When I wonder why quilting is seemingly losing popularity at the moment, I have to look no further than to the current trend of people downsizing. In general, there are a lot of big, old, drafty houses on the market that are not moving while smaller more tidy homes are in high demand. Could it be that those of retirement age are seeking to get rid of many of their belongings and no longer need or want so much space? Quilting can take up a lot of space, that is for sure! And fabrics and finished quilts need a place to "live."
The Danes and Swedes have the right idea when it comes to making comfortable spaces in a home with only the things they truly love and want to keep in their lives. Swedes engage in a practice known as "death cleaning." That means disposing of items so that your relatives will not be burdened with the effort. It is a matter of being thoughtful. Really, who has time to go through tons of paperwork, books, and other items and decide what to keep and what to sell or simply throw away? It seems that a lot of treasures could be lost or overlooked.
When my mother suddenly went into a nursing home, the task of cleaning out her house and getting it ready for market fell to me. She had already put many items in an auction and sold pieces of furniture but had kept boxes of goods. Some things were easy to toss, like used egg cartons. Yes, she was a survivor of the Great Depression and a "hoarder." But, as I went through other things, I had to make split second decisions on what to keep. My cellar is now lined with shelves upon which sits boxes of mother's goods - all too good to throw away. We kept items that I wanted to further consider.
Mother collected ceramics and dishware. She had a real affection for china tea cups and little knickknacks. I have many of them now displayed in my kitchen along with the ones she gave me as a child. As far as collections go, I have some collections of my own, like pincushions, old quilts that I bought to write about, tons of quilt books, and lots of quilting fabrics. All of this takes up a lot of space. What to do to begin the painful task of downsizing?
One friend suggests giving books away. The local library will take novels if it is the season of their book sale. Books that can be considered "textbooks" are another matter. My books are mainly non-fiction and many are instructive in the art of quilting. I believe I collected all of the books listed on the suggested master craftsman in quilting reading list when I was busy earning that certification (completed in 2000). My books would appeal only to a select audience which makes it more difficult to properly pass them on.
I am also drowning in photos! For years we went to quilt shows and took pictures of quilts I liked best for inspiration. Not to mention all of the notebooks full of slides of quilts that we took for publication before the magazine accepted digital photos.
I wish I could wave a wand and easily place all of items in my life that I no longer need, would never use again, or would never re-read. One friend suggested making quilts for charity with unused fabric. I would not know where to start! I do have to put on my thinking cap and come up with some solutions, hopefully sooner than later.
If any of my readers have any good suggestions for how to downsize or the name of any good book on the subject, I would love to hear from you. I take comfort that some of my friends have successfully mainstreamed their lives a bit and have moved into smaller quarters.
