Fabric Snobbery

Mr. Oram and I ran errands yesterday - nothing fancy, just the bank, post office (package coming your way, Santellanos! And Rolfe-Hancocks, and Eyerlys...), and Wal-Mart.

Oh, Wal-Mart.

Do you live better because of Walmart? Do you??

I had a roommate once who looooved to hate on Wally World. Talked about what a big bad corporation it was. But I find that line of complaining to be a first world whine. Sure, if you can afford to shop at Target, it's obviously a more pleasurable shopping experience. But if you need stuff cheap, guess where you go? Wal-Mart! 

Ballyhoo. 

So I treat Wal-Mart the same way I treat vaccines: I use it, but feel guilty for doing so (everybody has to compromise and this is mine). I usually go into Wal-Mart quickly - no leisurely strolling, no looking around - this is not Target or Whole Foods. This is not The Mall or even a cool flea market. There's no Starbucks or free trade coffee counter - only a Subway, wafting its odd fake-bread smell around the checkout aisles. 

This bread is fake. I know what real baking bread smells like - I make it myself.

So we are doing our stealth mission (bread machine yeast and spray paint, being the scary bread-making-vandals we are) and trying to keep Zuzu from eating the cart lest she catch scary germs that only live on Wal-Mart shopping carts, when we pass by the fabric section. Now, I don't consider myself prideful about fabrics - I shop Goodwill for blankets and plus-sized dresses with good prints for my fabric stash! No pride here! 

Except I have NEVER looked at Wal-Mart fabrics. "Ew," I think to myself "they're probably all polyester." (100% cotton is the best for quilting.)

But I saw a big red CLEARANCE sign...and thought, "I'll bet that's pretty cheap." And since being cheap frugal is now like an Internet Sensation, I went over and found...

Great fabric.

For CHEAP. I'm not talking $7 a yard, $5 a yard...TWO DOLLARS A YARD. People, that is a great deal. And it's cute!

Don't worry, my house isn't becoming awash in a sea of fabrics I don't need/will never use. These fabrics were bought with purpose! Somebody turns one in just a few weeks...

Ahem...Grand, ever since conquering stairs at your place, she is a climbing fiend. I blame you. 

A little light reading of her prayer book. We have a very holy genius baby - obviously. 

And I didn't want to buy $50 worth of pumpkins for her folklorico/day of the dead/fall/harvest themed party. So instead, I'm making fabric pumpkins. 

They'll be like this, except no where near as attractive, because I'm a good-enough person, not a perfectionist person. Tutorial here, pic by Danielle Thompson.

So if you are like me and shop at Wal-Mart but still like to pretend it's beneath you...get over yourself. They have great fabric. 

And after a while, you stop noticing the smell of 'bread'.