Jackpot!!

Hello friends!  I hope that you have been enjoying many thrifting and/or sewing adventures.  I have been sewing up a storm.  I finished sixteen 12" quilt blocks, each block with 50 pieces.  The blocks were made almost exclusively of reclaimed fabric which was snipped from clothing.  This is trickier and more time consuming than sewing with purchased fabric, but I think it's well worth it.  I'll spend this weekend finishing the blocks with sashing and corner squares, and then TA DA, I'll have a quilt top!!

I've also been haunting fabric stores and thrift stores for fabric.  Unfortunately I've also discovered on-line stores that offer the most amazing quilt fabric.  I've spent hours window shopping.  When my budget allows I plan to splurge on a couple of bundles of fabric.

In the meantime, here are some fabric and linens that I've found.  Half of this stuff has already been allocated to upcoming projects.

Fabric and linen haul!!!

The collection above was purchased from Value Village and Salvation Army.  Pardon the wrinkles, I washed and dried the fabric, but I didn't iron it.

Psychadelic vintage linens!!

I found three vintage bed sheets made of cotton.  If you look for vintage sheets, make sure the polyester content isn't too high.  I prefer that my sheets are 100% cotton, or at most 40% polyester.  If fabric has content that is higher than 40% I find that it's not worth working using in quilts.  Check the seams and you will find a content label - or use your sense of touch.  Cotton feels deliciously soft while polyester tends to feel stiff and doesn't wrinkle easily when you crumple it in your hand.

Each sheet will yield about 3 metres of fabric, at a cost of about $1 per metre.

Great fabric for fussy cuts!!

I got about 2 metres for $7 (I added the tax I paid to the price).  I think this is vintage fabric, there is no printed selvage (it's woven right to the edge).  I plan to use this fabric for small kitchen projects and fussy cuts.

At $3.50 per metre this isn't a great deal - unless you factor in the difficulty finding vintage fabric.

Dusty rose and powder blues!!

I got about 2.5 metres for $8 (a little expensive Value Village!).  The information on the selvage reads "1991 Beethoven treated with soil and stain reppeller".  This fabric features gigantic flowers with hints of gold metallic.  It's a fine quality fabric which would be suitable for home decorating projects.  I plan to use this fabric for a drawstring backpack and the scraps will go to quilts.

At $3.20 per metre this isn't a bad deal for durable, stain resistant fabric.

Half a metre of garden border fabric

This is half a metre of Daisy Kingdom craft fabric.  It has a cute garden at the border, and tiny vegetables on the main part of the fabric.

At $7 per metre this was pricey - it's what you would pay retail.  But I snapped it up because I liked the teeny vegetables.

3 metres of pin striped fabric

I got a huge, 3 metre piece of fabric for $3.45.  There is no information on the selvage.  It feels like a cotton/poly blend. When I saw this material I thought it would look perfect with the vintage bed linens I picked up.  I think this would be another good fabric for a backpack.

At $1.15 a metre this was a great deal.

Vintage flower print delight!

My heart stopped when I saw this giant piece of fabric.  It measures about 2 metres wide by 4 metres across.  It originally was 1 metre wide, but two pieces had been sewn together to make an extra wide piece.  This fabric is identical to the material that my grandmother used in a dress for my mother.  It's still sturdy with a lot of wear in it.  It will get snipped up and used in many quilts.

At $2.50 for 8 metres of fabric this is a fantastic deal!

Close-up

My plan to make a backpack means that I'll need buckles and straps.  I could go to a craft or notions store and buy these things.  Or I could purchase a second hand purse and salvage what I need from it.

Pleather purse, pillowcase and apron

This collection of items includes the purse (which I'll use for the buckles), a flower power pillowcase (vintage, 100% cotton) and an apron.  The pillowcase will join my growing, quilting stash.

The purse was tossed into the washing machine with the rest of the fabric.  It came out just fine.  If you are worried about the buckles scratching the inside of your washing machine, you could put it in a pillowcase and knot it closed.

Close-up

The apron fabric has teeny caravans and people printed on it.  How odd is that?  I had to snap it up.  The apron will also join my quilting stash.

Are you ready for one last picture of thrifted fabric?

Pardon the sideways shot.  This fabric came from a Dutch charity shop which I love!!!  I can't go there very often because they have wonderful things.  These three rolls were $1 each.

