Mama was an excellent seamstress. Just after World War II, there wasn't much money to spend on "store-bought" clothes. My grandmother bought flour and feed in cloth sacks. When she had enough for a dress, she soaked the paper label off the fabric, washed and ironed it and gave it to mama to make my dresses. I was very proud of the 15 dresses I had when I started school.  

When I was about 10, I was the recipient of cousin's hand-me-downs. These were the first "store-bought" dresses I had. With these dresses and the ones mama made, I had a very nice wardrobe. When I outgrew them, they went to another cousin.  

Those clothes were tried and tested. Buttons fell off, but were sewn back on; seams ripped a little, but they were mended; skirts became too short, so hems were let out and taken up again. The dresses mama made lasted much longer than those from the stores. They were designed and made with love, good fabric and heavy-duty thread. 

Love, good fabric and heavy-duty thread don't go out of style. I learned valuable lessons from watching my mama sew. She put everything she had into all her projects; she selected the very best fabric she could afford; she added a little extra when she could; she gave diligence to the work at hand; she reinforced the seams in my dresses and in my life with heavy-duty thread; and she thanked God for the opportunity to do it all. 

I have a very valuable quilt in my possession. It's made from scraps of fabric I found in mama's house after she passed away. A scrap of a flour sack, the lace from one of my prom dresses, the taffeta from my wedding dress, and the brushed corduroy from my winter coat — all carrying the message of love. That never goes out of style. 

Good people leave an inheritance for their children’s children, but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous (Proverbs 13:22 TNIV).

 

That never goes out of style.
In his commentary, Matthew Henry explains this verse as follows:

A good man's [or woman's] estate lasts. It is part of his praise that he is thoughtful for posterity. He is careful, both by justice and charity, to obtain the blessing of God upon what he has, and to entail that blessing upon his children. If he should not leave them much of this world's goods, his prayers, his instructions, his good example, will be the best entail, and the promises of the covenant will be an inheritance to his children's children.

My grandmother and mother certainly left me a great "estate" and a rich inheritance of things that matter most!