Once upon a time I was a thrift store snob. I thought the stores smelled so bad I never wanted to set foot in them, let alone wear a strangers worn out clothes. The smell still makes me gag and feel like I need a shower, but a few years ago I smartened up and realized you can find some really nice stuff in there! At times I've found clothes with the tags still on from upscale retailers, score!
I don't make it out to thrift stores often enough, but when I do I usually find some at least one interesting piece of fabric I could use for quilting. A lot of the fabric from this quilt was thrifted. The salvation army near me has a rack dedicated to fabric, so I always check there first. Then I move onto the bed linens area and look for pillowcases and sheets. If I have extra time I'll check out the crafts section, and sometimes even scan some of the clothing itself. Mens dress shirts, womens skirts and kids clothing can sometimes turn up a treasure, but I try to be really picky in those areas. Well, I try to be really picky in general, because otherwise I would probably end up with a massive tower of sheets that would never get turned into quilts!
Yesterday this pillowcase caught my eye...
Not a show stopper, but the colors were saturated and paired with the right fabrics it could work. I thought the orange and yellow could be played up. Bonus, it felt like cotton, not a blend.
Then I found a huge yellow pillowcase with a vintage-y floral print, also cotton. I also found a queen sized yellow sheet that will work great as a backing material.
When I get this stuff home, I wash it right away and "prep" it by cutting off all the seams. If it sits in my closet as a pillowcase or a sheet, or whatever it started out as, I won't want to sew with it later.
I pulled some fabric out of my stash to see how it would look. I'm not sure brown and yellow alone would cut it for me, so I'm going to just tuck these finds into the stash and keep looking every so often at the thrift store for some potential matches.
Possible color scheme..
Another really neat find - this craft-sized batting package, brand new. The original price was pulled off, but I found it here on amazon for $16.99 - I bought it for $1.50. Hopefully I like it! Has anyone tried using a bamboo blend?
In other news, I finished a quilt top and am very close to finishing a second quilt top - OHMYGOSH. More on that next week!
Wow, you have good luck. I never find a thing when I go thrifting.
ReplyDeleteI so hear you on the smell and the feeling of needing a shower. It makes me feel like such a snob! :( I've never really gotten into thrift shops except for costumes, so I had no idea that some of them had fabric sections. I may have to give them another go.
ReplyDeletegreat finds!
ReplyDeleteWow, great finds! I won a queen size bamboo batting a few years ago and used it in a quilt and loved it! I think you'll like it!
ReplyDeleteGreat run! I must check out some of the local thrift stores in my area. Fabric can be soooooo expensive. I'm like you though...I HATE the smell.
ReplyDeleteI always have trouble discriminating between the good, the bad and the ugly when I'm in the thick of it, ya know! Great job! I love second hand stores but you are so right..horrendous smell;-P
ReplyDeleteI'm gonna go shopping with you. You seem to have a great nack for it. That's a win win situation! Also smart how you cut off the seams. I'll have to remember that....thanks for sharing your experience with us. Great way to re-purpose items :)
ReplyDeleteI'm with ya! I've picked up quite a bit of fabric via thrift stores and garage sales. great deal on the batting, have the same package (50% off at joanns, not as great of a deal!) but haven't used it yet.
ReplyDeleteThose are some great finds! I love the queen sized sheet you found. Just beautiful! Good work!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE bamboo batting. It has such a nice drape and feel. Great finds!
ReplyDeleteI went today and suffered the smell! I have been dying for Wednesday to get here because everything is 1/2 except the color of the day and domestics. Which I still don't get, yeah I know the fabric is already cheap but h*ll I have for kids to put shoes on! Anyhoo, I'm gonna post 'em tomorrow come check it out and let me know what you think! I'm just now finding my crafty side. Kim-dazedandcreative.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteI take my kids to the salvation army sometimes. We call it the treasure store.
ReplyDeleteWhat a steal on the batting! I have use a blend like that, different brand, for machine quilting and it worked beautifully!
ReplyDeleteI did thrift a load of men's plaid shirts for a quilt last fall. Perfect for finding variety when the quilt stores don't carry so many past years worth! I've never had any luck with finding great fabric or sheets,but I will continue in my search!
What a great idea. I haven't visited the salvation army (or any thrift store) in a very long time. Your finds are great. I hope I find some good stuff when I go.
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