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Monday, October 15, 2012

My Leftover Life and a Puzzle

 


Something I still want to do--tie tshirts into shapes, kept

 
I had exbf bag up things from the sewing room and place them on a table outside. He got maybe 1/50 of what needs to come out for my inspection and disposal or packing away. It is time. So, I am boxing up what I want in order to store it and throwing the rest away, no matter how much I might get from selling it. All this is left from my sewing through the years. For many years I sewed and went to craft shows. I quit selling at cash shows abruptly in 1991 and went back to school. I still sewed all I wore, all things needed in my house and for adult girls and one grandson. So, there is much to sort.
 
 
A friend sells in yard sales and different places. I offered her all I did not want if she would help me. It seems she has suddenly developed a back that is just as bad as mine...yeah. You know the type. Then, I asked another woman who is very strapped for money and sells full-time. She did not show up at 10 am the next morning as she said she would. Either would gladly come by if I actually packed it up for them.  Today has not been too bad since I was rested. I got six trash bags sorted and now have two small boxes that have room for more items.

 
six more tapestry panels for making pillows, kept
I have already made one for each of my three children and one for me.
paid $1 each during a summer sale
 
paper bag pattern drafted for antique child mannequin I dressed 25 years ago,
along with the rest of the pattern--40 pieces, trashed
This mannequin was the one "waving"
 
 
 

 

a dozen or more scarves I never finished, kept
I was making these when I went back to school after a short break--1997

iron on mending and decorating fabric,
kept just for the package


linen jacket, cut out with pattern pieces attached, gone, trashed
no regrets

I have two crocheted collars, prettier than these,
kept patterns
may sell online
1980ish?
 
 
This is my favorite size needle to sew with,
Quilting betweens size 8, only about an inch long
with a tiny eye. kept.
 
I don't quilt, never have. Between the ages of 8 and 12, I won awards for my hand-hemming. At first, I used the larger needle with the larger eye that Mama gave me to use, then I found these. I can still handle this tiny needle. Does anyone know why it is called "betweens?" This package will go in my sewing "container," a round cake-sized tin. I have drawers, shelves, and plastic storage all over the sewing room, but I keep the tin near the sewing machine with all the things I need often, right with me. This was stored in a drawer because my pincushion had several in use in it, kept in the tin if not right on the sewing machine. Needles I bought several weeks ago were somewhere near $3.
 
Pattern for A-line skirt I drafted 30 years ago, kept
 
 
15 yards of 4 inch fringe used for lamp shades, kept
 

gold, looped fringe, about 17 yards still in box on Styrofoam spindle
used for wine bottle holders, kept

seven gold fringe tie-backs in box and not dusty at all
used for wine-bottle holders, kept
 

yellow fringe that I bought on a whim because it was so pretty
my favorite pant pattern, both kept
 
Big Puzzle
 
stickers? kept
 
I can guarantee you that not everything in the sewing room pertained to sewing, but for the life of me, I do not remember any of these stickers. I have a grandson (6) and g-daughter (4) who will love these, doled out at the proper season. There are stickers for Christmas and Easter, summer and fall, plus the stars and "Good Work" type. Do girls who are 11 still like stickers? My grandson who is 17 and a senior is probably not interested. Maybe I got these when he was of the sticker age? At a yard sale?
 
The rest of the story
 
Lots of fabric went to the rag bag. Well, it will go there as soon as it goes through a rinse cycle with vinegar to rid it of the musty smell. Some things were thrown out just because of the mustiness.  For six bags of stuff, I am throwing out one huge bag and have organized the rest into two boxes and replenished the rag bag.  I have no regrets about anything tossed. Maybe you don't think I tossed enough.
 
Your turn
Have you been forced to abandon a room because of structural damage? Would you have tossed some of this?  I am not sure where I will store this! I might have given some of what I kept to the two women who were asked to take it in exchange for help in sorting.  Some of the fringe may be sold later when I can organize a sale. I am giving myself another chance at using them.
 
Do you use tiny needles? Have you ever made animals from t shirts?

 



4 comments:

  1. Here is what Wikipedia has to say about the different types of needles http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sewing_needle
    It sounds like the ones that you prefer are narrow and short. Just the other day I tried to thread a needle and I just couldn't do it. I had to wax the thread to be able to do it. My eyesight has really changed since I got these glasses.

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  2. Janet,
    I can still thread a needle in very strong light! I love the tiny needles. However, I just got new glasses and there is something wrong with the right near sight on the bifocal. Our sight should be better with glasses not worse!

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  3. You stumped me, Linda. I worked for 5 years in a fabric shop and still don't really know why the needles you mentioned are called betweens. We kept them in a separate place from the other handsewing needles ... in the quilting section.

    The only thing I can think of is that they are shorter and thinner than regular handsewing needles, but then, in that case they should be called 'smalls'. See? Stumped. Do you know the answer?

    It's amazing the amount of fabrics and projects-to-do-when-there's-time that find their way into the sewing room. I think that's why sewing rooms are so fascinating ;-)

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  4. Sue,
    No, I don't know the answer! I did think of something though--you know how you need to start quilting and pull the knot through to between the layers of fabric? That does not make sense, however.

    My sewing room is 18x 16 or maybe larger. It has dining table for cutting, two commercial machines, home serger and a old Singer home machine and a freezer because it was the only place it could fit.It also has an old Butterick pattern cabinet, a set of shelves, and the whole end of the room is a windowbox/seat where I store Christmas decorations. Oh, a tv sat there.

    It also had two floor lamps, both of which are removed now, s heater and an ac in one of the windows, and a huge closet. There is a huge fireplace and mantel. It is not even crowded...oh, yes two chairs for sewing

    Some of the larger sewing projects, like the linen jacket no longer interest me, out they go.

    "She who dies with the most fabric wins."

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Okay, hoping the annoyances have gone away.