Thrift Gift of Fabrics

Thrift shopping was put on hold this past week because of one of those events that happen in life, so these are last weeks finds, but Wow! What a time we are having. Got out a bit while the sun was shining and found linens, which are our favorite things to find, along with a few other items. 

Just so excited about these curtains and pillow shams. I have already reclaimed the lace and salvaged the pleats on the drapes to up cycle. Envisioning a few projects with the remaining fabric.

This is just a few of the sheets we found. We are so addicted to fabric and sewing.

Imagine the thrill of finding NIP vintage sheets. The trip was getting better every minute.

Then there were napkins, a Vera scarf and an embroidered linen just right for a pocket on my up cycled robe. Got to have a pocket.

My favorite fabric find is the beautiful piece of vintage pink floral fabric. Almost silk like, but so Hollywood. I remember fabric of this kind made into wonderful bed covers. The vintage Vera scarf is a poppy pattern and then there's the lovely bowl with it's cover.  A couple of years ago I found four pear shaped dishes that are part of a Lazy Susan set. They were so nice that I couldn't leave them behind because I felt that some one could use them as serving dishes. Who would have thought that a couple years later I'd find the center bowl that matches them, in a totally different place on earth and in excellent condition. I can't wait to put them together, but now the challenge will be to find the wooden base to put it on. Not impossible. I just need to put it out on the radar and it will come.

I just had to show everyone how beautiful this is. Imaging finding the pieces years and miles apart. Currently listed on butterflyplace.etsy.com.

Vintage table cloth being re loved.

ON THE CUTTING TABLE

 

I just couldn't do it. It would have taken a life time to soak the stains out of this well loved vintage table cloth. I'm usually good at soaking items to give them new life. Even things everyone else would have thrown away years ago. My success rate has been great with soaking. This, however, I couldn't do. Instead I used it as a cutter for new projects. It was my goal to give myself time to get back to some sewing and I finally did this past week. There was so much that I salvaged from this table cloth.

 

 

The four corners of the table cloth were in almost excellent condition and I attached them to white muslin and cotton batting to make four place mats. I backed them in yellow checkered gingham. I had recently reclaimed a bed skirt for the eyelet lace trim and saved the 100% cotton fabric from it. From this I managed one dozen twelve inch napkins and just simply appliqued salvaged fruit pieces to them.

 

 

I made two fry pan handle pot holders and there will be two round pot holder/hot plate pads. So far that's twenty new items from this table cloth. I went through my stash and the two new curtain panels I found a couple of weeks ago with a bright colorful trim will be turned into aprons. I searched through my stash of fabric and found some fruit print fabric that I'll use for pockets and ties.

 

 

These items are not going to be sold or given away. They are for me. The next rebuild in my life is to get back into traveling and these will go in my camping, glamping, trailer or may I just call it my dream chest.

 

There was a trip to a neighborhood sale and I found two items. I spent all of $4 for both. I also got to the thrift store and found a few items. I know I took time for myself this past week and the stats on my stores show it, but it was a great mental health week and I did something green and kept stuff out of the landfill. It's back to work today and I would love for you to stop by and visit my stores and visit my Facebook page and check like to see my future updates. Have a great week.

 

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Christmas ornaments from scrap fabric.

For those of you who follow my blog you know how addicted to fabric I am. I just love it and yes I sell it and yes I sew with it, but there's always those scraps. These are made from reclaimed trim and a yoyo and bead in the center. All of these are about four inches in diameter and required fabric no longer than 18 inch strips or eight inch squares or circles.

Yoyo's are easy to make and these became ornament bells with a jingle bell to finish them off. A star can go on the top to make it a small tree also, but I like the bell.

 

Inspired by Kumiko Sudo (Flower Origami) who is a fabric origami artist,  I folded these pieces of fabric to make these ornaments and added the bead to class them up a bit.

 

 

Also origami folded fabric, just a little more folding. These are my favorites and the red and white one's looked the best on a green tree.



These are also folded fabric but a log cabin pattern. I found the direction in a booklet I bought in Lancaster PA. I have been fascinated by folding fabric for several years now.

I added some folded origami to my Christmas stockings and made them look better than just plain white and green. This is how I use my scrap fabric and I hope to be semi retired to do more of the things I like some day. Scrap fabric is always for sale on my stores. butterflyplace.etsy.com and butterflyplace.storenvy.com. I hope everyone has a great week and a wonderful holiday.

This has been a slow week.

Although I was able to thrift and find a few items it has been very slow here this week. I've had Internet issues and hope to get them taken care of soon. My finds this week included two pair of reclaimed tab curtains that are already taken apart to reclaim the fabric. A bright pink and orange sheet for fabric, a floral ash tray from Japan, a mushroom print trivet from Japan, four plastic coffee cups with the same exact print as the trivet only made for Sears, a whimsical frog and mushroom wall hanging and last but not least a set of Georges Briard Christmas coasters. Some of these items need some maintenance and others will be listed shortly if not already on my etsy store: butterflyplace.etsy.com.
When I moved a few months ago I put merchandise in boxes and marked them as store inventory. Since my service was slow or not available at all this week I shopped in those boxes. This morning I have begun to take the pictures of these items. It feels good to empty out and move on. Some items I asked myself why I kept them, but I quickly found ways to donate them and move them along to other homes. I cannot believe the items that I have accumulated and kept in boxes. So onward and upward to find them new lives with new families and continue the recycle, renew and reuse aspect of life. Have a wonderful week everyone.

