No, never heard of that saying. But, now I know what my mother-in-law kept saying - A stitch in time saves 9. Years ago I had my first quilt on a big quilting frame in my living room and my mother-in-law came over here with a friend of hers (both elderly quilters) and they came over to see my first hand quilted quilt. Her friend declared that "my stitches were small enough that a person't toenails would not snag them". Evidently that was a good thing!