Wednesday, April 26, 2023

A Follow Up to "My Fabric Collection is my Retirement Fund" Post

I wrote this post, My Fabric Collection is part of my Retirement Fund, back in March 2016. I was about 10 years out from retirement then. I'm now three years away from it. My retirement date is on record at my company that's how close it is.

After rereading the post and the comments which are so interesting, I wanted to do an update to this post for a couple of reasons:

1. Covid

Covid changed everything in 2020.  The way we work.  The way we shop. How we live.  When the world shut down in the spring of 2020 due to the pandemic, it caused us all to reassess so much of our lives.  That reassessment affects us all to this day.  It also made me very grateful for the fabrics, notions and patterns I had stashed. I sewed without challenges when it seemed like the world was coming to an end.

2. Moving & Changing Lifestyle

I've lived in this apartment for three years now. I packed, moved, unpacked all of that fabric in the midst of an illness.  An illness that caused me to re-evaluate a lot of what was important to me.


Also, I no longer work in an office four days a week. During the spring until the end of the year, I go in two days a week which changes what I need to wear and sew. Hybrid work arrangements are more the norm since Covid.

My lifestyle is slower now. I'm happy spending time with a good book or a good TV show cause Covid even changed that! There are so many streaming options and movies released to TV.  TVs are larger, less expensive (relative to the inflation we're presently experiencing) with more options to give you that movie theatre experience at home.

3. Balance

My life is more balanced now.  Back in 2016, I worked, sewed, and hung out with friends/family a little. It was like a 50/40/10 split. I read a little but since commuting took up so much of my time, I used my commuting time to do several things.

Now since my commuting time is greatly reduced and even though I have more responsibilities at work, my life seems more balanced. I'm working on spending time equally between sewing, reading, time with my grandchildren and making sure I'm available for my friends. This seems a more realistic picture of what my imminent retirement will look like.

Now let's discuss the main topic of that post - my fabric collection. If you've been reading along, you know I want to reduce my collection by about 20%. That reduction that was discussed some in the comments due to retirement is in full affect in my life. I have several reasons for wanting to lose a portion of it:

  • I want some of my living space back in the Resource Center. I want to reuse some of the wall space currently holding fabric.
  • There are pieces I know I won't use and I want them to go to another sewist who will enjoy them.
  • I've been culling my collection all along but the thought of having to move this much fabric again gives me the heebie jeebies.  And who knows when or if I will need to do so.  Making plans ahead of time just seems wise.

While I'm not concerned about my fabric collection in the event of my death, my daughter has a list of sewists who live nearby who can have dibs to my collection.  She has first rights to everything and the sewists on the list know who they are. This allows for a smoother transition of my things for my daughters. Yes, I thought up this plan when I got sick in 2020.

Finally, while I didn't purchase a lot of fabric in 2020, I did start buying in large amounts again in 2021 and 2022. I've slowed down buying fabric in December 2022 and this year so far I've only purchased a few pieces. My purchases are more well thought and creative driven now. I've been using my fabric money for books.  

However, I also want to use some of those beautiful fabrics I've accumulated. I want to make amazing garments to move around the world in.  Pieces that won't be seen on anyone else. I want to take those sewing journeys while I can still enjoy them.  I want to enjoy the sewing while I can.

That's the update to my post. How about you?  How have your attitudes changed towards sewing in the last seven years? Did Covid affect you? Did the supply chain shortages from Covid cause you to keep more sewing related items on hand? Do you still work 5 days a week at your job's location? Or do you work from home now? Have you retired or is retirement imminent?

I want to hear your thoughts, so talk back to me!


...as always more later!




25 comments:

  1. I do know how you feel about the stash. About 2 years ago, while still embroiled in the Covid mess I bagged up 3/4 of my stash and took it to the local junior college that has a Fashion school. There were 12 large, green garbage bags. The director of the department called me later to thank me as the students were on cloud nine. We all know those days when you bought strictly for a project and the budget was limited. I also donated a very fancy dress form I won at one of the ASG luncheons we had. I have a much less expensive dress form but it is perfect for me. I know the school will get great use of the one with a detachable arm and leg. I have been in retirement for 6 years now and I think I finally have a routine down. Of course I picked up a new hobby of machine knitting so there is that. I like the freedom of being able to buy new fabric now. I am very selective and usually have a pattern in mind when I buy. I still have a stash, but it is much, much smaller.

