Those awesome thrift store finds

In my post about Santa Fe, I forgot to mention that we stopped in at The Needle's Eye yarn shop to buy some crewel yarn, which is rather hard to find. I haven't discovered a place in Albuquerque to buy any.

Well, the other day, I was way across town and stopped in at a thrift store. And what did I find? A huge bag of crewel yarn, for $7.99. It was stuffed to the brim!

Unfortunately, much of it turned out to be synthetic, and I despise working with synthetic yarn. I'll wear a store-bought sweater of synthetic yarn, but I don't like working with it. Also, real crewel should be done with wool. I was happy to find that there was a fair amount of real wool in the bag, too, but I've got tons of this crappy kind and I'm not sure what to do with it. I guess I can lower my standards and use it if I need the colors.

Here is my mom's cat buried in it, a bad pic taken with my camera phone.



Speaking of thrift store finds, I have tried to stop buying vintage sheets, but I did come across this fun pillowcase.

Vintage sheet quilt

I have had the Nine Pillowcase Quilt (aka the Clothesline Quilt) on my mind since February. I am finally making some progress. I have a few small blocks done. I love the vintage sheets. I'm really looking forward to the finished product.

Lots of things started, nothing finished

Outta here

I'm getting ready for vacation. Today's my last day of work until Aug. 9! We're just going on a quick jaunt for our 4th wedding anniversary, which is tomorrow. Then I have lots of time off just hanging around the house, which I LOVE.

Favorite Things

One of the patterns I've been drooling over is the Uptown Coat pattern by Favorite Things. I finally bought it, then anguished over the fabric. I saw this Porcelina fabric in an e-mail newsletter from Fat Quarter Shop, and despite looking around, I kept coming back to it. The fabric on the left is the main jacket fabric, and the other two form the chest area. It's like the turquoise coat on the pattern below.






Vintage sheets quilt

Also, I've finally gotten moving on my Clothesline Quilt, AKA the Nine Pillowcase Quilt. It's the vintage sheets quilt that I was so excited for, and when the pattern finally was posted, I realized that the cutting was sort of hard. I did use a lot of pillowcases, but I also used a few sheets, and boy were they a pain to cut with a rotary blade.



Oh, Fransson's version can be found here. She's the one who had the tutorial.

My main issue is that I want this to be a quilt for a queen size bed, so that means I need to add extra blocks. But that's going to ruin the 9-9-9 symmetry of the quilt. There are 9 tiny squares in the small blocks, then 9 small blocks in a big block, then 9 big blocks make up the quilt. If I add blocks, it messes that up, but I guess I'll live with it, because I want it to fit a bed and I've already cut the strips. I guess I could have made them bigger in the first place, but they would have been been a lot bigger.

Embroidery

I've been having fun embroidering. One of my projects will likely be one of the gifts for my five recipients from this post. So I won't show it until they get it, so it will be a surprise.

But I have so many ideas going. One thing I want to do is take this image and embroider it on a piece of tan fabric and make a handbag for myself.




Now I just need to buckle down and finish some things. Forget about the socks I've been working on for months. I'm making no progress at all. And hell if I'm going to take my knitting on the plane this time.

Treasure hunt (or the post that goes on and on)

Today was a fun day. I taught an old classmate (like from elementary school, who I met up with on Facebook) how to knit.

But before that, I decided to go on an antique treasure hunt. Wait, maybe I should back up.

OK, last night I attended a book signing at Bookworks, a local bookstore in Albuquerque's North Valley, for the "The Kitchen Linens Book" by EllynAnne Geisel.



I had to zip over on my dinner break. It just sounded sort of interesting, and she was supposed to have some vintage linens on display. She turned out to wonderful to listen to.

The book also has iron-on transfers in vintage designs included in the back, so I can try doing this on my own napkins. Which I will, because I certainly don't have enough hobbies. Soon I will be forced to quit my job, and maybe move to another planet where there are at least 48 hours in every day. But I digress.

You see, those old linens with silly pictures embroidered on them really have a tale to tell. Many women in the '30s and '40s had very little, especially during the Depression (Thank you, Robyn, for the history lesson). They may have had one set of napkins, and they were often handmade. They embellished their linens with embroidery to make them special. They embroidered kitchen towels with happy teapots and such to make their days more cheerful.

