Originally Posted by
stillclock
one thing i am consistently surprised by in the quilting community is the extent to which the history of quilting seems to be disregarded.
this was a utility skill and historical quilts were, by and large made out of fabrics that had served other uses. even the much coveted crazy quilts were made of scraps of luxurious fabrics, not whole bolt cuts.
and now because we live in such a wealthy culture, quilting - like so many other things - has a cultural commodity fetishism associated with it. my question is always why we feel some kind of shame or insufficiency for not being able to afford the very best, most expensive of everything. and further to that, why is acquiring the best and most expensive of everything the thing that seems to motivate us to do so many of the things we do?
there is satisfaction in making do with what we have, in taking pride in what we make and knowing that we have lived within our means. and if we have less than magnificent means, we should not feel shame nor poverty of spirit.
if your identity is tied up in what you have, what space have you left in your being for who you are and what you do?
aileen
You said it sister!!! This isn't just a quilting thing, it is a society in general thing. People get so caught up in having all the fancy names and lose sight of what is really important. One of my friends lives in a small house in an older neighborhood. She redid her basement, spending upwards of $40,000. She tried to sell her house a few years ago and was upset that it was valued at the same exact price that she paid for it! She out priced herself for the neighborhood she lives in. This is also the person who can only drive a high end luxury car. Her car payment is twice what her house payment is and lives paycheck to paycheck!!! Life is so much easier if we buy what we can afford and find happiness in what we have, not what we want. A quilt is a labor of love, a craft, an art; it doesn't matter where the fabric comes from. A quilt made from chain store fabric is no less of a quilt than a quilt that is made solely from LQS fabric.