There is a really thought-provoking blog post over here
that has set me to thinking about how we are so inclined to forget the perspectives of other cultures
In our post-modern world, we have developed a culture of
'use it up' -
're-use it' - or
're-purpose it'.
And we are finding pleasure and a good deal of satisfaction in 'thrifted' clothing and using recycled fabrics and fibers in our crafts and art. As well, in our household goods.
Recently, I posted about one of my favorite quilts that I made almost entirely from thrifted fabrics. That stash of fabric came from the yard sale of an elderly woman who was giving up her life-long hobby/craft. The fabric represented several decades of quilts starting with the 1930s and on throught the 1970s and 80s.
Larry stopped at this woman's yard sale and bought her entire lot of fabric. As I remember it was several boxes full. From it, I made a queen sized bed quilt and some hexagon quilts with applique embellishments from the scraps I created by using her scraps.
But the post I mentioned above was written by Eva who lives in Germany and whose life-experience is different from ours. She remembers the post-war shortages for necessary items like clothing and heating materials that made life extremely difficult. That shortage of material goods has created an aversion to anything 'used' or 'recycled'. The memories are still too close for Germans to find interest in this new wave of 'making do'.
Thank you, Eva, for giving us a more worldly view and opening our eyes to a different cultural experience.
