Thrifted for $13.48

I got this black shin-length skirt for $6.99. It’s originally from Korea, and I liked the cut of it and the decorative stitching around the waist. However, I did not like the two buttons on the front, so I removed them.

I also got this teal top for $3.99. I’m a bit annoyed because I think it shrunk (even though I followed the washing directions). It feels tighter than it ought to—and had it felt this way in the store, I would not have bought it.

Finally, I got this black boat neck long sleeve shirt for $2.50. It’s not an exciting purchase, but a pragmatic one.

Bought for $6.22

I got a shirt and skirt for $1.22 at a thrift store (since it was pay-by-the-pound). I don’t really wear graphic T-shirts, but because this J.Crew T-shirt was so cheap I decided to get it. It’s my favored navy, white and red color palette, and I thought it was pretty cute.

I tend to gravitate towards wool—I just can’t seem to help myself. I love wool. And I know I have too many wool garments (particularly skirts). But this pleated wool skirt was just so cute…I couldn’t resist. While a younger version of me wouldn’t have liked this skirt because of the colors, the current me likes this desaturated color palette.

I got this old copy of Gone With the Wind from 1937 for $2. I liked the simplicity of the cover and thought the font that was used was quite lovely.

Finally, at an estate sale I bought this Stock Market Game for $3. I played this game as a child at my grandparent’s house and enjoyed it.

Containers and T-shirts

Not all estate sales are equal. Sometimes you stumble upon awesomeness and sometimes not. Sometimes you feel like you got a great deal and sometimes not. The last estate sale I went to, I felt like things were overpriced (which was rather disappointing).

I found a three glass containers that I thought I could use, and also picked up a garlic press and hard-boiled egg slicer. Most of the items at the estate sale were unmarked, so when I went to checkout I found out how much it was going to be: $8. I had decided I didn’t want to spend more than $5. So I ended up getting just the glass containers for $5.

My friend also gave me some free T-shirts, which was nice of her. The last couple of times we’ve been shopping together, I’ve been looking for some shirts to wear at home. I’m not someone that wears T-shirts often, so I don’t have a stash of T-shirts that others may have (and I’m not buying brand-new shirts as loungewear). So I was glad to take these shirts of her hands.

Thrifted for $2.82

I picked up items at two places: a church sale and a pay-by-the-pound Goodwill. At the church sale, I got a children’s book, Timothy Slept On. It’s exactly what it sounds like; a boy (who likes to sleep in), just doesn’t wake up no matter what the townspeople do to rouse him.

This book is from 1964 and I adore the illustrations. They are awesome. I bought this book for 50 cents.

I also bought this glass jar for $1. I liked the fleur de lis marks on it. It’s simple and cute; I thought I could use it to store food supplies.

At the pay-by the-pound Goodwill I got some unnecessarily items for $1.32. First I got this red Pendleton sweater. [Pause.] Now I’m having second thoughts about it…and I’m thinking it’s going in the donate pile.

I also got a gray and red belt.

And finally I got this Old Navy Love More shirt. I would never wear it in public since I avoid wearing anything that has words with any sort of “message” or logo on it. I only bought it so I could wear it at home.

Thrifted for $23.15

I went to a pay-by-the-pound Goodwill and got a lot of stuff. I got quite a few clothing items. First up is a wool black and white Ann Taylor dress.

It’s perhaps a little big in the top, but I can wear a blouse underneath or a sweater on over it and I think it looks pretty cute.

I got this blue and gray lightweight dress. It has buttons down the back and an elastic waistband. It’s a little large in the bodice for me, but I liked the fabric quite a bit. I’m guessing it’s from the 1980s.

Next up is a really warm 100% wool sweater. I’m not really a fan of wearing the color beige, but I couldn’t resist this Olympus school sweater (that must have belonged to Becky in 1973). It’s in pretty good condition, although there were two small holes that needed mending.

I also got this Ninkasi Brewing T-shirt to wear at home (it’s pretty comfortable).

I got a lot of this red with gray leaf fabric—yards and yards of it.

I bought this little ironing board for ironing sleeves.

And I got this Le Creuset cast iron skillet (that needs to be cleaned).

Black and White T-shirt

I’ve been avoiding knits ever since I got my sewing machine. Yet, I’ve bought knit fabrics (because I assumed I’d learn how to sew knits one day) but never used them because they scared me. And I don’t think this fear is uncommon. Knits stretch and pull and need to be sewn differently than non-knits; it’s intimidating.

Overall, I don’t think I wear a ton of knits—mostly just T-shirts and tanks, but I do wear the ones I have fairly often. As I buy less and less clothing new from stores, I thought it would be useful to learn to work with knits by taking a class. So I signed up for a class that taught how to sew a T-shirt.

When I told a friend I was taking this knit class, she gave me all the knit fabric she had because she wasn’t ever going to use it. She had once tried and failed to sew a T-shirt (with a friend’s help) and basically gave up. [Pause.] This did not instill confidence in me. It was very nice of her to give me her unwanted fabric, but I decided to sew with a fabric I’d already bought for the class. Even though I don’t wear a lot of patterns, I picked out this black and white jersey because I thought it’d be more interesting than a plain-colored fabric (and I didn’t see any pretty plain colors at the store anyway).

The class was five hours long and I think one out of eight of us completely finished by the end of class. Most people got to the hemming the sleeves and bottom with a twin needle. I was the slow one. I was in the middle of sewing the V-neck part when the class came to an end. My time just seem to slip away from me.

I think I was especially slow because I’d never worked with knits before, I was using a sewing machine I wasn’t used to, and when I do something new I tend to go more slowly because I’m unsure if I’m doing things correctly. I spent a lot of time trying to get my fabric to remain flat and wrinkle-free (as it seemed to stick to itself), and I redid seams because the fabric would bunch at the ends. It was somewhat frustrating at times.

So I had to finish the T-shirt at home. I finish sewing the neck on and then hemmed the sleeves and bottom with a twin needle. I’m pretty sure I didn’t sew it completely right (as the tension seemed off when I hemmed it; it was my first time using a twin needle so I had low expectations of my execution). It may not be perfect but at least it’s done.

It was my first time using jersey, as well as using Swedish tracing paper (which I liked quite a bit) and sewing with a twin needle. I can’t say that I loved working with jersey, but I don’t have a burning hatred for it either. Maybe it’ll be something I’ll learn to love in time.

Lucky

I like the look of screenprinted items, but I think I lack the patience to screenprint in the traditional way. Looking at the directions that came with the screenprinting kit I bought, I quickly lost motivation. So many steps. [Sigh.] I can be quite lazy. So instead of using the kit, I ended up using light sensitive materials that could create a reusable screen (which to me, seemed simpler).