Seven Things Week 5

The biggest week yet!  13 hours on Saturday spent mostly on the sewing room.  I wish it is obvious that 872 things have left the house and left a streamlined, tidy and functional sewing room to show for it, but I can't - nowhere near it.

I am the grateful recipient of many craft bequests.  I craft often and in public so when it comes time to disperse sewing rooms, I often get a call.  I honour these gifts and the craft of the women who collected them before me.  Often things are moved on quite quickly, but sometimes the bequest arrives when I am not able to deal with it, so it migrates to my sewing room (or garage) until I have the physical and emotional energy to deal with it.

Added to this years of second hand shopping means I have amassed a goodly stash of materials already.

I am not a fan of buying new materials.  There is so much out there already without adding to the world's waste problem.  When I do buy new it is out of necessity (elastic is not something to be op shopped, for example) but I have built myself a collection development policy of sorts for sewing materials.  It is based on knowing my own style and preferences (colours, patterns and fabric composition) and what I use most often (never turn down bias binding in any colour but rarely I buy zippers anymore).

Fortunately I am part of a large network of crafters and can find recipients for many things.  I try and match my offerings to their personal style and preferences.  And more people with interests both shared and tangential to mine keep showing up.  Most recently the local Buy Nothing group has turned up several crafters to add to the network.  And when there isn't someone in the network to pass items onto, or I have tried and failed, Paper and the Works is grateful for craft supplies; particularly when they are sorted before donation.  I try not to overwhelm my own beneficiaries and think it is unfair to burden them with extra work. 

This week will be slower - wrist sprained wrangling a heavy car hatch and bags of stuff to go into it.

IN

2	Pashminas	Buy Nothing Community	Brand new cashmere and silk pashminas in colours that match my work wardrobe.  Time for a scarf/shawl clear out to compensate
1	tankini top	opshop	I swim 3 or more days a week and tankinis are the most practical of swimsuits
10	sets metal file drawers	gift	organisational storage for the garage
1	peg board	Buy Nothing Community	organisation equipment for the sewing room
1	book	Paper and the Works	took a carload, came home with a book - perfectly reasonable exchange
1	plant pot	The Green Shed
2	shirts	gift	gift to Richard from my SIL
18

OUT

4	glass jars	Buy Nothing Community
8	glow sticks	Buy Nothing Community
4	steak knives	Buy Nothing Community
1	jewelry display torso	Buy Nothing Community
1	swimming cap	bin	it had degraded to the point of that plasticky stickiness
5	notebooks	Buy Nothing Community
1	portfolio	opshop
1	water jug	gift	We are moving soon and I need to set up two kitchens.  I love this Jensen designed water jug but have never used it at home.
3	Fitbit accessories	Buy Nothing Community	I upgraded my Fitbit earlier in the year, these are no longer required.
18	shawls, cowls and scarves	gift
1	hand cream	bin	so noisome
10	books	gift
73	sewing patterns	Paper and the Works	some when to my sewing niece, but most went to Paper and the Works
5	reusbable shopping bags	opshop
2	tins of steel dressmaking pins	Paper and the Works	I prefer the very long glass headed pins to the old fashioned type that hurt my fingers and blunt very easily
2	hanks of silk embroidery threads	Paper and the Works
1	small jar of buttons	Paper and the Works	I still don’t need to spend time counting  individual buttons
26	lengths of fabric	Paper and the Works	also gifts for friends but mostly Paper and the Works
12	jumpers and cardigans	op shop
10	calico bags	Paper and the Works
1	dvd	Paper and the Works	How to Crochet - so excess to my needs!
1	dish for entertaining	Buy Nothing Community
175	fabric bunts	Buy Nothing Community	I made Christmas bunting a couple of years ago.  I cut more bunts than was necessary.  These are going to a nursing home. There are at least 175 of them here but I measured and estimated so am rounding down.
2	baskets	Buy Nothing Community
4	belt buckles	Paper and the Works
90	skeins of tapestry wool	Paper and the Works	I’m just guessing - well more probably as it was a large grocery bag full.
307	suffolk puffs	Paper and the Works	I counted
31	lengths of trim	gift
43	lengths of ribbon and lace	Buy Nothing Community
1	length of elastic	gift
2	spools of thread	gift
4	pairs of knitting needles	Paper and the Works
9	beanies	Buy Nothing Community
1	reel of wire	Facebook Craft destash group
5	earring backs	Paper and the Works
2	reels jewellery wire	Buy Nothing Community
2	decorative earring bits	Buy Nothing Community
3	organza gift bags	Buy Nothing Community
1	knitting bag	Paper and the Works
872

IN 18

OUT 872

NETT OUT 854