I recently found this in a bag of sewing notions I "rescued."
On one hand, I had some respect for the person who revered these tiny lengths of thread enough to carefully wind them on an empty spool. On the other hand, I was a bit horrified to think what this person's surroundings must have been filled with. Mountains of tiny fabric scraps too small to use? Old envelopes wrapped with a few feet of thread? Boxes full of treasured bias tape? Umm. . .it sounds a bit like my "sewing" space which seems to collect so much junk I sometimes can't sew. Am I a sewing hoarder?
As you may have guessed, I buy a lot of my sewing materials at thrift stores. I used to think this was a good thing: I rescue stuff from the trash, make useful stuff from it, and save money and resources.
It's true that a lot of my favorite projects were made from thrift store fabric. The Chicken Dressand my Orangey Ginger make me smile when I see them hanging in my closet. But that's mostly what they do: hang in the closet. I usually wear my home-sewn solid skirts and pants and the comfy knit shirts. Guess what? decent lengths of good quality, basic fabrics are few and far between in thrift stores.
I have also been examining my all expenditures more closely and, I tell you, its shocking to see how much it costs to save money.
Almost every time I pop into a thrift store to see if I can find something I need want for a bargain, I end up spending 15 bucks on something I might need someday. But if don't really need it, it's not a bargain at all.
And then there is the really dark side of thrift. Often I buy something and only add it to my stash thus diverting stuff from the waste stream into my closet. Then I have to spend a lot of time washing, organizing and storing stuff. Is this really where I want all the rejected fabric of South Minneapolis to find a final resting spot? In the end I end up making a lot of work for myself just managing the stuff.
Sometimes I have the idea for a new project but no appropriate materials, so I end up making something I want less just to use up with what I have. I'm going to keep sewing with what I have but I think I need to be the boss of it. I'm not quite sure how to do that, but I'm guessing I need less stuff and a better organizing system— like a booklet of swatches perhaps? Any ideas?
I'm going to get rid of more stuff, and I'm going to stop buying stuff "just in case" I might want to use it someday.
As for that little spool of threads. I'm not sure what to do with it. Should I throw it out now— or save it as a warning to myself?
