. 

It held craft supplies. But in recent years, I never used any of them. In fact, I had not utilized anything on those shelves in many years, maybe nearly a decade.

JoAnn Fabrics went out of business earlier this year. As they had sales, I bought bolts of 108” and 120” wide quilt backing. I also bought a few bolts of 42” fabric to sew together as backing. And I bought bolts of white cotton in a variety of widths. I use white as my background fabric on a lot of quilts these days. 

It occurred to me that the shelving unit was exactly the right size for all these bolts. The bolts were sort of  everywhere. They needed an organized spot. 

These bolts are temporary. Eventually they will all be used. I will not replace them. (Then this shelf will be ready for something else.)

My husband cleared the shelving unit for me. He stacked the craft contents in middle’s old room. She is going through them at a future date. 

I organized my bolts. And it is a very good use of space. 

Flag quilt #3

I made 9-patches using up the dark blue fabric leftover from flag quilt #2 and the light blue fabric leftover from flag quilt #1.

The 9-patches are one light blue fabric, the solid squares are a second light blue fabric (below).

I loved the blue on blue design. It makes a lovely blue pieced background. 

Middle and I agreed, the nine patch background was too plain. It needed something more. It needed something to balance the flag. 

At first I thought about substituting bold blocks for a few of the 9-patch blocks. These were my inspiration photos -

At middle’s suggestion, “applique”, I ended up going an entirely different direction -

Flag Quilt #2

I started right in on flag quilt #2 rolling on with the momentum of having a free long arm quilter and using up masses of fabric from my studio. 

Here was my starting point flag quilt #2  - 

Here are my inspiration photos -

There was a lot of math, the three sets of blocks (large friendship star, small friendship star, fancy star) and the flag were all different sizes. 

The background fabric is a consistent light blue print. I had a limited amount of that blue fabric and could not get more. It was a measure twice, cut once project.

I completed this quilt top between 4/7 - 4/16. I remembered to take a photo.

The stars are scattered, but in a systematic way. I like how the scattered stars form a background.  I like how the three fancy stars are string and balance the flag. 

I like the scale of the whole thing. 

Flag quilt #2 (above) is ready to go to the new-to-me long arm quilter. 

When she texts to say flag quilt #1 is finished, flag quilt #2 is ready to go to her in the same trip. Bonus, she lives the next town north of me, a close distance.

Military Veteran Donation Quilts (Flag quilt #1)

I found five flag panels, I made long ago. 

I wanted them to go to good use. None of the kids wanted them. I did not want them either. 

At the quilt retreat in March, a female Navy veteran told me about a group. They make and donate  veteran/military charity quilts. I was thrilled to find this connection. More information is at the bottom of this post.

My goal was to only use supplies on hand, not buy anything. I gathered what I had and stared at it for a while. 

My Flag quilt #1 -

Inspiration -

My finished top -

Middle and I dropped flag quilt top  #1 (above) off to the Navy Veteran, who is also a new-to-me long arm quilter, on Sunday, April 6, 2025. 

I neglected to get a photo of the top before it went to the quilter, but she kindly took one (above) for me. 

There is something off about the color in this photo and the quilt top in this photo. It looks off and a bit ugly. It did not look that way to me in person. I will post another photo when the quilt top is quilted and bound. 

I am very relieved I have a “no cost system” to put the five flag pieces to good use -

This Navy Veteran and long arm quilter is a member of my quilt guild. She volunteers her time/talent quilting for a local military support group. The group provides batting. The group will also do the handwork of the binding. 

So, for me, this means I piece the quilt top(s). I give the top and backing to the long arm quilter. She loads it on her frame and quilts it. She gives it back to me. I make binding and do the sewing machine part of the binding. I take it to the guild meeting for show and tell. I give it back to the long arm quilter at the meeting, she gives it to the military support group for me. They finish the binding and give it to a veteran.

No $$$ is required for the long arm quilting nor the batting nor the handwork on the binding.

Board books project

Board books are toddler books with cardboard pages. They are sturdy. Little hands can turn the pages more easily. 

When middle taught preschool for two years, she owned a classroom library of board books. The preschool board books have been in bins at my house since 2018. 

We also had family board books. 

I have sent a few board books to granddaughter over the last six months. 