    We all have visions of our futures. I found mine actually changed when I retired, but not by a whole lot. I always keep thinking "what's next."

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  2. My stash is mostly remnants from other people's dead relatives' stashes. I greatly enjoy playing "recombinant wardrobe" by color blocking (or pattern blocking) random swatches. I will never ever ever get to the bottom of the piles of goodies that teeter perilously in the spare bedroom. Fabric room. Whatever.

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  3. During Covid I donated all appropriate fabrics from the stash to a local group making masks and scrubs for our local hospital. Since then I've bought a few pieces, but haven't been doing much sewing over the last year due to life and health.

    I've also been divesting myself of books, magazines and patterns that I've outgrown. It's freed up space in my soul as well as my cupboards!

    Now, everything in my fabric cupboard has a definite garment in mind, and I'm planning to get them sewn before purchasing anything else. I've done the same with my yarn stash and am close to zero stash (apart from useful leftovers). I'm looking forward to having a clear deck and a chance to step back, reevaluate and then sew to maximise my wardrobe.

    I love that with sewing there is more than one way to manage a fabric collection.

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  4. My work wardrobe was very casual - jeans, knit top or casual blouse, sweatshirt or sweater. My fabric purchases reflected that, lots of knits for tops. The outlier was those poly/wool fabrics (I *still* miss Hancock Fabrics!) I got to make jackets to upgrade my look a tiny bit. I admit, I was buying for the time/energy I had in my head than in reality at the time. Those jackets never got made. The commute was me driving nearly an hour each way, so no way to use that time, not even in my head, with the traffic and being alert for deer.
    I retired in fall 2019 and promptly adopted a wardrobe of sweatpants or shorts, t-shirts & sweatshirts, except on grocery or appointment days when the jeans and a decent top get put on. My sewing has transitioned more to quilt making and needlework. I don't do much more supply-chain woe related stashing than I normally did prior to covid. I did notice lots of empty spots when I finally got to stores (mostly Joann or WM that still has a decent fabric/craft section). I'd say overall my stashing has decreased due to not going to stores as often as when my workplace was close to stores, the lack of garage & estate sales, and the already over-stuffed shelves, bins, and drawers of existing stash rather than supply chain things.
    The post & the comments from 2016 are still very valid. My only thought to add now is - if stashing for retirement, pay more attention to the basics, as often the "in" fabric designs don't age well. OTOH, if you love it, by all means sew it up and wear it anyway! If possible, store it so it inspires you to sew it up. Also don't stash so much that it becomes easier to buy new instead of trying to find something in the stash. And I include patterns and notions with a life span (elastic, glues, adhesives, etc.) in this as well. Our retirement plans may not be what the universe dishes out when the time comes.
    I know you've gotten dinged on the size of your stash, Carolyn. But it's still one of the best coordinated and organized fabric stashes I've seen.

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  5. First, I've been retired for some time now. It was a bit of an adjustment period, and for a long while I didn't buy much fabric. Which was a good thing, as I'd been buying and buying throughout my working years. I have a lot of fabric. More than I'll likely sew up, I'm reluctant to admit. Having stated that, I have been buying more than in previous years, but not a lot. I'm thinking of posting some on the site DeStashify and seeing if I can reduce some of the pieces that way. Donating to a college fashion program as the other commenter said may be a way for me to reduce the pieces as well. Have my attitudes towards sewing changed in the last seven years? Well, yes and no. Yes in that I've gotten more sure of my abilities and view of sewing, and no in that I've always regarded it as a part of who I am and how I relate to the world.

    Did Covid affect me? Yeah, it did. I got infected twice. The first time wasn't too bad. I was able to get a handle on it pretty quickly. The second bout was a lot more serious. I'd never been that ill in my entire life. It was several weeks of being bedridden. It wasn't pretty.

