Marie, Your last post struck a chord with me from a previous move we made. My husband knew that the movers would also unpack us as part of the contract (govt. move). For some never to be known or understood reason he wanted them to unpack the boxes 'so the boxes would be gone'. They told him they didn't put stuff away, they just took it out of the box. I came home from work to find all the countertops in the kitchen, all tabletops, a 9-foot bar top, and 1/2 the floor in the kitchen covered with dishes, silverware, glasses, appliances, food, canned goods, paper goods, placemats, tablecloths, dishtowels, cleaning supplies,etc.etc.etc. In an extra bedroom they had literally 'dumped' boxes of shoes, sewing supplies, clothing, bathroom supplies, etc. That pile was 3 feet high. I don't think I have ever been so angry, both at my husband and the movers, but mostly my husband. I went to the bedroom, scrounged a change of clothes, and told him I would be back when it was cleaned up. So he took off three days, put away the kitchen, and reboxed and sorted the 'pile', and then I came home. When we moved the last time, we were in an apartment for 6 months, and then moved into our home, so everything but clothes and minimal lines was in storage. No repeat of the last fiasco. The point of my story is this; I didn't unpack a box until everything from the last box was put away. I realize there is that 'thing' that doesn't fit anywhere, so it goes back in a box to be dealt with later. I never unpack a box just to unpack it, unless I am prepared to put it away. That's the only way I can deal with it. And yeah, I've still got some boxes, but at least the stuff isn't sitting around looking at me. So, how is this going to help you? If you are still unpacking, STOP! If you try to keep on at this point, you will really overload your self. In an effort to get yourself to a comfort point, pick a surface, just one, and address that surface only until it is cleared. If you have stuff that you don't know what to do with, put it back in a box and label the box so you can easily retrieve it if you need to. Knowing how hard you worked to pare down before the move, I wonder if you have set the bar really high for your self and have some self expectations that are unrealistic. You are in a smaller home, the rooms are smaller, you are dealing with electrical inadequacies, AND you are working outside the home, hey, give yourself a break, and think of all you have accomplished in a relatively short time!! Marie, it's just 'stuff', and WHEN it comes out of the box is not the most important thing in your life. You won't have a lot of hot weather there, so make a pitcher of iced tea and go sit outside when you get home tonight. The boxes will wait. Barbara

If you google "diatomaceous earth and silverfish" you'll find advice on how to eliminate these. I *think* silverfish also like paper so not sure if changing the glue will work. Best to eliminate the insects. Can't advise you on where to find DE and it can be expensive in small quantities. I bought a huge bag at a store that sells hydroponic and natural gardening supplies for $80. which was a bargain compared to what I had paid for small packages. I use it to keep the ants away from my house and garden.

I did this with burlap years ago on a wall that was not in very good shape. As I recall, I stapled or thumbtacked around the edges which I then covered with trim of some sort. I'm not sure starch or wallpaper paste would work since burlap can be heavy. I have used the liquid starch method when I did a crazy piecey sort of treatment in a bathroom once. Loved that when I wanted to remove it, it just peeled it off the wall, wash and then could reuse the fabric if you wanted to. Didn't have to even clean the walls after :)

Best starch ever! I think a sprinkler might work better than a spray bottle, which could clog up. I'm not sure about starching cut pieces though. Getting them wet makes them pull too easily, so you'd have to put them on a hard, flat surface to spray and dry in place. Do not iron, though you could press with a hot iron through a cloth. Even a towel underneath could lead to distortion. It would be much better to starch and iron your fabric before you cut. The main problem with really good starch is that it can interfere with your needle movement if you're handpiecing (which is easier for compensating if it is a little pulled out of shape), and can flake out of the fibers, which shows more by machine. Definitely apply the starch to the back so if there is flaking, it won't show much. Some of the modern stabilizers really do work better. Additionally, old fashioned spray sizing can give you a lot of the handling benefit without the hardness. If your fabric is really floppy, though, like lawn, that starch could be a wonder cure. :)