What to do with Stash

I've been going through my stash and listing everything I can. (I've
been working on it for about two weeks off and on, and I still have at
least a week of two to go. I also spent some time last week making a
list of about 30 books donated to our Guild by the husband of a deceased
member. This week, our Guild president, Vice President, and I are going
to be going through Jean's kits and fabrics to get them ready for a
silent auction and yard sale at our next meeting.

And with Gillian's post about the yard sale she attended with the 50
cent kits, it made me think to ask/remind you to think about where your
stash will go when you are at the great stitching retreat in the sky!
If nothing else, make sure your spouse or kids have at least some idea
of the value of your stuff.

It's something I'm seriously going to start thinking about.

MargW

"MargW" wrote in message


And with Gillian's post about the yard sale she attended with the 50
cent kits, it made me think to ask/remind you to think about where your
stash will go when you are at the great stitching retreat in the sky!
If nothing else, make sure your spouse or kids have at least some idea
of the value of your stuff.

It's something I'm seriously going to start thinking about.



As well as being an embroiderer I am also a bobbin lace maker. Last year a
member of our group suicided (long and ugly story). She was a spinster in
her late 70s who had been an obsessive collector of "stuff". By stuff I
mean 1000s of pieces of china, crystal, glassware, figurines by any top
maker you can name. All these were brand new and in boxes - never opened.
Aside from this she had been interested in textile crafts for most of her
life, and had amassed an enormous collection, much of which was auctioned
off at a local auction house last weekend. It was heartbreaking to see
hugely desirable pieces sold off for a pittance because the sellers
(family/auctioneers) did not know their value or desirability, and also
because there was such an enormous pile of 'rubbish' surrounding the gems of
the collection. We were all quite aware that the family had been 'remote'
from this lady, and simply wanted the valuable real estate cleared, and by
comparison the stash value was probably negligible. Her books were
auctioned months ago, and again it made me very sad, as expensive, esoteric,
and desirable books were lumped in with other worthless books rather than
having been sorted and categorised so as to at least go to buyers with an
interest in the topics.

Viewing the lots for sale I thought about my own (not insubstantial) stash.
I have very specific provision in my Will for my lace bobbins - but I am by
far the youngest member of my lacegroup and in all probability will outlive
most of my other lacemaking companions, so the specific provision might well
be null and void by the time I am gathered, so in writing this I may have to
expand specific provisions to cover that eventuality. My embroidery books
are destined for the local guild, from there they can be distributed or
sold, but at least they will go to interested homes I would hope. That
leaves my stash. Valuable to the right people, and worthless to
others............I will be interested to hear what others hope will happen
to their stash.

Joanne in Perth, Western Australia

MargW wrote:
I've been going through my stash and listing everything I can. (I've
been working on it for about two weeks off and on, and I still have at
least a week of two to go. I also spent some time last week making a
list of about 30 books donated to our Guild by the husband of a deceased
member. This week, our Guild president, Vice President, and I are going
to be going through Jean's kits and fabrics to get them ready for a
silent auction and yard sale at our next meeting.

And with Gillian's post about the yard sale she attended with the 50
cent kits, it made me think to ask/remind you to think about where your
stash will go when you are at the great stitching retreat in the sky! If
nothing else, make sure your spouse or kids have at least some idea of
the value of your stuff.

It's something I'm seriously going to start thinking about.

MargW
You could call up your local school and see if the art department
teacher could us it for the students. Nothing like keeping a craft alive.
Barbara

Barbara wrote:
MargW wrote:

SNIP
And with Gillian's post about the yard sale she attended with the 50
cent kits, it made me think to ask/remind you to think about where
your stash will go when you are at the great stitching retreat in the
sky! If nothing else, make sure your spouse or kids have at least some
idea of the value of your stuff.

It's something I'm seriously going to start thinking about.

MargW
You could call up your local school and see if the art department
teacher could us it for the students. Nothing like keeping a craft alive.
Barbara


We are thinking of donating whatever is left over from our silent
auction and yard sale to a local women's shelter. As we all know,
needlework can be a wonderful comfort, and many women in shelters left
abusive situations with only the clothes on their backs.

MargW

MargW wrote:
Barbara wrote:
MargW wrote:

SNIP
And with Gillian's post about the yard sale she attended with the 50
cent kits, it made me think to ask/remind you to think about where
your stash will go when you are at the great stitching retreat in the
sky! If nothing else, make sure your spouse or kids have at least
some idea of the value of your stuff.

It's something I'm seriously going to start thinking about.

