Thrift Share Monday's - August 8

Miss my lack of thrifting last week?  My thrift fairy was nowhere in sight last week, or I may have over looked her since I was completely enthralled with this project, testing out a dress pattern.  I did go out to a few garage sales, but pickings were slim.

This weeks pickings were looking pretty sad too, but some vintage sheet action aways makes up for it.  I scored some great ones, and I just LOVE it when I find sheets that I already have and love, but in a different color.

Take these pillows cases for example.  I had a blue sheet in the same pattern, but all I have left of it now is scraps, since I sold most of it on Etsy, and some of it was used to make a buttercup bag and a market bag, both are currently listed in my shop.

This blue sheet pattern I already have in yellow (pillow cases) and pink (sheet).  So I was excited to add a third color to the mix.  The only sad part about these items is that the pattern isn't all over, only on about the top quarter of the sheet and the rest is just a solid color, but as I was moping over that fact I  just realized I could use the solid colors for the back of the vintage sheet quilt I'm currently working on.  I've been wondering what I was going to do on the back of this quilt, and now I know.  It's crazy on how somethings just come together.

These two are new pattens(to me), and colors to my mix of vintage sheet goodness.   I can't express enough on how happy it makes me to find vintage sheets that are completely saturated in color.  Slowly these are taking over my white with minimal patterned vintage sheets stash (YES!!!).

My non sheet scores was this great nesting doll, of seven.

And look at this super fabulous Hazel Atlas apple snack plate set.  I walked away from it, but came back to it thinking it could be a great teacher gift if I could figure out how to cover up the chip on the stem.  Any ideas on how to jazz it up to hide or cover it?

I've been on a Etsy listing hiatus, and I need to get out of this rut and start listing stuff again. Ay!

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Testing a pattern

Hmmmmm..... So I'm being a bit adventurous and have a wild hair thought.  My sister is getting married in November, and I need a dress to wear.  Ugh!!!

My closet consist of t-shirts and jeans, and an old work wardrobe of items that no longer fit or I don't think I would wear again (but I refuse to get rid of it because what if I one day I need professional (haha) office attire that is out dated?).

Anyway, so with weak attempts of looking for a dress I've become discouraged since I haven't seen anything that I like.   Grown-up gowns (I'm 33 does that make me a grown-up?) are way too big for me, and in the section where I usually get my t-shirts, teens, the dresses are way too short and/or not necessarily appropriate for a wedding.  *sigh*

I'll continue my search for a dress just right for my sisters wedding, but in the mean time I've thought maybe....just maybe.... I could make a dress.  It's been years since I've made some item of clothing for myself (about 14 years).  It was a sun dress and I remember really liking it.  I used a favorite dress as my pattern, and now looking back it could have been considered a pillowcase dress, minus the pillow case, just to give you an idea on how basic it was.

Now I want a "grown-up" dress that fits me (5' 2" 110ish pounds), and fits the vision that is in my head.

OK OK!!! I know it's a tad too short in the front, but I LOVE the wings.  Hi.  Yeah.  That's my taste, but once again I'm a jean and t-shirt gal.  Ho Humm....soooo boring.  

So.  I'm not as creative, manually, as I in-vision.  What's in my head is soooo much nicer then what I create by my hands.  Therefore, I needed to look for a dress and/or pattern to go off of, and searching the web I went.

I want something fitted, sleeves or straps, not too long,  not too low in the front, and pencil skirt-ish.  Then I found this.  

Yay!!!  I think this could be the dress if I could pull it off (sewing wise), and if I actually like the design once it's on me.   Love her black lipstick too (I'm vintage, goth, burlesque by heart, but plain jane in reality).   

I'm going for style B, the one in blue.  How can I feel like a grown-up with bows on my shoulders, duh! However, I'm sure they would look fantastic on someone a little taller than me, like 5' 10".  I always like the cutesy pheasant, ruffly, stuff but since I'm small those styles make me look like I'm my daughters little sister (if she had one).  Not the look I'm going for.  

Initially, I was gonna buy some muslin to test this pattern out, but then remembered I had a ton of this blue fabric with white polka-dots that I scored at a garage sale for 50 cents.  That'll work (or will it?).

