I have the shell of a dress to show you. I was hoping to get more done today, but a certain person, named Rebecca, decided we’d start weeding out and purging in my sewing room, and she kept interrupting me with questions all day. What’s this? Where in the world did you get this? Are you kidding me? How many of these do you have? No, you’re not keeping this… I’m telling you, she was brutal with me today, but I have to admit I think the girl’s right! She weeded out more fabric than I ever dreamed I could possibly let go. Things I thought I loved, but when I had to make a split second decision, I realized it was just stuff and not my favorite. I actually got to the point where when she’d bring a stack of my fabrics over, I’d go, “keep, keep, nope, keep, nope.”
I was out of control on my fabrics, I think! No, I know I was. This needed to be done… and we just barely got started, but she said, I’m going to have to do something with the fabrics I don’t want anymore because there is no place to move in my sewing room now.. well, some room, but she can’t do any more until there is some space made…
When we first started this morning, she asked me one question… “What do you make?” I said, “I make dresses.” Then she said, “What kind of dresses?” and I answered her back, “Doll dresses.” Then she said, “okay let’s begin…” So she took a pile of fabrics from that top shelf in my big cabinet. Then she asked me which ones I wanted to keep… I said all of them… and she said, “What dolls would these work for?” I had to admit the prints were way too big for the dolls I sew for and so it began…the purging of the fabrics I’ve had for years, hanging onto them thinking I would use them some day. I guess I always thought I’d keep them in case I ever started sewing for little girls again, but dolls are my favorite to sew for, so I think I’m good with her decision to let some of them go.
So she came up with a plan. I am going to sell my fabrics and not put them in the yard sale… I think I may try and figure out a way to put them on here first. I’ll give you all first dibs on them if you want. I’ll take a picture of them with how much is in the bundle, add a number to that lot, put a ruler in the picture so you can see the scale and sell them for $2.00 a yard. I think I’ll try and figure out some simple way to do the shipping, like one set fee for however much you want. I don’t think I have the energy to list it on Ebay, so I’ll see how this goes. If it doesn’t move on here, I’ll probably list it on Etsy because it’s easy to copy one listing to another…and I’ve got LOTS to list.
Okay, now on to Janie’s dress… it looks pretty plain Jane, (no pun intended) right now, but I just finished the dress and grabbed a ribbon to put around her waist and a pair of boots for her feet. It has something very special to go with it… that I hope you’ll love!
Ready for some pictures? Rebecca thought she looked good in this wig, but I’m not so sure. I think I may put her back in the red wig again…it was just so pretty on her. I do have a short little platinum blonde wig that may work too… I guess I’ll have to keep trying them on her to see…
Well, it’s been a long day, and I think I’ll get to bed. I tried to beat midnight, but I see I’m 12 minutes over!
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
What a cute little dress coming up for Janie, Jeanne! I know it isn’t finished, we still need to see the Jeanne Marie embellishments, but do I see a pretty straw hat in that last picture?
Your daughter is really making you toe the line!! See, I asked why you keep buying more fabric, when you already have a lot, and now you are getting rid of the material you CAN’T use, so now you will have room to buy more material you CAN use!
HI Linda,
I’m hoping to get it all finished today, but I guess it depends on if I have any interruptions… sometimes my plans go by the wayside.
Yes, Linda, Rebecca is making me face REALITY! Seriously, it took her pointing out what I really like to do before I could face the facts that I’m not going to use so many of those fabrics. Sewing little girls dresses used to be such a big part of my life… I guess it’s just hard to let that part go… who knows maybe all my fabric will fit on my shelves now in ONE bookshelf! Then I can put all the things in baskets or containers that I don’t like seeing in my sewing room IN my big cabinet my hubby made me…
Thanks so much for your questions the other day… I think this is what really got me to thinking about all my fabric…
Blessings, Jeanne
I had to purge my fabric collection, too, Jeanne. Here is what I did. I photographed it with a quarter in the photo. I listed the pieces on ebay at very reasonable prices, sold it by choice of 1/2 yd pieces or more. I shipped by first class mail if possible. If not, a whole lot of fabric can fit into a flat rate envelope. Finally, I packed up leftovers in bins or boxes, even bags and took it to Good Will for a tax credit. I also gave some to the Dorcas Society for a tax credit. They make lap quilts for wheel chair patients.
HI Sissy,
Good to hear from you… Yes, I do remember when you sold your fabrics on Ebay…and I bought that sparkle tulle from you. Loved it!
Maybe I will put them on Ebay with a BIN at a reasonable price… and list maybe a dozen at a time… so I can keep them straight. I think I might try just taking pictures of them first and putting them on my blog… ( I wish I knew how to set up a store so I could just sell them from my website… hmmmm)
Thanks for the ideas…now I’ll have to get busy…
Very nice to hear from you…
Blessings, Jeanne
Janie is in the spotlight and rightly so. She looks so pretty in her new dress (and straw hat?). I love this tiny blue floral print. So glad you didn’t get rid of this one; it’s so sweet and perfect for doll dresses. Sounds like you had the perfect arrangement yesterday. You got to sew while Rebecca did the cleaning out bit. I have fabric that I will probably never get to for doll dresses too. It seems I only sew with my favorites from an order before a new batch of fabric arrives. I should be more picky when I order; I’ll have to work on that.
Wishing you a great day, Jeanne!
HI Cindy,
Thanks for your compliments on Janie’s dress so far…and yes, that’s a straw hat! So fun!!!
Rebecca actually found the same fabric with a rose colored flower in it too!
My sewing while she worked kind of distracted me from seeing my stash of fabrics go down.