MargW
You could call up your local school and see if the art department
teacher could us it for the students. Nothing like keeping a craft alive.
Barbara


We are thinking of donating whatever is left over from our silent
auction and yard sale to a local women's shelter. As we all know,
needlework can be a wonderful comfort, and many women in shelters left
abusive situations with only the clothes on their backs.

MargW
Thats a great cause...
barbara

On 4/6/09 6:04 PM, in article , "MargW"
wrote:

I've been going through my stash and listing everything I can. (I've
been working on it for about two weeks off and on, and I still have at
least a week of two to go. I also spent some time last week making a
list of about 30 books donated to our Guild by the husband of a deceased
member. This week, our Guild president, Vice President, and I are going
to be going through Jean's kits and fabrics to get them ready for a
silent auction and yard sale at our next meeting.

And with Gillian's post about the yard sale she attended with the 50
cent kits, it made me think to ask/remind you to think about where your
stash will go when you are at the great stitching retreat in the sky!
If nothing else, make sure your spouse or kids have at least some idea
of the value of your stuff.

It's something I'm seriously going to start thinking about.

MargW

Well, I have to decide on a stash executor - my first choice is now way to
far away. I think I'd ask that if my family didn't need the cash, that what
ever people here and on another group wanted would go to them and the rest
be dropped off at a shelter or in the Stitcher's Lounge at the next
Celebration of Needlework.

Otherwise, sell the good stuff for DD's college fund.

Cheryl

says...
And the crap will be sent to the thrift store.

This is a terrible idea!!!! Many thrift stores have piles of crap near their
dumpsters because the people who sort and price items know that the stuff won't
sell or because it's in bad shape.

Craig's list, which has electronic 'outlets' in many places, is a great way to
recycle no longer needed/loved items.
--
another anne, add ingers to reply

At the risk of being a heretic, I don't care about what happens to any of my
stuff when I die. The things I have give me pleasure now, in my life.
That's why I have them. I assume that when I go, my kids will keep a few
things of mine as remembrances; what those will be will be their choice.
There is no telling what will speak to them of the time we had, but it will
be something they value then, not something I value now.

I have seen far too many bitter quarrels and ugliness about things when
someone died. I have also seen people burdened with boxes of stuff they do
not need or even like, but which they feel they must keep (or their siblings
feel they should!!) "because they were mother's" or because mother paid $x
for that (in 1956). The stuff I have donated to church sales would make
some of my kin spin in their graves--but it has no value to me, and I would
rather see it do some good. If someone finds a "treasure" that I have
discarded, and it makes their day, good for them.

No matter how much we love the stuff we love, it is still only stuff.

Dawne

"Dawne Peterson" wrote in message
el...
At the risk of being a heretic, I don't care about what happens to any of
my stuff when I die. The things I have give me pleasure now, in my life.
That's why I have them. I assume that when I go, my kids will keep a few
things of mine as remembrances; what those will be will be their choice.
There is no telling what will speak to them of the time we had, but it
will be something they value then, not something I value now.

I have seen far too many bitter quarrels and ugliness about things when
someone died. I have also seen people burdened with boxes of stuff they
do not need or even like, but which they feel they must keep (or their
siblings feel they should!!) "because they were mother's" or because
mother paid $x for that (in 1956). The stuff I have donated to church
sales would make some of my kin spin in their graves--but it has no value
to me, and I would rather see it do some good. If someone finds a
"treasure" that I have discarded, and it makes their day, good for them.

No matter how much we love the stuff we love, it is still only stuff.

Dawne

Amen to that, or as they used to say at the Women's Organization I worked at
Awomenl

Lucille

On 4/7/09 4:24 PM, in article
tel, "Dawne Peterson"
wrote:

At the risk of being a heretic, I don't care about what happens to any of my
stuff when I die. The things I have give me pleasure now, in my life.
That's why I have them. I assume that when I go, my kids will keep a few
things of mine as remembrances; what those will be will be their choice.
There is no telling what will speak to them of the time we had, but it will
be something they value then, not something I value now.

I have seen far too many bitter quarrels and ugliness about things when
someone died. I have also seen people burdened with boxes of stuff they do
not need or even like, but which they feel they must keep (or their siblings
feel they should!!) "because they were mother's" or because mother paid $x
for that (in 1956). The stuff I have donated to church sales would make
some of my kin spin in their graves--but it has no value to me, and I would
rather see it do some good. If someone finds a "treasure" that I have
discarded, and it makes their day, good for them.

No matter how much we love the stuff we love, it is still only stuff.

Dawne




I don't care, but I do care - I'd like to see that which gave me joy give
some one else joy