Over the weekend I had a revelation, one you probably have had as well,
my needlepoint stash is out of control.
I think I may have bought too many canvases in the last year and not used enough of my thread stash.
I had been doing OK, but now the bag with unstitched canvases is full to overflowing.
When that happens, it’s time to take action.
- Do triage on the part of your stash that’s out of control. Triage means separate things into three piles: keep (stuff you will do or use), Sell/giveaway, and trash.
Throw out what’s trash and find storage for what you keep.
- Decide what to do with what is in the sell.giveaway pile. You can give it to charity, sell it yourself, give it to your guild for a charity auction, or give it to a consigner to sell.
There are lots of good ones. I like Rittenhouse for their charity programs. I consign and have bought stuff from Canvases BeGone, Fireside’s eBay shop, Cash for your Stash on eBay, and through my guild chapter’s auction.
You might also have friends who want to learn to stitch. Consider giving some of your stash to them.
- Make resolutions to reduce your stash.
I did the downsizing over the summer. Now I need to make my resolutions.
The best resolution I ever made is:
Shop the stash first!
Use threads from your stash before buying new threads. You can even keep a count of what you use.
Go through your stash for a new project. There’s probably plenty in there you’d buy again if you saw it in a store. So stitch it.
Set goals to reduce your stash. My goal for this year is to stitch 20 canvases from my stash bag. It will hardly make a dent, but I’ll feel better about it.
What do you do to reduce your stash?
About Janet M Perry
Janet Perry is the Internet's leading authority on needlepoint. She designs, teaches and writes, getting raves from her fans for her innovative techniques, extensive knowledge and generous teaching style. A leading writer of stitch guides, she blogs here and lives on an island in the northeast corner of the SF Bay with her family
Marilyn Brown says
I have also spent the weekend looking at a giant stash in the basement. Off went tons of it yesterday to Rittenhouse (they put it to good use). I was interested in your other possibilities. Am also using stash threads today for a canvas I bought years ago at Edie and Ginger’s shop in Pa. Tomorrow I plan to dump out the thread stash on the living room floor and organize it!