Roosters, Sock Monkeys and hibiscus

The first roll of fabric is a sturdy canvas-type material.  I loved the mustard and grey roosters. The selvage has the date 1961.  I'm not sure what I'll use this for - but it's definitely something that will end up in my kitchen.

The next roll of fabric is sock monkey panels.  I have about 9 panels in this roll.  I can foresee using a panel jazz up the back of a jean jacket.  

The last roll of fabric is a bright pink hibiscus print.  It's destined to join my quilt stash.

I just finished washing all this lot...now off to iron and sew!!

happy thrifting :)

frozen eyelashes and staticy hair OOTD

Whew!  Summer has finally come to northwestern Ontario. The temperature is in the balmy 20s, my dog is panting up a storm and ice cream stands are doing brisk business.  It was only 8 weeks ago that we had snow, soon it will be unbearable hot. Welcome to Canadian weather :)

I am still scrambling to get my summer wardrobe out of storage. Although I don't have any summer outfits to show you, I do have OOTD pics from December and January. 

The winter weather was super-dooper cold.  And I mean COLD!! There were Arctic blasts of cold air which resulted in sub-zero temperatures in Canada and the States.  We suffered through weather that dipped to -51 Celcius with windchill.  Brrrr!!  After work, I would go home, take care of my dog, then crawl into bed to try to get warm.  Even when I dressed warmly, it seemed like the  cold weather tried to burrow it's way next to my skin.

It kinda reminded me of the "Long Winter', by Laura Ingalls Wilder.  It's a good book, if you haven't read it.

Here are various thrifty outfits that I wore during the winter.  Enjoy.

Check out that staticy hair!!!

This outfit makes me feel very medievalish.  I think it's the combination of the tunic, and the knee boots.

Normally I'd flatten down my hair and make it look more presentable.   But I wanted to show you how the dryness can affect hair.  This is how staticy my hair gets in the dry, cold winter, plus I'm wearing silk.  

I'm wearing:

silk blouse ($5, thrifted)

tunic (Mac N Jac, clearance at Big Lots $15)

grey cords (Old Navy, sale about $20)

knee boots (DSW, about $80)

gold chain necklace (People's, store closing clearance $15)

Yowsa, lookit that hair!!

This ensemble features a long, wool cardi.  It's kinda like a blanket.  

I'm wearing:

long cardigan ($6, thrifted)
print top (Val Village 50% sale, $3)

black dress pants (thrifted, about $3)

sparkly rhinestone broach (thrifted, about $10)

Now I understand why Linus liked his blanket so much. 

Because if you can't stay in bed, you may as well take your blanket with you while you confront the cold weather.

My uniform is a cardigan, over pants and a top (sometimes over a layer of thermal underwear).  This is the cozy mohair cardigan, layered over a men's flannel shirt.  I wore a neon yellow, blingy necklace.  Then we went bowling.

Blingy necklace

LL BEAN mohair cardi (Val Village 50% sale, $5)

burgundy men's shirt (Val Village 50% sale, $3)

jeggings (TJ Max, $20)

neon yellow necklace (Joe Fresh, $14)

window shopping

I was at Winners checking out winter boots. I couldn't afford new boots (nor did I need more boots).  But I found some nice ones, check them out.

Thrifting on the weekend

Here are a couple of weekend OOTD - clothing that I threw on for running various errands, dog walking, shopping, etc.  I remember balking at the idea of wearing another flipping winter coat in the picture above.  So I layered a warm vest, over an alpaca cardigan, over a t-shirt.  Worn with neon green cords.  The vest and cardigan were thrifted...did I mention that the cardigan was unbelievably thick and warm??  It's about 1" thick!!

I'm coo-coo for Cocoa Puffs!!

I bought a white parka last winter...with our record snowfall, I was worried about getting mistaken for a snow bank :)   Thrifted United Colors of Benetton argyle cardi, neon cords, white parka.

Before outer layers.

After adding outer layers...can you believe I was still cold??

White snowbank parka and FAB thrifted Pendleton purse.

happy thrifting everyone :)

Happy co-incidences, Bart Simpson's head, and buying material from thrift stores.

Whew!  What a day.  I got up early hoping to bag some great deals on fabric at a yard sale.  It was advertised as a mega-craft sale with all manner of materials for sale.

Sadly, once I arrived, it was obvious that the prices were wayyy too high.  So I left empty-handed.  Still being in a fabric buying mood, I popped by the Sally Ann and where I found that some kind soul had donated a whole whack of fabric.