I overheard one woman saying that she and her mom used to embroider their tablecloths at the kitchen table, talking and rotating the cloth until it was finished.

I was smitten, to say the least. I suddenly wanted some of these linens to treasure. I wanted to bring back to life the careful handiwork of some woman before me. The handiwork that she took pride in, but that her family clearly did not understand or appreciate as they tossed it into the Goodwill pile.

I recalled the kitty pot holders my mother-in-law gave me when her own mother died. I pulled them from the drawer and saw them in a whole new light. I thought of my husband's grandmother living in a tiny house, poor, in a little mining town in Colorado so long ago.



I suddenly had a new love for those pot holders I once thought were ugly and old and icky. And that brings me to my treasure hunt. You know how I've been on a search for vintage sheets? I noticed that I never saw any vintage dish towels or things like that at the thrift stores. It had never dawned on me to try antique stores until last night, when I heard one of the book signing attendees say something. (And strangely enough, I never saw any vintage sheets at the antique stores.)

I looked online for the antique mall on Fourth Street and got the address. But as I was driving down Fourth Street in Albuquerque, N.M., I kept finding one antique store after another. I'd pull out of one driveway and two doors down there was another one. I also found a second-hand store (not clothing) called Ren's Thrift, where I got the best deals. For one thing, I got these cool rooster tins for very cheap there, plus a few linens.



I'll actually keep those inside my sewing cabinet to store notions.

Here are my linen finds:



You know, these women would actually hand-crochet borders to them. They'd intricately embroider the designs. It was all done with such care, and, most certainly, patience.



(Those napkins on the bottom right are probably not handmade, but the set of four was pretty, and also dirt cheap at Ren's Thrift Store. I've been trying to use cloth napkins instead of paper more often.)



This one, below, is one of my favorites. I like the colors. Unfortunately, no part of my house really goes with the antique or vintage look. Remember these silly cats from the estate sale? They feel right at home on these linens. They're all, "meow meow, I remember the good ol' days, meow. The days when people didn't buy all their crap at Wal-Mart, meow."




I got this hand-crocheted lace, too. AWESOME!!!! I am definitely going to use this to embellish something that I sew or knit:



And these buttons, to go with the Argyle Lace Hat from "Boutique Knits." It requires seven buttons, and I thought these vintage ones would be a neat touch. There are only six, though they are in their original package. I'll be using this gray wool yarn.





I never did reach my original destination. I found it, but it had a sign that it moved a mile down the road, and I kept getting distracted by other shops. I actually found out that it's an area called The Antique Mile, and there are 15 or so shops there. If it weren't 100-plus damn degrees out these days, maybe I'd stroll about on foot. And also, if there were sidewalks in the area. And no scuzzy peeps. And no drunken drivers who may swerve accidentally onto the shoulder and kill me when I'm just innocently seeking out vintage linens. Goddammit.

The book's author says she collects these items to honor the women who made them. She doesn't care if it's not her monogram; she uses it anyway. And she uses all of her vintage linens. She doesn't keep them in drawers for safekeeping. I think that's what I'll do. Better to make use of them and enjoy them, in my opinion.

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On a slight sidetrack, I'm going to make Simplicity 2927. I had picked it up for a buck on sale, and wasn't too thrilled by the looks of it. Then I saw that this version of it on My Daruma and knew I must make it. Hers is so awesome. I couldn't find good fabric. I wanted something simple and plain, maybe something that would match black pants. I picked this black linen blend with gray polka dot embroidery, and a cute button from Village Wools' faboo button selection.



(I see now that the picture is pretty useless. You can't even see the fabric. You'll just have to await the end result. ;) )

But I also decided to do a trial run, and chose this very unexciting gray fabric. Guess what it cost me for a yard. Go on, guess. OK, I'll tell you: 50 cents. That's right. It's just a practice run, but if it comes out OK, I may very well have a usuable, cute top for 50 cents. But I also got a button for it at Village Wools, and that was around $2.50, so something doesn't make sense here.



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Alright, so back to vintage linens.



At one stop I got this piece of fabric with what appears to be a practice run on embroidery, and I'm looking for ideas on what to do with it. I could cut it and sew it onto something else. Any ideas?

