Not Quite a Hoarder

I just realized today is Friday the 13th. I need to make a run to Sam’s for certain items. I dread that drive over to that part of town and don’t feel like tempting fate. I’ll think about that tomorrow.

After my dinner Sunday I was contemplating of purchasing some new placemats. I’ve been using some of my homemade mats for over 40 years now. I made these for my first apartment I moved into back in 1976 using left over upholstery material.

That thought got me to cleaning out the drawer where I store that stuff. I mixed up a couple batches of OxiClean and soaked and washed out my placement assortment. I was happy to see them clean up to like new condition. I should be set for my lifetime placemat wise.

I also uncovered a set of monogrammed hand towels that belonged to my great aunt Bess that must be at least 70 years old. Items such as this were never really used but instead put out for show. Jamie is using this stuff now! The oak medicine cabinet they are hanging off was salvaged from an old house on Bryant Drive back in 2003. The sink was bought at a yard sale Joe and I stopped at back in 1997 in Oakfield, NY. The gas arms were acquired at “Larry and Bob’s” auction in the mid 1970’s. It is hard to make out the light fixture reflected in the mirror which was originally in an old main street building in Lockport, NY. Everything has a story.

Upstairs I cleaned off the stuff from the top of the cedar chest. It has been many years since I have ventured into this chest. I was given this when we cleaned out my Aunt Frans Apartment back in the early 1990’s. A lot of the contents of this chest are from her Queens apartment.

It seems like this week has been “repair and mend” week. The granny square throw from the cousins needed quite a bit of patching. I would estimate it was crocheted back in the 1940’s or 1950’s. The first inner loop of the squares was not a strong point as a lot of the squares had this integral part unraveling. I’ve done enough granny squares so it was not difficult to rework in new support yarn to repair.

The piece work throw blanket had quite a bit of loose yarn stitching which joined the knitted squares and rectangles together. It was an easy fix. It is now covering my bed and has been claimed by Holly.

Also, in that chest were two wool blankets in dire need of new binding. These blankets were labeled “Chatham” which was a very popular brand. This 1940 ad features my orange blanket!

I decided to get some blanket binding to return these old blankets usable/like new condition again. It is times like this I feel so old. I remember back when department stores had “dry goods” departments and blanket binding would be a staple item. Those days are long gone.

I gave up long ago trying to track down elusive items from brick and mortar stores. An internet search of Joanne Fabrics turned up bindings but none in a colour I could use for my orange blanket. I did find a source online and placed my order. The match for my blanket was “spice brown.” The money I will pay in postage is more than made up with the reduced aggravation of a futile search and dealing with driving/traffic.

It is scary in how I can relate to the people on “Hoarders buried Alive” having such an emotional attachment to their piles of garbage. I’m thinking of the two old blankets that a “modern person” would pretty much just toss while I will take the time and effort to keep them functional. The quality of those old blankets is amazing when compared to the stuff made today.

Being able to follow through and actually accomplish the task of refurbishing is the big difference between me and the hoarders who are so overwhelmed and crippled.

The episode I watched last night (Season 2 episode 10) of the former flight attendant Jan who had two houses full of crap was very sobering. The happy segment showed her two daughters in the cleaned-out kitchen and living area. The sad part was Jan just moved all the crap to the driveway which brought in the city inspectors. I’ve not been able to find any kind of definitive follow up on Jan.

If anything that show is an inspiration to me to keep cleaning out and staying organized….