Moving as a crafter is complicated by craft supplies and collections.
How did I decide what to keep and what to purge / sell?

Craftcore is moving cities! My digital location online will always be here at Craftcore.ca and my YouTube channel, Craftcore DIY & Sewing. Over the past month I’ve been repainting our home with my husband, finishing DIY projects that we set aside, like expanding our primary bedroom’s closet and fixing our deteriorating front steps. We decided as a family to move pretty quickly, because we found a home that we loved and didn’t want to lose it. Our current home was purchased as a DIY project itself, but with a growing, busy family, some projects didn’t get the focus the home really deserved.

Moving is a Chance to Reassess What’s Important

Packing up my craft room was a tough experience, because like many crafters, I’ve accumulated many craft supplies over the years. So. Many. Craft supplies.

Obviously, if you’re followed this blog, I collect vintage sewing machines. How many sewing machines does one person need? Over time, I had accumulated 22 sewing machines (including sergers) which were tucked into corners of my tiny bungalow home. The bulk were in my basement sewing studio, but I had sewing machines in cabinets in my sun room, in my living room; I had machines displayed on shelves. But I had many more on utility shelves, tucked out of sight, where no one could enjoy them.

Why am I storing machines, when these machines can be enjoyed?

Why do I have duplicate machines, that are similar in utility?

My new home is a three hour drive away, and space is tight. Technically my new home will be larger than my old one, but I don’t want to start my new life bogged down with things that aren’t important. My sewing “studio” is going to be in a space bedroom, so I don’t want things to feel cramped.

What to sell, what to keep?

My collection brings my joy, so I didn’t want to get rid of everything. Additionally, finding the right person to buy a machine takes time.

Due to lack of time, I did take more with me than I wanted, but I was able to sell my second serger, a few standard domestic sewing machines, and some sewing machine accessories that weren’t compatible with any of my current machines, like these Kenmore monogrammer accessories. It was actually pretty fun to sell the machines, because I had such nice chats with the people buying the machines. For example, the man I sold my White Superlock serger to was buying it as a gift for his wife.

To help me purge, I created a spreadsheet using Google Sheets. I made a column for the machine and model #, whether I had made a YouTube video on it yet, and notes. If there was a factor that made it unique, I made sure to take note of it. I had one final column with either KEEP or SELL.

For regular craft supplies, it was easier. Item by item, before packing in the boxes, I asked myself: will I make something with this, realistically, in the next five years? If not, will I put these supplies in my children’s crafting area?

Regretting a Sale – I think I sold one to a metal scrapper…

At first, my strategy was to use Bidding Wars, a Facebook buy & sell group, to essentially “donate” my loved items but potentially earn a few dollars. How it works is you post your item for sale with a starting price, and people in the group have exactly 24 hours to bid on the items in $1 increments. It’s great fun, and I’ve had fabulous luck selling items at a low starting bid and having the prices climb up in the final five minutes.

I listed my Viking #788P sewing machine with a starting bid of free, and it ended up selling for around $5 after a few bids. Obviously way less than I paid for it, but I was just happy to have it go to a new home. I was sure to include extra accessories like spare bobbins. It was picked up within a few hours after the bidding completed, so I was feeling confident about rehoming my machines.

While going through this process, I was simultaneously listing other household items, like old rusty patio furniture and other metal objects that had accumulated with the best of intentions.

I noticed the same man was bidding on these free metal items as my Viking #788P sewing machine. I noticed his name more in the group, and he was always bidding on free metal items from any sellers.

I’m pretty sure this machine met its fate at a scrapyard, and I’m so sad about that.

My future listings, I started the price at $20, so that it’s still affordable, but filters out people who are just looking to pick up scrap metal.

RIP Viking #788P – that was not the fate I wanted for you. 😢

What is next?

Since we decided to move and successfully sold within approximately a month period, I wasn’t able to rehome as many as I wanted, but I made a small dent. I decided to pack up my collection and bring it with me, and once I arrive in my new home next month, I will continue purging down my collection to a more manageable size when I get to the new house.

I’m bringing my countertop and cabinets from my old studio, so I’m looking forward to creating my craft room space.

I will be moving officially September 2, and I’m looking forward to a new adventure! I’ll share a new “craft room tour” video as soon as I can.