Spring Cleaning (aka Throw Away That Old, Ugly Fabric)!!
Say it with me now "Yay for the wonderfully warm weather!" Could this weather BE any more perfect? I think not.
So now that spring is in full swing (wow – look at me rhyme!) I thought I’d take some time and talk (type?) about spring cleaning. Now, don’t worry, I’m not going to lecture about anti-bacterial wipes or mopping your floors or anything like that. Because that would be boring. And ladies and gentleman, I try to be anything but boring. No, I’m talking about spring cleaning your fabric stash.
Now, I know a lot of you, dear readers, were raised in New England. And you know what that means, right? We are constitutionally incapable of throwing anything away. If we have a tiny, one-square-inch piece of fabric, we cannot force ourselves to toss it in the trash. I think, ladies, it’s time we buck the system and START TOSSING FABRIC. Try it, I think you’ll like it!
Gather up all the fabric you are no longer enthralled with, have given up on, or are simply sick of. I have bunches of this stuff. It’s stuff I feel I shouldn’t toss, but don’t actually want to keep. I give you permission to get rid of it. That’s right. In case you were looking for permission – I give it to you. That basket of pieces too small to actually use? Toss it. That fat quarter bundle you bought but have decided isn’t really you? Toss it. Those big yardage pieces left over from 1987 and you’ll NEVER be able to match to anything? That’s right – TOSS IT. Wow – isn’t it liberating?
Now, just because we are tossing fabric doesn’t mean it has to go in the garbage. Decent sized scraps can be donated to guild scrap bins. Spare two-and-a-half inch strips are PERFECT for tying tomatoes to their stakes. Take any bigger cuts you have and make pillowcases and donate them to the 1 Million Pillowcase Challenge. Collect scraps and give them to a friend who is trying to pull together fabric for the mother of all scrappy quilts (thanks guys!). 100% cotton fabric that has been washed can be composted (really!). Do anything it takes, but get that fabric OUT OF YOUR HOUSE.
Once the fabric has flown the coop, take a deep breath. Does your sewing room echo with all that empty storage space? Probably not, but you get the idea. You should at least have SOME new space. If not, you didn’t toss enough and need to start all over and toss some more. But the best part of this whole process ladies and gents? All that new space is now just begging for some NEW FABRIC!!! (And thus starts the vicious circle all over again…)