De-cluttering and Repurposing

Well, it's time to de-clutter. You know... you just have to stop and do that every so often. And, it's a bit over-due in my house.

De-cluttering for me is a process of removing things from my home or re-purposing them. If I have no use for them, but they are fit enough for another person's use, I'll donate items to a charity. If they are worn, I will either throw them out or find another purpose for them. I'd love to fix more things, but I'm just not skilled, motivated or capable of fixing some of the items... so they re better off going to the trash or to someone who can fix them.

I love the idea of re-purposing items. And, with the internet, there are so many resources for creative re-purposing... there's just no excuse not to do it.

Today, for example, my husband sorted through his closet and had several pairs of jeans which were either too worn or too small. Those in good shape, but too small went to charity. Those that were worn... had the scissors taken to them. One pair will be a book bag (made from the pockets, and section just above the crotch) and two childrens aprons (made from the legs). Others may become potholders, neck rolls, or other such items. I found a lot of instructions online for re-purposing blue jeans. It will be fun to break out the sewing machine for these simple projects.

Another simple project involves using old t-shirts to make durable grocery bags. The idea came from the Martha Stewart website and is extremely simple and cute!

A fond memory of mine involves sitting in the quilting bee with the ladies of our community. They never let material go to waste. Every scrap had a purpose. If nothing else, they were sewn into patchwork quilts. Though I grew up around the quilting bees and know how to sew the tiny stitches to hand quilt... I don't sew very well and I've never laid out a quilt pattern. I hear the old ladies' voices telling me that it doesn't matter, just do my best and regardless, the quilt will be warm.

I don't know if I'll ever be able to go that far with my re-purposing. But, I do intend to make my girls each a t-shirt quilt from their youth shirts. I've got them cut out and just need to sew it all together. One day, I will make time for this... once I get over the anxiety I have about it.

In the meantime, I'll practice my stitching with some more simple projects.