Still working on not feeling guilty
 

Last evening I pulled everything out of the large closet upstairs and set aside some projects I have absolutely no desire to finish. Fabrics, batting, and interfacings were sorted and placed in appropriate containers. Since I have almost completed this closet, I will soon be going to another area to declutter and purge.

My parents grew up during the Great Depression of the early 1930's. I can be very resourceful and like to repurpose items with my skills and creativity. However, I have come to the conclusion that I will work on the following:1) I will be more selective in projects in the future 2) I have made some mistakes in selecting some projects in the past, but this is not life threatening 3) I do not have to warehouse these mistakes 4) I can cut my losses and move on 5) I can pass items forward where they can be used 6) This is a process...

How many of us are in the same situation tonight?

I think this is the perfect attitude and you have no reason to be guilty. You'll be amazed at how good you'll feel when you finish the decluttering process. Your creativity will bloom!

You have officially been granted permission!

You've got a great attitude about the whole thing, and now LyndaOH has officially granted you permission; so go for it!

I've been trying to do some de-cluttering for the last year myself. Lots of my things go to the charity shop. some sold here and elsewhere. Some given away to other quilters. I still have a long way to go. I'm over whelmed with stuff and know i can't possible finish all the projects I want to do. Unless I live to be 100 yrs old! So go for it!!

Erase the guilt by donating the items to groups that make quilts for children in hospitals or vets in VA hospitals, or to a church or charity rummage sale, or even the Goodwill.

i did this a couple years ago- put those unfinished items/orphan blocks/ufo quilts into boxes & sent them to a group of new sewer/quilters who very much appreciated them- it freed me up- i no longer had to feel guilty about not finishing them & the (new owners) were thrilled to have them to work on...i always say- if you don't want it- pass it on- there is always someone who appreciates it- when we no longer do.

I had a quilt I started, got it hand pieced, and even sandwiched. I did a terrible job with the sandwiching (didn't get it smooth and tight enough). It was also batik which I learned is NOT hand quilting friendly. I hid it for a while in the back of the closet until I was sure DH wouldn't ask about it. THEN I got rid of it. No guilt - just a lesson learned. Everything I do doesn't have to be a "mountain top experience". Learned from that experience and am trying to be more selective on fabrics and patterns.

Guilt can be so crippling, can't it? It's hard to sew when you feel that burden, so pass these things on to someone else & get on with the projects you like. No need to feel about giving this stuff up... y'know what they say about one man's trash (not that I'm implying your stuff is trash... it's just the saying)... now, go find something FUN to sew!

Life is too short not to enjoy what you do. I'm in a slump of sorts too. Have a pieced lap that needs to be sandwiched for hand quilting. My best friend's birthday is 8/28/12, it's for her and I cannot find the motivation to complete it. My quilt room looks like a bomb hit it and it's been too stifling upstairs to do anything about it. If the heat holds today, even if I just get a little general straightening done, perhaps it will give me some incentive to move forward. If not, come on over for a barbeque!

I do think you are on the right course though. Perhaps a change of seasons is what we all need to jump start our projects and imaginations.

I don't think it is a coincidence that "quilt" and "guilt" are only one letter apart...

That said - move forward with the knowledge that gifting your UFOs will make some other people very happy!

Alison