Originally posted 2008-07-10 07:29:13. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Many things have converged this week to get me thinking about the huge size of my stash.
First off there was Anne’s lovely Pueblo Pillow, which got me thinking about making one of my own using things from my stash.
Second, thanks to my DD having almost two months off, we are deep cleaning and organizing the house. With luck (say your prayers for this) it is also preparation to moving a few miles south to what I’m calling my “forever house.”
Third, on Sunday I cleaned up a file cabinet I haven’t even opened in years and found lots of bits & pieces of thread.
Finally, in the process of cleaning up I found a notebook of designs based on Amish quilts. Some of these are scrap quilts and that got me thinking as well.
Need I say that this is all causing a stash crisis of huge proportions?
I thought I had been good, I clean out my stash of canvases about once a year, so that’s under control.
The books are out of control but at least they are on shelves, more or less. Though I’ll probably have to buy another set at IKEA this fall.
But the thread stash is huge. I know many people who have much bigger stashes of thread than I do, but mine has part of my DD’s room now and will share it’s own room with the books in the fall.
It needs cleaned out, and, here are some strategies I’m using to do so:
1. Are there types of thread you don’t like or just don’t use? Give them to friends who do, donate them to your guilds auction, or sell them. If, like me, you need to use threads which are only currently available, add them to this pile as well.
2. Do you have little ends of thread among the threads in your stash? Add them to your scrap basket and use them in projects.
3. My favorite strategy is to shop the stash first. I’m about the start Anne Stradel’s Kitty Kitty mini-sock. It’s going to be for my cat Dot who is a black long-hair. I have to find the card of black Wisper, but everything else was in my stash. And I could choose from many different threads for each color in the piece. This way you use your investment in threads and save both gas (that trip to the store) and money (this my DH loves).
I actually count up the colors I use all of when I work. Once I used up ten different threads in doing a project. I’ve also done ones where I only had to buy the background thread, everything else was in the stash. And then it was only to keep the dyelot consistent.
4. Finally, and I often forget this, always have a stash project in progress. This could be something small (think about Rainbow Gallery’s or Kreinik’s free designs). Or use a canvas from your stash. Or even draw an outline, divide it like a crazy quilt and fill it with threads and stitches. I’ve done lots of Scrap Bag Needlepoint projects and I just love them.
It’s a challenge to do this, tons of fun and you have the joy of making something pretty from the stuff you have collected.
I’m starting a couple of new stash projects this week, trying to use up stuff and I’ll show you how I’m coming in the next few days.
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Got some projects on the go that I have done this with. Determined to get my stash reduced, and it is such a good feeling not to have to spend lots of pennies to start a new project
I just started my first needlepoint project. Thread is expensive! I was glad to hear how you use your thread for other projects. I am thankful for the sites you had that had free projects. Thanks!