We all have them -- those projects that we started with the best of intentions, but we never got around to finishing. Sometimes we lose the instructions or the supplies we need, and so the cross-stitch projects just sit there piling up and gathering dust. So what can we do with all those unfinished cross-stitch projects?

Do I Want to Keep This?

First, you need to decide how important it is to finish the project.  Is it something you were planning to hand down as an heirloom?  Or was it something to match your living room three redecorating projects ago?  Go through your unfinished projects and separate out the ones you no longer have a desire to finish with the ones that you want to keep.

Will Anyone Want This?

Do you have a project in which most of the supplies or charts are lost?  These might be the projects you decide to just throw away.  Yes, it is hard.  After all, you used your valuable skill and time to work on that project, but sometimes you just need to let it go and toss it in the trash.

Keep It and Keep Working

You can always keep your project and work on it every so often.  It is a good idea to "put it into rotation" with your other cross-stitch projects so that you do not get bored with any of them.  Often boredom is the reason we stop working on projects, so it may be a good idea to work on a few projects at a time.

Give It Away

While you may not want the project anymore, it does not mean that someone else will not enjoy finishing the project.  You can always donate it to your local Goodwill or thrift store.  Also, you can give it away to a friend who may be interested in the particular design or in learning how to cross-stitch.  However, if you bought it as a kit, you should include all the items that came in the kit.  If you started a project out of a book, it is helpful to offer the book as well as the half-finished project.

Sell It

Internet auction sites are the rage, and you can sell just about anything on those sites -- including your half-finished projects.  While you may not get as much as it cost you to buy all the items for the project, you can still recoup a lot of what you spent on the project.  Take some time to review the rules of the auction sites and check out similar projects to see what to expect.

Be Creative

Even if you cannot find the rest of the pattern or some of the supplies, it does not mean that you do not have what you need to finish the project.  Take the design and make it your own.  Add your own embellishments to the project.  Use your own colors and put things where you want them. 

Put It Away for a Later Date

While you may decide you want to keep your project, but not finish it right now, you can just put it away for a later date.  Get a box or a storage container and tuck your supplies neatly away for later use.  You can even put them in order of when you want to finish them.  Make sure you lay your fabric flat so that it does not wrinkle and keep your supplies in a cool and dry place so that the colors do not change or bleed.