Now I never, and I'm mean never, sewn from a packaged pattern like this before.  As you may have seen in my other post I've made purses and aprons.  I've even printed a large full size apron, but that did not have me prepared for the flutter, flowy, does-not-stay-still, tissue paper pattern that these are.  OMG!!!  How is someone suppose to breathe when handling this tissue?!  

Oh, note to others whom haven't purchased a pattern like this before.  Make sure you look on the package for your size (like if it would matter anyways).  It wasn't until after I opened it and unfolded it did it occur to me that I might not have purchased my size.  Did I?  I don't know.  My bust is a size 10, my waist is a size 12, and my hips are a size 16. So no one size would fit me right, and now apparently I have junk in the trunk.  *sigh*  Who makes these measurements?!  In grown-up sizes a 4 is too big, and now I'm possibly a 10-16.  What ever!

The pattern I have is 6-8-10. Is it too small?  Well I didn't let that stop me.  I proceeded to work on the largest size, and just went with it.  I'd pull out my corset, and squeeze myself into the dress if I have to.

The most intimidating part to this whole thing was definitely cutting out the tissue paper.  I feared I might sneeze and dissolve the whole thing, or some small breath would whisk it away to Oz.  But once it was successfully cut out I was relieved.  *Whew*

Back of dress with darts and pinning down zipper. 

Piecing it together was not hard at all.  The whole process was really painless. It's not 100% finished, but enough of it is done to figure out if it will work.

It needs to be more fitted, just slightly (maybe alter the darts), the length shortened, and back to the fabric.  The fabric I used, I think, is 100% cotton, and a bit stiff.  So it seems a bit blocky.  The fabric suggestions for the pattern are lighter, more flow-y, fabrics so the front doesn't fall in the manor I think it should fall, and it's a little too high.

Like the black dress pictured it seems slightly cowl-ish, and that's the look I'm looking for.  But that's the whole purpose of testing the pattern first, right?  Wanting to see if I could get the gist of it down, then see if I like it, and I think I could like it if I could successfully make the alterations work that are in my head (It's very pretty in my head....like the cartoon drawings on the cover).   As for the reality it is now it doesn't look to hot, but this is ALL blamed on the fabric, and maybe some slight blame to the neckline construction (but this could be due to the fabric once again).

Here's the very straight non flowing neck line.

Eeek!!! This looks very frumpy, like a sack of potatoes.  I do have a waist, now lets see if I could find it in this pattern.  I have the side and darts pinned (wondering if those adjustments will help).

I've already bought some clearance lite weight light grey Crepe fabric, and while I was writing this post, I think, I just thought of a solution on how to adjust the flowing of the neck line.  Eeek!  I wonder if it will work.  Only time will tell.  ;-)

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Faith Hope and Charity Swapping - My swap goodies

Eeeek!!!

What a great way to end Hump day!!

It's been hot, and miserable.  All I want to do after work is get home out of the heat.  So today after some reluctant grocery shopping I arrive to my front door, hands full of grocery bags, to a package on my door step.  YAY!!!  It's from Sam over at The Junk House, for our Faith Hope and Charity Swapping Swap.

I couldn't wait to open it.  My groceries sat on my counter as I took my box of swapping goodness to the back yard to open and take pictures of my goodies. 

I'm really impressed with myself that I did remember to take pictures before I dug into and tore everything open.

So with no further adieu here are my super fantastic gifts.  

Oh wait!!!  This swap was put together by the lovely Lakota over at Faith Hope and Charity Shopping, thank you Lakota!  The swapping guidelines were a maximum spending limit of £12, 3-5 items, one item handmade, one piece of jewelry, and one item from a charity shop/boot sale/garage sale/jumble or similar.

Ok, now here are my swaptastic items.

Check out this lovely handmade pillow!!  I just LOVE the flower embellishment.  *Squeal!*

Next....ooooh what package to open up next!!! 

Next was the jewelry.  Ah!!!  How gorgeous and sweet is this?!!  This rose pendent is absolutely fabulous!!

Onward.

How great are these napkins?!  A set of 4.  The little poofy flowers are super adorable.  I love it when I find goodies like this when I go out thrifting, and to have them just magically appear on my doorstep how much better could that get?

Last but not least, a very deceiving package.  It felt like a bowl.  As I started to unwrap it it looked like a bowl.

Then......BOOOM!!!  A nestled set of PYREX!!!! What?!!

OH yeah you heard me.