February/March 2025, I realized I needed to sort the board books and communicate with oldest/DIL so they did not purchase board books we already have. (I did this same thing with the Dr Seuss books last summer/2024. Sorted and shipped Dr Seuss books to them so they did not buy duplicates and to get them out of my house).

Middle hauled board books out of her old closet and our living room shelves and helped me sort. 

There were duplicates. The duplicates immediately went to middle’s clinic. 

I photographed all the remaining board books and texted the pictures to oldest/DIL. They already had a few of the board books, but not many. 

DIL marked duplicates or books that did not interest them, with an X on my photos, and texted them back to me (examples below). Those rejected books also went to middle’s autism clinic.

Middle saved a couple board books at her house. I saved a couple at my house also. As granddaughter out grows board books, they will pass them on to other families. None of these books are coming back to our houses. 

I started mailing books, I mail one box each month -

The first March 2025 box was 100% books. I included the titles that DIL was very excited to get (Richard Scarry). I got a lot of board books in a medium flat rate box. 

(A second March 2025 box was also 100% books. These were all YA books that youngest saved for granddaughter when she cleaned out her books a year or two ago. The pile was sitting in my garage. I mailed them book rate.)

I mailed the April box last week. I got a lot of board books in a recycled Amazon box and shipped it book rate.

The May box will be a flat rate box with board books and a variety of other things for granddaughter’s birthday month. 

I have sorted boxes for the rest of the summer and fall. They are taped/labeled and ready to go. I wrote the month, each is to be mailed in pencil, on the outside of each box. 

Here are part of them -

 

Orange-ish at the quilt retreat

I attended a quilt guild retreat a couple weeks ago. 

I went for three of the four days. I went Friday-Saturday-Sunday. Most of the rest of the group started Thursday.

Thursday was an already reschedule massage appointment I did not want to change. 

Friday middle worked from home so the dogs were covered. Thursday, the dogs were with me.

Plus four days felt like too much to me. Even three seemed like a lot. 

I took the orange related fabric (yesterday’s post) as my project for the retreat. 

It was a very safe easy project, I took it so I would be able to be social while I sewed. I did not want to take anything complex. I wanted to take as few supplies as possible. 

I washed and cut all my fabric at home. I cut 8” squares for very simple (one patch) charity quilts. 

I laid them out, one at a time, on my kitchen table. I labeled the rows with blue painters tape. Middle and my husband helped me package each top in order, in zip lock bags, so it was all ready to sew at the retreat.

This meant I only needed to take 

- a sewing machine

- a sandwich size zip lock baggie filled with 2 spools of thread, 4 filled bobbins/package of extra sewing machine needles, and a small pair of scissors

- 2 large zip lock plastic bags full of 8” cut squares. 

Individual garbage cans and power strips were provided by the facility at each table.

Irons and ironing boards were available at the retreat facility, but I did not use them. I waited until I got home to do the pressing.

I planned very carefully. I did not want to have to take half my sewing room with me. 

No one was as minimalist in their approach as I was. It was astonishing how much stuff the other retreat participants brought with them. 

We have this cart we use for dog training - it worked perfectly. I used my cart to move things between my car and the conference room and my hotel from at the same facility. 

I got all five of my tops (below) sewn together over the three days. I have all the backing fabric. These quilts are ready to go to the long arm quilter in future years.

I paced myself carefully. I would sew for a bit, then visit or shop or take a nap. I did very well. I was glad I went.

I went around and looked at what everyone else was sewing at the retreat, I was social.

I shopped at two stores in that area that I like. 

I attended an Amish dinner with the group. 

2027 and 2028 charity quilts

I discovered a collection of orange-ish reproduction fabric in my studio, a lot of orange fabric, mostly in small pieces. The photo below is just part of it.

This orange-ish fabric was purchased at the fabric garage sale I attended a couple years ago. A quilter had died, her husband sold her fabric stash in a series of garage sales. 

I had bought gold and orange fabric sort of together, not seeing how orange some of it was. I used the gold in the two Lottie quilts (3 and 4). That left the orange.

No one needs a pumpkin quilt in my family. I made identical pumpkin quilts a couple years ago. Oldest has the original. I made exact copies for both girls.

I debated what to do with all the orange-ish fabric. I absolutely did not want to make an orange quilt for anyone in my family.

