Originally Posted by pjemark
I'm not saying that we are doing horrible- But , it has been hard. My husband was laid off for 13 months, and we are trying to help our kids with their student loans etc--yadda yadda- yadda- so I'm looking at all of the threads about 1. stashes 2. yard sales. I think I'm going to start really really thinking about seeing how much fabric- cheap fabric- i can obtain from yard sales. I mean- you can have a lota lota fun for a little little bit o money! And someone with my tastes- the yard sale circut is perfect because I like the retro- but not quite vintage stuff--perfect! and as i said in another post- u start with the stash- and then you go to the LQS and add to it if you need to. only thing about that is- i know we should support our local businesses- but- you know what- what if we cant afford to?
Isn't it always the case?! We're supposed to shop local and support our LQSs but they don't always take our budgets and financial constraints into consideration. We sorta understand why, but maybe it's more one-sided than it's considered politic to acknowledge.
My great Aunt Ina (short for Wilmina), whom we called Aunt Mike (evolved from fact her older siblings had a hard time saying Wilmina and took to calling her "Little Mite" which became 'Mike') took to handquilting after retiring after 47 years in the drycleaning industry. After their husbands died, she shared a small trailer with her older sister in affluent Marin County, CA. I think she was only getting about $300/mo in Social Security and maybe $100/month from her union. They both lived, as they say, on a shoe string.
That said, she hand-quilted like crazy all the while living within her very limited means by shopping a local charity thrift store, "The Bargain Box," for used clothing. Her quilts were exquisite and she was happy as a lark pursuing her art and passion for beauty--if she felt constrained she never said so. It certainly didn't affect her art and she loved every new piece of cloth--however fashioned--she 'discovered' there.