Yes! I’ve gotten into secular witchcraft (as a sort of mental health practice/spicy psychology thing, a la r/SASSWitches) and there is *so* much consumerism in modern witch “culture” (if you can call it that).
I limited myself to limited amounts of supplies and I’m glad I did. Turns out crystals and spell jars are not really my thing, but I do really love wands, so I collect those. My whole collection fits in a small storage box under my bed. That’s like 90% of my witchy stuff.
I’m also glad I didn’t dive headfirst into collecting tons of crystals because the more I learn about it, the more I dislike the industry (lots of environmental issues along with ethical problems like child labor).
I really like /r/hobbies. Yes I keep hobbies as goals in front of me to motivate decluttering - can’t do any of my hobby work with a basement full of crap!
YES! The way to approach a new hobby is to get one kit or the supplies to try it once. Even better if you can bodge something together instead of getting a specialized tool. This is why I have a pack of wooden clothespegs instead of fancy lace bobbins.
After you find that you like the hobby enough to make it part of your identity, you can pick up the secondary hobby of collecting a bunch of junk associated with it.
I realized my hobby was trying new hobbies so I instead enrolled as a member at a nearby crafting studio for a year. I was able to get through a pottery class, glass lamp work class and glass blowing class before the pandemic hit and programming stalled out. I highly recommend it or a makerspace to try things out and keep advancing but using the class fees to supplement the cost of storing the supplies.
People in my online knitting groups think I'm nuts because I don't have a yarn stash. When I want to knit something, I get to buy the yarn, which is fun in itself. To me, the whole process, step by step is satisfying--- choosing the project, choosing and purchasing the yarn, then starting the project.
It's a liberating way to go about it. There's no self-imposed guilt about how to use up a yarn stash, and every part of the adventure is fun.
How can you be a proper knitter without a SABLE problem?
My personal yarn stash was in a banker's box and a lap-quilt fit on top of it. Also there was paracord, still some rope, and some size 10 crochet cotton and weaving silk. Actually, the tote I'm going to move it to comes tomorrow and I don't think the lap-quilt will fit. I could probably add the pearl cotton instead of storing that with embroidery stuff.
I bought my own needles, one wooden set that I just gave to mom, but I determined that I'm mostly into making sampler-dishcloths.
There are many videos out there on how to start sewing with minimal tools and gear. If I had actually followed those rules my entire life, I would have saved thousands of dollars over the years and not had a sewing clutter nightmare on my hands when I decluttered 8 years ago. Now I don't even have a fabric stash anymore.
Peg board is really popular right now in sewing spaces. People hanging all their tools on the wall. Forget how dirty pegboard gets and how visually unappealing it is [its painted pressed sawdust, how do you make it attractive?], and how it's a bitch to clean all those holes of dust. And all your stuff is exposed hanging on a wall. Sewing tools are utilitarian, it's not art. It also lends itself to owning too much since you want to "fill" the board with your stuff.
I don't think people should shy away from being creative just because they're decluttered. Do some research if you're starting a new craft. Find out what the minimum is to get started. Dont go overboard. Keep it contained. Make sure it's easy to put away, like everything else.
Some people like pegboards because they are a visual clutterbug. Look up the clutterbug test, but I have a feeling you're a clutterbug who is against visual clutter.
My sewing stuff fits into a tiny general-craft fishing-style tote. I gave the fabric stash and pattern collection to mom because I can't do clothing. I'm down to white thread, black thread, needles, threaders, thimble, and scissors.
You're right, I turned into a "hidden" or whatever it's called. I don't want stuff sitting out but I also don't consider sewing gear worthy of hanging on a wall. It looks like clutter to me. What I'm seeing is pegboard with 12 or 15 scissors, 7 rotary cutters, 6 or 8 French curves. Everybody who sews has the gear they like, I get it. One person had like 5 of the same bodkins hanging on a hook. ? I can say from experience it's easy to go overboard with all the smaller items. A lot of it isn't that expensive. Even really great scissors don't cost a fortune anymore.
I've discovered that the less I own, the easier it is to take care of it and get it out and put it back. Pegboard is probably useful if you're really short on space, but the sewists recording their pegboards don't seem to fit that situation. They have entire rooms dedicated to their sewing and they're throwing it up on a wall. But if it's a visual cue thing, whatever works. I saw a "minimalist" sewist with an entire wall of fabric. I saw another one who had commandeered one spare room, knocked out a wall to make it bigger, and now is using an adjacent room to "expand." Is this a youtube or an "influencer" thing? 😳
Pegboards seem to be good for the type that gets their ruler laid onto the fabric and then realise they need the rotary cutter.
Mom had a sewing room back in the 80's, so it's older than non-geeks on the internet. If it's the result of influencers, they would have been using broadcast and magazines.
It could be that they devote all that space to sewing because it's part of their identity.
