Fresh blackberries/grapes and a hoarder in recovery

Had to lead off with this image of freshly picked blackberries and grapes. I got myself in gear this morning to pick blackberries before the heat wave, then made a blackberry pie on the BBQ.

I was going to wait to list more stuff on Ebay, I am highly motivated right now so I will ride the wave. I don't know what changed in my mind when I turned 60. Maybe it is dreams of travel, it is definitely the desire to be debt free. Had some expensive dental work performed last year that threw me off too. 

My resell listing focus will be fabric, quilt kits, a sampler, and some jewelry groupings. They will be priced to move quickly. My goal is 10 listings, as of this post, I have 4 live. 

Quilting away on composition quilt. Pairing down my projects yet again. Asking myself, "When can I realistically complete this?" or "Can I resell it?" I had been collecting Asian-inspired fabric but have lost interest in that type of quilt. I will see if it will sell as a bundled lot. 

At first, I regretted buying this $4 bag of precuts. After I saw what I had, these can be made into cornerstones or some even piano borders. 

You get spoiled when you find so much for so cheap, like I did last weekend. Those finds have already been listed for sale. 

I picked up this counted cross-stitch for $2.49. I had returned to the same Goodwill, hoping for the big find again but settled for this never-opened craft kit. If it passes the "Tami likes it" test then I will either keep it for myself or resell it. 

You can see it is a tug and pull with me. I sell some things then buy others to replace them. Let's say I am a hoarder in recovery. 

I Accept the Title as Ultimate Lazy Quilter

More about the pins at the end of the post and before we get to my post title, it is my Blogiversary this week! Eight years with this blog, two years with a starter blog, ten years blogging. As technology progresses I am sure new platforms will emerge and become popular, even so I still love blogging and reading blogs. 

For a quilter who doesn't really like piecing or quilting, I received a gift from the Thrift Gods. On my 4th and last stop of my thrift shop junket into Placerville, Goodwill came through with this zippered bag from mystery quilter priced at $7.49. I could see some stitchwork, fabric and quilt blocks peeking through so I knew I couldn't go wrong. 

It was a treasure trove because hidden in all those textiles was this vintage girl's full slip. I remember wearing something similar to that when I was a child. Made me gasp when I saw it.

The reason for my post title is I take great delight in putting together quilts from orphan blocks. This mystery lot means I have enough for two projects, there are 9 feedsack blocks, and 8 red blocks, 3 red/white&black blocks, and three other random ones. Score!

Oh, but we are not done yet! There was also 10 of these completed bear cross-stitch blocks and a nearly complete cross-stitch bear pillowcase (I will finish that as a keeper). 

Finally, a pink sampler. 

Earlier in the month, there was another Goodwill find of this needlepoint kit, a mere 49 cents. My interest has been renewed in this craft. I completed a few kits some *coughs* 20 years ago. I have been working away on a magnolia needlepoint I started in February of this year. I was hoping for completion in December, but I may have to push that completion date to February 2020. 

I made progress on composition quilt I began last year. Thought it was near binding stage, but NO. More quilting required. It was intended as a California State Fair entry, I may enter it in 2020.

Cotton candy colored
orchids

Matchstick
quilting

Those pins pictured above, I thought I would take a chance on resell, one being a tie bar from an Apollo launch in 1969. After this round of resell listings expire, I am planning a brand new batch to list perhaps the beginning of October. 

Linking up with emsscrapbag.blogspot.com for Moving It Forward and Cynthia at quiltingismorefunthanhousework.blogspot.com for Oh Scrap!

Thrifting on National Thrift Day

This past weekend, I found the usual suspects for me, a Hawaiian print dress, some Christmas CDs for my annual Countdown to Christmas. There was also a book on specialty seed beading (a craft I did in the 70s). 

I have splurged on 925 silver jewelry recently with this week's purchase of a turquoise necklace ($24) and last month another silver necklace with multi-stone inlay ($30). 

Picked up this "growhouse" for $5. It was an easy put-together, just missing one small connecting pole and the cover. I'll see if the Mr. can fashion something for the pole, so I can complete the kit. It is perfect for starting seeds. 

Nearly finished the OBW grad quilt! Top is done, I just have to add bright batik added to cat-themed backing. Am kicking around the idea of doing another 9 patch similar to the one I just did for me for my daughter's Spice it Up fabric collection. 

The Mr. expressed his preference for quilts queen-sized and larger. Making the smaller quilts was good practice but I have to agree with him, larger quilts seem to be more useful. 

Reselling update: Quilt kits and fabric continue to be the best sellers. Mailing out the lighthouse batik kit this week. 

Novelty Fabric Quilt

The best image of the top included my feet, with the back patio being the only shaded area. 

Sometimes you've got to take more than one run at a project. My first attempt included decidedly orange fabric. Marrying remnants  is hard enough, I had to break out the seam ripper.  

I also cut the fabric down to match the 8" blocks I had on hand. My favorites of the remnants included in this quilt are the Fifties-themed dancers, the blue/green atomic and the martini glasses. 