Mess of a dress

I bought this (rather enormous) pillowcase at an estate sale recently.



I really liked it and have been kicking myself for not buying the other half of the pair because it was never enough to make anything. Then I saw this pattern for a shirred pillowcase top and got inspired.

Then I thought, "darn if that isn't a really long pillowcase. Perhaps it could be a dress."

Then I thought of this dress I've been drooling over for a while.

I decided to go for a dress, but with an empire waistline. I had never shirred before. It's actually very easy. Instead of using thread in the bobbin, you use elastic thread, and then pretty much sew in straight rows.



I cut my pillowcase up and started shirring. And then quickly realized that this item was going to be small. Really small. I mean, I'm small, myself, but not that small.



I thought maybe it would fit my friend's tiny 7th-grade daughter. Then I thought maybe it would better fit her 5-year-old daughter.

So I stopped shirring earlier than I would have to create a smaller chest area and then did a separate skirt. This was dumb. I should have just left it one big piece. I realized if I simply gathered the skirt and sewed it on, the waist would have no give, and therefore the dress may be difficult to put on, since there is no zipper or anything.

So I started making an elastic casing for the waist and then couldn't figure out how to sew it onto the top. If the casing is right at the top, then where is the seam allowance? So I left a seam allowance and made the casing a bit under that. Then I sewed it on and it looked like crap because there was shirring, then a big gap, then an elastic waistband. I had to sew the seam closer, and in the end there was a big, unruly seam allowance that bunches up the waist area.

I know there has to be an intelligent way to do this, but I simply am not seeing it.



OK, so I used the idea in the shirt tutorial above and put rick-rack along the pillowcase hem stitching. Then I attached straps (tie straps, since I didn't know how long to make them. I never sew for kids.) and put decorative buttons on the front for a touch o' cuteness.

Lots of sewing time

My husband's out of town, so I've had lots of sewing time. Unfortunately, he took the camera, so I can only use my cell phone. Strangely, the photos are almost better than with my camera. Can't figure that one out.

In an earlier post, I showed you the Prairie Girl dress from Favorite Things that I am going to make with pretty Amy Butler fabric. Because of my recent mishaps, I was definitely going to make a muslin first.
Last night I realized there's a shirt version in the same pattern, which is just the dress cut shorter. I spied a pretty white/orange/blue/green vintage sheet in my collection and decided to go for it. This killed two birds with one stone: It basically served as my muslin (only change is the dress is longer) and allowed me to make something with all these sheets I've been buying. It was bugging me that I wasn't making use of them fast enough.



For the dress, I'll be doing the ruffled cap sleeve. I like this top a lot, but from the back, it sort of looks like a scrub top a nurse would wear. I think a lot of it's the sleeves.



I was going to make the dickey out of this sheet here, which sort of matched, but then when I tried the top on, I happened to be wearing this green tank that matched well. It brought out the colors better than the second sheet.



Next up is a gathered empire waist top made from this matryoshka print fabric that I bought some time ago. I didn't have much and couldn't figure out what to do with it since it's so wrinkly and doesn't lay flat. I am going to use Simplicity 3750, and I have it all cut out. That was no easy task. I decided the best thing to do was to lay it out on a cardboard cutting mat and pin the fabric stretched out. Then I cut to my best ability and let it shrink back up.

Time machine

Oh, man. Did I ever hit vintage sheet paydirt at my mother-in-law's house! I don't know why I didn't think to ask earlier. Maybe because I have enough damn vintage sheets, and I've yet to use them for much.

I was over there today to help with a garage sale. I got there late because I'm no early bird. It was slow all afternoon, save a few lonely people who talked our ears off. Mark and I made less than $20, and I've already spent it all. I bought lunch at Blake's Lotaburger up the street, and then I stopped in at a nearby thrift store while I was on that side of town. I needed more vintage sheets, see. And I found a set of canisters still in the box that looked unused for $10.

OK, so I'm figuring my MIL is in her 80s AND she is a packrat holds onto stuff. They all like to hold onto stuff, that family. I ask her if she has any vintage sheets she doesn't need anymore, stuff older than the 1980s. And she finds all these perfect pillowcases! Some of them are a bit bland, but some are fantabulous!