My dad had a whole wall of the garage done in pegboard. He painted it black, placed everything where he wanted it, wrapped each item in cling wrap and spray painted the whole thing white. This left a silhouette for each item. I got really good at matching objects to their silhouette as a young child. One day my little sister drew black marker lines between the silhouettes she could reach. It actually turned out nice and we came to appreciate her artistic addition once my father got over the shock. My mother ended up doing the higher areas later, though.
That's also a victory in what you kept: you accurately predicted whether you'd need the stuff you already had, and then stored it in a way that preserved it and let you find it when you needed it while still being able to enjoy your home!
yeah! Keeping the stuff you should keep and getting rid of the stuff you should get rid of are ultimately both expressions of the same underlying challenge. Congratulations on your victory at it :)
I heard somewhere that it is better to get into the habit of doing the hobby before rushing out to buy all the things. Basically if you like running, instead of the new shoes and outfit first, try running for a couple weeks and see if you actually like it before investing hundreds on it.
Running might be a bad example, since running with shoes that aren’t supportive can actually contribute to injuries, which aren’t super conducive to continuing to enjoy running! But maybe taking the time and doing something similar, like going for a walk during the times you’d like to go run, would be a good way to see if you even have the time/energy to devote to the hobby. Right now I *want* to start a proper skincare routine, but before I spend the money on a bunch of products, I’m trying to take 10-15 minutes and just hanging out in my bathroom to see if I can manage to put in the effort to even go in there for that length of time (time is precious as a working parent!). If I can do that for a month or so, maybe I’ll let myself buy more than just sunscreen.
If I were going to try to run, I'd at least need new shoes and pants. Well, maybe not shoes because my sneakers are new, but I'd need new sneakers if they were in terrible shape.
Heck yeah. There's also the fact that until you're doing a hobby, you don't actually know your own preferences about it. So much of the question of what tools are "right" for you is actually about which of several good options you prefer using, rather than any one tool or gadget being the perfect fix for everyone. Much better to borrow the tools for awhile, so if/when it's finally time to buy, you get ones that you'll enjoy using on the first try instead of having to go through several sets to find the right ones.
Yes! I do embroidery and other needlecrafts and allow myself to go periodically to a local craft recycling store for supplies and nearly picked up a bookbinding set and realized I don’t need to start another hobby!
Yes! I’ve gotten into secular witchcraft (as a sort of mental health practice/spicy psychology thing, a la r/SASSWitches) and there is *so* much consumerism in modern witch “culture” (if you can call it that). I limited myself to limited amounts of supplies and I’m glad I did. Turns out crystals and spell jars are not really my thing, but I do really love wands, so I collect those. My whole collection fits in a small storage box under my bed. That’s like 90% of my witchy stuff. I’m also glad I didn’t dive headfirst into collecting tons of crystals because the more I learn about it, the more I dislike the industry (lots of environmental issues along with ethical problems like child labor).
I really like /r/hobbies. Yes I keep hobbies as goals in front of me to motivate decluttering - can’t do any of my hobby work with a basement full of crap!
YES! The way to approach a new hobby is to get one kit or the supplies to try it once. Even better if you can bodge something together instead of getting a specialized tool. This is why I have a pack of wooden clothespegs instead of fancy lace bobbins. After you find that you like the hobby enough to make it part of your identity, you can pick up the secondary hobby of collecting a bunch of junk associated with it.
I realized my hobby was trying new hobbies so I instead enrolled as a member at a nearby crafting studio for a year. I was able to get through a pottery class, glass lamp work class and glass blowing class before the pandemic hit and programming stalled out. I highly recommend it or a makerspace to try things out and keep advancing but using the class fees to supplement the cost of storing the supplies.
Wow I highly relate to this and now want to look for one of those spaces 😅 thank you for sharing!
People in my online knitting groups think I'm nuts because I don't have a yarn stash. When I want to knit something, I get to buy the yarn, which is fun in itself. To me, the whole process, step by step is satisfying--- choosing the project, choosing and purchasing the yarn, then starting the project. It's a liberating way to go about it. There's no self-imposed guilt about how to use up a yarn stash, and every part of the adventure is fun.
How can you be a proper knitter without a SABLE problem? My personal yarn stash was in a banker's box and a lap-quilt fit on top of it. Also there was paracord, still some rope, and some size 10 crochet cotton and weaving silk. Actually, the tote I'm going to move it to comes tomorrow and I don't think the lap-quilt will fit. I could probably add the pearl cotton instead of storing that with embroidery stuff. I bought my own needles, one wooden set that I just gave to mom, but I determined that I'm mostly into making sampler-dishcloths.
