Sewing Room Sunday: Vintage-Look Drawer Labels

I made labels for some of my wicker drawers months ago, but didn't get them attached until my recent sewing cottage clean-up. That's so like me! Actually, I had tried to stick them on with glue dots before, which seemed to work fine. But the next day they had fallen off and were all stuck to each other on the floor. 

Here's how I made them:

1. I used Steam-A-Seam 2 to adhere vintage pattern instructions to a piece a card stock. If you follow the instructions on the package, Steam-A-Seam does a much smoother and more permanent job of sticking paper or fabric to card stock than glue or other methods I've tried. (The card stock was actually some ugly art prints that ended up in the "free bin" at my favorite thrift shop.)

2. Then, I cut the desired size tags with a rotary cutter and see-through ruler.

3. The letters were from some scrapbook paper I'd purchased on clearance for $.25/sheet. I just glue-sticked (or would it be glue-stuck?) them on since they're small and won't ripple.

4. Since the glue dots didn't stick to the wicker, Mabzie punch a hole in each one and tied it on with some narrow bias binding we had hanging around in one of the drawers. I though heavy twine would've worked well, but didn't have any. Improvise, improvise, improvise!

I love the vintage feel they give the drawers, and I love knowing what's in which drawer! And as always, I'm thrilled that they cost me very little, and utilized materials we already had.

Clean Sewing Room (Miracle)

My sewing cottage was an unbelievable mess (see before pictures here).

I worked on it for a few hours this week; then Mabz and I spent all day yesterday- and I really mean all day - in there, up to our ears in sewing stuff (and dirt). You see, when your sewing space is not in your actual house, it gets a different kind of dirty. You get mulch and mud tracked in, cobwebs, dust... and you don't clean it as often (not often at all). Not to mention all the thread, fabric fibers and dust that come from your sewing and crafting activities. Well, that's enough explanation (euphemism for excuses). Let's get on with the after pictures (clockwise around the room):

Bins and drawers hold scraps, notions and crafting supplies. To see how I made-over the plastic bins on the second and third shelves, click here.

My new design board started out in life as Mabzie's National History Day project (shown below). It's a wood frame with foam-core panels, which works great. Fabric won't stick to it like flannel, but it's easy to pin into. 

Look what all's hiding behind it (now you know where some of the junk went!). It can also be used as a dressing screen if I'm hemming for a friend, or a student wants to try on a garment! 

Notice my husband's picture near the top center of my bulletin board... Oh, no, wait a minute- that's some gorgeous South American soccer player named Nacho something-or-other, who moonlights as a Ralph Lauren model.

The serger threads got all sucked up in the vacuum cleaner and mangled up and tangled up, so it's time to get out the threading instructions! Honestly, I usually just change colors by tying off to the new spools, loosening the tension, and running the thread through until the color changes! Oh, well... at least my sewing area is neat now.

Below is Mabzie's sewing desk. Now that's it all clean, she's promised to come up and sew with me more! Her design board is a thick foam panel (given to us at Sew Biz Quilt Camp a couple of years ago) covered with tea-dyed muslin.

OK. Let's see how long it stays this way! (Allison, if you're reading this, I didn't find your tote bag pattern.)

What Now?

This is the last in a series about the "One Year Attic Rule" (scroll down to previous posts).


Step 4: Remove everything you just took out of your attic from your premises immediately! You've made your decisions. Don't second guess yourself. And don't let any other family members dig through it and pull things back out either.


Take it all (RIGHT NOW!!!!!) to one of the following places:

• dump, dumpster or curb
• charity thrift shop (YMCA Thrift Shop, Goodwill)
• consignment shop (may require an appointment, see Yellow Pages to find one)
• Once Upon a Child or Plato's Closet for cash payment
• a Craigslist listing (don't keep it if it doesn't sell, and don't shop while you're there...) 
• (insert any other place you can think of besides your attic, house, porch, yard or car here) 

It doesn't matter where you take it. Just take it. RIGHT NOW!!!!!  (Yes, I do know that typing in bold caps is considered yelling.)

Step 5: Repeat steps 1 through 4 until your attic is as clean as you want it to be. It might take a while, but you'll get there. If you do this a year from now, you have a reference point for the "One Year Attic Rule". If it's still there the next time, right where you left it, then it's been there a year without being used. Bite the bullet and get rid of it!

If you're wondering what's left in my attic, here's the list:

• Christmas decorations, wrappings and artificial tree 
• a few decorations for other holidays
• 25 years of business files (you have to keep those but I'm not worried about deterioration)
• a few of my daughter's toys
• a dollhouse (currently listed on Craigslist) 
• 2 leaves for my dining room table (shouldn't be there- could get damaged)
• luggage
• metal filing cabinet (can't remember what's in it)
• 3 American Girl doll boxes
• rocking chair from my childhood (should be somewhere else but just doesn't fit in)
• 2 humidifiers (used only in winter months)

How long did it take my husband and me to get to this point? It probably involved somewhere around five years of difficult decisions, but we got there. And I don't regret any of it. Freedom from junk is so liberating! Try it...


