There are times it just won't work!
 

There are times it just doesn't work!

Sometimes one just has to trash a piece of fabric that has ended up being way more bother than it's worth.

Sometimes one can't stand to work on a project any longer.

Sometimes the pattern is wrong!

Sometimes one bought a gadget or piece of equipment that was disappointing.

It's okay to move on.

If one spent the money on a show, trip, or a meal - the money would be gone, but one would have the experience to remember. (Good, bad, or indifferent - but there wouldn't be any 'thing' left from it (unless one had to buy souvenirs))

Why do we think we need to hang on to an item when it is no longer a benefit to us?

You're right. Life is too short to waste on unimportant 'stuff'.

Sorry something's not going right for you. Hope tomorrow's a better day! You're right---you can move on!

I don't know about you, but I was raised to not "waste" anything. Makes it hard to throw things away that "might come in handy someday".

However I'm getting better about passing things on to someone who can use them or if it turned out to be a piece of junk instead of something useful, to actually go on and throw it away.

Good luck to you doing the same!

I almost never got to marry my DH. The boat he was on took on water. His friend suggested he switch places. That friend went down with the boat. This was in the Gulf of Mexico. He was floating in that water for almost 20 hours. We appreciate everything and don't sweat the small stuff. If it makes you pout throw it out.

I was also raised to not waste anything - to make do - to wear it out - to 'keep something for good' -

Accountants have a term for this "sunk cost". You've already spent the money. But just because you've spent money doesn't always mean you have to continue spending money to make something work. So there - it's an official business term!!

Sometimes it is best to just let it go and move on to another project! Hope the next one is better suited to you!

"Clutter's Last Stand" by Don Aslett has been one of the most useful books (to me) that I've ever read.

He makes a very strong case for keeping only what's useful, necessary, and/or soul-satisfying.

I'll add one more.
One should never feel obliged to do anything one does not want to do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzlpTRNIAvc

I used to make clothes for my family several years ago. There were a couple projects that just would not work at all for some reason. After some thought, I simply threw the project into the wastebasket, pattern and all! It may have been wasteful, but I sure felt much better after that. Life is too short....

i used to make clothes, too. still do once in a while. there were many that didn't work out. i find that there are fewer of those in quilting than in clothes making :)

Don't throw it out! Put everything in a bag and donate it to your local charity thrift shop. The charity will get a bit of cash and we can read the post from someone who is so excited because they just got a fabulous deal on fabric and a pattern!

I call them "Morning After" items. They looked great when we were having a great time but the next day we wonder what we saw in them! If something is not right then get rid of it!

Usually I set things aside for awhile and then if I still feel the same way, I will pass it along to someone else. If the item is truly not usable then I cringe and toss it. It bothers me for a few days and then I feel wonderful. Keeping these items add unnecessary stress and are harmful to my wellness.

I agree. If it's not beautiful, useful, or joyful, get rid if it. I quite literally have a one yard piece of fabric in my hands right now that is heading for the trash can. I thought I would check in on the QB on my way to the trash. No, it will do no good pleading for me to save it or send it to someone else.

Exactly! I usually donate but there are times I toss items in the trash because that's how I feel.

What great inspiration you all are. I tend to hold on to too much - I love the "if it makes you pout, throw it out". I need to think - what extra space I would have for stuff I would love.

"Why do we think we need to hang on to an item when it is no longer a benefit to us?"

In my life, it's a carryover from grandparents and parents who experienced the Depression. They held onto everything possible that came their way because there was precious little money to just go buy something. We've all heard the saying - "Use up, wear out, make do, or do without."

I was talking with a dear friend last week about how long it's taking us to downsize. She said, it's interesting, during our working years we collect stuff, then we spend our retirement getting rid of it. LOL

We change, we grow, and what we once wanted, we want no longer. I just donated 4 boxes of stuff to a resale shop, 1 box of fabric and 1 bag of yarn to the Senior Center. I think of it as "freeing it up to the universe" so someone else may find something they can use or perhaps find a treasure.

I have a tendency to save things - we live on a ranch and many things come in handy. I always check with my husband to see if an item can be used in the garage or elsewhere. Just the other day I made a quilt tote and needed handles - found an old broom in the planer shed and cut the handle for the tote. Now brooms have plastic or metal handles so those old wood ones come in handy. When I took the bag for show and tell everyone asked if I made the handles look vintage.

We prune out the non-producing, so the healthy branch can come back stronger.

Quote:

---

We change, we grow, and what we once wanted, we want no longer

---

That is so true!! I have been married for 26 years and we have been military for 24 of these years...two children, numerous pets and lots of moves later and we have accumulated a lot of "Stuff". A lot of the stuff we bought when we were first married is really not our style anymore so I do not see the need to hang onto things just because they are still good if I do not like to look at it anymore :o That goes for furniture, clothes and craft items (I remember the mauve and seafoam calico prints I so loved back in the eighties). I have found that donating, garage sales, ebay and swaps are a good way to purge without feeling guilty. It helps that the Army puts a weight limit on us for all moves...definitely a push to purge!! As someone already said: "If it makes you pout, throw it out"....love that so much that it will be my mantra from now on :D

Sometimes you can rescue the offending project and use it for something else (dog bed?). Or maybe the quilting gadget you got is not good for it's intended purpose but is it good for something else? If not, the trash can awaits!