This large grey piece came home with me.  I can't tell if the pattern is Bart Simpson's head, a funny-looking pineapple, or a tree.  This fabric felt like cotton canvas, it had a nice sturdy feel to it.  I could use small bits of this in a quilt block, but it's not soft enough for a quilt backing, nor is it pliable enough to use in a quilt block with small, intricate pieces. This material is suitable for totebags or something that requires some stiffness and structure.

Plus it's grey.  Did I mention that I love grey?

Over 2 metres for $5!!  Woo-hoo!!

If you are thinking of buying material at a thrift store (or a yard sale, or wherever), check the selvage.  Sometimes the material content will be printed on the selvage.

Another thing you can do is a burn test.  Please be cautious.

Another source of fabric at thrift stores is other people's craft projects.  I found a quantity of homemade potholders that someone had donated.  They were made from flannel, and the batting inside was much too thin.  I think someone made these potholders as gifts, then donated them.

I bought a bunch of these potholders for 49 cents each. After washing and drying these potholders, I picked them  apart.  Each potholder yielded a 10" block, a 10" square of backing, and a piece of batting (which was flannel).

Reclaimed material in pretty colors!!

A visit to Value Village yielded a nice large piece of cotton flannel.  This piece is over 2 metres and it cost $5.  I washed and dried it (that's why it looks wrinkly)

Soft purple goodness!!

I plan to use the picked apart pot-holders for the top of the baby quilt, and for the quilt batting.  I'll zig-zag stitch the squares of flannel batting together to make a large piece of batting (large enough for a baby-quilt).  Then the 10" blocks will be sewn together for the quilt top.  

The purple flannel will make a nice, soft flannel quilt bottom.  

It's a happy co-incidence that I found the makings for a baby quilt for less than $20!!!

Don't forget to check the housewares and fabric/linen sections at thrift stores.  Sometimes you'll find everything you need to create a project.

happy thrifting everybody :)

How to cut up a shirt for material

Hello everyone!  I hope all my fellow Canadians enjoyed a fabulous Canada Day (147 years old!  Woo-hoo!).  I hope all my American friends enjoyed a fabulous July 4th!!

I'd like to share one of my pastimes, snipping up clothing for  fabric.  My latest obsession with Netflix means that I spend too much a lot of time watching TV.  I can't sit there with idle hands, so I'd prefer to snip up clothing, or knit, or mend.

Behold, here is how I repurpose clothing into quilt material. 

Rolls of reclaimed fabric and buttons!!!

 The equipment you'll need is a pair of scissors, and a pair of manicure scissors (my preference), or a stitch ripper. 

Manicure scissors and scissors.

The scissors will be used to cut along the seams of the clothing - so it should be of fairly good quality (hint - hide your good sewing scissors from your children, otherwise it will become dull from inappropriate use).

The manicure scissors or stitch ripper will be used to snip buttons off of the shirts (save the buttons!!) and to pick off sewn in labels.

Start by snipping off the buttons.

Cut off the bottom seam, it will leave a nice ribbon-like piece of material.  Cut off the collar.

Take a minute and examine the shirt for stains, rips, worn spots etc.  I use a Sharpie to circle this type of damage.

Cut along the sleeve seams.

Once the sleeve is off, cut along the seam as shown in the picture below.

You will be left with a piece like you see in the picture below (look at the piece on top).

Once you cut out a sleeve,  the body of the shirt will look like the pictures below.

Snip off both sleeves, snip off the seams too.

Cut off the yoke of the shirt.

The body of the shirt will look like the picture below.

Fold and stack the pieces on top of each other.

Roll the pieces up and use the long seam to tie up the roll.

Now you are left with a nice tidy roll of reclaimed fabric...and buttons!!  Here is a stack of fabric that I cut between errands (pardon the sideways shot :).

Reclaimed fabric!!

There are a lot of benefits to using reclaimed fabric.  Textile manufacturing uses a tremendous amount of water and it has a significant impact on this planet.  

This is one of the reasons why I try not to buy new fabric (plus I'm cheap).  I'll try to use what I have, or go to thrift stores first.  I admit that I break down and buy fabric - especially if I'm craving a change.  I am proud to say that most of my quilts made of at least 50% reclaimed fabric.

