Extending the Life of What Still Has Value

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I think about value a lot. Years of searching for it has finally led me to an understanding of what it is. It's got to do with life. Our manufactured goods don't contain it, they contain our shame. That's why we are so quick to throw them away. We know that their production diminishes life. Value can be found in the hand made thing where the life of a real person is not far off or grossly abstracted.

At a recent garage sale I found a beat up old Mexican serape from the 1940s full of holes with new ones blossoming continuously. I also found a lovely mexican bag that without a lining was being destroyed by my using it. My keys kept snagging on the inside stitches that make up the design.

Today, wanting to be closer to the makers of these things or at least the spirit of value they imbued the goods with I tried to repair them and extend their life.

When it comes to sewing I'm a hack but I try. For the serape I made little patches and the bag I lined with a black cloth from my scraps.