HettyB

Making a garment from scratch could now be considered a luxury if you add up the cost of materials, but knowing how do basic mending isn't and knowing how to cook is a vital life skill. If you can do what was old-fashionedly known as 'plain cooking', then you will know how to whip something up in minutes, is cost effective and nutritious.

Yesterday, I stripped the bed, did the laundry, baked bread, did the ironing, bound a quilt ,went to work - oh and I made roast chicken for dinner, watched trash TV in the evening. Didn't get up early, wasn't up late, just organised.
Learned that from my mother who worked full-time and my grandmother (who had crippling arthritis and raised 6 kids). Learn to multi-task and just do it - no messing about.

Working more hours to pay for ready made meals and shopping for new clothes just because I broke a zip cuts into my gardening and quilting time!

Aurora

I love to cook and bake. Trying different recipes is so much fun. My mother never liked to cook but I love to try new recipes.

NJ Quilter

I'm a 'comfort food' cook. Not creative in the least but it's good food! Sewing- agreed, mending is certainly a necessity, not a luxury. Quilting can certainly be a luxury if buying new fabric from a LQS but there are certainly those folks who buy from thrift shops; yard sales; etc. that turn out beautiful quilts. More power to them as I am certainly not that creative!

Betty J

I would have thought that both were necessities when running a household and raising a family. Eating out and paying for clothing alterations and mending would be a luxury to my mind. Many years ago when we were at school cooking and sewing were taught and how fortunate we were as not so much is placed on these skills today. I have always cooked our meals and only ever eaten out when we are away from home and I am truly over paying good money for food that you would not serve at home. I have always mended and made clothes for my children when they were small and even today still make some of my own clothes. I can't imagine how any household could function without a sewing machine.

SuzzyQ

Well I had a sister-in-law who truly did not know how to cook and definitely had no idea how to sew or mend. To her eating out or going thru the drive thru was normal. And sadly she brought her daughter up the same way... who truly cannot cook so she takes her kids thru a drive thru at least once a day. I "think" she has a housekeeper and a nanny or at least, used to have them …. she is honestly a brainless twit. I would love to get hold of her kids and introduce them to a stove. Her dad/my brother tries but he hasn't the health or knowledge to teach someone how to cook. Unfortunately neither of us has a lot of access to them.
My DIL doesn't like to cook - will not eat leftovers (but she loves to bake) and has no interest in sewing. Well her dad (my son) has taught DGD to cook and of course, she cooks when she's around me. DIL sees the value in encouraging my grand daughter (12) to learn to sew. And my DGD has been interested in sewing ever since she was 2. She made herself a quilt this summer and our next project together will be a nightshirt. She's made pj pants for herself and her cousins already. I'm thinking of getting her a membership at Fabricland for Christmas. She's already got one of my sewing machines (Janome QC 4800) that she learned to sew on - she's been referring to it as "her" machine - and now she's got me doing it.

SusieQOH

My Mom loved to cook and bake. Her kitchen was where her artistry shone. I didn't inherit that but she didn't like to sew the way I do. I do like to bake though, but not cook.

llong0233

No kidding. To my mind quilting has always been somewhat of a luxury, even back in the day. Most of the items I needed to quilt had to be acquired specifically for quilting, other than the sewing machine I already had. Plus, those items generally weren't used for anything other than quilting. Even just 13 years ago $10.00 seemed high to me for fabric. Once I understood the difference in quality it made more sense. Anyway, quality quilting fabric is getting more expensive by the day it seems. As an aside, I need to replace my little Singer Sidewinder bobbin winder I bought a while back. Exact same thing I bought 8 years ago for $14.99 is now $25.00 most places. I can now fully appreciate what my parents felt when bread went to $1.00 a loaf! Something their mom sent them to the store with a dime to get!

SueZQ from MN

I guess it all depends on what generation you grew up in. When I was a child in the 50s in a middle class family, eating out was a luxury that was reserved for very special occasions, and cooking and sewing were part of everyday life. Many people still lived with the horrible memories of the depression and war rationing, so money wasn't spent frivolously and children didn't get everything they asked for. We were taught to work and save for what we wanted, and if you didn't have the money, you didn't get what you wanted. You treasured and took care of what you had, and you waited for Christmas and birthdays to receive that ONE special gift. All of these lessons have been completely forgotten, and replaced with "I want it now!". Cooking and sewing are not luxuries they are acts of love that you put your heart into and share with others, be they family, friends, or total strangers. Sorry for making this so personal. I'll put my soapbox away now.

Jingle

Quilt making is absolutely necessary to my well being, eating is too. Not luxuries to me.

SusieQOH

Did you ever notice in movies like Downton Abbey, Poldark etc, the women do needlework? They don't have to do anything but eat for the most part. Everything is done for them!