Monday, September 6, 2010

Labor Day Delights

I headed out this morning to my favorite thrift store for their annual Labor Day 50% off sale.  As did about 7,376 other people.  It was like a Toys-R-Us on Christmas Eve - absolute madness!

I did OK, although not has good as I could have if I'd stuck around longer.  I judge my thrifting success by the average price per item.  Today that figure was $1.71.  That truly is success!  Everything is in the wash now and there's nothing super original and demanding a photo so I'll just list what I got:

-cute little picture frame (this was a stupid purchase since I just brought home several frames from the big purge of my mom's house.)
-Knee-length seersucker skirt
-Summery denim skirt
-Channely-shaped bright royal blue sweater jacket
-Boring cargo shorts for the Baker
-Burnt orange 3/4 sleeve cotton sweater
-Black belt
And I'm totally blanking on the last two items.  The haul was practical and nice but completely underwhelming in the grand scheme of thrifts.

Before any thrift I require myself to purge....and purge I did!  I got rid of a full garbage bag of clothes and handbags from my closet and a half bag of shoes.  I also purged linens, just because.  I'm not sure why I have (had) so many sets of sheets!  On the up-side I found a quilt made by my great-great grandmother and one made by my great grandmother that I'd forgotten I had.  I come from a long line of quiltin' ladies so we have many, many heirlooms spread around the family.  My mother keeps the best of the best and I get the rest.  These have been well loved and unfortunately, I don't get them out too often as they don't have much left to give.  Those old fabrics just loose their stuff over time.  My mother can go through most every quilt we have and tell us where certain patches came from, typically from grandmothers' dresses and aprons.  I also found an afghan that my kindergarten teacher made for me for my college graduation!  It's in my school colors. 


                                                                            Dresden Plate, hand quilted



Nine Patch, tied.

Two other quilts went into a bag for repairs.  One is a patchwork my grandmother made for me, which needs a new backing.  It's just tied so it will be easy to fix. Another is one my mother made for my high school graduation that got ripped a few years ago.  This one is machine quilted so will be a little more challenging but nothing like having to repair one of the hand quilted pieces!  I'll work on these on some snowy day this winter. I used to quilt a lot but haven't for years.  The last quilt I started was when I was pregnant with B1.  I topped it but never finished it and ultimately ended up giving the top to a friend who I knew would finish it. Don't know if she ever did.

2 comments:

  1. sounds like fun!! oh quilts have such a cozy-home feeling :D

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  2. It's interesting to read about other's vintage exploits, as I have desperately been trying to get rid of most of my closet - full of beautiful things I have accumulated for the past 12 years. After 2 decades of being crazy about fashion, I just woke up one day and the interest was gone. Now I have a few high quality suits for work, a dozen or so casual separates, and maybe 10 pairs of footwear, including summer and winter. With my interest in cyclo-touring I've recently begun to purchase clothing again- namely wool cycling-specific clothing - but that's not really the same. But reading about about other's vintage adventures makes me wistful for that excitement of finding unique and beautiful treasures in a sea of mothy cast-aways. I do still remember the thrill!

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