Who Gets Mama’s Stuff?

Way back before I became a designer, I took a year to cross stitch an afghan. That was the only project I worked on all year. (I’m one of those weird, one-project-at-a-time stitchers.) My children both loved it, and started asking whose it would be when I passed on. Mind you, I was in my late 30’s at the time I was stitching this afghan! I teased them that by the time it WAS passed on, it would be so ratty and torn that their spouses would not want in their houses! They both assured me they wouldn’t care, they would still want it.

Have you thought of your stitching stash and finished projects, and what will happen when you no longer need them? I was asked to go through a friend’s stash after she had died, to keep what could be kept and to discard what needed to be discarded. I found some embroidered quilt blocks, which I assembled into a baby quilt for her best friend’s first grandchild after adding a couple of blocks to the collection. But for the most part, there wasn’t much usable – just bags and bags of fabric scraps that had to sorted.

My EGA and ANG chapters have dealt with this as well, from members who have had to downsize due to moving into assisted living facilities, and from the death of members. We’ve found some treasures, and were able to rehome some of the projects and materials. The rest had to be discarded, as much as it hurt all of us to do so.

I must admit my own stash is much larger than most. I have entire thread lines from several hand dyers and manufacturers, rolls of canvas and yards of fabric. And it is scattered in three rooms of the house. You can imagine the finished projects – close to 170 working models (so far) and many framed pieces throughout the house. I haven’t even begun to think about disposition of all these things, or even sorted them for my own use!

So, here’s the tough question – have you thought about your own stash and finished projects? Who will get them? Do you have a designated person to sort through your stash so your family members won’t have to? And if you do, what instructions have you given them?

2 thoughts on “Who Gets Mama’s Stuff?”

  1. Pingback: Who Gets Your Stuff? · Needlework News | CraftGossip.com

  2. I have given thought to this issue, especially as I sorted through my own mother’s stash of needlework and quilting supplies & books. My husband and I have a trust set up although we have no children and few relatives. I have attached a set of instructions for disposition of my stitching supplies, stitched pieces and books. We have two houses, in different cities, and there are instructions for each. Basically my best friends in each area are asked to go through everything, keep what they want and then turn it over to local ANG and/or EGA chapters to take whatever anyone wants. After that, I have asked that it all be given to a senior center where people can make use of it.

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