    As far as supply chain disruptions, I have a lot of everything sewing related (garment sewing related, that is) and didn't have a problem in that regard.

    Now for a thought about what my fabrics mean to me at this point. I have a granddaughter that sews. I've bought her two sewing machines, an entry-level Brother that didn't sew all that well, and once I saw that she was really serious about sewing, a used Bernina. She may get some of the fabrics I have if she wants them, but as she's younger and a different generation, I suspect that my tastes and hers are different, and she'd only like a few things. I'm of a mind to just give them to her now, no point in waiting. As to most other pieces, well, the entirety of my collection of fabrics, I do find it a bit disconcerting that I haven't sewn as much as I should. But only a bit disconcerting. Most women my age and older seem to not have very many interests outside of children and grandchildren, watching television, church on Sunday, and just...waiting for the inevitable. I realize that that's a bit grim, but I do appreciate that sewing and other interests keeps me interested and active in ways that others seem not to be. So for me, sewing has been a real blessing. And if my massive stash or collection or whatever is indicative of that, then I think that I'm ahead of the game in many ways, and am grateful for each and every piece.

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    Replies
    1. Oh! Sorry Carolyn! I know you prefer for commentors to say who they are when posting "Anonymously". I'm Kim.

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    2. Kim - thanks for remembering to post your name. It's appreciated!

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  6. I've been retired for about 11 years now. I have a lot of sewing supplies, patterns, and magazines. I still have some silks and wools that I will likely never use because my lifestyle does not require me to wear anything that nice. Also I live in the desert. It never really gets cold here. They are still lurking in my stash however, because I'm still in love with them. I mostly wear tshirts and pants. A dress hasn't been worn in probably 20 years. I love my pattern drafting software for creating knit tops. I will likely go through my stash and get rid of some of it. Also there is a matter of Japanese pattern magazines that are still lurking in my sewing room. I need to see if anyone would like them. These magazines only have a few traceable patterns in teeny tiny sizes. I am not teeny tiny even at my skinniest. However they have wonderful pictures that make it easy to recreate the garment if one is into pattern drafting. I would love to have more nice knits to sew. I downsized my books and magazines when we moved to the desert but I could still downsize some more. I need more casual fabrics and fewer dressier fabrics.

    Marilyn D.

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  7. I've been retired for nearly 3 years from the public school system and love this time to do what ever moves me. I thought I would be doing a lot more sewing during my retirement, but I haven't. When I do sew, I sew lingerie and swimsuits... things that are different from garments as I no longer have need for work or formal clothes. When I am not sewing, I like to spend time learning new crafts such as hand embroidery, floor loom weaving, painting flower pots, garbage cans, collecting old lingerie/swimsuit sewing books and gardening on my neighbor's empty lot next door. Honestly, I don't believe in getting rid of my sewing items...I spent too much time and money getting my stuff and very few people around me know how to sew or have the time to do it. I don't worry about my huge stash as some day, I'll get around to sewing it! If I don't, it will all go to Goodwill upon my entry into my next life. (LOL)

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  8. What you say about stages of life impacting our sewing is so true. Seven years ago I sewed almost exclusively for myself, and I was in the middle of a long series of relocations for school and work. I didn't have a dedicated sewing space, and my fabric collection was in a duffel bag. Now I've been in one place for four years, and I'm able keep more fabric and notions on hand. That helped me to sew during lockdown. I've also become a parent and do a lot of kid sewing now. During lockdown, I made masks, an Easter basket, lots of clothing for my kid and for myself, and many gifts, without having to shop or even have something delivered. Even though I have a very short commute, I have been working remotely a great deal since the initial lockdown. I'm looking forward to being back in the office full time soon. That way the room I've been working in can go back to being my sewing room and not a place to think about work! One thing that hasn't changed -- I'm still happily reading every one of your posts. Thank you for sharing your sewing with all of us. -Ana

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  9. I was retired involuntarily in March 2016 as I had a stroke at age 55.5. I opted to take the time to heal me rather than pushing it to go back to teaching preschool in August 2016. I couldn't think or talk fast enough to keep up with the kiddos.
    I didn't miss it until sometime this year. But it was the correct decision.

