This event was just brought to my attention and it deserves to be shared. I am quoting an article from News-Leader.com in Springfield, Missouri, about a house fire in a quilter’s house:

“A fire in a back room in a southeast Springfield house was
particularly stubborn to extinguish because the room was filled with
cloth and quilting materials, a Springfield fire marshal said after the
early-morning blaze was extinguished.

While a sewing room
in the house was gutted, flames that
entered the attic caused so much damage that the rest of the house was
made uninhabitable, Fire Marshal Ben Basham said.

A malfunctioning electric heating unit in a window caused the blaze, he said.

Firefighters were called to the scene after an alarm was sounded at 3:38 a.m.

The
house’s three adult occupants who were alerted by a passing newspaper
carrier called in the alarm before fleeing unharmed, Basham said.

The fire was difficult to fight because of what was inside the sewing room, he said.

“The room was completely filled with fabrics and quilting materials,” he said.

Firefighters had to pull apart piles of fabric to spray them with water, he said.

No firefighters were injured, Basham said.”

Doesn’t that make you consider a sewing room clean-up!

I recently tidied up my own closet of fabric. There are currently 2 boxes with a total weight of 38 lbs of fabric heading to a friend.

As you can see, the shelves still sag under the weight of my remaining fabric, but there is space for new purchases!