As I was actively pondering the orange fabric, I found a photo that inspired me to plan an orange charity quilt for two years from now, 2027.

There is no danger in working ahead on charity quilts. I will not decide they are the wrong color or style. They will be fine.

With this inspiration photo (above) in hand, I looked for theme fabric to go with orange fabric at my local JoAnns.

I was open to fox fabric, but found none at JoAnns. I did find football fabric and butterfly fabric that blended well with the orange. 

I later found a fox fabric remanent at a quilt guild yard sale.

My original guess was I would get three charity quilt tops from the fabric pile. 

More orange-ish tomorrow.

2026 pink and green charity quilts

Next year, 2026, I am donating two pink and green charity quilts to my local guild’s cancer camp collection.

I made the blocks for these quilts long ago, spring 2016. I sewed the blocks into rows. Then for some unknown reason I stopped. The rows were not sewn together, the project was abandon. I neatly packed the rows away and forgot all about them. I did not think I had any UFO’s. I was wrong.

Again, I think I made the two coordinating pink and green block sets with grandkids in mind. And again, not at all what I want to give granddaughter now, but perfect for charity quilts. 

I sewed the rows together and added borders March 3 - 8, 2025.

These pictures (below) show the quilt tops laying on the pink backing fabric. 

I measure the batting, backing against the top, each time I finish a quilt, before giving it to my long arm quilter, to make sure there are at least 5 extra inches all the way around. 

The binding will be the pink backing fabric.

They are ready to go to the long arm quilter, later this year.

What is very interesting is I have no pink fabric in my bins. I also have none of the green fabric. 

I found several of the small squares in the 9-patch were scraps sewn together.  I clearly used up every bit in the blocks for these two quilts. 

Charity quilts are an opportunity to declutter

My local quilt guild supports a children’s camp that hosts children with cancer one week each summer. Members make and donate children’s quilts. Each child at the special cancer camp gets to pick one quilt to keep. The guild provides more than are needed, so the last child picking still has a wide selection.

Years ago, like 25+ years ago, I chaired this committee. My kids were very small at the time and really loved having the quilts in a pile at our old house. It was quite the stack, the guild donates over 120 quilts each year.

Last year, going back to the guild, I thought I would not participate. I did not plan to donate charity quilts. I thought, based on the reality of my hands, I should not waste my time sewing for other people. I thought my priority was sewing for my own family, while I can.

By pacing myself carefully, and taking care, I am doing fine. A lot of this is because I have my binder. The handwork of binding is the main part that is too much for me.

I realized I have finished quilts, parts of quilt tops, cut fabric, and uncut fabric (all that I no longer want) cluttering my studio. 

Anything goes with charity quilts.  They can be crazy. The backs can be pieced. The batting can be pieced. Charity quilts are an excellent way to use up materials.

I realized I can make charity quilts, with very little effort. 

I realized I need to participate in Guild activities in order to feel part of the guild.

By donating two charity quilts each year, I can actively declutter my sewing room. 

Middle also attends the guild with me and is a member. One quilt from each of us, two quilt donations per year.

Sharing this plan with my good with color quilting friend, she thought it was a very good idea. She encouraged me to pace myself. She suggested only donating the minimum number of quilts (2) each year. She suggested working ahead so this process is not painful. 

I am working very far ahead. The two eye spy quilts for this year are done, the 2 pink/green quilt tops are ready for the long arm quilter, I just finished a series of orange-ish quilts.

I feel very motivated in finishing charity quilts. I really look forward to reducing materials in my studio. I enjoy being several years ahead. I look forward to sharing them at Show and Tell each year. I look forward to a child enjoying them. I look forward to getting them out of my house.

A solution for the metal birds

Last spring, hauling arbors and other metal works out of the garage as we organized the flower beds for spring, we made the decision not to winter them in the garage any more. 

We decided getting everything in and out of the ground and storing them in the garage probably caused more damage than the weather.

I have three metal birds in the flower beds next to the driveway. The largest blew over in a strong wind fall 2024. Winter was coming. I needed to secure them.

Five hooked stakes secured them before winter hit. Three stake the large bird. Two stake the medium bird. None are holding the little bird which is very low to the ground.

Two of these stakes came with the medium bird, but we had never pounded them in the ground. 

