Its a Win-Win

Palette for my next quilt, originally uploaded by String and Scissor.

I am a Pack Rat (note the capital "P" and "R"). I have a memory attached to everything I own and , thus, hate to give it or throw it away. I have boxes and bags of stuff that I have refused to part with. I guess you could call me, and the piles around me, messy. My husband is just the opposite. He loves to get rid of stuff any way he can as he hates clutter and messes.

In the process of packing for our move, I have made a major breakthrough that seems to have quelled my tendency to horde. Over the past month, I gave away three car loads of stuff we don't use anymore. And its only because I have figured out that if I have something I don't want, my husband is more than happy to watch the kids while I drop it off at the local thrift store. This means that I get to go into the thrift store by myself (even though there is a drive up drop off) and check out other people's old clutter.

Even better is this: All thrift stores in my town are within walking distance from each other so when I get to go to one - I sneak into all six. I know where all the fabric is in each shop. I know what I'm looking for and can't leave a roll of fabric behind if it grabs my eye.

I've gotten pretty quick and my husband is none the wiser unless I come home, like I did last Friday, with three bags stuffed with fabric like those in the picture. I found all of these, and more, in a course of an hour in thrift stores on the same block.

It was a good day for both those who hate tchockis and for those who love vintage fabric. Any way you look at it I think its a fair trade: a car full of clutter for a few bags full of bright vintage fabric that I can fold and refold, over and over again. I even keep it pretty neat.