Purging MORE Stash Stuff

11/29/2018

Stuff is never just stuff. Stuff is, as my brother put it, ideas. Every item I own is an idea I've had, about who I am or want to be, what I want to do, what I value, fear, or need. No wonder I've found that getting rid of items clears my head marvelously! My room is slowly but surely becoming an oasis of Karen in a world of not-Karen, which is a relief. My true desires and priorities are coming into focus, and my to-do list is shorter and more imperative. I hope to have this process done by the end of the year so I can start 2019 with a clean slate!

Today I'll post about two harder, sewing-related purges: my pattern collection and my historical costumes.

PATTERNS AWAY!

Here is my pattern collection before and after my purge:

BEFORE

AFTER

The patterns are roughly organized by decade and gender (one pile for menswear). What I got rid of fell into the following categories:

not my size
neither my style nor my sister's style
nearly everything from the 1960's!

I'd bought a bunch of 1960's mod dress patterns with the thought of making one of them up in my African wax print fabric from Togo. At the time I bought them, I was thinking that I would want to pick a pattern with minimal seam lines, so the print would be the star. But the more I held onto them the more I procrastinated. And once I'd purged my closet and realized that I like tailored clothes with defined waists, the mod dresses fell out of favor. So I got rid of them and and resolved to find a different way to feature my African fabric.

I took my patterns to my place of work to give my sewing co-workers first right of refusal. The leftovers will go to the Goodwill, which is where I got them.

GOODBYE COSTUMES

My historical costumes (everything Regency, plus my Victorian ball gown) were harder to let go of. Some were entirely handsewn, all were the sum of much research and connected to memories of fun events. I had hoped to pass them along to someone who knew their value as historical costumes, but when I emailed the Oregon Regency Society, and used the contact form on the website, I got no reply.

This is par for the course, unfortunately... I have tried intermittently for five years to get involved with the ORS, but my experience with them has always been radio silence. At first I thought it was because they only communicate through Facebook, and I'm not on Facebook. But I did try to contact them through a Facebook-using friend, a couple years back, and that was a bust as well.

At any rate, this time I emailed them and kept the costumes on the couch for twenty days, but that was quite long enough. When I got no reply, off to Goodwill they went, and I consoled myself that, as I have often found treasures at Goodwill, I could send my treasures there and someone else will be excited to find them.

Making room for new good things.

3 Comments

The Roommate

11/29/2018 12:33:57 pm

Congratulations! You've put in so much hard work, both physically and emotionally. I'm sure getting all this done is going to give you a great start to 2019!

The Sister

12/12/2018 06:36:57 am

I'm trying to teach Little One to hold things loosely for several reasons: so that when God calls us to let go of something it's not a battle; so that our home isn't filled with unneeded things; so she isn't emotionally burdened by her possessions. When we add things to the donation pile, sometimes she'll speak aloud the words she hears me speak to her: "I liked it for awhile but now it's time to go to the thrift store so some other little girl can feel pretty/be blessed/be warm/have dry feet". When we are getting rid of something that was a particular favorite, the process is harder but the same concept applies, and I also use Marie Kondo's suggestion of expressing gratitude. Little One will give the item a hug and thank it for what it did for her, then add it to the bag.

Teaching her the tactics I now employ is very constructive for me as well, as it helps me regard my possessions with the same discriminatory eye to decide if I really need or want something, if it sparks joy, or if it's just clutter with some kind of emotional baggage attached to it.

Love you!

Karen Roy link

12/12/2018 02:09:20 pm

I remind myself that the Earth is the Lord's and everything and every creature in it, so it's silly to cling to anything like it's MINE, or like I might need it someday and God wouldn't give it to me. Hasn't He always provided for me in the past? And doens't He know better than I do what I need?

As I'm sending Christmas gifts you you and the wee one this year, be sure to remember that if I felt joy in sending them, and you in receiving them, the gifts have already done their job. When you're done with them, let them go guilt-free! God is good.

Love you!