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WASHINGTON—More than halfway through this 11-week
project to clean out my attic, I’ve come up with my
biggest challenge so far: sorting through the fancy
tableware I inherited when my parents died a few years
ago. The collection includes two sets of formal china,
wineglasses and other crystal from the turn of the last
century, dozens of hand-stitched linen napkins and
tablecloths that had never been used, and silver so
tarnished I had no idea what it really looked like.
With a
full-time job and two young children, I entertain
infrequently, and when I do, it’s not exactly a
linen-napkin event. So you’d think I’d want to donate
all of it or send it to a consignment shop. But I was
curious. The stuff had been packed away for so long, I
didn’t remember what was there.
Even if
the tableware is more ornate than my lifestyle, it may
still be worth keeping, according to Caitlin Shear, the
professional organizer who has volunteered to help me
sort through my clutter. Why buy extra silverware or
plates when you already have it? She says part of her
job as an organizer is to encourage clients to economize
by using what they already own, instead of bringing more
stuff into their homes. So I began sorting it all out.
China:
When I got married 11 years ago, I skipped the formal
china part of the bridal registry, opting instead to use
the almost-complete set that belonged to my grandmother.
The Crown China pattern was bought by my grandfather at
the turn of the 20th century and has a blue band with
rose swags and green trim. It’s not my colors or my
style, but I was very close to my grandmother, who died
when I was 16. Looking at this china reminds me of her
apartment in Brooklyn and all the great Syrian dishes
she cooked for my parents and me. I use it one to three
times a year, so it’s definitely worth keeping.
My
mother’s china is a Mikasa pattern, white with an ornate
green border of bells and bows. It’s not as cutesy as it
sounds, but I don’t really like it. My mother didn’t
really like it either. When she married my father in
1963, she did not register for anything. Instead, she
went to Macy’s New York flagship store about three weeks
before the wedding and bought the entire set of china.
She used it three times a year for 35 years and had
absolutely no sentimental attachment to it.
Neither
did I, until Caitlin suggested I sell it on eBay.
At first
I was excited at making a bit of cash for dishes, bowls
and a gravy boat I had no interest in. Then, I began
remembering every Thanksgiving dinner at my house, even
recollecting which foods were presented in which
platters and bowls. Maybe, I thought, just maybe it’s
good to have some extra dishes around the house. The
entire set, wrapped in quilted storage bags, is still
sitting on the attic floor. I don’t know what to do.
Crystal:
I was surprised to open one box to find 12 inexpensive
wineglasses carefully wrapped in newspaper dated one
week before we moved into our house in July 2001. I
forgot all about these, but they’re good to have around
to use instead of plastic at parties. I washed them all
and then repacked them in a new cardboard storage box
for glasses. To go with their china, my grandparents
must have had a full set of crystal. Now, just a few
pieces are left: four goblets, five highball glasses and
12 old-fashioned round-champagne glasses (not flutes),
all with elaborate etching. Again, I took the easy way
out: Washed it all, bought lovely damask cloth-storage
boxes and put it away.
A good
tip from Caitlin on this issue: A teacup-storage box is
a perfect fit for round-champagne glasses.
Linens:
So far, I’d gotten rid of nothing, so it was time to get
serious. I found a box filled with ugly, stained cotton
place mats and napkins I bought for my first apartment
in the early 1990s. Why didn’t I get rid of them three
moves ago?
In
another box, I found more place mats and napkins, but
these were linen, hand-embroidered and nearly 45 years
old. They were beautiful, yet had never been used. The
napkins were still pinned to the place mats, and the
sets were wrapped in plastic. I bought a clear plastic
box and gathered all these beauties together. I am never
buying cotton napkins at the store again! I’m storing my
linen napkins in a pantry closet near the kitchen
because I intend to use them more frequently than the
china or crystal.
Silver:
I should really call this section “Charcoal,” because
that’s the color of most of these treasures. I vaguely
remember my mother dipping an old rag into a jar of a
pink something with a chalky texture and smearing it all
over a tray or ornate cup of some sort before a holiday
dinner. But it’s clear that hasn’t been done in years,
because this collection of platters, cups and vases is
now mostly black.
Caitlin
advised me to buy a cloth box for silverware to prevent
tarnish, and I emptied my grandparents’ set of
silver-plated knives, forks and spoons into it. I’ve
been trying to polish one piece a day, despite the foul
smell from the tarnish remover that sends my
preschoolers running out to the screened porch for
safety.
I
donated to Goodwill nearly a dozen pieces of silver,
including trays and bread baskets. How many of these do
you need? My only memories are of them sitting in the
kitchen cabinet above the refrigerator. They never even
made it as far as the kitchen table. I have saved a few
things that I hope to polish in the next few weeks to
see if they’re worth keeping. A large ladle, for
example, has potential but is so black it looks like the
victim of a hideous fire.
The
E-box: Finally, I was down to the last few random items.
They include the Limoges divided appetizer tray that my
mother once told me she got when it “fell off a truck”;
a pretty but chipped oval pottery dish that she used to
hold celery stalks stuffed with blue cheese; and a trio
of brass candlesticks or goblets, depending on which end
is the bottom or top. I just couldn’t decide what to do
with them, so Caitlin put them in what she called the
E-box. E stands for emotion. She says I should just let
them all sit in this box for a few weeks. Eventually, it
will become clear what I can part with and what I want
to keep. I suspect I didn’t get rid of enough this week.
But I’m so full of great memories I don’t even care.
Next week: Organizing Furniture |
