SBQ

Several questions this week:

What would your stash tell others about you?

If I could arrange it in a chronological way according to when I bought it, they'd see how my tastes have changed over the years and also how, as I grew more confident in my skills, I ventured into more difficult patterns with specialty stitches. They'd also find that linen is my fabric of choice and I'm absolutely crazy about overdyed fibers.

Most of us stitchers joke about having reached SABLE (stash acquired beyond life expectancy), but have you thought about what you’d like done with your stash after your death? Do you want it to reach other stitchers who will love it, too? Would your family know what to do with it or recognize its value?

I'm taking it with me. Okay, maybe not all of it but I think if I knew I was dying I'd put together a project or two for the trip. And I know I'm taking my Ginghers with me. As for what I leave behind, my family would be clueless as to it's value although my daughter might make the effort to sell it off on eBay.

How well organized is your stash –would someone be able to come in and put together a sale easily, or would it require lots of organizing work ahead of time? What would you like to see done with the funds collected from such a sale, i.e., should funds go to your family, to a charity or charities of your choice, to a charity or charities of your family’s choice, etc.?

I believe it's organized enough for someone to sell it if they decided to. And I'd leave it up to whoever took care of the selling to decide what to do with the money.

Are there certain items in your stash which are rare and highly desired by stitchers that might make a much larger amount of money if sold on eBay? Have you done anything to designate which items these more valuable ones are to guide your family in how to handle them? Who would you tell your family should handle such a sale so that they don’t have to do it themselves? Have you done anything to make these thoughts known to others, either through discussions or through a codicil to your will?

No doubt I have some OOP charts in my stash but I wouldn't know if they were considered rare or highly desired. I imagine my daughter will decide what happens with my miscellaneous personal items after my death and not someone outside of the family. There's nothing in my will regarding my stash but I imagine at some point I'll discuss with my daughter what I'd like her to do with a lot of my things.

Have you ever attended a similar sale of a passed stitcher’s stash? How did it make you feel? Did it encourage you to make any changes in your stitching lifestyle?

Not to my knowledge, although I have bought needlework type items at garage sales in the past, probably being sold by people who lost interest in the hobby.

Whew!