Oh my!!! These bowls are great, and appear to be in mint condition.  Sam, I want your Salvation Army by my house (I don't find great things like this at mine).

I had a casserole dish in this same pattern listed in my Etsy shop, but since I've got a collection of it going on I'm keeping it.  Yay!!

Thank you Sam over at The Junk House,  I absolutely LOVE everything!!!

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Vintage sheet quilt - In progress

Wow!  I've been wanting to post my progress of this quilt for almost two weeks now.  However, my progress has been slow, so it's not like I have gotten very far during that time anyway.

Since my lucky win last month I've been working on a vintage sheet quilt, and as I just admitted it's been slooow, but it has been fun.

I would love to make a postage stamp quilt, but I don't think I have the patience just yet to pull that off.  So I've figured I would incorporate the two Accuquilt square dies that I won, the 2" and 5".  The pattern I've conjured up in my head is based on two types of blocks; one block of nine (3 x 3) 5" squares and one block of 81 (9 x 9) 2" squares.

Pie dish filled with 5" squares

Literately this quilt was started without the thought of how many squares were needed.  I did calculate about four blocks across and six to seven blocks down, but just the other day I started to calculate the amount of 5" squares that would be needed, 102, and 2" squares, 972.  What?!!!  Oh damn!!!!!  Wow!!!  No wonder my progress has been slow. Great starter quilt right? ( I do have another 1st quilt in the works that has lost it's steam. The cutting of the fabric killed it for me, but maybe I can eventually use my 2 1/2" strip cutter for that portion.  As for this vintage sheet quilt I've already done soooo much more and I'm excited to see if it comes out.)

Small soup bowl filled with 2" squares.

Cutting the squares has been amazing.  I know for sure I wouldn't be doing what I am attempting if I had not won the Accuquilt Go! Baby.  However, the sewing of the small 2" squares is a whole different story...not as easy breezy.  A lot of thread cutting and a LOT of ironing.  Ugh!!!

Ironed and not ironed strips of nine 2" squares. 

As of right now I have 23 different vintage sheets (sheet scraps and fresh cuts as I go) counted to be part of this quilt so far, and definitely more are to be added (as I eye my stack of sheets).

Let's see how long this takes me.  Yikes!!!

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Thrift Share Monday's - July 25

Oooh!!!  Yay!  What a great productive weekend.  Sewing was on the minimal but I got out and about.  Got some thrifting on and ended my weekend with Harry Potter - The Deathly Hallows Part 2, and what a great movie it was.  I was sooo happy with the movie as a whole and how it was finished off (I haven't read any of the books so I didn't know what to expect).  This series of movies has been fantastic.  I'm amazed on how they maintained (kept) the actors through all these years....sigh....now what?  Ah!!!  Breaking Dawn!!!  Can't wait.

So, onto my thrifting finds.  A lot of cups were in the mix including some Jadeite, my first Jadeite scores, but first check out these oh soo vintage-y colored avocado green and orange mugs. 

This super cute owl mug, that my daughter has already claimed.

This great Fire King mug, and super fantastic Fire King cup with saucer (this cup and saucer pattern is fantastic!).

I am sloooowly gathering this golden butterfly pattern, for my own personal use.  Currently I have 8 Cornelle hook cups with saucers, and two plates (I didn't say I had a lot).  Now I have a Pyrex butter dish to match, yay!!!

Check out these super cute Mason jar style salt and pepper shakers.

Got some brass (?) owl book ends.

Oh and in case you haven't noticed a vintage sheet was one of my weekend scores (that is used as my photo shoot backdrop).  The funny thing with this is when I spotted the sheet at an estate sale I told my daughter "YES!!!  I had a pillow case just like this but I've already used it up. Now I have a whole sheet.  Awesome!!".  So as I pull out my wallet for my purchase I notice OH HEY look at my pillow case, which is now my wallet.  HAHA!!  I was thoroughly amused.

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Thrift Share Monday's - July 18

I'm continuing my low thrifting profile.  Buying only what I really....really....really like.  I'm definitely holding back in my outings as well.  I went to two estate sales and one garage sale this weekend, and only walked away with three two Pyrex bowls. No vintage sheets this week....sigh.

The estate sale I went to on Friday was at a super nice one million dollar house,  but nothing there caught my eye.  Everything was new, nothing vintage, and nothing that tooted my horn.

