Groovy Estate Sale Finds

I just love Estate Sales.  They are so fun, or at least they have the potential to be.  One person’s discards is another person’s treasure.  I found myself early this morning thinking I might want to check out a few nearby.  I packed up the dog, planned my route and headed out.

I usually just like to look for certain things.  If I don’t have something specific in mind, like it was today, I just like to see if I can find unusual sewing things.

I have a couple of finds to talk about.  This first one was hidden under a whole bunch of crap in a back bedroom.  I had to sift through a mountain of odds and ends but when I came across this I just was intriqued.  If only I’d known there was this really unique method of marking the cloth from my patterns!  Shoot!  I’d be set.  Just imagine how much time I could have saved over the years!  And look at the price.  $1.98.  Gotta love it.

When I brought this to the front of the house to check out, the gentleman behind the register looked at it, opened the box and poked around a little.  I could just read his mind, ya know?  He’s thinking “This is a tool!  Unopened!  How’d I miss this?!”.  He looks up at me after he sees the original price of $1.98 and says “I’m gonna want a full dollar for this”.

“Alright” I say and hand him my buck.  A deal is a deal.

The next item I found today was underneath a pile of patterns and newspaper clippings inside of a sewing cabinet.  I know what you’re thinking now.  You think I really am this crazy woman that loves to dig around in other peoples stuff.  Not really.  I find it a chore, but I’ve learned that if you don’t poke you don’t get the pay off.  This is what I pulled out, dusted off and just laughed.  It’s a ’70’s, totally groovy classic:

Complete with illustrations that just had me chuckling.  I’m still giggling as I upload this photo.  I don’t remember a Saturday morning cartoon show called the “Pattern-sons!” but you just gotta love these cute little guys!

I swear the ’70’s must have been a fun and psychedelic time for adults that did drugs.  I was just a youngster myself and remember a lot of my funky clothes from the time but the drug induced influence of some of these pattern designs and drawings is pretty evident.  How can we forget the patchwork floor length skirt, the fringed poncho…and…the fur vest!  Ha…ha…ha…ha…oooh, this just is too much!

Alright, with all due seriousness, this sewing book is actually pretty good.  It has everything you need to know about sewing within the binder.  And actually has some information I didn’t know had been published previously.  That is what makes these trips fun.

And in case you never knew I’m going to share with you a little known secret.  There really is a pattern classification for ‘Chubby’.  Seriously.  It exists.  I’m not making fun of it either, no.  I think it is the cutest thing, a bit of a stretch searching for that pre-politically correct description; “Not-yet-developed and above average in weight.”.  I don’t think we have ‘Chubby’ anymore…  What is it called these days?  Plus Size?  Big & Tall? Normal?

Lastly I went to another sale.  This next sale had many great finds.  I would have loved to have purchased lots and lots of things, especially many of the paintings, the Mikasa China (set of 12 for $75 since it had gone 50%)  or some of the porcelain pieces but I was sticking to my rules today…just things with sewing and things I can find for a deal when…

Gasp!  What is that under the pile of sheets and blankets?

It looks crinkly.  In a something quilted kind of way.  Don’t look.  Stay calm.

My heartbeat starts to quicken.

I think to myself “Move people, move.  Look around.  Don’t try to draw attention to what I’m seeing.”

I move a little closer still reminding myself “be calm and nobody else will see it either, try not to ooh and ahh”.

I walk over to the pile of sheets and blankets, carefully moving much of them aside…to find…

a Grandmother’s Fan Quilt…

And an appliqued tulip quilt:

Both quilts lovingly made by hand, hand quilted, portions partially faded but I could tell these were treasured by this family.  These were ones that were probably not perfect enough to get passed on to the kids or the kids just didn’t want them.  I suppose I may have mispoke.  My guess these were ’30’s quilts…so that would mean the ‘grandkids’ didn’t get them.

I wonder if they had grandkids.  Finds like these always make me think about those family ties and I always think of all the time the person who made this put into their work.  They just loved what they did.  And now I’m the recipient of some of this love.  I love it!  Enjoy!