hi Gina, I am sure many of your followers like me feel the same way as we survey our studios and can absolutely relate. .We spend years collecting and making and stashing. never thinking that one day we will be older, changing directions or just we change and go and grow in different directions and what was once so relevant , seems so irrelevant and unimportant. I am fortunate that I was in the forefront of the feminist movement here in Canada and took to it like a duck to water and even tho’ I was a stay at home house wife , my very British husband felt that I should give up my career and be a total house wife , which I was not happy with .Anyway as soon as the women’s movement started I became a total activist and insisted my husband take over and share many of my duties. So today, he can do his own mending, cook , wash and clean , which has made my life so much easier. However as I write I am in the grip of total inertia as I contemplate going to my studio and starting a huge cleanup and decluttering project. It may be sometime before I resurface😊Thanks for your great post as always, you are such a talented and fun and thoughtful person.
Marilyn, I can’t thank you enough for those last few words. It’s lovely comments like that that remind me that I’m not completely crazy when I share some of my daft ideas! Well I might be crazy but at least I know it’s okay to be that way!
It’s true isn’t it that we seem to happily create and collect all this stuff without any thought to how we will feel in later years. I think I first became aware of the problem as I saw it when I helped clear the workroom of a member of our embroiderer’s guild. As another teacher she too had multiples of everything as I do. But I’m on a mission to clear it… small steps! Good luck with yours.
My small contribution towards being more sustainable is I try hard to operate a 'one in, one out' when it comes to buying anything new and think hard as to whether I need the item at all. The outgoing item is sent to a charity shop when appropriate. Recently I've made a couple of small quilts with my excess fabric for Project Linus. And with threads I'm trying use what I have and operate a 'close enough' when colour matching. After all is anyone really going to notice!
I think that seems to be a good policy Bronwyn as at least we are not increasing the clutter. I’m trying a one in, two or three out in an attempt to reduce the clutter but my nemesis are books! I definitely don’t need more books and I’m trying hard to use my library where possible.
hi Gina, I am sure many of your followers like me feel the same way as we survey our studios and can absolutely relate. .We spend years collecting and making and stashing. never thinking that one day we will be older, changing directions or just we change and go and grow in different directions and what was once so relevant , seems so irrelevant and unimportant. I am fortunate that I was in the forefront of the feminist movement here in Canada and took to it like a duck to water and even tho’ I was a stay at home house wife , my very British husband felt that I should give up my career and be a total house wife , which I was not happy with .Anyway as soon as the women’s movement started I became a total activist and insisted my husband take over and share many of my duties. So today, he can do his own mending, cook , wash and clean , which has made my life so much easier. However as I write I am in the grip of total inertia as I contemplate going to my studio and starting a huge cleanup and decluttering project. It may be sometime before I resurface😊Thanks for your great post as always, you are such a talented and fun and thoughtful person.
Marilyn, I can’t thank you enough for those last few words. It’s lovely comments like that that remind me that I’m not completely crazy when I share some of my daft ideas! Well I might be crazy but at least I know it’s okay to be that way!
It’s true isn’t it that we seem to happily create and collect all this stuff without any thought to how we will feel in later years. I think I first became aware of the problem as I saw it when I helped clear the workroom of a member of our embroiderer’s guild. As another teacher she too had multiples of everything as I do. But I’m on a mission to clear it… small steps! Good luck with yours.
My small contribution towards being more sustainable is I try hard to operate a 'one in, one out' when it comes to buying anything new and think hard as to whether I need the item at all. The outgoing item is sent to a charity shop when appropriate. Recently I've made a couple of small quilts with my excess fabric for Project Linus. And with threads I'm trying use what I have and operate a 'close enough' when colour matching. After all is anyone really going to notice!
I think that seems to be a good policy Bronwyn as at least we are not increasing the clutter. I’m trying a one in, two or three out in an attempt to reduce the clutter but my nemesis are books! I definitely don’t need more books and I’m trying hard to use my library where possible.