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The Whole Nine Yards

The Whole Nine Yards

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The Whole Nine Yards--shelves of fabricMy friend Karen collects fabric. She sews it into clothing, curtains, cushions, and quilts. You name it, Karen sews it. She does the whole nine yards. She also makes it look as easy as pie.

We don’t know the origin of the whole nine yards. A few ideas have been suggested, but none can be proved. Possible ideas relate to:

  • Fabric
  • Cement
  • Distance

We measure all those in yards.

The whole nine yards means all of something.

  • The total amount
  • A full measure
  • The entire distance
  • Everything

The Whole Nine Yards--three quilts on rackKaren sews about anything, and all her work is amazing. Other people run long distances, work years on projects, or never miss their favorite activities. Most of us spend time and money on our greatest interests.

Anything worth doing is worth doing well.

Whatever we do, let’s do our best. Let’s go the whole nine yards in:

  • Caring for family, friends, or anyone in need
  • Sharing our faith
  • Working hard
  • Giving of ourselves to others

“Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order to provide for urgent needs and not live unproductive lives” (Titus 3:14).

Thanks to Brad Leverett and Carole Fite for the suggestion. Thanks to Karen Bryant Hall and Quilts by Karen for the photos.

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Make Do

Make Do

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Make DoMy parents and grandparents knew how to make do. So did many of their generation. They survived on what they had. If they had little, they lived on little. If they had more than enough, they saved for the future and shared with others.

They tried to avoid debt. If they didn’t have money, they didn’t buy. They grew their own food, built their own houses, and made their own clothes. They:

  • Discovered new recipes with the food in their kitchens
  • Styled themselves with the clothes in their closets (if they had closets)
  • Learned new ways to live off the land

They threw almost nothing away. Instead, they:

  • Cut buttons off old shirts to reuse
  • Canned and froze food they grew in the summer to eat in the winter
  • Cut up rags to make quilts

By doing the best they could with what they had, they learned to appreciate all they had. Although not rich with money, they were rich in faith and love.

Now in their golden years or gone but not forgotten, they continue to share their wealth with others. Some of those gifts appear in this picture.

  • A quilt made by my mother
  • A quilt rack made by my father
  • A Dutch boy and girl painted by a dear friend
  • Old canning jars that remind me to make do

“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you’” (Hebrews 13:5 NIV).

Do you have a favorite make do story? If so, please comment

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