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more decluttering finds: vintage seed sack

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Here’s some more fabric I found squirreled away in my craft closet. I remember buying this vintage seed bag at a garage sale hoping that big stain on the front would come out in the wash. It only cost $1, I think. Not that big of an investment.

I still like the typography, but I’m not sure what to do with it now. I found two small bank bags from Nebraska, as well. What I was planning to do with those I’m not sure. They’re too small to be sock knitting bags, which I was doing a lot of back then.

Keep or toss? Embrace the imperfections? Deconstruct and cut up? Such dilemmas.

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decluttering finds: vintage doll quilt

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I’ve been going through my crafty stash and the latest supplies subject to decluttering have been fabric and sewing notions. I found quite a few things I had squirreled away for future projects that never happened, one of which was this doll quilt.

I bought this at an antique show years ago with the thought of turning it into a tote bag. It’s definitely seen better days, but there’s something about the fabrics that I really love.

I’m not the only one who loves them. When my daughter saw this she immediately began to campaign why it would be the perfect quilt for her doll Bitty. As you can see, she was quite persuasive. Even Pinkalicious likes it.

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thrifty find: vintage sewing basket

Last Friday my friend Kelly and I took a little trip west of Lincoln. A few people have mentioned to me how much they love Et-Cetera Gift & Thrift Shop in Seward. We decided a planned detour was in order.

vintage sewing basket

I made a quick sweep of the shop before treasure hunting and this vintage sewing basket caught my eye. It’s in really nice condition, especially on the inside. Needless to say it came home with me. It’s now home to my crochet blanket in progress.

vintage sewing basket

What fun things have you found lately?

Spring garages sales are just around the corner. I can’t wait!

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star swatch no.2: felted (i think)

It occurred to me last night after I posted the pic of my swatch that a before shot would have been nice. How else would you be able to tell that the stitch definition had been lost?

star blanket swatch

I crocheted another one last night and remembered to take a “before” shot this time. The second swatch was washed in cold. It also felted. Except that it didn’t shrink. Before and after are the same size and shape. Maybe “felted” is the wrong term.

It’s like the yarn is blooming. It’s incredibly soft. I’m starting to think I might even like it. I’m going to wash it again — maybe a few times — to see how it holds up. What’s more important to a newborn: soft and cuddly or nice stitch definition? I’m thinking soft and cuddly.

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star swatch no.1: felted

star blanket swatch

I usually don’t swatch. When I do, it’s never the 4×4 inch square I’m supposed to make. Mine are small. Calling them 2×2 inches is generous. Usually gauge doesn’t matter for a lot of the items I make.

Last week I made a swatch, not to check gauge, but to check the yarn label’s claim: machine washable and dryable. 100% virgin wool. Keyword that was missing: superwash. I put the swatch in with some linens on the warm setting. It didn’t felt that much, but a lot of the stitch definition has disappeared. I’m going to try another swatch washed in cold. After that, I’ll be stash diving for some cotton.

vintage yarn: I am in love with the color blue of this yarn. I read somewhere that a lot of wool used to contain recycled bits, so that’s why so many of the vintage yarns say 100% “virgin” wool. I can’t help but giggle when I read it. Apparently I have the sense of humor of a twelve-year-old.

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liberty of target tote hack

Confession time: my daughter’s dress wasn’t the only Liberty of Target item I bought last month. I fell in love with this tote on the website and was disappointed when I got to the store and realized it was oil cloth. I almost put it back a few times while I was shopping, but in the end, the print won me over.

liberty of london target tote bag

After using it a few times as a knitting tote, I wished I hadn’t bought it. The cloth was so stiff that even a small ball of yarn gave it a goofy bump in the middle. Then I thought, I make tote bags. Why don’t I stop complaining and just fix the darn thing?

liberty of london target tote bag

So I added a four inch gusset and prettied it up with some vintage buttons on the side. It’s still stiff, but much more functional.

liberty of london target tote bag

I’ve actually started using it for my daily purse, even though it’s kind of big. I still wish it was fabric, but I really do love those little flowers.

future thrifting? I’m wondering if others were as frustrated with this bag. Maybe they’ll start showing up at the thrift stores?

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my creative space

I’ve been spending a lot of time with Country Living’s Crafting Vintage Style and have fallen in love with the thick and thin stripes of vintage tea towels.

Usually I see them with red stripes, but this book has a lot of blue inside its pages. I grabbed some navy and natural wool and started crocheting around some small plastic bottles destined for our recycling bin. This is the result.

vintage inspired crochet bud vase

I like that the bottles are plastic. I’m hoping to put some of these in my shop, and shipping will be less expensive than glass. I’m also hoping to get a picture with a real flower soon. Right now our garden is just starting to poke through the surface. I had to improvise for the photo.

Kirsty is rocking the blue and natural colors this week, too. Visit her blog for more creative spaces.

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crochet flower pins in the shop

crochet flower brooch

I tried really hard to write about fabric gift bags last night, but it seems so trivial right now with everything that’s going on in the world. I’ve got a lot of nervous energy to burn. Today I finished a blanket and crocheted more flowers. I can’t stitch flowers to everything in my daughter’s wardrobe, so I made a few into pins. They are in my shop. A cute alternative to hearts for Valentine’s Day, don’t you think?

etsy: Red flower here, pink flower here.

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twin baby locks

I did a really crazy thing this weekend. I bought two sergers. Yes, I said two. They were $25 each. The models are older, but they’re all metal inside, not plastic. (I had issues with plastic parts in my first sewing machine.) I also decided to buy additional supplies for $50: eight brand new blades and over 50 needles. Not bad for $100? I hope so.

vintage babylock serger

I originally planned to buy just one serger. My husband convinced me to get both because they were so inexpensive. They are the same model, so I’d have an extra if parts were hard to find. Same goes for the supplies. I have the original manual, tool kit and even the original receipt!

vintage baby lock serger

I get the impression that these have been well used and loved. They’ll need a bit of surface cleaning, but I’m hoping I’ll be able to jump right in and start using them once I learn the basics. Anyone up for a few lessons?

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wardrobe refashion: de-ruffling a shirt

floral shirt

Here’s the shirt from yesterday’s garage sale finds. I really liked the fabric, but the shirt was a little bit too frilly for me.

floral shirt

The first thing I did was cut off the gathered cuff and replace it with a simple rolled hem. Next I removed the ruffle and reattached the fabric with no gathers. Finally, I snipped off the ties, stitched the center closed and added a vintage button.

floral shirt

I like the shape of peasant style blouses, but I’m not a big fan of all of the frilly stuff. This turned out just perfect for me. Plus, I totally love that button!

refashion: Shirt 75 cents from a garage sale. Vintage button from my stash.