Warning: if you think my normal photography is bad, I used my phone for this here.



Would you like to see them up close?

The top one is a set of two pillowcases, and I think I'll use on my bed. They're pretty:



These two have three each, and they are so vivid! I love them. Actually, the second one also has a pair still in the package.




These are thrift store finds:




These are from MIL, but a bit bland:





And this one looks just like a pink version I found at a thrift store. I've also seen it on eBay a lot. It must have been popular:



I guess this means I need to start making a quilt out of this great collection. But who to make it for? That's the question.

Final day of freedom

It's back to work tomorow, after five days off. Even having surgery, it was nice to get away from work. I had a pretty crummy month with things that weren't blogging material, plus major reorganization at work (I'm moving to be a metro desk copy editor, which I think will be fun and different). I then had two six-day workweeks, so this was a welcome break. I got lots of sewing done.

Today, I went to Expo New Mexico (why can't we still just call it the "fairgrounds"?) with a friend and her sweet little newborn to check out the Fiber Arts Fiesta. There were gorgeous quilts on display and lots of yarn and goodies for sale.

I am sure it was a struggle for many vendors there, thanks to the economy. I overheard one say so, and I remember trying to hawk my stuff a few years ago. I was a bit of a cheapskate. I really don't buy yarn unless I have a plan for it, and I didn't know what I was looking for. Plus, I have a Village Wools gift certificate that I should use next time I want yarn.

I did buy a $1 emery-filled strawberry for sharpening needles and this $5 leather thimble. I need a thimble badly when hand-finishing quilt bindings, and the metal ones are really awkward. I'm hoping this helps.



Oops. I think I have it on upside down. It has a slit for long fingernails, which for some reason gives me the willies.

In the flier for the show, there were various advertisements for fiber-related places. Then there was this one:



Dentistry for "special people." I really have no idea what to make of this. I mean, I immediately think "retarded people," then feel un-PC. Then I think "people with big egos" or "people who have won awards." But how will anybody be sure which it is? Wouldn't you be afraid to call and see if you apply?


Other good things: It rained today, which was fun. My brother managed to recover all my files off my crashed hard drive and has the discs in the mail to me. I ate bacon and instant breakfast for dinner.

And finally, you'll never, ever believe this!!!, but I bought yet another fab vintage sheet. And now, I swear, I will stop for a while.



But don't you love it? It's from Thrift Town, where the sheets are even cheaper than at Savers!

Vintage sheets and gory gum tales

I'm feeling great one day after my gum graft surgery. I have really had very little pain. Yesterday, after the shots wore off, I felt fine all evening. Right before bed, I bent over to get my purse and remembered immediately that I'm not supposed to bend over, because allowing the blood to rush to my mouth is a really bad idea. I then went and did my first rinse with Peridex, which is prescription antiseptic. It hurt really, really bad for several minutes afterward, but ever since then I have had no pain.

I felt good enough to eat real food, albeit very carefully. I found out on facebook that a high school classmate has to go tomorrow and have the same thing done, PLUS a bone graft and a tooth extraction. So she has a lot more to go through and I'd like to send good vibes or prayers or whatever to her.

So today, I felt like getting out of the house a little bit, and what is more fun than rummaging through stinky thrift stores for old, used sheets?

I usually go to Savers, a big, monster of a thrift store near my house. There is a Goodwill a little further away, but I think most of the other thrift stores are way across town (**whisper and shifty glance**you know, where all those poor people are). So today I went to Goodwill and found absolutely nothing. I stopped in at Savers on the way home, and every time I think that surely I have cleaned that place out of the good vintage stuff, they have more!

I was really excited for this yellow one, and it's a whole sheet, so besides making for a more colorful Clothesline Quilt (aka Nine Pillowcase Quilt) when I get to it, it may make a cute skirt or top, too. I'm also thinking of selling the leftovers of my vintage sheet collection on eBay or etsy, because they seem to fetch a pretty good price.



I bought this pillowcase on eBay today for $3.50, and at Savers they are only 99 cents. But I figured, what if I grab the ones I don't really want or need and then can't unload them? And if I do, it's just a few bucks profit and all the trouble of packing and going to the post office.



For fun, lets look at all the ones I got before: