{Editor’s Note: Today we have a guest post from Emily Chapelle at So D*mn Domestic. She has set up 6 different houses in 7 years of military moves so she knows a thing or two about having stuff, maintaining it and decluttering what you don’t need… even if she is a crafter with the corresponding crafter’s stash!}
You know what WIPs are, right? If you’re a crafter I know you do. Works-in-progress. Those half-done, almost-done, or barely-started projects we’ve been “meaning to get to.”
The problem is, when our craft stashes (not as trendy as mustaches) grow, WIPs multiply, and soon we’re spending most of our time managing, organizing, and digging through embryonic projects instead of actually crafting.
I can’t tell you how much craft stuff I got rid of when we moved into our new house in December. But it was at least three big boxes during my craft-area-focus day. Plus other random stuff I decided to declutter at different times. It can be bad enough when you’re a die-hard knitter or something, and the yarn piles up. But what about people like me (I know you’re out there) who are kind of a Jack of all trades?
I have clothing blanks in different sizes from when I was doing toner transfers on T-shirts and baby clothes for my local La Leche League. Paint, blank canvases, paint brushes. Yarn, knitting needles, crochet hooks. Embroidery hoops, embroidery thread, various sewing notions, and a rainbow of sewing thread. Scraps of fabric, clothes to upcycle, quilt batting, polyfil stuffing, 10,000 buttons, baby carrier hardware, and on and on and on….
We’re moving cross-country again in January. So we’ll be in this house just over a year total. I’ve decided to take this time to Whip the WIPs and get my craft stash under control. How am I doing it?
- I got rid of the obvious stuff. The projects I didn’t WANT to finish anymore. The craft items that no longer sparked ideas of stuff I actually wanted to make with them. I donated so much stuff. Someone else can make all of that into something. It’s no longer my responsibility, and I’m glad about that.
- I realized the constraints of my time. Real life happens. Every day. And somehow I’m not sitting down to craft every day. If it were my main priority, it would happen. But it isn’t. I craft around once a week, and sometimes even less. So I might get 10 multi-weekend projects done in a year, and a few smaller ones. I don’t NEED materials for doing 200 different projects.
- I identified which WIPs were my priorities. Once I got rid of the stuff I realized I wasn’t ever going to DO, a few projects stood out to me as being more important to me than the others. These are the ones I’m making an effort to complete first.
- I set an expiration date. If I don’t complete those projects by the time we move again in January, I’ll realize an entire year went by without me making them priorities in my life. And it will be time to let go. And I REALLY WILL let go.
- I’m not buying more craft stuff. Really, until I have significantly cut down on my craft stash, I can’t justify buying more stuff. I don’t need to browse fabric stores and craft stores when I have so much I can work with in my home. So I’m just not. If I need something tiny to finish a project I have most of the materials for already, fine. But I’m not going to just buy materials for no reason, or for an inactive WIP.
Here’s to a crafty year, more actually-finished instead of in-progress projects, and a shrinking craft stash!
Emily Chapelle has set up six different houses in seven years of military moves. She’s also the mother of two adorable curly-haired kids, wife to a Navy fighter pilot, and a former teacher, childcare provider, and nanny. Now she works from home to spread encouragement and inspiration to other homemakers with a no-nonsense attitude and lots of tough love. She blogs at So D*mn Domestic. Get her free eBook, Finding the Awesome: 3 Steps to Doing More & Stressing Less for more inspiration and guided, broken-down exercises to find your Awesome.
Karen says
I also will not buy any more crafting materials. I always go shopping in my stash instead. Amazing the things you have squirreled away!
Emily Chapelle says
Yeah! “Shopping” at home is such a great way to keep the clutter out… shop your wardrobe, shop other rooms for decorations to swipe for a different area, shop… your freezer for dinner instead of ordering delivery again. haha. Sounds like you’re getting it handled, Karen!
Melissa says
I tried to click the link to find your blog, and I got “error”. Can this be fixed? Good ideas!
Emily Chapelle says
Oh no! It looks like the formatting in the bio area is spitting out weird links. Just emailed Dana about it, but until then, you can click my name in this comment to get my ebook for free, or visit http://www.SoDamnDomestic.com to check out my blog. My community is at http://www.HardcoreHomemaking.com
Thanks for letting me know, Melissa!
Dana White says
Got it fixed! So sorry about this, Emily!!
Katherine B. says
It’s mentioned to donate unwanted/unusable/cluttering stuff in the article. Some thoughts of who to donate to: a fellow crafter, a budding crafter, local community center/library with classes that use the material, and last (but certainly not least) check with your local art teacher, esp at the elementary level. As an elementary art teacher, some of our budgets are pathetic, some rock, but you may have the extra flare a kiddo needs to unleash their creativity! I for one LOVE inheriting a scrapbooker’s extras!
Emily Chapelle says
Good suggestions, Katherine! Thanks for chiming in. 🙂
Marei says
Got myself some wonderful WIPs at home (and flaming cheeks after reading this post because I feel quite caught out…)
Gonna get them prioritized and on a deadline during the soccer world cup match tonight – thank you sooo much for the inspiration!
Emily Chapelle says
Marei, that sounds wonderful. I know you’ll feel better once you’ve prioritized them and have a plan!
Marei says
Dear Emily,
again thank you soooo much for this post! Mean while I got one project done that I started somewhere between 1.5 and 2 years ago. And I made serious progress on another one that had been waiting around since Christmas (at least it was *last* Christmas. Oh great and now I’ll be stuck with that song for the rest of the day …). If everything goes according to plan, I can now finish it ahead of my (new!) schedule.
Awesomesauce! Yay! Happy Dance! (The hubs is jazzed as well)
Thank you!!
Emily Chapelle says
That’s SO amazing! 🙂 Great going!!!
Kayla @ Shoeaholicnomore says
I’m not buying anything either, that’s my goal at least. I have been “shopping” my mom’s stash of fabric lately since she has so much she’ll never get through it all. I finally finished a quilt that had been all but done (just one border left and then needed to go to the quilter) since 2011! Now that that quilt is done, I’ve been on a roll and actually wanting to do some new projects. I didn’t realize that quilt was holding me back so much! Since then, I’ve already done a whole other project start to finish (well, except for the binding when it comes back from the long-arm quilter’s house) and am about 40% done with another!
Emily Chapelle says
That’s so amazing to hear, Kayla! Way to go, breaking through the barrier you had with that quilt. Sounds like you’ve worked up some serious momentum now.
Christina Nelson says
OMG. My 2 favorite bloggers in the same place. I just – before reading this – decided to go through my scrapbook paper. I read on a different blog, instead of figuring out what to get rid of, figure out what you would buy today. (I think I heard something like that from Emily once. Soooo. Maybe I did that half way. Now I’m thinking “with all I have what would it take to choose THIS ?” I should make a second pass quick – while the mood is right.
Emily Chapelle says
Sounds like you’re about to have another big breakthrough. 😀 It’s great to “see” you here!
Kamala says
Thank you Emily, that was really a great, useful and informative post that’s really inspiring –
it’s really so liberating to get rid of all those WIPs (nice to have a name for this life-thing…)
When you clear your space and even more important – your mind – you get a burst of creative energy and inspiration. There’s guilt and other unpleasant feelings associated with the WIPs and when you just admit to yourself that those projects aren’t going to be done and that it’s OK – it’s a great feeling.
Thanks and happy crafting everybody !
Emily Chapelle says
You’re very welcome. And YES let the guilt go! No reason to carry that around.