Mary’s “Before”
Have you ever wondered what a Professional Organizer might do with 5000 pounds of fabric?
The best part of my job is to support my clients in moving forward with clearing their clutter. The next best thing is seeing how they feel and how their lives move forward because they have cleared their clutter.
The most important thing in my job is to not judge. I go into a situation with no attachment to my clients things. I go in with an attachment to the outcome. I am working with a client right now (we will call her “Mary”) who has given me the permission to write a little bit about the journey of her stuff. Thank you Mary for this opportunity. I admire you for stepping out of your comfort zone and tackling your sewing room.
First things first.
It has come to my attention that there are homes which have an over abundance of fabric.
I can see the fascination with the beautiful textures, colours and styles of fabric. The key, as with anything is “nothing takes on value unless it is being used”. I can see how a person could get caught up in a fabric store. They see all the fabrics and their creative mind starts to wonder. I could make this; I could make that and so on. Dreams and goals are being set right then and there. But do you have the time for all of those projects?
It is important to buy only what you need at the moment. I’ll explain why.
Boxes and boxes of fabric sitting in a fabric room are not taking on value. The volume is so large the fabric will never get fully used. A person may tend to get overwhelmed by the volume and may become paralyzed from moving forward.
It is important to have a project in mind when purchasing fabric. Buy what you need and what you will use in a reasonable amount time.
“Mary” had been collecting fabric for over 20 years. Will you ever be able to use all that fabric? Probably not.
So “Mary” and I went about sorting, purging and organizing fabric.
Some of the fabric was outdated because it had been there for so long.
What once looked like a cool piece of fabric now looked “old lady-like” like or too high maintenance. (Only dry clean, etc.)
“Mary” feels she has about ten more years of sewing in her. Sewing is her hobby. With that in mind it was time to seriously downsize.
Each time we worked together she commented on how great it felt to go into her sewing room. The room felt lighter. She felt more creative. It was no longer a fire hazard or trip zone. The rest of the family was happy and thrilled to see the transformation. Her husband was so excited he built shelves for the rubber containers that will hold the fabric she is going to keep. It will all get labeled.
Are you curious as to where all the fabric went?
The Salvation Army took all “blanket” fabric. They make nice thick blankets for our homeless. A friend of hers took 8 bags (at 40-50 lbs per bag). A Halloween costume business took ten bags. A photographer took all the boudoir fabric. A family of sewers took 16 bags and was thrilled to receive the fabric. One of the family members is starting out in a purse making business. This really helped her. 50 plus bags went to the Mennonite ladies. They make blankets and clothes and send them all over the world.
Because all the fabric was going to a good place “Mary” was motivated to really purge. I am so proud of her and all of her efforts. Everyone involved is happy and the fabric is being put to good use.
Do you have an over abundant amount of fabric? Finding it hard to sort, purge, donate or keep it? Please contact me for a FREE 20 minute session.
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