azdesertrat

I have actually bought 2 older(1957) and a 1970's computerized sewing machine at estate sales,and of course some fabric.Second-hand stores are great also for fabric

mic-pa

I got 7 yds of Thimbleberries fabric for $4.00 at a yard sale this summer. I was shocked when the lady told me how much she wanted for it. She did not know anything about fabric obviously. I don't do many yd sales but if I could get that kind of bargain I woud go every week. Marge

Marybeth

Japanese beetles are here in Wis too :(

There is a tablet that one can buy and mix with water and spray the outside of the house and they don't come in. It kills them. One man I know scooped up shovel-fulls of dead beetles after using it. There are also things that are shaped like air fresheners that are hung between the outer storm and inner window that kills them. Here they come off the soybean fields after the harvest. Looking for food and a winter retreat. Ask at a local hardware or farm supply store.

Marybeth

Feathers

I just found this site and had to re-think my opinion of yard sales. I go to sales now and then to get fruit and jelly jars for canning but can honestly say I' ve NEVER LOOKED for fabric or notions. Guess what? You can bet the next garage or yard sale I see I'm stopping to check EVERYTHING out. Thanks for the tip.

judy_68

Its funny that I saw this question tonight. I just went to a sale today. They had a box of already cut fabric squares for $3.00. The guy said that he burned bags and bags of fabric becasue he didn't think anybody would want it. I about cried.
Judy in Ohio

Nina

Don't forget that you can pick up cotton skirts at yard sales and use that fabric for quilting. Especially some of the older prints that are no longer in "style" for wearing.

Joan

I have always loved garage sales and have found many wonderful things even before I started quilting. Last summer, though, I happened upon a fellow quilter who was "cleaning" out her stash (at a $1 a yard I might add). That was the most fun I had had in a long time. I came home with pile of fabric and now just wish I had bought every single last piece of it. (greedy, huh?)

lisae

For a long time, my friend Lyn and I had a deal. We would spend the weekend going to diffferent garage sales and estates sales. We would split what every we found in half. We bought a lot of vintage fabric this way.

The best was when we went to an estate sale with another friend, in a vw bug. Most of fabric being sold was poly knits. We were ready to leave when I stick my hand in a moving barrel full of fabric scraps. I dug through the poly knits and came up with a hand ful of mourning prints (circa 1900/1910). There were two more barrels and after a quick investigation, we bought the three barrels for $20. We brought the barrels to my house (getting the in the bug was great fun - it took two trips) and divided things up. There were four piles - one for me, one for Lyn, one for our other friend and a toss pile (the poly knits). I would up with a lot of old shirting and mourning prints!

Another time I went to a rummage sale. I bought a bag of fabric for twenty five cents because I saw a quilt block it in it. I would up with enough turn of the century blocks two make two small quilt tops. I gave them to Lyn for her 40th birthday.

I love sales.

jbsstrawberry

We LIVE to shop yard and garage sales!!! There's one inparticular I watch for every year. A lady just outside our little town has an annual "get rid of my winter stash" sale. She sells off almost all of her fabric, yarn, etc. that she collected over the fall and winter months prior. Usually you can buy gallon size bags of yardage, fat quarters, remnants etc for 25 to 50 cents a bag. She always has the best stuff too!! Some of my favorite projects were garage sale finds. I love it when there's a whole box of "craft stuff" for just a few dollars, its like a treasure hunt going through them when I get them home. Last year I purchased a huge box of kits for $3 from a moving sale. It was packed full to almost bursting with alllll kinds of kits. I'm working on a hand embroidered pillow case doll now. They sell for about $12-$15 dollars through Annie's Attic, and a few other mail order companies. I'm using some of the bed sheets I got at the same sale to make more pillow cases. Once I have the hand work done and can cut the pieces apart I'm going to make a pattern so I can make more of them for gifts.

Feathers

can I become a four-some in your sales???? :lol: :lol: