Thrift store finds

How many of you are thrift store goers? I love going to the thrift stores! I am always finding lots of great stuff.

I am a homeschooler, and love going to the local thrift store to see what I can find. Recently, I acquired these books. They are brand new, and only ONE dollar a piece!


We are also do-it-yourselfers, and the thrift stores are great finds for home improvement and do-it-yourself project books. Not to mention old and new fiction books. And as we are all verocious readers, this is a good deal.

There are also lots of crafts items at the thrifts stores. Like buttons and zippers. Ribbon and lace. yarn and knitting needles.


But my very favorite thing to find at the thrift store, is this:

Isn't she a beauty? It's a New Home, made in the 1930s, as far as I can tell, from the information I have read on them. In the 1950s, the New Home company was taken over by Janome sewing company. Now I just need to find another treadle, so the White I have at home wont feel so lonely, with my two old electrics :)

Oh, want to guess how much I paid for this machine??

Ready.....$16!

Yes, SIXTEEN dollars. Amazing!!

This machine came with a quilters foot and a little seam regulator...I'm not sure what the name of it is. But you put it on your presser bar, and it helps you to keep the same distance between quilting rows. So maybe I'll finally learn to do some machine quilting :)

Of course, thrift stores have a lot of other great things in them too. But these are the things that I usually bring home.

I'm off to do some more sewing on my strippy stars quilt. I have a new plan, I was just not happy with the way it as coming out. I'll show you when I am done.

Have a wonderful, quilty day.

Till next time,
Dorian

Progress and a finish

I am making progress on my scrappy stars. They are a bit hard to see, maybe that's why I have such a hard time with strips and scraps. It seems so busy. I am going to put a slim border around this set, and then make some stars that are just a bit bigger. That way I don't have to trim strips down any, and wont be wasting them. The bigger stars will go around this middle section.

At least......that is the plan, we'll see how it goes.

As for my finish, it is my Phires Compass. The wind was blowing a bit and pull and stretching it, but here it is. I just love the colors in this quilt.
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On the forum news. We have a lovely black and white swap going on. I hope you were able to join us. Debbieann came up with a gorgeous quilt pattern for us to use with these layer cakes, if we want to.

Our mystery quilt weekend in coming up on Oct 2nd and 3rd. You don't want to miss that! The patterns are always fantastic.

We also have a secret Santa and a Christmas ornament swap going on. You can join us here and here.

Lots of fun going on. My household is getting ready for our first winter in our new home. We'll be getting SNOW! I can't wait!! I love snow, and so do my kids. And that thought wants me to get all my quilt tops, I think I have 15 now!, quilted. I think I need to learn machine quilting...

Have a great day!

Till next time,

Dorian

Blackberries

Blackberries signal the end of Summer, here in my next of the woods. My family and I have been busily picking them. They are nutrious, yummy and free! They grow all over the mountains here, and it only takes us about 20 minutes to drive to a creek where they grow so abundantly.

I've been making pies, cobblers and jam the past few days. I use whole wheat flour and honey in my recipes, so it makes this delisious goodness a bit more healthy for us :)

My fabric has taken on a 'blackberry' theme too. Here is a purse I made. With my dd's help (she is only 12!), I finally figured out the zippered pocket. I wanted it done a specific way, so that I had two large pouches on either side of a large zippered pouch. And then I have two small pockets on the inside and the black fabric on the outside, is also pockets. So plenty of room to keep all my stuff.

Those are not actually blackberries on the black fabric, but they are some sort of berries, and their leaves look similar to wild mountain blackberries.



I've also been working on Jess's pattern that she made for Northcott. You can contact Jess for the pattern.

I am testing this pattern, and I can tell you, it is FABULOUS. If you haven't made a Jess pattern yet, you are in for a treat. She has beautiful creations, well written patterns, with lots of visual aids.

My version I think I will rename "Blackberries and cream" Heehehe...as that is what it reminds me of. Here is part of it, I am still working on the border.


We are getting more blackberries tomorrow...I love seeing a larder full of Summer goodness!

Have a great day.

Till next time,

Dorian

It's time for our second Mystery Pattern contest! The prize is a free copy of Jess' new 2010 Fall Mystery pattern for the upcoming Mystery Weekend on September 18th & 19th!

For the next week and a half, all you have to do is post a picture of a quilt that you have completed during 2010! If your quilt is completely finished, as in quilted and bound, then your name goes into the pot twice for that entry. If your entry is of the completed quilt top only, then you still get a chance with your name going into the pot once. Only ONE picture per entry but you may enter as many photos as you like to this blog posting as well as to the Quilt & Needle's Forum thread and our Facebook status - however, you can only win once!

So get your photos out and posted by midnight CDT (that's central daylight time) September 10th! Jess and I will draw the winner's name from all comment entries and let y'all know on Saturday, September 11th. We will contact the winner on September 11th to get their email address to send their prize on the Mystery Quilt Weekend.

We are looking forward to mucho eye candy!

By the way, if the chosen winner has already purchased this 2010 Fall Mystery pattern, the winner may select one of the previously published patterns from the Quilt & Needle webstore

Tonight's Discussion Session - 1/4" Seams and Proper Stitch Lengths!

Join Jess and me tonight as Jess gets back to the basics of piecing quilt blocks! Jess is going to discuss 1/4" seam allowances and stitch lengths and why these techniques are so important to the construction of a great quilt! We encourage ALL quilters of every skill level to join us tonight (Friday, August 27, 2010) in the Snug Chatroom at 6:00 P.M. Central as our more experienced quilters will have the opportunity to share their wealth of knowledge, hints and tips with other quilters who have yet to have as many quilty moments with their craft. This promises to be a lively and informative Discussion Session! Looking forward to see you there!

Cindy
a/k/a MisisipiMenace and Ms. Tassels