Beachy Fabric

I found this fabric at a thrift store the other day--they had a table of new flat folds, and this caught my eye.

It reminds me of Coronado's Tent City


Fun beach cabanas might provide a good fabric for my beach tote.
It's upholstery fabric, so perhaps not practical for a bag, but it sure is cute.
It's very textural--as if the cabanas are embroidered.

Two and a half yards of wide yardage.
Inexpensive if I were to buy it in a fabric shop, but expensive thriftstore wise.
I got this for $8.
It was haunting me. I had to have it.
I can't believe it was still there when I went back.

Another vintage apron, and some great fabric

Poor neglected blog.
It's not that I haven't been thrifting, that's for sure.
Thrifting gives me life.

I found this amazing vintage apron recently

Sheer and beautiful, with a pink flocked floral pattern, and a sash that runs through buttonholes.
It's gorgeous.
I can't remember if I paid $3 or $4.

I enjoy finding funky novelty fabrics, especially juvenile prints.
Sometimes the source is unusual, like this 1960's children's curtain panel in a circus-themed print.
Thriftstore price for two matching panels: $3.50

God bless thriftstores...

I found some other linens that are for a swap partner, so I'll show those after she has received them.

Check out the small quilt I got too (posted on my craft blog).

Rummage Sale!

This weekend was the 80th annual Thursday Club Rummage Sale in Balboa Park.
My mom and I got there about an hour early to find a looong line. No worries, we brought camp chairs and coffee and just talked to the people.

*note to self: do not again mention how excited you are about going to scope out the fabric first.
The lady in line in front of me turned around and said, "oh, they have fabric here?" (cue Marge Simpson's growl...)

*note to other sale goers: do not arrive right as the doors open and expect to snake in line. It doesn't work that way, and even your asking if you can hang with us isn't polite)

My favorite find of the day was the metal shore bird (sandpiper?) ornament I got for 25 cents. Most of the ornaments were in Ziploc bags and I just grabbed and hoped for the best. I was pleased with the contents of all.

Price for several bags and total of items above: $1

The little lime green tree is an ornament that is like a bell--the base swings free. The tree itself is embellished with magic-wand wielding fairies. I love it.

I got 26 cardboard ornaments (or package toppers). I just love the designs on these. In addition to ones shown here are carousel animals and Victorian children.


I found a few patterns and some fun fabrics, though the selection of crafty items wasn't as large as last year.

Two yards of Alexander Henry "egg study" (perfect timing, right before Easter)--price $1 per yard.
a small piece of trout fabric by Robert Kaufman, and an upholstery swatch with dogs (or is it coyotes?) that I love. That one will go into making a small bag.
I think the small pieces were either 25 or 50 cents.
I also picked up several neckties, a few of which I posted to
my crafty blog.

They've got tables and tables of vintage linens.

I will make a wristlet from the tea towel (mint condition)
The potholder is identical to a blue one I purchased on ebay for a hefty penny from the UK (aarrggghhh)
Rummage sale price: $1 each.

I found several vintage cookbooks. I didn't even take the time to cruise the vast piles of novels, etc, and I forgot to check for magazines.

This booklet was printed by the Dairy council of California. I love the magic wand (the magic of sour cream). There is no date listed.

I wasn't in the mood to go through all the clothing either. There are so many areas to go through, it's just too much to do them all. I skipped the electronics, the tools, the baskets, and the jewelry.
My mom always heads to the plants area first. Local nurseries donate some great items.

An adorable kid's cookbook filled with pen and ink illustrations and recipes for spooky-type twists on food, especially appropriate for Halloween.


Booklet of party games from the 1950's.


This event is a huge hall with everything from furniture and bicycles to clothing and trinkets.
I didn't get any 'wow' items this year, but I still got a big bag full of goodies and emptied my wallet of $30 toward a good cause.
Most of all though, it's just fun!

Yay, finally a day to thrift again!

Today was bonus check day, so I thought I'd treat myself to a stop in at a little row of thrift shops in Poway. One store was giving half off everything, and two of them accepted my debit card as payment (always a bonus).
I didn't have much time before closing, so I just concentrated on the sewing area. Well, and ties of course.

I found some weird neckties (love the turkey!)


A couple of patterns. Too small, but for a nickel each, I figure they are good for styling ideas.


A couple of fabrics--the green strawberry print is actually an apron in a hospital gown-style. Stained, but I can save the best bits of fabric for the strawberry quilt I'm planning to make. Cost: $1
The red is a flocked heavy upholstery type that I thought would make a great carpet bag. Maybe Amy Butler's 'Madison'. Cost for a large piece: $4 (more than I usually spend, but I really liked it).


And a big plastic recipe box filled with recipe cards.
The Betty Crocker Recipe Card Library. Cost: $1
I am having so much fun looking through these

More fun fabric finds

Five yards Tori Richard Hawaiian fabric, thrift store price $6. That's a bit steep for thrift store prices, but this funky color haunted me for awhile. I'm glad it was still there when I returned. Not sure what I'm going to do with it--it's a bit silky like a rayon, but it may just be a cotton blend. Maybe the back of a quilt. I like the unique quality.


Denim-weight fabric, a little over one yard, $1.50
Reminds me of Ikea fabric. I love fruit images.


Thrifted polyester shirt. I love grafitti fabric. I figure I can make a purse out of it. I don't remember what I paid for this, but it was probably just a couple of dollars.

Woohoo!

Thrift store find of the century today--rolls of cut fabric strips that I assume are meant to make your own bias tape. They could also be used in quilting, as ribbon, in rag rugs...
Yards and yards! Two rolls of the red-white-and-blue Zodiac print (one roll pictured so you can see how much fabric I'm talking about!), three rolls of the yellow-and-white floral, and one roll of the luscious red-and-white Asian(ish) floral print.

The best part? Each roll: 60 cents!

Thrifting for fun fabric

Thrift stores are great places to find vintage fabric, or fun novelty prints. But don't forget that fabric might be in clothing or linens too, not just the remnant pile.


Beautiful painting-like Japanese bird scene on a pillowcase.
Perfect condition, 99 cents.


I love novelty prints. This turtle fabric is from a lady's shirt. Great condition, $2.39. You figure I'll probably get at least a yard from it, so that's a great price for a unique fabric find.

Vintage tablecloths are wonderful to sew with--even if the piece is faded or torn, parts may still be useable.
From my Flickr photo page, check out this article about making children's clothing from tablecloths, from the May 1951 issue of Woman's Day Magazine. Or making an apron from a man's shirt

Some helpful books to consult include:
Vintage Fabric Style: Stylish Ideas and Projects using Flea Market Finds in your Home

Sew Vintage: New Creations from Found Fabrics