I took a bent piece of rebar (from our garage) and one of the hooked stakes to a local welding shop. They have a pipe bender. They cut my rebar in thirds and made three hook stakes.

The birds are now secure. 

And, best part, I used up a bent rebar from the garage. 

Laundry baskets under the sinks

When we moved from the old house to this house, over twenty years ago, I stopped dumping clean clothes in baskets. In the old days, at the old house, those baskets were so tightly packed, the clothes came out like a cork, holding their rectangular shape.

Twenty+ years ago, I began folding or hanging clothes straight from the dryer so they did not wrinkle. Most of the time these clothes were then put away, not stacked. 

I still sometimes dump clean socks and kitchen towels in a basket, but not clothes. Clothes I fold/hang up, straight from the dryer, every time. 

It is shocking how quick it is to just take care of one load from the dryer. The folding, hanging, putting away is very quick. 

Then I switch the next load from the washer to the dryer and set a timer. 

That habit, taking care of clothes straight from the dryer, really changed my life. It is a habit Dana K White encourages. This habit is an extension of “take it there, now”.

My life with laundry has changed. 

I only do my own laundry. This has been the situation for many years now. My husband does his own laundry on Saturdays. 

I now do my laundry a couple times a week, in very small loads, because my dirty close basket is quite small. I got rid of the big hampers that sat in the floor and put small baskets under the sink.

I am all about reducing stuff these days. I crave empty floors. Putting small baskets under the sink was brilliant for me. I have one under my sink. My husband has one under his sink too.

As soon as it is full, I pull everything out, sort, do a quick load or two. 

This makes laundry nearly invisible to me. 

I love having an empty bathroom floor. Removing the two large laundry hampers helped everything. 

A bit sad

Dana K White suggests starting/decluttering with the easiest stuff (garbage, recycling, obvious donations). 

I think I have done that instinctively. 

In 2018, when I started decluttering, I went through most of the house, attic and garage. 

That process continues. I continue to just keep working back through the same areas. Each time, my opinion changes, I can let more go. 

Now I am on to the harder stuff. 

I recently donated a bag of vintage baby things including all my christening clothes (63 years old). 

I have stored and moved it for 63 years. I did not use any of it for my own kids.

I asked the kids. No one wanted any of it. 

I did not try to sell any of it. I donated it to a locally run resale shop I like. 

The two big drawers in my island

The two lower drawers in island are huge! They have been re-evaluated and re-organized many times over the years. 

January 2024, this is how they looked when I started - 

Maybe we can all agree, they were tidy. There wasn’t anything actually wrong with either drawer. 

But several factors combined to call for change. 

- I can no longer work the mandolin or food processor (arthritis).

- since I do the dishes every day, I do not need all the measuring cup and spoons.

- I have been steadily moving away from plastic, toward glass and stainless. 

- some of these items retain hidden water coming out of the dishwasher which can ruin wood.

- The hammer sheds rust. (I use it to tap the knife to cut watermelon and squash.)

- The sifter sheds flour.

I could not keep the kitchen clean, but I could clean out the kitchen

A subtle difference in terms -

Cleaning up the kitchen is doing the dishes and wiping the sink and counters.

Cleaning out the kitchen is a massive exit of items.

I think I have cleaned out the kitchen at least once a year since 2018. Yes, five deep declutters and cleans. 

Recently I cleaned out the kitchen in December 2023 and then turned right around and cleaned it out again in January 2024.  

It is amazing how time changes perceptions of what is needed and what can go. 

I rehome/sell/donate with each clean out. 

A shocking amount goes, with every clean out. 

Sometimes I also buy, a few key things, to make life easier. This might be a flatware organizer or bin, a rice cooker, a casserole pan. Sometimes the clean out shows something is not working and needs replaced.  

I declutter and organize. My husband comes right along behind me and scrubs. It is amazing how dirty cupboards, drawers and shelves can get in a year. 

We do our parts separately. 

I think it starts naturally in November of each year, because all the kids are home for Thanksgiving. I just start working through the kitchen, slowly, a section at a time. 

By January, I am done, and my husband has the ladder out and is scrubbing. His efforts are done in a couple days.

So, since 2018, I have steadily reduced the volume of items in our kitchen. And our kitchen has gotten a deep clean once a year. A consistent, good effort, which paved the way for this year.

In the last two months, I have approached the organization of our kitchen, quite differently.