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Monday, January 28, 2013

It's Still Good

   My daughters say that my motto is, "it's still good." I am frugal. Which is maybe synonymous for a quilt maker. At least, it once was true. Many quilters buy all new fabrics for a quilt project, and if they don't have enough, try very hard to find the identical match. Not me.
   I love scrappy quilts. I love the odd piece that is different. I have learned a lot about colors and my preferences by having to make do with what I have. Living in the back country where the nearest quilt shop is 45 miles away, and even a trip to the post office to pick up my internet order is inconvenient, I HAVE to make do. My quilts show my make do style, my personal flair.
   I have challenged myself to use colors I don't like. I have taken prints I think are boring and paired them with something surprising to end up with a quilt I am in love with. I try new piecing techniques as a palette cleanser after a long day of sewing. This is how I stay fresh with my quilting.
   Here I am, making do with some batting scraps from my sister: piecing them together for charity quilts.

I used to sew them by hand with a stitch I learned suturing skin when I was a nurse practitioner. Now, I like to sew batting the fast way: with a zig-zag stitch on my little Swedish work horse.

   Do you like to make do?

2 comments:

  1. I need to live where it is inconvenient to buy fabric or pick up orders! I desire to use what I have. I'm getting better at it. :o)

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  2. I make do and mend a lot, thanks to my mom, whose motto is "it's still good!" :P

    I like to reuse materials for new purposes! Last weekend I patched some jeans with scraps from an older cut up pair, made some dusting cloths by sewing together a few layers of old teeshirts, and knitted cat toys out of leftover yarn scraps.

    I think being thrifty can often make us more creative than we otherwise would be, and can lead to trying new things too. That said, it is sometimes okay to toss stuff or pass it on to someone who would make use of it, guess that's what keeps us from being hoarders.

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