The new Singer C-550 is firmly ensconced in the place of honor normally reserved for the Merritt (sorry, Merritt). I sewed on it last night and this morning, finishing up the Halloween linens for my sister in law. Needless to say, it is a smooth operator. It's loud and heavy like the Merritt, which is a good thing (don't ask me why, I just like it that way), but it is so fast and smooth! It caught me off guard the first time, actually. But it was quite easy to get used to, and I think the new machine and I will soon be the best of friends.
This morning I went to a couple of garage sales. The first one was a bust, but I bought something anyway (a stoneware bowl in the shape of a heart) because the old dude who was running it was so cool. I had Ian (6) and Karsten (3) with me, and I think the old gentleman got a kick out of them. He gave them both a dollar (!) because they were so good. They *were* being good kids, but that guy just raised the bar high for mom and dad. I can see it now: "Sorry, Mom, we won't be good for anything less than a buck."
The next garage sale was a bust AT FIRST, until I started talking to the older lady running it about sewing. Turns out she was an incredible seamstress for 50 years, and so was her aunt. She was so excited to meet a young sewer that she whipped out three huge boxes of vintage fabric that belonged to her aunt, as well as a huge box of patterns. She didn't have time this morning for me to see everything, but she let me go through one box of fabric. I gleaned this immediately for a grand total of $3:
The smallest piece in this lot is 1 yd., and the largest is nearly 5 yds (the cream and white circles)! She is selling the fabric for 50 cents a piece, no matter what the size of the cut! On Monday I am going back to her house to look through everything, and I can't wait. From what I saw in the box I looked through, it's mostly 1950s-1970s fabric. The patterns should be really awesome, too.
The lady was so sweet, and she kept saying how happy it made her that she had found someone who would use and appreciate it all. She had lived with her aunt as a child, and ended up caring for her the last year of her life, so I can only imagine how much sentimental value there is in the fabric and patterns, especially since it was a passion they shared together. I am happy that I will be able to use her things to create many, many new things for years to come.
2 comments:
What a bonanza. You know, if there were just a way to hook up all the little old ladies with fabric stashes who don't sew anymore and the younger ladies who need fabric...My husband's mother just gave me a bunch of scraps and cuts of fabric she had in a drawer. She says she's got a couple of garbage bags full in the garage.
I know, isn't that crazy? Even crazier is that this evening I stopped on a whim at another garage sale, and it was the same thing! I asked the lady if she had any fabric, and she said, "Hold on a minute," dug around in her garage for a bit, and pulled out a huge Rubbermaid garbage bin full of vintage fabric! I took some and paid her, and she told me to come back tomorrow to get the rest of it,as well as 3 other boxes (!) for free!!! These ladies are da bomb. I seriously plan on doing the same thing someday. OK, done with my insanely enthusiastic rant for now. Gosh, I love old lady garage sales :heart:
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