My great, great, grandparents came from Russia via France and ended up in Cleveland, Ohio, around 1905. Grandpa (Morris Weiss) made clothes as Maurice of Chicago; Grandma didn’t have a special name. Her actual name was Marie Weiss.
She made patchwork skirts for her family sized for 3 year olds to adults with elastic in the waist so they could be let out in case of weight gain and with huge hems so that they could be let down in case of growth. The patches were cut from scraps of clothes she made for customers. The customers were mostly men so the squares are from suits and are somewhat dark. 
Making patchwork skirts was a way to use leftover material and turn it into something useful, rather than going out and spending money on either new material or store bought clothes. It was a way to save money, but the kids could still have something nice to wear. Being thrifty was a hallmark of immigrants, who came to this country with little money and had to use their skills to bring in income.

– Charlotte S.

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more