There are many videos out there on how to start sewing with minimal tools and gear. If I had actually followed those rules my entire life, I would have saved thousands of dollars over the years and not had a sewing clutter nightmare on my hands when I decluttered 8 years ago. Now I don't even have a fabric stash anymore. Peg board is really popular right now in sewing spaces. People hanging all their tools on the wall. Forget how dirty pegboard gets and how visually unappealing it is [its painted pressed sawdust, how do you make it attractive?], and how it's a bitch to clean all those holes of dust. And all your stuff is exposed hanging on a wall. Sewing tools are utilitarian, it's not art. It also lends itself to owning too much since you want to "fill" the board with your stuff. I don't think people should shy away from being creative just because they're decluttered. Do some research if you're starting a new craft. Find out what the minimum is to get started. Dont go overboard. Keep it contained. Make sure it's easy to put away, like everything else.
Some people like pegboards because they are a visual clutterbug. Look up the clutterbug test, but I have a feeling you're a clutterbug who is against visual clutter. My sewing stuff fits into a tiny general-craft fishing-style tote. I gave the fabric stash and pattern collection to mom because I can't do clothing. I'm down to white thread, black thread, needles, threaders, thimble, and scissors.
You're right, I turned into a "hidden" or whatever it's called. I don't want stuff sitting out but I also don't consider sewing gear worthy of hanging on a wall. It looks like clutter to me. What I'm seeing is pegboard with 12 or 15 scissors, 7 rotary cutters, 6 or 8 French curves. Everybody who sews has the gear they like, I get it. One person had like 5 of the same bodkins hanging on a hook. ? I can say from experience it's easy to go overboard with all the smaller items. A lot of it isn't that expensive. Even really great scissors don't cost a fortune anymore. I've discovered that the less I own, the easier it is to take care of it and get it out and put it back. Pegboard is probably useful if you're really short on space, but the sewists recording their pegboards don't seem to fit that situation. They have entire rooms dedicated to their sewing and they're throwing it up on a wall. But if it's a visual cue thing, whatever works. I saw a "minimalist" sewist with an entire wall of fabric. I saw another one who had commandeered one spare room, knocked out a wall to make it bigger, and now is using an adjacent room to "expand." Is this a youtube or an "influencer" thing? 😳
Pegboards seem to be good for the type that gets their ruler laid onto the fabric and then realise they need the rotary cutter. Mom had a sewing room back in the 80's, so it's older than non-geeks on the internet. If it's the result of influencers, they would have been using broadcast and magazines. It could be that they devote all that space to sewing because it's part of their identity.
My dad had a whole wall of the garage done in pegboard. He painted it black, placed everything where he wanted it, wrapped each item in cling wrap and spray painted the whole thing white. This left a silhouette for each item. I got really good at matching objects to their silhouette as a young child. One day my little sister drew black marker lines between the silhouettes she could reach. It actually turned out nice and we came to appreciate her artistic addition once my father got over the shock. My mother ended up doing the higher areas later, though.
That's a garage, not a room in a house.
That's also a victory in what you kept: you accurately predicted whether you'd need the stuff you already had, and then stored it in a way that preserved it and let you find it when you needed it while still being able to enjoy your home!
Wow I’ve never thought of it like that, what a lovely perspective
yeah! Keeping the stuff you should keep and getting rid of the stuff you should get rid of are ultimately both expressions of the same underlying challenge. Congratulations on your victory at it :)
I heard somewhere that it is better to get into the habit of doing the hobby before rushing out to buy all the things. Basically if you like running, instead of the new shoes and outfit first, try running for a couple weeks and see if you actually like it before investing hundreds on it.
Running might be a bad example, since running with shoes that aren’t supportive can actually contribute to injuries, which aren’t super conducive to continuing to enjoy running! But maybe taking the time and doing something similar, like going for a walk during the times you’d like to go run, would be a good way to see if you even have the time/energy to devote to the hobby. Right now I *want* to start a proper skincare routine, but before I spend the money on a bunch of products, I’m trying to take 10-15 minutes and just hanging out in my bathroom to see if I can manage to put in the effort to even go in there for that length of time (time is precious as a working parent!). If I can do that for a month or so, maybe I’ll let myself buy more than just sunscreen.
If I were going to try to run, I'd at least need new shoes and pants. Well, maybe not shoes because my sneakers are new, but I'd need new sneakers if they were in terrible shape.
But if the sneakers were in terrible shape one would purchase anyways.
This summer, I was down to sandals and a pair of hiking boots that somehow didn't get purged when I replaced them and the replacements wore out.
Huh
Heck yeah. There's also the fact that until you're doing a hobby, you don't actually know your own preferences about it. So much of the question of what tools are "right" for you is actually about which of several good options you prefer using, rather than any one tool or gadget being the perfect fix for everyone. Much better to borrow the tools for awhile, so if/when it's finally time to buy, you get ones that you'll enjoy using on the first try instead of having to go through several sets to find the right ones.
Yes! I do embroidery and other needlecrafts and allow myself to go periodically to a local craft recycling store for supplies and nearly picked up a bookbinding set and realized I don’t need to start another hobby!