when my oldest 2 kids were small, i was alone with them & worked 2 jobs, about 65-70 hrs a week. we were so broke i used to wash all our clothes, (including the cloth diapers) in the bathtub. the laundry mat was a rare treat!
my quilting (badly done hand piecing) & cross stitching was mostly done during breaks on the part time job, when i worked for a caterer...
with no washer & dryer, living in MI, i had to be super organized, especially in the winter, just to make sure everyone had clean (and DRY) underwear & socks every day!
i used to haunt goodwill & salvation army thrift stores, not only for our clothes, but for what i could cut up into pcs to make smaller clothes & quilts.
quilt & craft wise, it was the most productive time in my life....
now i have a wonderful husband, 3 more kids, a lovely antique house we are working on restoring, beautiful gardens a WASHER & DRYER, the resources to get pretty much what ever fabric and or notions i want, but i don't seem to get nearly as much done.... makes no sense to me!!