Oh, I forgot to mention this technique works anywhere in your house that you might have a growing collection of unused (or useless) items. Give them to someone who will appreciate them. You'll both be happier. 

Good luck! Let me know how it goes. 

Implementing the One Year Attic Rule

STEP 3: Get rid of everything that has been in your attic and hasn't been used for more than a year. When taking this step, don't use these common excuses (I tried them all...) :

•  But (insert friend or relative's name here) gave it to me.
•  But it belonged to (insert friend or relative's name here).
•  But I paid a fortune for it.
•  But I think I might be able to use that sometime...for something.
•  But you can't buy those anywhere anymore.
•  But I'm saving that for (insert event or situation that will never happen here).
•  But I'm saving that for (insert name of person who will never really want it here).
•  But that was mine when I was a kid.
•  But I'll fit into that again someday.

Here's how to deal with these excuses (none of which are completely without validity, but cause your attic and other spaces in your home to contain an unimaginable amount of clutter):

• Gifts become the property of the receiver. Your friend or relative would not want you to be burdened by something you don't like, want or need. Give it to someone who can use it.
• Your grandmother's china all boxed up and never used does not represent her. Keep a few things which really remind you of her and get rid of the rest.
• It doesn't matter how much you paid for it. If it does not meet your needs now, or your tastes have changed, it needs to go. 
• No, you'll never use it. I have NEVER really needed something that cost more than a dollar or two and realized that I used to have one, but I disposed of it. Honestly!
• Sometimes there's a reason you can't buy those anymore. No one likes or uses them anymore.
• What you're saving it for is theoretical. Junk is for real.
• The person you are saving it for will never want it.
• Keep your favorite childhood items (in good shape only) and let the rest go.
• If you can ever fit into it again, it'll be out of style. It probably already is.

Still having trouble? Try asking yourself these questions:

• Have I used this since our last move?
• Would it be worth it to take this with me if we move again?

Make as many of these decisions as you are mentally capable of this time around. If you've made a big dent in it, give yourself a break- you can go another round later. However, if there's not a huge load of stuff waiting to be hauled away, keep going. It'll be worth it. I promise.

Next post- Step 4. 

What Not to Store in Your Attic

If you're just joining us, this is a continuation of yesterday's post "The One Year Attic Rule" (scroll down).


STEP 2: Box up everything in your attic made of paper or fabric and take it downstairs.


I know this instruction sounds troublesome, because, after all, this category includes some things you had planned on keeping forever: scrapbooks, wedding mementos, photos, baby clothes, stuffed animals, books, and goodness knows what other sentimental goodies. Relax- you can keep as much of this as you want (and/or have room for). 


What I recommend for these items is two-fold. First, whittle the collection down a bit. Do you really need to keep every outfit your baby ever wore, or every book you ever read to him/her? You have your special favorites- keep them and give the rest away. Sort through it all and keep whatever falls into these two categories: a) anything that represents a specific happy memory, and b) anything that would make you sad to part with. Secondly, get rid of everything else, including pictures of folks you can't identify and clothes you think your grandkids might wear (it's never gonna happen...).  


OK. Now that you (hopefully) have just a fraction of what you started with, find someplace else to put it. Since this is stuff that you've decided to keep "forever", you can't (or shouldn't) store it in your attic! Extreme, fluctuating temperatures and humidity break down textile fibers causing yellowing, deterioration and other serious damage. So do insects, mice and other chewing pests. Additionally, some sources say that the unfinished wood in your attic can do harm as well. So, your valuable keepsakes need to be stored in a climate controlled, dry, pest-free environment. Our four plastic tubs full are stored in our crawl space, which maintains a fairly consistent temperature with low humidity, and is well sealed. Your best option might be a closet, so you may have to be very discriminating when choosing what to keep. As time passes, you will become comfortable narrowing it down even more- to make room for new memories.


Coming Next- Step 3: Implementing the One Year Attic Rule 

The One Year Attic Rule

Guess what? I don't have to Spring Clean my attic this year! Not so very long ago, you could barely walk around up there without tripping over something. This is what it looks right now:

No, all the junk is not piled up at the other end:

 

Our family operates under what we call the "One Year Attic Rule", which was enacted a few years ago: If you put something in the attic, and it hasn't been used since last year's Spring Cleaning, out it goes! Of course, at first there were items one person or another (OK, usually me...) would refuse to part with, but it got easier with practice! When I was up there yesterday to put the luggage back, I was thrilled to realize that our attic has actually stayed clean this year!


Because of the "One Year Attic Rule", things just don't seem to even get put up there in the first place. We keep an old plastic laundry basket as a "donation bin" in our crawl space. When it gets full, we just take it to the YMCA Thrift Shop.


I have never regretted disposing of even one single item! I have never wished, even once, that I had something back that I sold or gave away. It's so much more important to feel organized and relieved of a junky attic!


So, choose a day that's not too hot and not too cold and get up there and get started! 


STEP 1: Throw away anything that's damaged, broken, or missing pieces/parts. These items are easiest to admit you'll never use again! In fact, do this everywhere in your house.


NEXT POST- STEP 2: What you want to keep that should be stored somewhere else...