Declutter Challenge 2026 - Day 11 - Cutting & Ironing Stations
- Karen
- 6 hours ago
- 3 min read
And congratulations—you’ve made it to hump day. We’re officially halfway through the challenge, and if you’re anything like me, you’ve made several trips to recycling, garbage, and donation drop-offs. Well done.
Today we’re focusing on two workhorse areas of our sewing rooms: our cutting station and our ironing station. For you that may be one spot, for others it’s two separate spots.
And once again, we’re asking the same question we’ve been asking all week:
Do I USE this item HERE?
STEP 1
Before you begin, set your timer.
Choose 15–20 minutes—long enough to be effective, short enough to stay focused. These stations tend to collect “just-in-case” items, so the timer keeps decisions practical and momentum moving.
STEP 2
Define your Capacity. This is easier today as our stations are most likely already pretty defined. Though these areas are know to spill over into other spaces.
Start with your cutting station, which is composed of cutting mats and rulers.
Start with the mats.
Then move to rulers.
You might have two spots. A spot near your cutting table for the ones you use all the time, and a spot farther away where you keep the others.
Grab your favourites first.
Remove the duplicates.
Inspect the rest for cracks, chips, worn or missing markings.
If they can no longer be accurate, they can no longer do their job—let them go or plan for replacement.
Make sure you look at specialty rulers and templates.
When was the last time you used them?
And what is the likelihood of you using them ever again?
If you have a longarm, this process needs to be repeated there.
The last item at the cutting station is your measuring tapes. Check that:
they are still accurate
they are in the right increments
they are in good condition
Move to the ironing station.
How many do you have?
Are any leaking or unreliable?
Then, ironing accessories.
Wool mats
Pressing pads
Hams
Clappers
Spray bottles
Starch
Glue
Seam tools
Resetting these stations can make a big difference in your space As well as making sewing smoother, safer, and more enjoyable..
STEP 3
Declutter What Doesn’t Serve You. Do you do actually use the item? This may be the year to let them go.
STEP 4
Remove them from your space.
Surprise surprise I have a couple of extra mats this year. I have this huge magnetic Sewtites one at my studio, so I can bring the smaller one home. I can give another mat to my neighbor. They are a big ticket item so if yours is damaged or cracked, add them to your brain dump for you to watch for coupons and save up for it.
STEP 5
Your Time to Share. What did you find hiding in plain sight today? What did you finally let go of? We’re halfway through the challenge, and the transformation is real. Share your progress, photos, or surprises using the challenge hashtag #declutterchallenge2026—and cheer each other on.
Here are two videos I recommend for today's challenge.
I’ll see you tomorrow for Day 12. If you need to catch up on any videos so far, here's the link to the playlist.
Take Care.