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Found a half-finished cross-stitch in a dumpster and it's got me thinking about the ethics of taking someone's personal projects
I was digging behind a craft store in Portland last Saturday and found a tote bag with a cross-stitch that was maybe 60 percent done. It had a flower pattern and the name "Mabel" stitched into the corner. I took it because the fabric was nice but now I feel weird about it. On one hand this was clearly someone's project they put hours into and maybe it fell out of a moving truck or something. On the other hand it was sitting on top of broken frames and wet cardboard so it was definitely trash. My husband says I should finish it and give it away but I think that's disrespectful to whoever started it. Has anyone else grabbed something like this from a dumpster and struggled with whether it's yours to mess with?
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mila_brown104mo ago
There was actually a whole article about found art projects in a craft magazine I read, and it said finishing someone's abandoned piece is a way of honoring the work they already did. The person who tossed it probably wanted it gone or couldn't handle the guilt of not finishing it themselves. You could always turn Mabel into a blanket or pillow cover if you want to keep the original stitching intact without adding to it.
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the_stella4mo ago
Did you ever stop to think that maybe Mabel belonged to someone who passed away? My grandmother had a half-finished quilt in her closet for years before she died, and my mom just tossed it because she couldn't stand looking at it. That person in the thrift store might have been cleaning out a relative's house and felt too sad to keep it. Turning it into a pillow cover sounds sweet, but maybe you should check the local obituaries or ask around first. I just hate the thought of someone's mom or grandma crying because they see their work finished by a stranger online.
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