September Weird and Wacky

This fabric amalgamation has bumped the weird and wacky thrift shop paintings for the lead-off image. 

This piece of artwork was high on a shelf at the Ark Thrift Shop in Fort Bragg, California. 

The recent trend of my Weird and Wacky posts continue with thrift shop paintings from Fort Bragg, California.  

This piece was spotted at Amador Hospice Thrift, I call it "Dog and Cat Chillin."

Mushrooms being magical. 

This large abstract I kinda liked at the Placerville hospice thrift. I could see it in an outdoor patio area.  

Sharing the reconstructed rock art mermaid, pictured in store window at Fort Bragg, California.

Pattern of the Day hails from 1976 - A Forest Family. 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/186706563083

Do you hear a tapping sound?

Still having a bit of heat in our area. I skooch out early in the morning to do some gardening. These two, a dahlia and cosmos, traveled back from the coast to the valley. 

Still working my way through my sewing pattern eBay listing sessions. Pattern of the Day is this unusual dress.  

https://www.ebay.com/itm/186697562961

I am delighted with the adult tap classes I have begun. At first, I considered a Zumba exercise class. Tap is so much more fun. It is held in a stunning historic schoolhouse. Recently installed full-length mirrors in the room complete the atmosphere. Attendees were all retired women. 

The instructor advised against watching any YouTube videos to learn tap dancing. I think it is an exercise that needs an in-person instructor. 

As an aside, be prepared to be a caregiver throughout your life. First, you raise your children. Next, you or your partner could be stricken with medical mishap. Then, you may have a surviving parent, most likely your mother. The reason I mention caregiving is that half of the class attendees were caregivers. 

College class schedules for Spring 2025 will be posted next month. I sooo want to take more than one class but know better. The drawing and composition class I intend on taking will be full term one full day per week on campus. Can't wait! 

🌠

About 1 in 100

That is about how many sewing patterns I keep for myself in the hundreds I have listed for sale. Gonna keep this bow-legged blondie. 

Pattern of the Day is McCall's 9362 Stuffed Doll from 1968. Instructions begin "Easy to make Doll from man's white T-shirt, tinted pink." 

Here are other patterns in my keeper category. I picked up some project boxes at thrift, perfect for my type of crafting. 

If I find other blocks for this quilt, that would be great. This 2001 Land of the Free is Block #1 of 12, Brave Eagle. I have a stash of Americana-themed fabric queued up for a quilt. I could use him as the centerpiece. 

This 2002 French Roses pattern is adorable and I am a big fan of raw edge/soft edge applique. Love the disclaimer on the pattern packet, "Results are not guaranteed as the author is not responsible for differences in individual abilities." 

Ending the post with 2008 Oopsie Daisy quilt pattern. Makes you just want to kiss it! 💋

I am working away on my eBay sewing pattern listing sessions. Total active listings back to 2,400! 💥

Tastes Change

Do I rearrange items in the thrift shop? Guilty. I had never seen Bradley dolls in the small version. These two cuties I moved to the Campbell's Soup display - just because. 

 Quilting update: My progress on the Lava Lamp quilt. I have many more "lamps" to make.

Dealing in sewing patterns, I come across a lot of project ideas. A few of the patterns I have saved for myself. 

I keep certain purse/bag patterns. Have I made one yet? No. But it looks like something my daughter would like so I will keep an eye out for the right material for it. 

Omgeeee! Squeals of delight. I just discovered the Amador Arts Council in my area. Just missed a sewing class but even better a tap dance and ballet class for adults. I am beyond excited. Not only will it get me out of the house, taking a tap dance class has been on my bucket list since childhood. 

Ending the post with a tub of bears and bear clothing bought at thrift for $5.99. 

None were exceptional quality so all will be thrifted back to the Great Thrift Shop Beyond. I will keep the Christmas themed ones for an appearance in my upcoming Countdown to Christmas posts in December. 

Got Me Some Fabric and Going to the Gardens

I have been more discerning in my thrifted fabric purchases. Now I don't buy all the bags of fabric, only the ones that look like potential keepers. This group I bought two bags at thrift for a total of $12 at the Attic Thrift Shop at the Redwood Senior Center. There are some nice fat quarters that will work in nicely in my Lava Lamp quilt project. The stuffed animal was a $1 purchase I couldn't resist. 

A return trip to the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens meant a leisurely walk with the dog. There are a couple of "Easter eggs" to discover. 

The first was Headless Harmony. Man's suit and tie, woman's Peter Pan collar and dress ceramics slightly submerged in the soil. 

The dahlias were in bloom. 

Zipper in the pumpkin patch. 

The second Easter egg was these two big blue painted ones in a gigantic nest. 

Stumbled onto these money plant seeds that I gave to a couple of friends. 

I will be spending the next few days on the coast and will check back in to the Attic thrift shop for more fabulous fabric. 

Turning Into Fall

A milestone was passed as we moved from August into September, it only took 10+ years - I passed the 1,000,000 total page views mark for this blog. Hard to fathom. 

I have certainly segued during the 13 year time period on this blog. My first few years were spent linking up with other bloggers, completing blog challenges, modeling thrifted outfits, and revealing thrift shop finds. My OOTD (outfit of the day) posts have become few and far between (Christmas and random occasions). 

The focus the last few years have been quilt projects, and selling tips on eBay. I still highlight thrift shop finds, but only the most interesting ones.  

Art and art history continue to fuel my posts. Thrift shop art features prominently. 

Labor Day wishes for a delightful holiday!