Hi Reader,

There hasn't been a lot of sewing going on in my space during the last month or so. Instead, I've found myself in a season of sorting and purging.

With my Mom's passing in September, I inherited her entire stash. My sister doesn't sew, so it has been my responsibility and pleasure to go through every box, bin, shelf, and closet and see Mom's sewing history and legacy.

With only so much space in my home, there is no way I can combine her entire stash with mine, so I've been sorting both her items and my own to determine what to keep and what to get rid of.

The good news is we're having an estate sale in March, so I have a deadline for when the sorting needs to be completed.

It's been a challenge to decide what to keep and what to get rid of in both of our stashes but about a week ago I learned something that has helped tremendously.

Find out what I learned in the last section of the newsletter titled Questions to Ask.

Two events

Note: I'm not affiliated with either of the events except for signing up and being an attendee myself. Both events look like excellent opportunities to be inspired and to learn new things, and I wanted to share them with you.

Both events are free to attend.

1. Break the Rules of Sewing

This event is for anyone who sews clothes.

✂️ Sign up for the Break the Rules of Sewing event​

✂️ Sign up for the Break the Rules of Sewing event​

2. Quilted! The Virtual Summit

This event is for quilters.

✂️ Sign up for Quilted! The Virtual Summit​

✂️ Sign up for Quilted! The Virtual Summit​

Buying fabric (and other stuff)

How difficult is it to find the fabric, notions, tools, and supplies you need for your sewing and quilting projects?

There are fewer brick-and-mortar stores than there used to be, and for many, shopping online may be the only way to get the items they need for sewing and quilting.

With Joann Fabric and Crafts filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for the second time in the last 12 months, their future seems uncertain.

In response to Joann's recent announcement, Jessica Capalbo, a sewing pattern designer, posted an invitation for readers to share their favorite recommendations for fabric and notions on her IG page.

While there were several companies I was familiar with, there were more that were new to me.

If you're searching for places to get fabric and notions, it's worth the time to take a look at the comments on this post and bookmark it for future shopping.

Questions to ask

How do you approach your sewing?

• Don't start a new project until the current one is finished
• Multiple projects going on at any given moment
• A stash full of future projects
• UFOs piling up

I've tried many times to work on one project at a time but that doesn't fit how I like to work and create.

The last three bullets listed above are my reality, and my storage zone is almost full. This, along with taking on some of my mother's stash has me in a pickle.

I recently listened to Anne Cordosa, a quilting coach, talk with a couple of quilters. One was struggling with UFOs because of perfectionism, and the other had a quilt kit she kept moving around and was scared to start.

​The conversation was engaging and reflective. Not just for the ladies being coached, but for myself and how I think about and manage multiple projects, unstarted projects, and UFOs.

Something Anne said has stuck with me as I sort through not only my stash but also my mother's and figure out what to keep and what to let go.

I ask myself these two questions:

When the answer to either of these questions is "no," a sense of relief comes over me, and I can easily put the item(s) in the pile of things not to keep.

With these two questions, I have a benchmark for decision-making.

I no longer feel guilty if I don't want to finish one of my UFOs or that I'm letting my Mom down if I don't want to keep something of hers that doesn't inspire or light a creative fire within me.

If your thoughts and feelings are getting in the way, you may find it helpful to ask yourself these two questions if new and unfinished projects are piling up.

To listen to Anne's coaching session on YouTube, and possibly pick up other nuggets that may help you, click HERE.

That's all for now. Until next time...

P.S. Are you new to the Snappy Scissors newsletter? You can check out past issues HERE.