Something from Nothing

 Many years ago - twenty to be sure - while I still worked at JCPenney and managed the furniture department, I'd bring home discontinued fabric samples for Mom. She'd work through the feast, picking out the fabrics that were best suited for braid rungs, separating the colors into like-minded piles and then cutting them into long strips.
 These were sewn and turned into braid rugs. I wrote about them in Pinehaven, as impressed then with the newer additions to our home as I am now by their bullet-proof longevity. These rugs have stood the test of time and countless feet.

 This one is Mom's favorite. It's also her largest, a full 39" in diameter. The early American colors compliment Pinehaven's decor. This rug is used in our dining room at the door to the enclosed south porch.
 I can still remember Mom cutting the fabric, ending up with strips that would be sewn into tubes, flattened and turned into braids. The rug eventually became unwieldy to work with, but still she continued.
 We have at least eight or nine rugs of this sort, some so small that they serve as mere seat cushions (we use one in the car), others on the floor before rocking chairs, still others in doorways.
 I know that these rugs will outlast us all. Everything made with love does.