Oh, Cindy, it was just time for the big prints to go. Some were easy to let go but I had to keep some… It’s funny how some would be brought to me and I could let them go but others I’d just HAVE to keep. I think it’s all about the colors…
Rebecca said she’s gotten pickier with buying her beads and she “suggested” I do the same with any new fabrics I may consider buying… She’s right…
I just got some terrific advice from Sissy above you, and it makes me confident that I’m doing the right thing. We never even made it to my winter fabrics or my flannels and specialty fabrics.. yikes!
I hope you have a great day too… The sun is shining here, is it there?
Blessings, Jeanne
What a pretty dress on a pretty doll.
What a luscious feeling you must have now with all the purging and cleaning that’s gone on in your house despite the fact of some hard decisions. I’m impressed with how quickly it all went!
Have a lovely day.
HI Becky,
Yes, Rebecca doesn’t dilly dally around… she moves quickly and makes you decide in a flash so you don’t have time to ponder… and she’s right… you could talk yourself back into keeping something you really don’t need if you let yourself. I laid in bed last night and tried to think of all the fabrics in the tubs she’s purged and actually couldn’t think of a one that I’d like to pull out. I think I just liked being surrounded by all my fabric. It may have even gotten to the point of being a “pride” thing…. Look how much Fabric I have!”
Well, now, it’s not… I should take a picture of the inside of my cabinet now… you’d be shocked!
I hope you have a lovely day too, Becky!
Thanks for your comments,
Blessings, Jeanne
You should be so proud of yourself, Jeanne. And Rebecca too, as she took the emotional feeling out of it for you.
I have to tell you this story. I had 80 Barbies and my niece and I put them on the coffee table all lined up. Then we played “Survivor”. We decided I would keep my most favorite 10 dolls of the 80 and one by one, the participants (the Barbies) left until there were 10 dolls remaining!!
It’s a good feeling of control over collections and space. There are so many wonderful places to donate if you don’t decide to sell an item.
Jeanne, the material for Janie is adorable. It would be lovely for some of the Civil War girls too.
Have a great day in your lovely organized house!!!
HI Paula,
Well, we made a HUGE dent in my sewing room today… I have SO much stuff to sell… I might make enough to buy whatever cabinet I want! :o)
I told Rebecca about your Barbie Survivor story… that’s the way to do it. She sort of did that with me… picked 2 fabrics at a time and if I wanted I could pass on one or not… until we had a boatload of fabrics to purge… I really needed her help or I never would have done this much. I can’t wait to get it all back in order now, but I’ve got to sell some things first to make some room…
Thanks so much Paula,
Blessings, Jeanne
Oh Jeanne, you’re making me think about actually doing something with “my stuff.” Good job! Wouldn’t it be fun to fly Rebecca around to help us all clean out? You know, Tuesday California, Wednesday Maine, etc. Unfortunately, the guest bedroom aka doll room bed is covered too at our place.
Janie’s wig startled me at first. However, after looking at it a few times, if she had a big bow in her hair she would look lovely. The hat too will be cute. Perfect fabric. Every time I see an LD doll I start trying to figure out how to get one. Long wait lists, no wait list at all, expensive Ebay, are all stopping me.
HI Joy,
Oh, as hard as it has been, Rebecca has been a dream to work with as she’s pretty kind to me when I want to keep something, but firm enough when she sees me hesitant about keeping something. I told her what you said about flying her around… she smiled and I have to admit she certainly would be good at that and well worth the money anyone would pay for her services… She has a plan and she’s sticking to it.
Oh the Little Darlings are so fun to sew for and they have the most beautiful faces… I’m very fortunate to have 3!
Blessings, Jeanne
I love Janie’s dress, just as it is (simple can be good! LOL), but am waiting to see what other embellishments you’ll add.
I have that fabric, also, as well as the same one with pink flowers. I think I’ve used one of them already, but not the other (just don’t ask me which!).
I second the idea of sending Rebecca around to some of us for de-cluttering! My house could really use it! However, we Have had our grandson (14-1/2) come done two or three times, and he’s helped me in the basement (aka overflow doll room)–he’ll hold up a doll (usually it’s in a box, many are Cabbage Patch Kids) and say, “How about this one, Grandma?” and usually I can let it go. We have gotten thru quite a few dolls as well as other things that way! Sometimes it just takes another person to encourage you to let something go!
Thanks Charlotte,
If you like Janie’s dress the way it is, you’ll be pleased that I didn’t change it much… I let her hat be the big embellishment area.
I just told Rebecca she has a second customer if she wants to head your way… That makes her feel great I think… I think I’m going to love my new sewing room… It’s going to be much easier to find things now! It’s still a mess now as we have piles of things sorted but waiting to be listed on Ebay or on here…
Thank you Charlotte,
Blessings, Jeanne
I loved yesterday’s pictures — a history of one stage of your life. This was an appropriate time for that as you let go of the things you no longer need while you keep the memories (and some of the things you love too much to give away). I keep finding books and assignments, and I say to myself, “Are you ever going to teach that class again?” A lot of things go with surprisingly few regrets, and that makes the next round easier. It helps a lot not to be the only one doing this.
What a lot of good information in a little space from Sissy. While we are cloning a team to make our lives easier, I vote we clone her too.
Thanks Marilyn,
Now that I’m weeding out, my sister out in PA is weeding out too.. She took a car load of things to her mission and got rid of lots of junk she said.
I keep asking myself, “am I ever going to need this again” just like you’ve been asking yourself those questions…
Sissy really inspired me to sell my things too… I remember when she cleaned out her fabrics and even helped her out a little bit.
Rebecca said I’m going to have to ask her if I can take something if someone offers me something…she’s probably right!
Thanks Marilyn,
Blessings, Jeanne
Thank you, Marilyn, but if you could see the mess STILL in my sewing room, you would retract the cloning idea, LOL!