TMI

I thought I’d explain a bit more about the critter problem. The stuffed animal kind, not the iguanas that like to invade my yard… that’s a whole ‘nother subject.

When I order them, I get 9 or 10 at a time and they come in a vacuum sealed package about the size of a basketball. (For reference, that’s only an 18″ x 24″ mat.)

A quick 10 minute toss in the dryer and they fluff back up. You can see they now overflow a laundry basket.

Notice how one stuffed animal from that original basketball size package now takes up the same amount of space as it once did combined with nine others in vacuum sealed packaging.

The error in judgement is all mine. I didn’t anticipate that more than one or two people might also donate stuffed animals. And, if they did, that I would have to store them for longer than a couple of weeks. The next request is for a December donation so that three weeks turned into three months – and that’s where the problem lies. It’s not the little quilts, it’s the stuffed animals donated with them.

That’s why I’m now considering vacuum sealing the stuffed animals that get donated. I’ll have to figure out how to tag them so I can pair them up again with their little quilt for donation… possibly just take a quick photo. I’m not sure it’ll work but I think I have to at least buy a few bags and give it a try. Oh, and an attachment to work with my Dyson vacuum. Always something, right?

I love my home and have no desire whatsoever to own a larger one. I’m sure when it was built is was considered average. By today’s standard it’s small, very small. I used to live on an acre and a quarter but this home is on a 1/2 acre lot and that feels just right.

We have a 20 x 30 garage that’s never had a vehicle in it (it’s used for tools, storage, and a man cave). Last year we added a 12 x 20 storage shed for holiday decorations. 🙂 I could easily store things temporarily in either of them but they’re not air conditioned and that would likely be a problem.

I have donation quilts stacked on the bed in our guest room / home office and that’s okay for now. My husband doesn’t complain but, I’m sure he doesn’t want to see them stacked up in every corner of the house any more than I’d want to see his tools there.

I’ve shared photos of my sewing room in the past but I’ll share a few again so my friends will understand my dilemma. I’ve asked a couple of people to please slow down a bit and don’t go crazy buying fabric for them. We’ll likely to have enough to donate for the rest of the year by the end of this month.

So, what’s wrong with collecting more in anticipation of the next request? I suppose I need to show you.

I try to keep my sewing room as organized and neat as humanly possible but, it doesn’t leave any space for things to pile up for months.

I can move things to the table on the back of my long arm when I need to use my cutting table.

And, when I want to quilt, I reverse the process and move it all back to cutting table. It’s extra work but not too bad for just the next week or two. I’m in trouble after that.

Here’s what the inside of my house starts to look like in October…

Yesterday I shared photos of the outside of our house during Halloween. This is little bit of the inside. Not as much for Thanksgiving but Christmas?… let’s just say I’ve had a few years to quilt, craft, and accumulate cherished keepsakes.

The reason for showing these photos is so you can see that all items that are normally on walls or flat surfaces are relocated from October until January so we can enjoy decorating for the holidays. They’re typically stored in one or two bins within my sewing room. Where the little Halloween village is, that’s normally a pantry .

I would have considered concealing items under my bed because it’s waterbed on a platform. We may be the last couple in the county to own one, but we both love it! At the moment, that’s where three 9-yard bolts of batting I was able to buy during a sale last month are hiding. I go through a lot of batting so couldn’t turn down a decent sale. Interestingly, it was my husband who offered the brilliant idea after I spent a few sleepless nights worrying about where I would store them! 🙂

The bed in my guest room/home office features a trundle with a built-in drawer designed for a second twin mattress. I use the drawer as storage for my holiday quilts. Additionally, the antique humpback trunk (showcased in some of my photographs and adorned with a “boo” decoration in a Halloween photo above) contains my first quilt, a couple of treasured hand-quilted wall hangings made by my mother, an antique quilt, and a couple of other quilts I’m not yet ready to part with.

So why am I sharing all of this? To show that I’ve optimized all of my available storage space to its fullest extent. To explain why I keep repeating “I just don’t have room” so you’ll understand that I’m being honest and sincere.

Your little quilt wrapped around a stuffed animal doesn’t look as though it would take up much room. And, it doesn’t… until it’s quickly been joined by 40 others.

Our guild made the tough decision to relinquish storage, and now it’s up to all of us to adjust to the unintended consequences.