When I purged my room of clothing sewing projects, I bagged individually each unfinished project with the pattern, etc. Labeled it well and dropped all at Goodwill. I won't know what happened to it, so what I don't know doesn't hurt. Someone may find something like that a treasure. Or they may just discard it at the get go. All I know is that it's not taking up space in my closet and it's not pressing on my mind with guilt feelings.

Ego? Can't admit we goofed? Same reason I stuck with my louse of a first husband for 7 years? LOL

Since I studied accounting I now know the principle of 'sunk cost' - you already blew the dough on something not worth it, so don't waste more money. Unload it for free or sell it.

Unfortunately I sometimes still spend time and money trying to make something which simply WON'T WORK become workable.

Pitch it!

I have to tell myself that same thing. about food. We were taught to clean our plates, not to waste. BUT You don't need to eat it all just because you paid for it. It's is gone no matter if you eat it or throw it out. why eat those extra calories.

GUILT attaches to our core. What works for me is GIVING. I give in love in hope that someone will find a use, an enjoyment, and it RELEASES me to move on. IT WORKS.

I have been an executor to two estates. I now keep that horrifying experience in my mind and try to keep things down to a minimum so my wonderful kids and grandkids won't have to dispose of too much stuff when the time comes.

I was also raised not to waste anything. It is hard to break the habit. I have fabric that I don't particularly like & will never use that was given to me by aunts but I still hang on to them. I've been getting a little better at getting rid of them. I have started giving them to my 8 yr. old identical twin granddaughters. They use them for wraps & covers for their stuffed animals. This keeps the fabrics in the family.

Yeah, I inherited the waste not gene from my depression era family. We washed out cellophane bread wrappers and reused them. Worn clothes (100 % cotton back then) became play clothes, then car wash & dust rags, and finally shop rags, etc. By the time a scrap of fabric was thrown away it was thread bare and soaked in motor oil. It's hard for me to throw away my scraps from a project. If something isn't working I often stitch it together, stuff it with old socks/fabric scraps and make a dog or cat bed. If you don't have pets, you can donate beds to the local shelter.

Love your saying, "If it make you pout, throw it out". It reminds me of one I've used almost all my life. "If it doubt, do without!" Somehow these simplify situations that might otherwise be complicated.

Life lessons! I agree, move on.

When I first began quilting and thought I had to be obsessed with the 1/4 seam, I bought one of those plastic see through jobs that tape down on your machine to enable you to get the seam width just right. Or wait....maybe it was a guide for HSTs. Whichever, I've never used it and never will. I'm a long time experienced sewer/dressmaker and should have known better but when you are new to a particular hobby, you think you have to avail yourself of things that will "help" you master it. Just be grateful if your cost for those unnecessary "helps" was small, as mine have been.

I have a hard time throwing things away (raised by parents who lived through the Depression does that to you) but I've thrown bad projects away, fabric and all, and useless tools, and hope I will again, rather than keeping them around in my way, thinking I may either "fix" or use them someday. Liberation, it's wonderful!

I would think that 'sunk cost' could apply to time, too? I see a lot of that on this board. Sort of " I inherited ( was given, found, bought for a dollar - take your pick) this butt ugly polyester fabric. What can I do with it?" Why waste your valuable time trying to make something work just because it was cheap? If you love it BECASUE it's cheap, go for it, but otherwise - get rid of the fabric and the guilt!

My operating theory - yes, it is something that is still good and useful but not to me - donate to a charity so it can go live at some else's house.

I adopted that philosophy some time ago, and my sewing room is sewwwwwwwwww much easier to find things that I need. Fabric, no, I haven't had the courage yet. That piece might fit in an applique or maybe a papar pieced spot. But, I'm learning, and getting better at it. Thanx for the fun post as a reminder

me too.....hard to break that habit.

Oh how I wish I could do that. I've tried to do that but it seems everytime I throw something out that I don't think I will ever use, a month or so later I come up with something I needed that for and I've thrown it away. Then I end up buying it again. Oh, how I wish I could be like you.

Oh, so well written. Loved your comment how we collect while working and spend our retirement getting rid of it. I am going through that very thing right now. I say "why in the world did I buy this??" tee hee

Sometimes this just happens and you can do nothing about it.

US is the most wealthy country and we buy whatever we want at the time. I think that's called greedy. Then as we become more realistic we spend time and money getting rid of it. Many times I've read-give it to charity. I think this is placating our guilt. I'll admit it. When I had plenty of money I bought way more than I needed-I was greedy. That has been pruned out of my life by grace and regeneration. Now I'm free to be the person I can be and I've started using my creative abilities. What freedom!
What to do with the excess? I've started teaching and use some of it in my classes. Maybe I'll give fat quarters to students 1)who need the most encouragement, 2)improved the most, 3)enjoyed the class the most, 4)the newest to quilting. I let friends shop in my stash. Recently a friend needed some batiks to complete value/color runs 2 1/2" strips. She's got 1 1/4 yds of my fabrics and we're both happier. And had a good time doing it together, traded fabric for experiences with friends.

Foot Note: I saw only US locations admitting to having too large a stash. How about UK, Canada, Aus, NZ, S America, C America..... or other?

Why is it as soon as you discard something then you find a need for it? It always seems to happen to me.