There are needs in my life that automatically trigger certain actions. If we are near the end of the paper towel rolls we go to Costco. When I open the last bag of dental floss picks I order more. It’s all part of my stress-reducing strategy to make my things remember for me.
And there are triggers for stash reduction as well. Because I am a serial starter of projects I have many UFO’s. They live in the big wicker chest in my office (it’s between the chair and the bookcase and covered by blankets in the picture above). Several months ago it got full. This should trigger a stash cleanse but since I wasn’t adding projects to the stash it didn’t.
There are other triggers: running out of some sizes of stretcher bars, running out of project bags, or scissors. The one that got me last week was the sad state of my thumbtack box. Yes, it’s nearly empty. I kept thinking all week I needed to go through those UFO’s but now it’s critical.
I need to finish a bunch of things or clean up the stash. I’m cleaning the stash since I will never stitch fast enough to fix that problem.
I do not do a Marie Kondo number on it, but I do have a process that will reduce the stash, give me some thumbtacks and free up space. I look at the projects one by one and put them into three piles:
- projects I will not finish
- projects I hope to finish soon
- projects I will finish much later
Projects I will finish soon stay on their bars in their bags. Projects in the other two piles go off the bars. I put the tacks back into their jars & put everything else in piles to put away. If I will stitch the project later I put threads and project into a zipper bag. It will go back into the chest on the bottom. If I will not stitch it, I will put the threads in my basket to go back and put the canvas in a pile to go elsewhere.
Once I am done with this triage, stuff goes back into the chest. The later projects go on the bottom in no particular order. Before I put in the sooner projects, I sort them, putting the ones I want to do next on top. Then when I finish something I can easily go to the top project.
Depending on the results, some of these projects may end up at bargain bin prices on Etsy. Check out my shop all week to see. They will be in the Sale section.
About Janet M Perry
Janet Perry is the Internet's leading authority on needlepoint. She designs, teaches and writes, getting raves from her fans for her innovative techniques, extensive knowledge and generous teaching style. A leading writer of stitch guides, she blogs here and lives on an island in the northeast corner of the SF Bay with her family
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