    I did not renew my driver's license in 2018 because of delayed reaction times and decision making skills due to the stroke so that curtailed my getting to go shopping for fabrics too.
    I love having a stash to go shop. I also inherited my mother's fabrics. She and I tended to buy classic fabrics so I have been able to make basic things which always work.
    Not that I sew much this days.
    I used to sew for mom and for my daughter.
    Daughter now lives a state away, so she's not available for me to fit her like she was in high school.
    On my list is to cull what I have so it goes to someone who will use it and appreciate it.
    Miriam in Ks

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  10. I felt like the only person in America who’s life wasn’t dramatically changed by
    Covid, though of course there WERE changes. I already had a huge sewing stash, including miles of elastic, so while I sewed many masks and scrub caps I wasn’t scrambling for materials. I worked then and now as a home health care nurse at night and nothing at all changed there except my company as well as most American facilities showed how willing they were to risk employee health and if not outright lie. (Surrrrrre you can wear the same homemade mask into 32 patient rooms without a change during a 12 hour shift and be safe! Yes, we want you to wear your same disposable mask for TWO WEEKS into different clients homes, store it in this paper sack when you get off til next shift!) But, I was already isolated, my clothing stayed they same, and my social life nosedived years before when I started Night Shift and two best friends died. I don’t know that
    Covid changed my life more than the trump presidency, both were bad. Doing my best to recover now! I’ve gone keto AND I’m restricting my fabric purchases. I did splurge a little today.

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  11. Pre pandemic I worked full time. I made all my own jackets, pants, skirts and blouses. Typically I would complete one garment per week. The girls at the LFS knew when I came in there would be 60 to 80 meters of fabric to cut. This has all completely changed. I now work part time somewhere else and wear a uniform. I love my new quiet simple life but my garment needs have changed drastically and honestly have disappeared! I love to sew involved woven garments but realistically wear comfy knits. My stash is full of suitings and practical poly blouse fabrics and a small handful of knits. Intellectually I've accepted the my glory sewing days are gone, but I still mourn them. Mostly I am afraid to lose all the skills I've acquired. These days I like to always have a WIP but it's hard to feel motivated when I really don't have any clothing needs. I guess even without a pandemic every sewist faces this eventually but it is like have a really good friend move far away. I try to keep the relationship alive but it is getting more difficult as time goes on.
    Jenny

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  12. Hi It’s Jacqui from New Zealand. I enjoyed the post in 2016 and it was interesting to read of the update. As for my stash, I have changed my buying habits now. Fabric is expensive in NZ and can be hard to get a good range. I recently rearranged my stash and catalogued it using swatches into a folder. Our light is very harsh so the stash is stored in thick black plastic bags in 60 litre plastic tubs. I did not get rid of much but have begun to sew for other people and children. My wardrobe is full of clothes I’ve made and love to wear. I have a few years to go before retirement but have recently become the sole income earner which has impacted greatly so am grateful for that stash. I love your stash and seeing the creative ways you use to sew unique garments. Thank you. 9

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  13. I remember that post well, and thank you because it made me think about my own stash too 😁. Basically I have never seen anyone transition to the exact retirement they envisioned, even when huge external factors like covid didn't intervene. And I'm quite aware that my own tastes and needs change, which makes me feel like I don't want to accumulate too much. In fact, my own life has been upended too. I got covid early and got very ill, lost my job, ended up retiring. Moved (too) far out to the country, got married, lived in socially distanced pjs. More changes on the horizon soon, hopefully with more people and better pjs. Now I was a software person, so I've always had some sartorial freedom of expression and much comfort, I don't foresee a radical change of direction. But my local stores closed, I'm down to a Joanne over an hour away, the only good news is that after some growing pains I have developed some competence in remote fabric shopping. I do get rare outings to LA and potentially NY/Paris, but those require some good wardrobe planning in advance so I don't get overwhelmed and confused. Otherwise my main source of live fabric is the estate leavings of dead weavers, which carry their own built-in warnings 🤣. And on the outgoing side I've developed a good relationship with the local jail, so I can help funnel excess to people who need it, whether it's my own or on a wider level, and I've been sewing for others more. Basically I think the main thing I need in stash is notions, whether good interfacing, interesting lining or some basic amount of still-good elastic. I'm also consciously focusing them. I don't like sewing zippers so I feel fine skipping them entirely. I'm now doing all serging with rainbow thread in the loopers. Things like that. But I know there will always be enough fabric out there, I don't need to allow my creativity to be buried under more stash than I can manage

