Purging!

I spent this afternoon purging out my little corner of this house to accommodate some new interests. It was incredibly satisfying and I was amazed at what I was able to let go of. I have recently come to the conclusion that I am a hoarder of fabric. I have a big Rubbermaid bin full of scraps that I told myself I was saving for the kids to make things out of or that I would one day use for a quilt. Yesterday and today I filled 2 garbage bags with scraps no bigger than 2" square and most of them useless strips of cloth. What did I think I was going to do with that!!?? I really hate adding to the garbage dump situation in our area but at a certain point a girl has to admit defeat.
I love sewing but I haven't had the time or the money to invest in it in a couple of years. Once I had that big bin empty I filled it with all the fabric that means something to me or is in big enough pieces to actually do something with. That emptied all kinds of drawers and bins that can now house my growing yarn collection and odds and sods of card-making supplies.
The original impetus of this whole purge was to make a vision into reality. I have always wanted a comfy chair and reading light in a quiet corner of our house and I want to see my craft books on a shelf. That was it. Nothing momentous or expensive.

It's no Martha Stewart but it's mine.

(My apologies for the crummy photos. The Rubbermaid bin on the right now houses the good fabric)
So when I got home from church this afternoon I went nuts (as my kids would say).
You should see the pile of detritus! Half of it I'm hoping I can sell locally and continue to keep out of our landfill and the other half...sigh...is going to the curb this week.
I found that all this stuff I was saving was making me feel guilty for not having the time or money or both to do something with it and I don't need reasons to feel guilty. It was also holding me back from working on new projects that have been piquing my interest lately.

My improved work area. Still room and accessibility for sewing.
The good part about this change was it didn't cost any money.
Here's some homework for you-take a look at one corner of your house and see how much you can purge. Only one corner, not the whole house. Keep it manageable or you'll never do it.
You'll feel so much better for it.