butterflywing

i just got back and i can't believe all the crap i saw. people used to give away old baby clothes to others with new babies. they were called hand-me-downs, and people used them and passed them on. now they try to sell those garments with formula stains on them. what in the world are they thinking? it's one thing to get them free, use them, and say goodbye to them. it's something else to have to pay money for them. creased, damaged and formula stained. isn't anyone charitable? it makes me feel sick that people won't give anything up even though they can't use them anymore. and some of this stuff is, like, years old. you see the kids it belonged to and they're six or seven already. give the stuff to a charity already. at the end of the day, it all gets left at the sidewalk for the trashmen. so nobody wins. how sad is that!

all i could find worth buying was an old embroidered tablecloth with matching napkins. it has stains, but i think i can get blocks with careful cutting. and one panel of cowboy-horsey-southwestern type print. the panel was a dime and the tablecloth w/nappies was 50 cents. i also found, for $2, a shelf cabinet, with a swivel top shelf. it's really a tv stand, but very sturdy wood. and heeeeavy! on four fat caster wheels.
i will attach the swivel part to make it secure and stick the whole thing under my big board, at the very end, shelves outward. there must be something (hehe!) i can store in those shelves. my dh is so happy to see more furniture go into my cave. NOT!

i got some other things but not sew or quilt related. a nice long walk on a gorgeous day. and stuff. it doesn't get any better, does it?

Patty44

I found an old quilt top at a flea market once,it must have been a club quilt top,,,,,it had different names embroadred on each block,I guess each member made a block, It was also dated the date was 1944, that is why I bought it.That was the year I was born. I just need to have it quilted.

amma

A wonderful day, lovely walk, and some nice finds......now that is an awesome Saturday! :D :wink: :D

RedGarnet222

I am wondering ... why don't those women use the old ivory soap to soak those little things in before they wash them? Hey that worked good! I remember I had to iron my baby things. There was very little knit anything but t-shirts back then.

If you want to try and save your tablecloth and napkins. You could try to use a stain remover first. I have saved things I have found like you with Zout stain remover before. My neighbor swares by the oxyclean.

butterflywing

oxyclean has never floated my boat. but i have had good luck with zout. great idea. thanks.

in a pinch, as a last resort, i've bleached. embroidery thread is mostly COLORFAST. i don't like to but sometimes it works when nothing else does. the thing is, i don't know how long the stains have been there, and that makes a big difference.

Qarena

When I was in New york visiting my mom, we went to a garage sale and I bought a whole stack of log cabin quilt blocks for $1.00. I made two lap quilts from them and still have some blocks left. It was a great find.

Knot Sew

You'll have to post some pictures of your finds. Our sales around here are just starting, but then so are my alergies :D

KGoodhand

Our town yard sales are next weekend. I am going to try and go out Friday night and see what I can find. I would love to go on Saturday but my boss has other plans for me. Sat - 9 -5:30 and Sun 12- 4:30. If all else fails I hope I can go maybe Sunday morning but by then most things are picked over but on the plus side everyone really just wants rid of it so they don't have to bring it in the house again!

butterflywing

yes, you do have to be careful. some of those things have been in the basement for years and smell of mildew. you can get the smell out but at first they can really bother you. take antihystimines (sp?) and wipey things for your hands. wipe often. who knows what your touching.

town yard sales are wonderful. everything all at once. be sure to go the day after the sale to see what's been put out for pickup. sometimes what nobody wants is a treasure for you.