When I inherited all of Mom's sewing machines, gadgets, notions, books, patterns, and fabric, it was overwhelming! There is a whole post, complete with pictures, describing the vast amount of stuff we moved out of her house after she passed away. I honestly never expected to whittle it down to a reasonable amount.
Over the past two years, I have donated boxes and boxes of fabric to the local quilt guild. I've made quilts to donate to local charities. I've made stacks of pillow cases to donate to the nursing home. I finished several of Mom's unfinished quilts and gave them to all of my children and grand children. I finished one of her baby quilts and gave it to a niece's baby. I turned several of her orphan blocks into art work for the walls of my home. I even convinced one of my daughters to help me set up an Etsy shop and participate in the local Sami shows to sell various items.
Our last Sami show and most recent inventory items have pretty much used up the miscellaneous bits and pieces that really weren't big enough or numerous enough to make a quilt out of. I had reached a point where I was going to have to start buying fabric to go with what was left in order to make something that had matching fabric in it. That's when I realized it was time to stop.
During the time I've been using up Mom's dribs and drabs of fabric, my designing, cutting, sewing, quilting, and binding skills have improved ten fold! While it has been bitter sweet to work through her stash; but, I think she would be proud of my growth as a quilter.
So, this is the last post about items I've made for the Etsy shop or a Sami show. The existing inventory will be available as long as the current listing is up. Once they expire and it is time to renew, the shop will close and we will no longer set up at Sami Shows. I'll even retire my tax ID number!
It was fun having Maggie, Sophie, and Leslie help out at the Sami Shows. I loved that the girls made their own craft items and sold them as well. I appreciated Leslie's administrative support with the shop; but, now it is becoming a job. That's when you realize it might not be much fun if you keep going. I don't want to turn a hobby into a job because it takes the pure joy out of it.
So here are the final pictures of Etsy Inventory and our Sami Show experience. It was fun; but, the party is over!
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