Serendipity

Does anybody else out there go a little nuts trying to find inexpensive recycled fabric and notions for green sewing? It's quite a challenge for me. I've found some nice fabrics and rick rack at SewGreen, but you never know what you'll find there. The Salvation Army has also been quite a good source for wool sweaters for the felted wool bags I've made. Freecycling has provided us with some great fabric scraps to work with, but it's tough to be the first one to call dibs on the heavily in-demand fabric offerings. Ebay is another source, though it can be expensive--and addictive.

But sometimes serendipity plays a role and leads me to a great find. On Friday I dropped off my sewing machine to be serviced, and I just happened to notice that there was an estate sale being held at the shopping center. The large rented space was crammed with the estate of a woman who had owned an antique shop. The sale had already been on for a week, so the goods were pretty well picked over. But I managed to snag a whole bolt of fabric for less than a dollar a yard:

I'm not sure what it will become, but if my husband doesn't find it too hideous, I think it eventually may become curtains for our bedroom.

We took a quick weekend trip to Vermont recently to attend a maple festival. On our last day there, we stopped in Bennington to check out Camelot Village, an antique and crafts mall. The prices were on the high side, but I found some inexpensive vintage trim and patterned bias tape that I'd love to use on a t-shirt project.

I also picked up a copy of Vogue Sewing from 1982 with the following useful tips:

• "Very tiny prints on a tall, large woman will emphasize the contrast between their delicacy and the size of the woman wearing them." [I infer from this that a t-shirt with a skull print on it would be a sensible choice for me.]


• "As always, to appear more slender, wear medium to dark color values in your solids." [I'm telling you, that red skull T will be very slenderizing.]


• "What if, after all your efforts to lose a few pounds, to pull in that stomach, and tuck in that derriere, nothing happens, and you are still facing that sagging you in the fitting mirror? . . . Purchase well-fitted undergarments for a controlled or more youthful figure. You are not the first to do so and will not be the last!" [Words to live by!]
  

Before we made it to Camelot, we stopped on the main drag and popped in to Junque, a gorgeous but crammed shop full of buttons, trims, lace, vintage dishes, and all manner of unique treasures. The owner was energetic and very helpful and had just cleared her winter stock (too bad we missed the 50 percent off sale the day before!!) and made room for lots of new items. There was something for everyone there, including a carved wooden squirrel for my son, a spider ring for my daughter, a vintage Navy flashlight for my husband, and buttons and trims for me. The prices were reasonable (we saw a glass cake plate for $12 at Junque that was for sale at Camelot for $42!), and I definitely recommend the shop to vintage junque fans venturing to Vermont.

I'm learning that I need to keep my eye out for treasures wherever I go!