june6995

This subject has been very interesting reading. And I do want to add my best find.

In summer of 2000 I went to a flea market and found a bag of fabrics. I asked the vendor if I could take it out of the bag to sort it. Needless to say that was not a good idea. He told me to take the whole thing for $5. It was a black garbage bag and stuffed so tight I staggered to my car and dropped it on the ground so I could get my keys out of my pocket to open the trunk. I washed and ironed for several days and and found nearly all was suitable for quilting. I quit counting when I had measured 50 yards of fabric. That was when I first decided to make quilts, and have been doing quilts ever since.

That was probably my once in a lifetime good fortune find.

annette

Hi Becky i am a garage sale Queen and a thrift store princessthe best garage sale i ever went to was a friend and i had been garage sales all day and we was so tired we went to her house and empty the trunk of my car i saw a sign right down the street from her house and oh my God i had $15.00 left there was 2 ladies sitting on a sofa looking very tired they said look around my eyes fell right on thier bookshelves one of the ladies said my mother use to quilt and do crafts and she just died i said how much do you want for all those books she $300.00 i said i only have $15.00 she said you know what my mother will be proud to know that someone would buy these books and take care of themand make beautifuf things these books are well known quilt artists it was like God save these books until i arrive. Love all of you out there.
Annette

Norah

Annette and June. I am so jealous. :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

june6995

Watch your newspapers! After our thread about yard sales, I decided to check my daily news. Lo and behold there was an Estate Sale...all sorts of sewing stuff. so I got myself over there.
I drove into a new area for me, and found the address with the aid of MapQuest. Oh My Goodness! What woman had saved everything she ever bought. I kid you not, she had a basement full. Her kids had used all kinds of table, shelves, dressers, boxes...you name it and it was loaded. I said to myself "I sure hope I don't leave this kind of mess for my kids to get rid of." I had hoped to get some zippers, but I was too late. The whole box sold for $5. I found a half dozen buckles for a friend, for $1. She makes quilted purses. I helped lighten their load. What a mess!!

Ok, the sign said "one bag of fabric $3." Well, since I am greedy, and hearing they were giving all that was left to a Thrift store, I decided I would get my share. I dug through the bags they offered and found one that looked a tad bigger than the others. I neatly foleded and rolled all that I selected, and crammed the bag FULL! I had about 15 different fabrics, some with several yards. But, I do know, I got a good buy for $3.

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT ESTATE SALES. This was the best I have been to in a long time. Believe me, I will be going to MORE!!!!

What is the old saying "She who dies with the most fabric, WINS!!"
I don't intend to win...I just intend to make more quilts.

HAPPY HUNTING TO ALL OF YOU.

June

mimisharon

Wow, June, I want to live where you do. That's some good estate and yard sales. Unfortunately, we don't have many in my area but I do go when I read about one. I hit my thrift stores and do a lot lot of buying of fabric for little bits of cash. I'm waiting to find another sewing machine, serger or the like. I'm persistent so I'll hang in and keep looking.

Yard sales are fun!!
Sharon

mimisharon

Norah, I'm so jealous of your sewing room! To be in a good view spot, have it peacefully quiet, and big enough for me to do what I want??? Oh, gosh, heaven!!

Sharon

Country Quilter

Miranda.... Here in Wisconsin we have what is now known to be an Asian Aphid Beetle that resemble ladybugs but are not TRUE ladybugs! They differ in pattern and color and omg do they EVER stink!!! A true ladybug supposedly does NOT bite where these asian beetles DO!! and hard!!! Somebody told me "they do not bite they pinch" and I responded with "well whatever the heck it is that they do it hurts!!!" And another thing these asian beetles do that I've never seen a ladybug do is stain things when they are squashed .... I have little orange spots all over my walls and ceiling!!

I guess somebody thought it would be a good idea to introduce these things to kill aphids....well, now we are overrun by the beetles and even birds won't eat them because of their stench!

I've learned to take a piece of tape after them now instead of the flyswatter!! Or if you drop them into a HOT cup of water they also die instantly!! So I run a styrofoam cup of water around my house and flick them into it! Or a piece of duct tape to collect them!

Country Quilter

OH and I should add to Becky's original question!! LOL I LOVE garage sales for fabric buying!!! I go to many and get lots!!!

pocoellie

Along with yard sales, thrift stores, estate sales, I go to auctions. You can get some really neat things. I've bought fabric, machines, quilting supplies(rulers, cutters, etc) very, very reasonable. Of course, it depends on if someone else also wants what you want. The last machine I bought is an old Singer in a table, one of these days, I clean it up and refinish the table, but I got it for $2.50. I also bought a Husky for $15.00.

rvquilter

Ok I am soooooooooooooooooooooo jealous. I love yard saling and find a lot of good stuff but never that good. :-)