Last weekend of April and the thrift finds were fun.

My favorite find of the weekend were these vintage nursery curtains and valances. I was with my daughter and she quickly scanned the linens and found the valances. I on the other hand took my time browsing at an older folks pace and found the four curtains that went with them. She quickly said that I could have the valances to purchase with the curtains. I just love the cuteness of these curtains and can see them being upcycled.

I also found two Tommy Hilfiger 100% cotton sheets to upcycle. I love 100% cotton. Some yard goods, an owl planter which will be spray painted, a clear glass owl bank, a Joys of Jello cook book and what's not in the picture a package of vacuum cleaner bags. I don't think I've paid full price for vacuum bags in years. Why should cleaning cost full price? I can't wait to do some more work listing items on my store. I am getting close to my goal of 400 items and may be there this week. I just wish that the total showed on my store. I count the duplicate listings but Etsy does not. Visit and see how I'm doing. butterflyplace.etsy.com Have a great week everyone and I'll see you around my sites.

Favorite thrift finds this weekend.

My favorites of the weekend, but not the only finds are these two loving owls music box and an unusual cheese cutting board that folds like a cupboard. It was so unusual that I just had to pick it. It was in excellent condition for it's age and is made in Japan. I can't tell the song that the music box plays, but it works and was irresistible.

Other finds this weekend include some more fabric, vintage and modern. Two cut glass candy dishes, wooden trivets made in India, a pink and orange vintage cotton towel and a large bell shaped trivet that is silver. A good cleaning and it will make a wonderful addition to any holiday table setting. I had a great time hunting this weekend, but have been careful not to over spend. So far setting a budget has worked.
Other events of the weekend include more research for business growth and learning my way around more internet sites. It's fun and work at the same time. Feel free to visit my Etsy store at butterflyplace.etsy.com .  Have a great thrifting week everyone.

Reclaiming usable fabric.

I have spent a great deal of my life putting used or well loved items to use in my own life and am  changing the world one person (me) at a time to waste less. I can see the use in most anything, but have to hold my tongue when I see the mass production of useless stuff. This fabric was reclaimed this week from a worn out bed skirt. The flat part that sits on the box spring was totally gone, but this wonderful eyelet fabric was in excellent condition. Can you see this in a shabby chic makeover?

After cutting marketable pieces of reclaimed linens for my store (butterflyplace.etsy.com) I kept cutting the smaller pieces into four and a half inch squares. Quite a variety for sale to someone who quilts or for me to use making quilts for the Linus project.

And then there's the even smaller pieces to sell as a bundle of scrap. Best for Charm quilts it includes all the cuttings larger than one and a half inches to full fat quarters. Most of the fabrics are cotton and polyester, but there are many 100% cotton and with such a large variety the sky and some imagination is the limit. So that's what's been done with reclaimed linens this week and hopefully I can get more listed on my store and continue to keep stuff out of landfills.                                                               

This weeks thrift shopping.

In my travels this week to different thrift stores my intent was to just drop off donations, but the temptation to look at new merchandise led me to a bounty of new fabric and resale items. I like to find different fabrics that I can combine with others for craft projects or quilting both for resale and charity projects I'm involved in. I never fail to find vintage pieces of fabric or reclaimed bed sheets and linens. It has become the fun in my life and gets me out other than just going to work. With warmer weather hitting the northeast early this year I have notice the number of people having yard sales increasing. I'm not quite ready for them, but give me a couple of weeks and I'll be there. The bounty will begin to appear on my etsy store, butterflyplace.etsy.com, so I hope you take the time to visit to see items up close and get descriptions.

To Be Continued...Thrifted Chair Part Three

After the final coat of vinyl paint was added and left to dry the butterfly decals were applied and we now have the back of the seat and seat finished. We may add butterflies to the back of the back because there are a few remaining. I'm enjoying watching the progress of this chair. Next it's on to the chrome body and making that shine and putting it back together. I hope your enjoying this work in progress. True recycling at it's best.

Upcycled Candles From Other People's Junk

Have you ever wondered how to decorate cheap with candles. I've been successfully doing this for years with other people's junk that I upcycle. This is the in thing to do today. Glad it's become popular. These are two reclaimed Ball canning jars that can be hung with their own bail wires or set on the table.

These now white wall sconces started out as two goth black candle holders that with a quick spray painting in white made them two totally different holders. New life for less than five dollars. While out rummaging through another sale I found a number of tulip candle holders for fifty cents each and decided that these two pink ones would make these sconces perfect for my bedroom. I quickly attached them with E600 glue for a simple finish. Two wall sconces for just under six dollars.

One thing I like to do is go to the final day of church sales. This is the time that you can fill a bag for less than five dollars and what fits is yours for that price. I found these old metal objects that I am thinking are hand rail holders. Technical name I do not know, but my daughter and I used them in two different ways. She mounted hers to wood plaques that she purchased and I mounted mine to stained scrap wood. I attached votive glass and she just set the candle on the metal. Tastes differ, but for the seven wall sconces the price was well under $15. Can't beat that.