...So yesterday I started on about what my stash would say about me. Now I can continue on with a few more questions from a very somber SBQ...

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?

There are a lot more questions that are nested after this one, but I'll use it to start and answer the others as I go along.

Yes, I have given it some thought, but not a lot of thought. I'm not ready to say goodbye to my stash, my life, my family. Too stubborn and too young. That said, I have figured out that there are a couple of friends that DH will need to call to help clear out the stash piles. It's been awhile since I talked about this with them, so I won't mention names, but one of them knows that A & B get first pick of anything they want from the stash and as much as they want.

The rest of it? Well, if I had time to prepare then I think that there would be a couple of things that would have to go to certain people who stitch because they would appreciate them. I think my stitching books would have to stay with A & B - they may need them someday and I would want them to have them.

As for the rest, selling or giving it away probably doesn't matter. Other than the emotional attachment and sentimental value that many of these charts hold for me, I don't know that my family would recognize any monetary value to any of it beyond what I paid. Oh sure, I think DH might help with a few eBay searches knowing that some things have gone out of print over time and that's why I tend to buy some things when I see them. Or if they've been out for at least a year. I don't know how anyone else would assign a value to my charts and gadgets and such other than going market value...

The true value lies in the memories of when I bought them and who I was with. Or why I bought a certain chart or skein of silk. It brings a memory up of friends and feelings and it's my own little corner of happiness and comfort in the house. No one else could truly appreciate my stash as much as I do, so no, I don't think they would fully realize the value of it.

Then again, DH has been known to read my blog and so he probably knows the value of my stash to me now. It brings me a smile. Or many smiles.

If they were to sell my stash, I'm not sure what should be done with the funds. I suppose a couple of things could happen... I could make sure that A & B know that the money goes to them for whatever hobbies they are invested in. That way it stays towards a hobby fund. Or I could make sure that it gets bundled into a donation to Second Harvest, which is our local food bank. They can always use donations - instead of the stash feeding my emotional soul, the money from it can go to feed a physical hunger. That would be a nice thing to do.

And exactly how would I expect my stash to be sold? I'm not sure... On eBay in lots so that no one ever sees who buys it? Via church flea market or garage sale so that my family can see my stash walk away to new homes? I think that would be horribly sad for them even though it would be making other crafters very happy. I'm at loose ends about it all and maybe that's because I've never attended such a sale to experience what it's like for the other side of the table. Oh sure, I've attended estate sales when the owners have passed away and the children are clearing out the house but those are usually for the things that they're not attached to - they've already taken the things that are of importance to them.

Oh. Maybe it would be the same for my stash. My children would have taken the things that were of importance to them, and it would be so much easier to sell the rest. At least I would hope so.

I just really haven't thought about it. Probably because I would hope that I could make it through a bunch of my stash before I die (when I'm 90 or older, hopefully) and that there really wouldn't be all that much left to part out. These are all things I should probably give some thought to now that they're sitting in front of me, but the end of my life seems so darn far away that I don't want to think about it at the moment. I have happier things to think about...

...like the fact that it's Friday!