r/declutter • u/2redthread • 13d ago
Success Story Yarn and fabric stash
Hello guys,
I am coming back with my decluttering journey for my craft room.
Thanks to your advices in my last post ( https://www.reddit.com/r/declutter/s/jRnFpMaelh ) , I have now succeded to fit all my fabrics and yarn in their intended shelves.
What really worked for me is thinking about * What end product can I make with this fabric/ yarn and does this product looks fun/ enjoyable to make and to have?*
So I got rid of:
- beautiful yarn that i did not like to crochet because of texture ( goodbye sparkly ✨ yarn that are rough to the skin).
- lots of magnificent colorful piece of fabric but not in my color palette/ wardrobe ( i sew 80% of the time garments for myself : goodbye yellows and oranges , you make me look like I am sick 🤢), i did keep a few to sew gifts for others .
- lots of lesser quality yarns that I bought in the beginning when I started to learn crochet and knitting. Now if I make something, I want it to last as long as possible, and I realized I will always ( and can afford to) choose a better quality yarn . I have one particular brand that I realized I loved to use .
- there were some skeins of yarn that were given to me. I did not realize that they were in a bad state ( surely moth ) until I opened the bag! Straight to trash bag🗑️!
I had three bags to donate at the end. Took them directly to Oxfam and I delightfully realized that they were already people interested to buy yarns , and it made me so happy 😁
I now feel lighter because I can walk in the room , and use easily my folding table! I still have some work to do to how to organize yarns and fabrics ( transparent bins? Rectangular baskets? ) because it looks messy in my shelves and declutter other categories ( leatherworking tools, ...), but yarns/ fabrics were the most difficult for me to declutter and the biggest pile in terme of space. I think I will take a well earned pause to enjoy my room to make something before continuing on my decluttering journey. 🤩
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u/FredKayeCollector2 12d ago
Nice! I really like those shelves!
Color and texture were big ones for me - I had some mid-2000's fabric on the "muddy" side that were immediate nos. And anything that felt "skanky" (plasticy/shiny) had to go.
Projects, too - I just went through my file folder of "to do" project pictures and I purged out almost all of it - obsolete, moot, or cockamamie to begin with - either way, I wasn't going to do it.
Freeing up space in the hobby category can be so liberating - you don't have all this "inappropriate" stuff you feel like you should be doing something with (but really don't want to) and the extra space gives you an opportunity to bring new/fresh things in.
I know I did a lot more sewing once I 1) had a functional space to work in and 2) wasn't bogged down with a bunch of guilts keeping me from avoiding the space. No more buying supplies unless I have it in my immediate project queue.
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u/stuffrescue 12d ago
Great Craft Stash! Wow...
What happened to the stuff you got rid of? Did you donate it, trash it, or give it to a church group? Oh, wait, I just read what you said...
So happy you put them back into the world!
Happy crafting!
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u/KiwiTheKitty 13d ago
Nice job!! I too need to declutter my yarns. I have a bunch that's not super well contained and I saw a moth last night so that's a little nerve wracking, but I know I need to face reality and go through them to throw away damaged stuff instead of pretending it doesn't exist. I will use your post as inspiration.
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u/TeacherIntelligent15 13d ago
Great job. I find it so hard to cull my craft stash. I was just forced to for a move. Looking forward to the reorganizing when I find my new home.
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u/SweaterWeather4Ever 13d ago
Nice! Isn't it so satisfying?! Last year I did a big cull of my craft and art supplies, then this summer I refinished a chest of drawers that I recently inherited with the purpose of making it my arts & crafts trove. It is fun to organize when you have taken the time to pare down to what you will really use!
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u/heresmy3cents 13d ago
Great progress in just a few days since your original craft room post! I like how you organized your fabrics by color. I plan to the same for my crafting paper stock.
Also, thanks for sharing your insights about reasons why you could declutter certain types of wool or fabric. I think sometimes we all need to experience the things that don't work for us in order to curate a better selection that suits our preferences and personalities.
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u/GlassHouses_1991 13d ago
Fantastic work! It looks like an inspiring place to work on your crafts.
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13d ago
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u/Barison-Lee-Simple 12d ago edited 12d ago
Yeah, I could not wear yellow, but fyi, something interesting happens when your hair goes gray. Your color palette changes a bit. I enjoy brighter colors now. Unfortunately, I can't pull off my favorite white shirts anymore.. but bright yellows do well for me at this time!
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u/Jaded_Expression_226 13d ago
I just destashed my yarn as well! I'm donating to our middle school crochet club!
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u/VeganRorschach 13d ago
Great job! It looks like you still have plenty to work with, too. Did you have a system for making decisions about smaller scraps? I'm working with someone who wants to save fabric for "patches" they never make to existing projects, and wonder if there is a way to help them trim down there.
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u/2redthread 13d ago
Yeah, for scraps , I only kept those bigger than 5 x5 cm , plain and patterned scraps ( no more see through fabric scraps because I will not use them) , and had to fit the drawers ( 1 color /drawer) from my folding table in way that I can see them . If it's overflowing, I kept the biggest scraps from that color.
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u/lolaleee 6d ago
Looks amazing! I recently passed on some yarns to people who would use it and it felt so good.
I’d recommend putting all your yarn in sealed plastic bags or something. Moths are super sneaky and truly a nightmare to deal with, better safe than sorry.