Yet in many circles recycled and upcycled is becoming fashionable now. Nothing is more unique.
I have quilts and a painting and various other things she made, and they are among my prized possessions. I mean, do you remember and keep forever the thing you were given from Walmart and treasure it?
This precisely! Not that anything from Walmart would be likely to last long enough. My grandmother wasn't a big crafter, her sight wasn't great, but she still used to crochet her dish cloths. I have a few things from her, though, like her old sewing box and tools (she was always mending things) and a wooden coat hanger with "Herren Kleidung" etched on it (odd, but it reminds me of her). My mum used to make things a lot as well. We grew up making do and mending, because it carried on for quite a while after the war for my parents.
Up until I was 4 or 5 my mom was a stay-at-home mom and she did more making and mending then but I think it was mostly out of boredom. She didn't like being a SAHM I don't think and even now she complains about boredom but doesn't take up any hobbies.
I did inherit a bag of yarn and some unfinished quilt pieces from my grandma; I've been using the yarn but want to get some quilt practice in before I attempt to finish the parts I have from her. :)