If you know of any fabric stores that sell ethically produced material, or manufacture material with the smallest carbon footprint possible, please let me know.

happy thrifting :)

Feelin' quilty

You know the feeling you get when you are in a rut?  You mindlessly do the same things, day in and day out. Eventually the things that bring you joy stop doing so.

Enter quilting.  For the past few months, I've been sifting through boxes of nine-patch blocks that I had sewn from old clothing.  I cut up old clothing like jeans and shirts.  Then using my rotary cutter, straight edge and cutting mat I cut the pieces into squares or triangles which I sew into blocks.  

I used to take a lot of joy in upcycling old clothing.  And I've been blessed with a boyfriend who has donated countless shirts and jeans to be snipped up for fabric.  The problem is the colors are limited to masculine colors - I was getting tired of working with navy, blue and white.

Here is a picture of 9 blocks that I've made from old jeans and plaid shirts.  I suspect I have buckets of these blocks.

The time has come to turn these blocks into a quilt, but I rebel against the idea of adding more dull colours...I'm craving brights.  I also rebel against the idea of another quilt made entirely of 9 patches...I want something different.  I mulled over adding sashing, borders, anything I could to jazz up these 9 blocks.

Then I discovered this blog.


The author blogged about this delightful mini-granny square quilt.  I admire anyone who has the stamina to make a KING sized quilt out of 5" blocks....whew!  That is a commitment!!

I plan to turn my largish 9" blocks into even larger granny squares. When complete each block will be about 15" square.  They should stitch up into a quilt in no time!!

I bought this 100% cotton duvet cover from the Sally Ann for $15.  The material is nice quality.  After I wash this cover, I'll snip away the front from the back.  This material will be used for the quilt backing, and possibly cushion covers. 




Always pre-wash your quilting fabrics.  If you are not sure if the colors will bleed, try tyeing fabrics together before throwing the fabric in the washing machine.





A while back, while I was thirsting for bright fabric, I popped by the fabric store.  I splurged on some discounted ends and other delightful fabric.

Behold some of my splurge.

Green!!!!

Hippos and stories!!

Ah!!!  I love the color palette that I found.  Brilliant greens, hippos, stories, and a designer floral print.  I plan to use this stash for a couple of quilts.

1. hippo material will go into a baby quilt for a friend's grandson - I'll have lots left for other projects

2. story fabric will be used as a border for a snuggly bedtime quilt

3.  the green material will be used in several quilts - I'll use small pieces of the bright green material to offset muted navy, red and blue colors.  I'll use the remaining pieces as sashing in a quilt made of bright colors

4. the designer floral material is going to be hoarded until I have enough fabric to make myself a quilt...this is my inspiration 

It's official, I'm a fabric hoarder. :)

happy thrifting everybody

Cobalt Crush

Lately I've been obsessed with cobalt blue.  I found this skirt at Bianca Nygard, but I balked at paying the $90 they wanted for a length of gauzy material (no matter how pretty), sewn to an elastic waistband.  This pleated skirt is blue, white and black...I loooove this skirt.  

Cobalt crush pleated skirt

I checked out other fashions at Nygard.  I found a lot of blue prints, bold 80s colors (think hot pink, fuschia, forest green, canary yellow), and it made me yearn for new spring clothes. So what do I typically do when I'm obsessed with a certain color, or a certain item of clothing?  Why I hit the thrift stores looking for a substitute of course!!  Luckily I bumped into a 50% off sale at the Salv Army.

Blue and aqua tie-dye blouse - Jones of New York.  Think I paid about $3 for this.

Aqua, purple print blouse.  Jones New York $3.

Blue, aqua and purple print shirt, Old Navy, $3.

Eyelet fabric!!

Another trend I've been obsessed with is eyelet fabric and lace.  When I saw this eyelet blazer I snapped it up.  It's a bit biggish, so I'll have to tailor it down a notch.  It was about $3.

Eyelet fabric goodness!!

There are some things I have a hard time resisting.  One of them is muted granny prints.  Behold this chambray shirt with a sublte floral pattern.

Obsessed much with closeups?

So for about $15 I bought some new (to me) spring clothing...I did go back for the skirt a few weeks later when it was marked down to $45.  I got the last one!!  All I need is to find a slip to wear it with.  One of my favorite blogs is my edit a few years ago she did a great post on.thrifting slips

I'm going to take Jentine's advice and hunt down a slip to wear with my new maxi skirt.

happy thrifting ;)