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anitamarie
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| Posted: July 30 2015 at 1:44pm | IP Logged
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I have a quilted wall-hanging that my mother made for me when I was in high school in the 80's. (Late 80's, btw). So, it's these wonderful mauve and teal colors 😵. My mom had taken up quilting, so it is kind of country/quilty in style. It is not me. It does not have a place in my home, hasn't been hung in 20 years of marriage. It just moves with us and sits in storage. I feel bad about getting rid of it. I usually have no problem getting rid of stuff, except books ☺️. I think my mom would feel bad if I did. Plus, I think it's the type of thing people like to have later. "Oh, Great-Grandma made this for your Grandma" type of thing.
What would you do?
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ekbell
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Does it give joy as it is? (Do you enjoy occasionally showing it to your children? Are you likely to remember to take it out of storage to show to future generations?)
Are any of your children likely to enjoy and display it? Or is it most likely to continue to sit in storage (or be sold) when it ends up in their hands?
Do you have other more enjoyable handiworks to save for hypothetical showing to great-grandchildren? Or is this a rare example of your mother's work?
Does your mother ask about it? Or is it out of sight out of mind?
Do you know anyone who has a house in which the wallhanging would fit?
I've sometimes found it easier to give up something nice that we have no use for by telling myself (or the children) little stories about how much the next owner will enjoy having it.
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Erin
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| Posted: July 30 2015 at 3:41pm | IP Logged
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Do you have a sibling/niece/nephew who would appreciate it?
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SeaStar
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| Posted: July 30 2015 at 3:50pm | IP Logged
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Does one of your children especially like it or want to have it hung in his/her room? If so, I might consider keeping it. You could also ask other relatives if they or their kids might like it.
But if no one really is interested in it, and you have other things from our mother that you like and value, I would not hesitate to give it away.
I had an afghan like that- my mother made it for me and it was a beautiful cable pattern in cream. HOWEVER, she used really scratchy acrylic yarn that pilled over time. Also, that afghan would give you a major static zap every time you tried to curl up under it.
Every time I tried to use it I liked the yarn and the static zaps less. I kept it in storage ( even moved it a few times) and then finally gave it away.
That was hard, but I have never had any regrets. I hope it is keeping someone else warm.
What finally spurred me to let go was asking myself this question: if my mother died tomorrow, would this item make me happy or bring me comfort? I could honestly answer no. I have other things she made or that she gave me that I treasure, and I am keeping those. 
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: July 30 2015 at 6:01pm | IP Logged
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On the flip side, my MIL saved quilts given to her by her MIL one was a quilt in a color she didn't like, and one made in pink before they knew my dh was a boy (grandma really wanted a girl and my MIL only had boys).. and while she never used them, my 4th daughter LOVES the little girl pink quilt and the other quilt (which is more functional than decorative, and has some faded spots) is still a wonderful quilt and I've started using it with our rendezvous stuff.
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All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
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anitamarie
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| Posted: July 31 2015 at 7:23am | IP Logged
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Thank you all for your responses. My children all have quilts she made for them. Our wedding quilt is starting to show its age. One of my daughters has two quilts, and I have another older quilt as well. I think I will show it to my children when we clean out the storage room and see if anyone thinks they would like it.
I do have one niece who has started quilting and she may want it.
Jodie, see that's what I keep thinking, that, in the future, someone may enjoy owning it. Seriously, though, the colors!
Thanks again!
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Erin
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| Posted: July 31 2015 at 3:53pm | IP Logged
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Have been thinking about this more, as you don't have it out your Mum may not even know it's gone....however another option is why don't you offer it back to your Mum,
"Mum this has been sitting in storage and not being used, it occurred to me that you might be able to use it or know of someone else in the family who may be in need"
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organiclilac
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If it's washable, could you use it as a picnic blanket? That way, it will be part of your family's memories without being part of your home decor.
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SeaStar
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| Posted: Aug 07 2015 at 6:09am | IP Logged
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organiclilac wrote:
| If it's washable, could you use it as a picnic blanket? That way, it will be part of your family's memories without being part of your home decor. |
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Very good idea! Along those lines you could also use it- if it is big enough- as a car blanket (kept in the trunk for emergencies or for the person who is always cold when the AC is on).
Alternatively, if it's large enough, you could use it as a fun "sick blanket"- a special blanket that only comes out and is used to comfort someone who is sick. We had one of these growing up... lots of fond memories there (and ours was WAY ugly- made from leftover scraps of material from the 70's  ). My mom still has it, and we all laugh over it when we visit her.
Or- if it would not hurt your mom's feelings- it could be a family white elephant: given as a gift on Christmases, birthdays, etc. We had a crocheted poncho (ack!) that circulated through our family for years... you never knew when it would turn up, so that made it kind of fun. If you received it as a gift, you always took a picture of yourself in it to share for the record.
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anitamarie
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| Posted: Aug 07 2015 at 1:43pm | IP Logged
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organiclilac wrote:
| If it's washable, could you use it as a picnic blanket? That way, it will be part of your family's memories without being part of your home decor. |
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It's not very big and it is mounted on a frame. Unfortunately, really only good as a piece of decorative art.
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anitamarie
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| Posted: Aug 07 2015 at 1:51pm | IP Logged
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SeaStar wrote:
organiclilac wrote:
| If it's washable, could you use it as a picnic blanket? That way, it will be part of your family's memories without being part of your home decor. |
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Very good idea! Along those lines you could also use it- if it is big enough- as a car blanket (kept in the trunk for emergencies or for the person who is always cold when the AC is on).
Alternatively, if it's large enough, you could use it as a fun "sick blanket"- a special blanket that only comes out and is used to comfort someone who is sick. We had one of these growing up... lots of fond memories there (and ours was WAY ugly- made from leftover scraps of material from the 70's ). My mom still has it, and we all laugh over it when we visit her.
Or- if it would not hurt your mom's feelings- it could be a family white elephant: given as a gift on Christmases, birthdays, etc. We had a crocheted poncho (ack!) that circulated through our family for years... you never knew when it would turn up, so that made it kind of fun. If you received it as a gift, you always took a picture of yourself in it to share for the record. |
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The white elephant is a great idea. I think my mom would enjoy that, but we don't see my side of the family much. We live 850 miles away from them.
Every time I go to get rid of it, something happens to make me think twice. Most recently, I was at a friend's house and her sister was visiting from out of town (similar distance to above). They lost their mom about 10 years ago, way too young. They have a few things she made that they have saved. None are great art, but they pass them around and it makes them all feel closer to her and each other.
What's funny is I am pretty ruthless about getting rid of stuff. This one thing keeps hanging around. I'm beginning to think there is a reason. My mom's health has been declining in recent years. My younger kids don't even know her very well. They may want to have a piece of her when she's gone.
Thanks for all the ideas and suggestions.
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4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: Would you get rid of this?
