Old Cotton

I love old cotton clothes. Always have. As a teen-age girl I wore blue jeans as often as possible and for as long as they held together. I learned to patch, and made heart and diamond appliques for the seat of one pair of denims. Other girls wore skirts most of the time, but I was born too soon in that regard as well as many other aspects of life. About that time I cut up my favorite dress, which was fraying, and made a blouse of the good parts.

Re-purposing old clothes is a strong tradition among American women. This dear old quilt made by Dennis' grandmother is made of pieces of old shirts and dresses. Its faded colors and frayed edges speak to me of its long life of service in Dennis' family. Lightweight and incredibly soft, it serves us still as my summer bed cover.



The best clothes are soft and easy to wear. Nothing fills the bill better than old cotton. Dennis obviously agrees with me because he loves his frayed, disreputable chambray shirts, whose worn-out sleeves have been converted to short sleeves. Someone recently asked Dennis where he got this one. We didn't know quite what to make of that question.



My clothes last for years because I just keep wearing them until they become hopelessly baggy and shapeless, frayed and torn. This old flannel bathrobe still has one or two winters in it.


Only the best garments wear out, the garments we live comfortably in, the garments that meet the needs of daily life. I should start shopping for a replacement now. It will take a long time to find another bathrobe this good.