Saturday I planned out only one garage sale, and it was because the description looked super fantastic, 18 year costume designer selling off some of her stash like vintage fabric, retro clothing, more key words yada yada etc etc.  Eh and it was not all that.  There were racks and racks of clothes, but I went looking for fabric and knick knacks... and nothing.

However, as I roamed around in the neighborhood waiting for the 9 am sale to start I ran into an estate sale.  Where I found these two lovely, practically mint condition Pyrex bowls.  They are fantastic!!!

I'm a mess though. As I was staging to take pictures a third Pyrex bowl I bought leaped off the table and shattered into a bajillion pieces.  It made me soooo sick to my stomach.  Does this ever happen to you???  I'm amazed on the condition on some of these vintage treasures that are usually older than me, and it makes me sad to see something so beautiful destroyed on my watch.  (sniff sniff....burst of tears.)

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Utility...

Yay!!

Don't you just feel soo happy when you manage to scratch out an item on your long "I want to do list"?  I do.  There is such a sense of content that I finally got around to something I wanted to work on.

It was nothing huge, but it served a purpose and it gave me a sense of security. 

In a post last week I mentioned I attempted to sell at another, my second, market.  The first market I attended I borrowed a cash box from my ex-husband, but having a box with my money in it lying around made me nervous.  I didn't want to have that box lying around this time. I wanted to have my change/cash on me.  Kinda like when we have a garage sale, I'll have a small sling purse across me to hold my cash, but I wanted something a little more user friendly that would be easy access and separate multiple items.  So I made this great utility apron.

I ran across this tutorial who knows when....months ago, and I've kept it in my list (a drafted email of links) of things to do.  Rosey Corner Creations has an extremely well written tutorial, and the apron was so super fast and easy to make....so easy I made two. Like shown in the tutorial I used three different fabrics (sheets).  I couldn't decide on just one combination since I have sooo many sheets.  So I made two and went with the one that coordinated the most with what I wore (brown skirt and white tank top).

With the utility apron I was able to keep my cash on me all day long, and not have to keep my eye on a cash box.  In another pocket I was able to have my phone and Square.  In my third pocket miscellaneous stuff, pen, tags, etc. 

I really love this pattern.  Now I would love to find a pattern similar to this where I could have the rights to make and sell them on a small hand-made level (well make...who knows if they would sell).  Does anyone know of a pattern? 

Next post I'll be showing my progress (beginning stages) of a vintage sheet quilt that I've started since receiving my Accuquilt Go! Baby.  I have a lot of squares to cut.  I thought I had a good amount of 2" squares cut, but I've quickly gone through 175.  How do you quilting machines do it?  It's a lot of work sewing little 2" bits.

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A Request

So, yesterday my sister emailed me a link to an Etsy shop that sells super cute tooth fairy pillows, and she asked me "can you make this? I'll pay you." My reply was "um yeah I'll make it but you're not gonna pay me for it."

So this is how I spent some of my evening last night.  Working on my sisters request, drawing up a tooth template, sizing the eyes and mouth (pocket) and whipped it all together.  I even had fuzzy yarn that I was able to use for the hair.  (Sorry about the lighting of the pictures....I took these with my phone to send to my sister, then decided to share with you.)

Tooth pillow.  Mouth is pocket to store tooth for tooth fairy, and gift from the tooth fairy.    

The Beatles looked a little too serious this morning.  Thought I cheer them up with the smiling tooth.  

Not too shabby for a random request.

You want one?  Go check out the Etsy shop that grabbed my sisters attention.  The cat and bunny tooth pillows are so super cute.

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Thrift Share Monday's - July 11

Wow!  I've been MIA with the thrift shares the last two weeks, and barely... just barely making it this week.

I've been a bit overwhelmed with my thrifty finds, and a bit discouraged by the lack of getting items moving along in my Etsy shop.  Therefore I've done the very hard task of steering clear of thrift shops, garage and estate sales, but this weekend I had to get out at least for some mild thrifting.

Thursday I ran by one of my regular stops, where I usually score my vintage sheets, and it did not let me down.  I walked in, down the linen isle, grabbed two, and was out in probably 6 minutes.  I'm glad I made this stop because I scored a fantastically colorful groovy sheet, and a lovely simple floral one.

