Confessions of a Craft Hoarder

At the end, all that's left of you are your possessions. Perhaps that's why I've never been able to throw anything away. Perhaps that's why I hoarded the world: with the hope that when I died, the sum total of my things would suggest a life larger than the one I lived.
― Nicole Krauss

The more space they, hoarders, have available, the more space they fill. Perhaps this is actually the goal--to fill space.
― Randy O. Frost

There's even a name for the people who have the most stuff. They're called hoarders. Back in the day they were just called grandmothers.
— Ellen DeGeneres

Remember how last time I posted I mentioned about getting together with my stitchery friends, and how it rekindled my love of needlework? And how this in turn rekindled my love of stitchery supplies so I bought up a bunch and then came home and ordered a bunch online?

Well . . . on the weekend, the daughter and I went shopping. I actually had a good reason for stopping at Fabricland. Earlier in the week I bought some fabric for a dress I’m making the granddaughter for the father/daughter ball she’s going to in June. Actually, I had two different pieces of a medium pale blue, one organza and one lace, but they needed lining. Now I had bought an off white to line them with which would look very nice, but the granddaughter had asked for a darker blue, which they didn’t have in the store I’d originally gone to.

Turns out, neither did Fabricland. They did have dark blues, but they looked terrible with the medium blues. It’s probably just as well, the off-white will help tone down the vividness of the medium blues.

I did, however, find a print material for the in-between squares of the baby quilt I’m working on, and some lining for a tote bag I’ve been working on for years. Now all I have to do is figure out how to finish it. LOL

But then we went to Michael’s Craft store, because how could you not? Among other things, I picked up a bit more embroidery floss, and a plastic case to store it in. Technically, it’s meant for beads, but I figured it would work for thread too. And it sort of does, but you need to make sure the lid is snapped shut tightly.

Then I hit the dollar stores because the granddaughter and I were planning on doing some Easter crafts. Well, I shouldn’t be allowed in dollar stores any more than I should be allowed in craft stores. I got some Easter stuff, sure, but I also got a bunch of little wooden charms (for want of a better word). What I will be using these for I have no idea. I already had a bunch I didn’t know what to do with. *sigh*

But I also found a smaller (much cheaper) version of the craft box I planned on using for my embroidery floss. It wasn’t meant for thread either, but it worked much better. So I bought a couple of them and spent a considerable amount of time winding embroidery floss onto cardboard bobbins to store in said boxes. As for the original box I bought, never fear, I’ll still be making good use of it for other things.

I had just been kind of throwing this influx of craft supplies into my two stitchery bins, but I took the time to organize them properly – embroidery and cross stitch in one bin, beading and applique in another. But it was when I was winding the embroidery floss that I realized it’s just possible that I have a slight hoarding problem when it comes to crafting supplies.

Merriam-Webster defines hoarding as “the practice of collecting or accumulating something.” Yup, sounds like me all right. I’ve got all this thread that I really don’t need but I keep collecting. And you should see the case that holds my beading supplies.

But while I may accumulate a lot of “stuff,” at least I haven’t tipped over the edge into a hoarding disorder.

Yet.