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  14. I enjoyed both your original 'retirement' plan discussion and the update. Also counting down to retirement and planning the next stage of life!

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  15. paloverdebloomsApril 30, 2023 4:51 PM

    Your update is so timely for me. I retired a couple of months before we went into lockdown and spent much of the pandemic taking care of my husband (who died in June 2022). I am very grateful for all the extra time at home with him in his last years. But I continued purchasing fabric throughout the pandemic, even accelerated how much I acquired. I think it was some sort of coping mechanism. But since my husband's death, my attitude has changed. I have been going through all of our possessions (divesting myself of his collections and much of his wardrobe that I could not reuse) and seriously considering what would/will happen to all these things I possess when I die. I looked at my fabric stash—really looked at it—and was appalled. I love 95% of it (there are always some pieces that are inexplicable) but I know I couldn't physically sew it all up if I worked on doing so every day for years. And there is no more room for what exists—let alone room for new acquisitions! Something clicked in me. I went cold turkey on fabric buying. I still look at all my favorite online fabric sources but I no longer find a compulsion to buy. I know that if something appears that is really special or speaks to me, I can indulge. And if it's something I don't have but need and will sew up immediately, then it's okay to purchase (i.e., the cotton mattress ticking that I am halfway done making into a laundry basket liner). I can also purchase fabric directly for friends that I know will love it (since I know their tastes) and give it to them. I have also decided to start donating a good portion of what I have. The community college program here will likely be one major recipient. In many ways I am relieved to have taken these steps. I am now sewing for myself and saying, 'Oh, let's just go ahead and use this piece, no sense in holding back because it's such a nice textile. I have so much that is nice!'

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  16. I retired 10 months ago and found the forced work from home during COVID made my adjustment less abrupt. My one hour each way commute had already been eliminated so the transition was easier. I did slow down my fabric purchases but found comfort in having a stash I could touch and re-imagine how I would use a piece of fabric in the new world I started living in. I’m hoping to continue to sew some of the fancier fabrics I didn’t get to yet for those special outings in the city. Who knows? My large stash will go to nieces if they want any of it and be donated. My niece just started using a serger so I’m sure she will find more than a few items to put in her stash. I’m also exploring all those crafts I didn’t have time for when I worked. Having some time and choices is making retirement a pleasure.

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  17. Hi I have to agree with Jenny I try to keep a WIP because I don't want to lose my sewing skills. I don't have much knit fabric I liked wovens. I like to make blouses we all need those (LOL). Also I try to learn new techniques. I have started quilting, due to fact most garment stores have closed. I retired in 2017 and I thought okay I can take those classes that I couldn't when I worked. Well, one store closed and the other didn't offer anything that I would like to sew. I have culled some of my magazines and books that not relevant any longer. I don't know about my stash, I just love it and its a (oh well) moment I have sometimes, do I really care what will happen to it. Do men wonder about the culling/distributing of their tools in the shed (lol)

