Inheriting Half Done Projects

My husband and I have been helping my mother-in-law, here and there, clean out stored items in her home since my father-in-law passed away. My mother-in-law cannot do this work herself due to her medical condition. My two brother-in-law's are 'thrower-outers'. We are trying to go through some things before one of them orders a big dumpster and just throws everything out like they keep saying they want to do.

Two things that one brother-in-law can't wait to throw out are:

1. A wool rug handmade by my husband's grandmother. When she finished it, it was warped. They tried to wash it. It mildewed before it was dried. They had it professionally cleaned and it has no mildew but it has mildew stains.

So much work went into it that my father-in-law could not bring himself to throw it away.

I have never seen the rug. I don't know what condition it is in. My husband shudders to throw it out as well. I don't know if it is worth saving.

2. My father-in-law once started to hook a rug with wool yarn. I am told he started this to pass the time when he had injured his back and was on bedrest for weeks.

The new yarn is there, saved in the cedar closet.

What now?

I know nothing about hooking rugs. I'm a packrat, sorry to admit, but to throw that out will kill me.

I have a feeling the thing will come home with me.

Oh boy, perhaps this will be yet another handcraft for me to try?

If not, I would rather give this away to someone into hooking rugs to finish off.

Smaller Stuff

We took home two half-completed latchhook kits from the late 1970s. Both are masculine themes. My boys want to finish these. They like to do latchhooking.

There are a few partially finished needlepoint kits. One is a famous scene from the college that my husband earned his MBA through.

There is an almost done petit point needlepoint seat for a dining room chair. There is a story behind that which I'll not get into at this time.

I thought I'd share this short story because some of you who are into handcrafts may also be shuddering to think of these things being thrown away.