07/08/2026
There's a concept called the sunk cost trap. It's when you keep wasting time, effort, or money on a hopeless project simply because you've already invested too much in it. And that's what happened to me.
I've been having this idea to stitch something monumental for a long time. I spotted a plastic mesh in a store and thought that was perfect to stitch my Blooming Bird Silhouette pattern on.
I spent three months choosing threads, bought and discarded ten skeins. Then another month choosing the right needle. Stitching was a mess. The yarn kept twisting. Because of the size, I had to change the thread every ten stitches. Securing it was a kind of quest. First, I was trying to hold the work on my lap, but my neck and back started hurting after five minutes. Then I hung it on the ironing board, and it became even worse. But how could I quit, after so much effort had already been invested?
For a couple more months, the piece just sat in the corner, making me feel guilty. And finally, I got fed up with it. Of course, it was scary to admit that my resources had been wasted, but when I repeated to myself a hundred times that stitching should bring pleasure, not frustration, I finally dared to throw it away.
Have you ever experienced anything like that? Please tell us!