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  18. I have a (probably to many) smallish stash. I'd say maybe 6-8 projects worth. This seems manageable and reasonable to me. First, I'm a slow sewer and usually have ideas percolating so I usually have the fabric bought before I am ready to sew it (I'm a 1 project at a time kind of gal). Second, I live in a 750 sqft house and I won't store anything in the basement because I'll never work on anything if I have to go down there to see my stuff. I just don't have enough room to store any more. Lastly, I make all of my clothes now, except gifts, underthings and water proof wear, and I need that stash available to me when a see the wardrobe need coming. Having a stash means I often have something to fill the need. Sewing is my hobby and I use it to clothe myself because I hate shopping. I get joy out of the things I create, more joy then I would ever get out of something I bought, both in the making and the wearing. I'll always have that stash because of that, though it may not always have what I need. What the pandemic (worked every day of the pandemic, at the office) changed for me was that I quit shopping for clothes completely (Pants that don't fit and require a belt! Colors I hate! Skirts! Dresses! White things! Boo. No thank you!) I just adjusted my lifestyle to make do with what I have or have to make (until the fabric arrives!). I did up my making time during the pandemic. It's put me in a bit of a bind, recently, since a fair number of my clothes are now "coming due" for replacement. I'm lucky that, though I have an office job, my workplace is pretty casual and where I may have made the necessary trip to replace something in the past, I don't need to. I'm also fortunate that the factory part of the building requires wearing smocks so when I've had thin spots in the thighs of my jeans, I'd put my smock on so no one notices until i get them replaced. It's working so far. I'm probably 20 years out from retirement (just turned 46) and I'm not sure what that will mean for my stash being so far out. I used to knit, before sewing, but I reached a limit to how many sweaters I need and/or can fit in the tiny closet of our 100 year old house. I only knit to fill the need of something to be replaced now. I can imagine a state where that would be true with my sewing but I still have yarn kicking around so fabric will probably also. It's my hobby, and I enjoy it, but it's probably more the size of my house that will dictate the size of the stash at any time in my life.

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    1. Forgot to sign! Shana, that's me!

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  19. Oh My Gosh! We've had the conversation about the nicer pieces of fabric and right now I'm still hanging onto them. Thanks to you, I think the (I hate when I can't remember names) the jumper will work for some of my nice wools and be so cozy in the winter with tights. But I'm also saving some of those nicer fabrics for Eleanor. I'm also trying to enjoy what I have and make functional, different garments. g

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  20. Hi Carolyn, Robin here. For ten years prior to 2016 I worked from home, and before that in office jobs that required dressier clothes. After a layoff, I found a part time job that came with a uniform. Along the way, menopause happened, and I decided to no longer buy RTW clothing. My adaptation to these changing circumstances into sewing more casual and comfortable garments has been slow. Then the pandemic happened, which was okay for my sewing - I’m an introvert with plenty of stash. Typically if I don’t have what I need, I make do, or find a reasonable facsimile at JoAnn or WalMart, since there are no brick & mortar fabric stores nearby. I am a huge Fabric Mart fan, and rarely extend my shopping needs beyond their stock, partly for economical reasons but mostly because they have met every fabric need I have. The stash still has yards and yards of wool suiting and silks, and souvenir fabrics from years ago too. I have to make more of an effort to make them up for casual wear so I can enjoy them.

    I will formally retire in 3-5 years, depending on financial circumstances. I already feel semi-retired, with a part time job not anywhere near my career field, and a husband who has been retired for a few years already. I have the potential to travel to far flung places, and lots of wardrobe to fulfill that requirement, so mostly I spend time trying to find a balance between interesting and practical everyday wear. I am looking forward to learning how to make underwear and accessories, maybe knitting and getting better at embellishing and coordinating what I make. At this moment, we are working through a major whole house reorg and clean up. I can’t really sew until it is further along, otherwise, I have many projects sitting, practically crying for attention.

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  21. Hi Carolyn, Heather here late to this post but it resonates to me. I am now on the slide into retirement too - currently working three days a week but aiming to finish in April next year. My stash is now a burden to me I just have too much! I am donating a lot and selling some of the expensive stuff suitable for events I no longer go to. I am keeping: linen, cotton, silk and some rayons if I still like the design. I will keep a few metres of wool but that is it. I want more room to sew in my sewing room (UK houses are small) and I just don't want so much stuff. I have determined to get 100 metres of fabric out of my house this year by any means possible and it is going well. I haven't bought any fabric this year which is astonishing. By the time I retire I want to have cleared a large dresser out of the sewing room so that I can actually get in there comfortably.

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