Fabric Estate Sale…Again

I think I just might have an estate sale shopping problem because even though I got a lot of fabric at the last estate sale I went to, I just bought more. When I saw that there was another fabric estate sale a part of me was excited and another part of me thought, “No, don’t do it! You already have way too much stuff.” I was on the fence on going, but I asked a friend if she wanted to go and she said “yes.” So I went.

I planned on being more discriminating this time because I already have so much fabric. This time it felt more relaxed; the store was smaller so there was less fabric to choose from and there seemed to be fewer people. And while there were some clothes, it wasn’t the massive selection of clothing as the previous estate sale; nothing looked interesting so I steer cleared of the clothing.

We got there about an hour after it opened, so maybe a lot of good fabric was already taken, but I still found four bolts of fabric that I wanted. Each bolt was $5 and I found neutrals (which I hadn’t found at the previous estate sale). I got a gray polyester rayon that feels pretty soft, black wool, white wool and a sheer white polyester with a crisscross pattern.

Then I got some notions that were 50 cents each. I got six 22-inch zippers; they had a lot of zippers in just about every color imaginable. I also got some sturdy eyes and hooks (which I needed). And I got buttons; they had a good amount of buttons and I tried to restrain myself. I got three sets of buttons: simple blue and navy, silver and frosted.

My grand total for everything was $27. Pretty cheap. Not as cheap as Sunday where everything was half off, but I just couldn’t go again. I’ve bought enough for a small lifetime.

Thrift Shop Souvenirs

I admit, as a child (and also as I grew older), I enjoyed shopping at souvenir shops that sell an array of stuff to show that you’ve visited a place: stuffed animals, picture frames, shot glasses, key chains, mugs, t-shirts, etc. I’ve bought my share of things over the years, and those things I accumulated now sit in a box—a box of unnecessary things. [Pause.] I don’t buy these types of items any more.

So when I went to the coast with a friend, we didn’t look at any of the touristy shops. But we did happen upon a thrift shop and each found stuff to buy. I found more sewing supplies. Yes, I don’t need any more, but I got eyes and hooks, twill tape and 10 zippers for $3.35.

I think the seam binding packaging is pretty cute (feels quite patriotic). And I think the zippers are adorable. These five and a half inch long zippers look like they’re made specifically for pouches, as there are stops at both ends of the zipper. I like the metal zipper handle that is so much cuter than the average zipper.

These are the only souvenirs I got at the coast and I think they’re good ones because they’re useful (assuming I use them). It also makes any items I make with them feel a bit more special because I got them on a trip so there’s a memory attached to them. 

Pleated Change Purse

My old change purse was dying a slow and painful death. I had used it for many years and filled it to the brim with change; it was fraying and filthy and far from its once cute state. So instead of purchasing a new one, I thought I’d create one with some of my fabric scraps.

I had a basic idea of what I wanted to do: a small purse with a zipper closure. Simple enough. I didn’t really follow any directions because what I needed to do was fairly straightforward. I selected a sturdier cotton fabric for my change purse (left over fabric from my navy skirt). Instead of doing the bare minimum of using two flat pieces of fabric to create my change purse, I decided to use inverted pleats as a design element. It wasn’t that much more difficult; I just had to use a bit more fabric for the width, measure where my pleats would be, press the pleats down and then baste the pleats in place. It’s simple but I think it adds some nice visual interest.

The second thing I did to make this change purse a bit more interesting was using a contrasting zipper color. I happen to have this cream-colored zipper and thought it would match well with navy. It was my first time shortening a zipper (which turned out to be super easy). As usual I made mistakes along the way, but it was a good small (and necessary) sewing project for me.