Friday I made another quick stop at another favorite shop, once again in hopes of more vintage sheet finds, but this shop has been letting me down in that category, but made it up with these lovely 1967 Jamar-Mallory owls.  I did hold back a bit with this purchase since I only purchase 3 out of 5.  There were two others just like the pair, but yellowish.  They didn't scream out to me as much as these three, but the lone owl...omg I just love it's eyes.

Aren't the owls great?  They measure about 11" x 6".

On Saturday I made a weak attempt at some garage sales, but I wasn't in much of a mood for it.  However, I love it when I find plant garage sales. Plants have been another thought in my mind to sell on the side, but I haven't been that dedicated yet to continuously water and upkeep an array of clippings.  So when I do see these garage/home sales of plants I stop to make a purchase even if it's small, simply because I know it would make the growers happy (It would make me happy to sell plants I grew.  You know what I mean?).  I'm glad I did stop because I got this really large Passion Vine for $10.  Now usually I would steer away from such an exotic type plant because I would think it would not last in this Texas heat, but about a month ago I went to an Estate sales where this plant was growing crazily around the house....it was amazing.   So I know it can grow here and I'm determined to have it grow in my back yard. The flowers are gorgeous when it blooms.

My thrifting week/end was small, but satisfying.  It was a good pace.

I'm linking up with Apron Thrift Girl,  Her Liberty Adventures, and The Joyful Thrifter.

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Gluten for punishment.

So I may be a gluten for punishment.  How does one determine that?

I attended my second market, Vintage Market, this last Saturday, July 2.  Hosted by a new, super cool vintage shop The Vintage Vault.  My sister bumped into this shop about three weeks ago and found out they just started markets the 1st Saturday of the month. She mentioned to them what I did, vintage sheet bags, and the same day I got an email from the shop via Etsy about possibly attending the market.

It was definitely a debate to do this market on this day for several reasons.  First and foremost it was my son's b-day (even though his party was the weekend prior, but we did go see Transformers after the market and the movie was really good), and it was a holiday weekend.  Hmmmm.  Oh and the next two 1st Saturdays I'm more likely going to be out of town so I didn't want to wait until October.  Ugh!!!  So I decided to do it. 

I have a lot of stuff, and hoped to thin out some of my large items.  I even skipped garage and estate sales last weekend because I have too much stuff.  Plus the largish items, to me, are way to pricey to ship (I personally hate having to pay shipping so I feel bad charging such high shipping rates on Etsy) therefore I choose not to list these items.  Ugh!!!  Kinda defeats the purpose of buying the stuff, right.

So since I still had every bag that I made for the last market (minus one I gave away for the Sew Mama Sew giveaway day), I did very little preparation for this market. Just a little research to price some of the items that hadn't been listed on Etsy yet and price tag and pack everything. 

An optimist is not what I am, but for what ever reason I was extremely optimistic about this market. To show how optimistic I was I bought a new phone (which I've debated about for the last year) and ordered Square, so that  I could take credit card payments. 

With it being a holiday weekend you almost expect people to be out and about looking for things to do, but the vendors...I guess had their own plans.  This is the third market they have had, and previously there had been anywhere from 10-15 vendors, but this time there was only four (including me).  :-(  Soo I'm guessing less vendors equals less interest which then leads to a small turn out.  (I think I need to remain a pessimist.) 

The first market I went to, wasn't as successful as I had hoped/imahttp://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=6977557660925180178&postID=5379968715345089651gined.  I may have been just above the brake even point if I only put into consideration the small $15 fee to sign up, plus the very few things I sold (obviously deducting their cost).  It was definitely an experience, but it was a lot of work just to get there, unload and walk up stairs with heavy bins and other supplies.  I was sore for days after because of the numerous times I went up and down those stairs. 

This time I sold two items , there was no fee (the first time), but I did go out and buy a canopy for this particular event, therefore I'm in the negative.  There were no stairs this time, but it was outdoors and super hot, 98 degrees and on asphalt.  I'm surprised I stuck it out, but I managed to keep cool with ice cold washcloths I kept around my neck. 

So am I a glutton for punishment? Am I seeking disappointment? Do I keep on trying?  Is the third time a charm?

Sigh.....

Oh on a happy note I did get around to making an item that's been on my to do list that I wore for this market.  I'll blog about it this week.  :-D

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