I am delighted to have found a longarmer whose services I can afford. This one I sent to her. I held out for quite awhile trying to quilt all of my own creations. That only frustrated me because I couldn't do the fancy designs I really wanted. It has freed me to concentrate on piecing.  I am trying to use my current stash. The only fabric I purchased retail for this one was the surfboard flannel in the backing.

I also made great progress on the OBW for the H.S. graduate. The VW Beetle novelty print was my go-to fabric to add length and width to the partially-completed quilt top (a steal at $1.50 thrift). I then had to hoof it down to another thrift shop where I had spotted a cat-themed fabric print for the backing. I didn't buy it when I first saw it because it is not my style but perfect for this cat-loving relative. I'm adding the denim print fabric as borders. 


If you are going to buy fabric, hide it adequately (see this post).

Hope you are having an enjoyable August. We are suffering through another spate of 100 degree weather. 

Linking up with Kelly at www.myquiltinfatuation.com for Needle and Thread Thursday and Wendy at wendysquiltsandmore.blogspot.com for the ~

Alteration of the Torrid Skirt

A surprising by-product of trying to perfect patchwork piecing, my clothing alteration skills have greatly improved. My first find at Goodwill was this size 20 Torrid skirt. 

Since it is all cotton, I saw the possibility of an easy alteration from a size 20 to size 10.  There was a side zipper, so I took it in at the side. The hem didn't match because extra fabric had been sewn in the back. The lining is also a cotton so I trimmed up a few inches of that and finished the seam. Yeah, it just needed to be shaped up. It was missing the hook to the eye and that was added. It looked so much better after alteration, trimming and ironing.  

Not pictured in my thrift shop haul were two records by the Dave Clark Five, two pieces of a Noritake stoneware pattern and a glass juice pitcher.

Goodwill fabric finds were the best of all - a prepacked kit of two small quilts, an opened package of yardage from the Fat Quarter Shop, a bit of appliqued material with a silver thimble and some thread.

Coming up is the Nifty Novelties hop featuring novelty fabric prints. I have two quilts I will feature, one complete and an update on the H.S. graduate quilt. 

Thrift Gods dropped an OBW

For those not in the know, an OBW is a one block wonder piecing pattern. I had been grousing to myself that I hadn't been the recipient of any secondhand quilt tops. I liked the look of the OBWs but lacked the energy to create one myself. 

The next quilt top is partially completed. Again, another well executed piece of patchwork. 

My last treasure is a retro print piece of fabric (to the right) that blends well with another piece I have been saving. 

There is an upcoming H.S. graduate in the family so I have sent her gramma pictures of the two quilt tops to which one she would like. 

For the grand sum of $10, I had other goodies too, Realtree ladies camo gloves (my last pair from thrift I wore the fingers out), a hunting dog screen protector, and a retractable dog leash (I am always losing them).

Snowline Hospice Thrift posted this on FB.

There were dolls, but I left them for someone else to love. I haven't had any success reselling them. Before, I would have bought all three. The African American ragdolls I have collected are going up for sale on my next listings. The gypsy and quilter dolls were cute but I have to be brutal about my purchases. If I can't resell it or possibly make it into a quilt, then I have to pass it by. 

I might have staged them ...

The graduate has decided she wants the OBW as a queen-sized quilt so I will need to add some borders on that beaut. This too will go to a longarmer so I can keep pace with my other projects. 

The Un-Wedding Quilt and the Hair Stylist Breakup

This quilt was originally intended for my hair stylist for her June wedding but there was a glitch in the hiddy-up at the longarmer having sent it to her at the end of May. I think it got lost in the backlog. It was originally scheduled to be quilted in wavy lines but I upgraded to the Jacobean pattern. While I waited, I was able to bind two other quilts.

Feedsack backing

Back to my original intent, I wasn't invited to my hair stylist's wedding, I thought it would be a nice gift for her, being one of her clients. But as the months went by, she revealed she wouldn't be working on Saturday anymore so we ended our stylist/client relationship. It is more wanting to be with her husband, than anything between us. Link to my original post wedding-quilt-for-june-bride.

It really is my best work so far, the third quilt I have sent to a longarmer. (Link to close up quilting https://www.instagram.com/p/B0T0ZQmnDeb/) It was a study of stops and starts. I redid some blocks over and over. I even sewed on the entire binding and then seam ripped it all off again. I should have gone with my instinct of a 3" binding rather than 2-1/2", blue rather than pink. I have been very happy with the creation of the quilt tops and backings. I am nearly done with the art quilt I have been working on since last year. It is king-sized and contains dense quilting with numerous colors of thread. 

Reselling update: The only thing that has sold of my 50 listings are fabric, quilt blocks and quilt kits. Those items will most definitely be my focus for secondhand finds. Well, that and specialty pins and jewelry. 

In light of that, my thrift shop finds were (drum roll) fabric and pins! There were a few pieces of the Tulip Time vintage pattern but all I wanted was the bowl, still a bargain at $6.50. I have this set from my grandmother.

We will see if on my next group of listings, whether these pins will sell. There is the 1996 Atlanta Olympics gymnast, the set of 4 GSA Partners in Wildfire pins, and the California 4H one is a keeper. 

Linking up with:
Kelly at myquiltinfatuation.com for Needle and Thread Thursday and Wendy at wendysquiltsandmore.blogspot.com for the Peacock Party.