It's time to clean house

surely some of those fabs are worth much much more to folks than just a $1 a bag. ok maybe some tiny scraps but if you're tossing out bigger pieces, consider the size of those pieces before you price them for sale. please. no point in selling too cheapaas folks might not respect the fabric for what it is. just my two centavos, j.

"Sunny"wrote... I'm out of space. My sewing room is useless and overflowing with .... stuff. So I'm going to take out all the fabric I know I won't use. No more 'oh, I might need this to back something one day'. I am going to have a sale and get rid of all the stuff that I bought on huge sales just because it was cheap, never mind ugly. And most of what Janae left me, too. I have so much fabric that was intended for clothing and so much quilting fabric (really good quality) that is absolutely NOT me. And then there is that aqua and green Amy Butler piece that I had to have and then couldn't cut and now I can't stand. I'm even going to sell all those narrow strips and selvages that I couldn't stand to throw away. I'm gonna bag 'em up and and sell them for $1 a bag. LOL Wish me luck, it's going to take firm resolve, but I have to reclaim my sewing room so I can get back to making what I want to. It's just too hard to have to step over stuff that will never, ever be useful to me.

Sunny

Atta girl, Sunny. Go for it! Having your space cleared so you can do what makes you happy is heaps and gobs more important than storing stuff that you're not going to use. I can paint a Grandma Moses painting in the middle of a landfill or the intersection of I-10 and Hwy 59 - but - I need clear and clean when I quilt. There are probably lots of tricks and tips on having a grandly successful garage sale. Since this group is authority on all things, I hope the Garage Sale experts will give you some guidance. Polly

Oh, I wish I lived near you. I love getting fabric at garage sales.

Good luck, Sunny. I did the same thing about 3 weeks ago; SIL had a garage sale and I bagged up scraps I knew I'd never use. Even some very, very thick/stiff polyester batting I never could figure out how to mail to Jill without it costing a fortune. Most of the decisions I don't regret. I love having culled down to just things I love. But I realized, sitting in our metal lawn chairs, they could use a pad. I thought, oh, I could use that green fabric...WOOPS, I sold it. And I can use that stupid ultrathick batting... WOOPS, I sold that too. Murphy's law in action. You don't want it till it's gone. Still I am very happy for the order that I have now in the sewing room.

Sherry

Louise, I also love getting fabric at garage sales. That's part of my problem, lol. Most of what is going out the door is fabric that I didn't buy. Although, I'm going to clear out my scraps also. And many of them are cut into 2" and 2.5" strips. Don't worry, I will price the good fabric accordingly. I have some big pieces (4 yards) that Janae left that are gorgeous and beautiful and coordinated even though all three are big prints. And also other yardage that's good. Like I said, I have two pieces of big patterned Amy Butler (I think it was one of her first lines) that I HAD TO HAVE and then stuck back. Now I'm just done with it. I need space to work. I need clean work surfaces. And I think I know better what I want to do than I used to.

I'm going in with my friend for the sale. Her location is perfect. And I already know that if the ad in the newspaper says 'fabric' that the quilters will swoop down and clean up out. Yay!

Sunny

Good for you! Here are some inspirational quotes from a professional clutter-clearer:

"Clutter is trapped energy. It keeps you stuck in the past and prevents good new things from coming to you." "While clearing, focus on what you are making space for, and what you want to invite into your life: new friends, a business opportunity..." "Make an appointment with yourself -and show up!"

And her practical tips:

-Tackle the easiest point on your list first.

-Clear using different boxes or bags: rubbish, returns, repairs, charity, friends, sale, etc

-Wear a color that cheers you up and listen to upbeat music.

-Always clear from the inside out, and be aware of the fact that it will get worse before it gets better.

-Reorganize while clearing, find a permanent home for everything.

-Start with clearing the easier things, progress to more challenging clutter like gifts or photograhs, then graduate to clearing out mental clutter or habits you have outgrown.

-Always focus on what you have achieved already, not what is still to do!

"Clutter clear>I'm out of space. My sewing room is useless and overflowing with ....

Once you have made the decision to part with the fabric don't be tempted to bring it back in the house. Decide now what will be done with any fabric that does not sell. Deliver it straight from the closed garage sale to the donation location.

Susan

Sunny, a couple years ago i did the same thing. my sister did too, we had a combined GS. and i took all the fabric she didnt want and mine that i didnt want and measured and priced each piece. i rolled each piece and tied it with old ribbon and trims i didnt want...bonus for the buyer...i charged $3/yd for anything under 36 inches, $2/yd for anything up to 2 yards and $1/yd for anything over 2 yrds. it broke out pretty evenly per piece. we sold ALL of it. there were women at my garage at 7:30 in the morning! and were only there for fabric! good luck with your sale! amy in CNY