Don’t Finish Every WIP
We’re moving house this spring. This means a couple of things:
- One, I am saving every bit of spare bubble-wrap I can find.
- And two, I can’t just keep ignoring my WIP pile.
I’m the type of person that finds it easier to purge her wardrobe than to get rid of crafty materials. And I don’t often admit a WIP isn’t so much a ‘work in progress’ as it is a ‘work to never be finished’.
The thing is, sometimes it’s good to give up on a project. There can be obvious reasons: the baby blanket intended for your nephew would be a bit small for him now that he’s almost three. (Oops.) Or the pattern you cut out for a cute dress is, uh, a bit too small now.
Maybe that’s just my experience.
Crafting isn’t supposed to be a chore. Our tastes change and, more importantly, our skills grow. There’s probably a good reason why that project has stayed in the WIP pile for so long. If it’s so exciting, why hasn’t it been finished? What could you make with the materials instead?
Even if you have to cut off some fabric or can’t salvage all the yarn, using it will be better than letting it sit there unloved for another season.
Finish the projects that excite you.
That’s what I keep telling myself!
Lots of crafty love,
Psst. Beat your WIP blues with some fresh ideas from my Pinterest boards!
I totally agree, I often find myself starting a project only to have a roadblock or distraction meaning that it can’t progress. That project then get’s shelved and put to the back of the bench. There’s a few I can think of that could be recycled but I’m determined to get my little Stirling Engine built this year.
Some projects definitely deserve to be finished, even if they’re been on the backburner for years. It’s just a case of prioritising and realising there’s never going to be time/money to make everything we think of. My sketchbook is full of ideas I’ll never get to. What’s the saying… For every thing we say yes to, there’s something else we need to say no to. :)
Totally with you on this, Anna. Sometimes we feel obliged to finish projects we have no motivation or love for. Far more enjoyable to work on the ones we love. :) Leanne x
Thanks for taking the time to share! Definitely think this applies to all projects and not just crafts, too. Your new blog is the perfect example of what can happen when we refocus and try a new thing! x
I’ve just found your blog and this post really sits with me. I have moved twice in the last two years and took most of my half finished projects with me. They are still sitting unloved so I think it’s time that I let go! Lovely Blog.
Thank you Amy! Happy to hear you can relate. I kept a few of my WIPs when I moved country and I only just (after 3 years) admitted it was time to put the materials to good use. It’s hard to let go! Happy crafting x
This is so true. Ultimately it should be fun. If it’s not fun, why are we doing it?
That said, I have a bit of a love-hate situation going on with a blanket I am trying to crochet. We’re on a break at the moment (I am having a brief fling with a crocheted hat) but I do think I need to go back and finish it. At the risk of sounding ludicrously woo, I honestly think this blanket might have something to TEACH me. Something about slowing down, about not being such a compulsive completer-finisher, about doing things properly for the long-term, and about enjoying the journey.
Thanks for your thoughts Rachel! Some projects definitely become more than the finished result. Embroidery was a big lesson for me. It requires patience and time, and I was too eager to just have the pretty result!
It’s too easy to see the wonderful things everyone else is doing (or so it feels) and forget to enjoy the process of getting there ourselves. Crafting shouldn’t be a chore!