'This was a gift to myself': Woman lets her kids spill paint on her sister-in-law's expensive fabric, replaces it with cheap cloth as an apology

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Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Nov 26, 2023 3:00 PM EST

This SIL went out of her way to use the wrong "tablecloth." Now that she's faced with the consequences, she's not happy about it.

Hosting a Thanksgiving meal involves a lot of preparation, from shopping for food to cleaning up your home for guests who are staying over. This person, u/fabricadabric, was hosting the Thanksgiving meal, and her SIL and her three kids were also staying over. With that many kids, there are bound to be some messes. But when the OP went shopping for last-minute items, I'm sure they didn't expect the SIL's kids to ruin one of their prized possessions. 

It seems like the OP and their SIL might never get along: the OP writes that their SIL already treats them with disdain since they 'prefer pets over kids.' That makes it even more suspicious that the SIL let her kids ruin something the OP holds near and dear. Maybe it was a form of sabotage. 

Check out the entire tale below, as well as the opinions of commenters who wanted to weigh in about what the OP should do next. Then, this team of engineers needed an important piece of expensive equipment, and when their company wouldn't listen to them, the company ended up paying thousands more dollars than they needed to. 

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  • 01
    GEL TARTU SONE SUAT
    via Annie Spratt on Unsplash
  • 02
    AITA for DEMANDING my SIL replace the expensive fabric she and her children DESTROYED with EQUAL fabric? Not the I am STEAMING mad about this and everyone around me is pretending like I'm being a I'll let you people decide. First, I sew my own clothes. My husband and I live in a very nice house with a HUGE room filled with gorgeous sunlight for my hobbies.
    via u/fabricadabric
  • 03
    We hosted Thanksgiving. My SIL and her three kids were staying with us, despite that she always treats me like for preferring pets over kids.
    via u/fabricadabric
  • 04
    On Tuesday, as I went to do some last-minute shopping, my SIL texted about a tablecloth for her kids to put down while they did Christmas ornaments. I walked her through the closet with the VERY. CLEARLY. MARKED. TABLECLOTHS.
    via u/fabricadabric
  • 05
    I got home 3 hours later and checked in on everyone. When I went into the hobby room where everyone was gathered, I saw it. SHE PULLED MY j ATELIER BRUNETTE FABRIC FROM THE CLOSET. MARKED. FABRIC. This particular style was discontinued several years ago, but I snagged for $25/yard. I had 6 yards. Let me note that fabric is EXPENSIVE and I have always sourced from thrift stores, deep clearance, etc. This was a GIFT to myself.
    via u/fabricadabric
  • 06
    screamed "What the I are you doing?!" and ran to the table. She looked alarmed and acted like she had no idea what she'd done. Her kids spilled all kinds of paint all over the fabric. I told everyone to STOP, put DOWN the crafts, and get OUT.
    via u/fabricadabric
  • 07
    After I cried over that fabric and tried my best to salvage it, I demanded she replace it, and said how. She argued that she had no way of knowing that "ugly " fabric was for something other than a tablecloth, because it didn't look like anything anyone would ever wear seriously. I said I expected 6 yards.
    via u/fabricadabric
  • 08
    Black Friday she and the girls handed me a JoAnn Fabric bag. They handed me 6 yards of an absolutely hideous Keepsake Calico fabric. Typically $9.99/yard but on sale for $3.99 this weekend.
    via u/fabricadabric
  • 09
    I asked her if she was being serious, and she said yes, here's 6 fabric. I yards of ugly deadpanned "Get the out of my house. Now." and she got very angry and started arguing with me that it's not her fault that I have expensive taste. I told her to leave, now, and not to come back unless she has EQUAL. QUALITY. FABRIC.
    via u/fabricadabric
  • 10
    Of course I'm being told what an awful, evil person I am because I wouldn't "graciously" accept her insult of quality quilting cotton. For those who don't know fabric, this was like presenting someone with a 2001 Honda Civic after crashing their 2020 Maserati. AITA?
    via u/fabricadabric
  • 11
    EDITED AT THE REQUEST OF A POSTER: To be very clear, SIL had to go far out of her way from where I directed her to grab the fabric. It was not even kept in the same room, let alone closet, as the tablecloths which were CLEARLY marked. There was no reason for her to be IN the fabric closet. The was not an "honest mistake" by ANY stretch of the phrase. When we were on the phone, I directed her SPECIFICALLY to the linen closet. She had to DELIBERATELY go OUT OF HER WAY to grab the fabric.
    via u/fabricadabric
  • 12
    SECOND EDIT: The linen closet is next to one of the bathrooms, where I directed her. Each shelf is labeled with what they're for, towels, guest towels, bed, guest bed, etc. I said "You see the shelf marked tablecloths? There's one with paint on it. You can use that." The fabric closet is in the master bedroom (NOT the craft room even), and each larger cut of fabric is kept inside of a plastic tub, often times in a vacuuum sealed bag, labeled with the yardage, manufacturer, and fiber content.
    via u/fabricadabric
  • 13
    THIRD EDIT: Several people seem to have a personal issue with my writing style, use of caps, explanation of my large hobby room, etc! These aren't part of the issue, but seem to really upset some of you. I find that very interesting and wonder if it would be the same if it was a man describing his video game dungeon and battle station! I take a lot of pride in coming from a working class background and having a room dedicated to my hobbies. I hope you all get to enjoy a space of your own eventua
    via u/fabricadabric
  • 14
    zookinis Enthusiast [7] NTA and please ignore the people telling you that's you're overreacting or seem crazy. If this post was about someone destroying someone's video games or other nerd there would be no question. Destroying your personal belongings is NEVER excusable under ANY circumstances.
    via u/zookinis
  • 15
    sukinsyn NTA. Balenciaga makes some ugly . Just because something is "ugly" doesn't mean it's cheap.
    via u/sukinsyn
  • 16
    So let me make sure I understand: she destroyed $150 worth of fabric (maybe more if it's been discontinued) and tried to replace it with $24? Okay, as long as she has included a $126 gift card to JoAnn Fabrics. Otherwise she is for sure TA.
    via u/sukinsyn
  • 17
    Mom-MomZilla NTA you texted her the location of the tablecloths so she had no right going through your home to the area where you have your fabric stored. It was an absolute intentional invasion of property to take an item from a cabinet clearly marked "fabric" and pretend it
    via u/Mom-MomZilla
  • 18
    was innocently mistaken as a tablecloth. The replacement fabric was just another slap in the face.
    via u/Mom-MomZilla
  • 19
    + [deleted] Yeah, like you said, it seems like SIL did this on purpose. There was no "mistaking" it. She knew full well what she was doing.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 20
    lushae NTA - she went out of her way to get that fabric. Or it was a mistake. But there's a difference between a cut of fabric 18 ft long, and a tablecloth which would probably be 5ft - 6ft. And even if this was a mistake - as soon as I realised my mistake, and your upset I would
    via u/lushae
  • 21
    have apologised and apologised! The fact she didn't handle it like that is horrid 4.7k Share fabricadabric OP. ●●● I didn't even THINK about the dimensions being off!!!!!
    via u/lushae

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family drama aita kids thanksgiving sister-in-law paint fabric family painting children happy thanksgiving
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