You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear (redirected from silk)

You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. (old-fashioned)

something that you say which means you cannot make a good quality product using bad quality materials. To make chairs that'll last you need good strong pieces of wood. You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

See also: can't, ear, purse