thrifty adventures

This week I was walking through my local Goodwill and wasn't finding a thing! Has this ever happened to you? Well I was getting kinda bummed about it too. Who wouldn't, right?

Until I got to the back of the store. I found three different pieces of vintage fabric! Such a score for me!

There was a time when I declared that I was only going to use vintage fabric. Well, you know that that did not work. Who can not resist all those beautiful new fabrics.

But now I have this new collection to deal with. So this sweet yardage is being cleaned with hot water and Oxy Clean. And I am dreaming of what to make with it.

Do you have any inspiration or ideas for me?

Now's your chance to link up here with your recent thrifty find. I just love seeing what you all can't live without! Stop by and visit my thrifty sister Stacey and please add our button to your post or sidebar.

my fabrics

I went through my fabrics yesterday looking for a little inspiration on what to sew up for a fair I am doing in April. I pulled out a bunch of different prints.

Sorted them out by what goes with what. Decided on a bunch of different things to make, beginning with bibs.

But before I cut and sew, some ironing must be done. So I ironed all that I needed to make a variety of bibs.

And made this little shirt instead!

It will be in my shop today! Tomorrow I think there will be a stuffed frisbee dog to join it.

student art show

I went to The Tin Thimble on Sunday afternoon to teach my placemat and napkin sewing class. I had such a nice time sewing with my student and visiting with Sharon and Claire. They are such a generous pair of sisters. And truly everyone whether sister or daughter who works there is the best!

And they also throw a great party! To celebrate their 4 year anniversary they are hosting their 2nd annual Student Art Show. It would make a great girl's day out to visit them on April 1st, 2nd, and/or 3rd to see what they will be displaying. And to see their great collection of vintage and new fabrics.

If you haven't been there yet, it is the perfect time to go. They are located in Loomis at the High Hand Nursery on Taylor Road. The gardens there are just beautiful right now with blooming trees and flowers. My kids especially like the Koi pond!

And if you have been looking for a few things in my etsy shop, you will find them now at The Tin Thimble. So I am working hard today to add some new replacements.

See you at the party!

vintage sheets

I have been practically hoarding my vintage sheets. Buying them, but then just holding onto them. Which is silly really. Because they are always so much bigger than the new yardage that I buy.

But I was finally able to cut up a few to participate in the daily giveaway at the vintage sheet blog. And what a great reason to cut them up. Just to make something cute and then give it away. Just sharin' the vintage love!

I made the Disappearing Nine Patch doll quilt. It turned out bigger than my usual doll quilt. 17" x 17" actually. So it can really be used for not only the best behaved dolly, but also for the best baby. You decide.

Go visit the Vintage Sheet blog now and follow the rules. And visit daily for more fun sheet giveaways.

getty owl giveaway

Baby Getty has the prettiest and biggest blue eyes. She is celebrating her first birthday with a ton of crepe paper decorations . And she has SMA1. An inherited desease that causes progressive muscle degneration and weakness in newborns.

Today also happens to be Getty's birthday! And she would like you to help her celebrate with a few extra (10) presents. Who doesn't love a party? Especially a girl's 1st big party!


Some very cool friends like Stacey have arranged for some very cool giveaways to be planned through out the day. Getty loves spreading the love. And some of those gifts I hear might be owl related.

So HOOT, HOOT!! Party with Getty. There are a few surprises in store. Ten!

thrifty adventures

Last week my thrifty adventure was a complete bust. With my computer not working and all. And with last Thursday being St. Patrick's Day I wanted to share something green with you. Well it was not meant to be. Until now.



So I searched my house for something thifted and green and this is what I found. My trusty trash can that I keep in my sewing room. It catches all of my thread and bits of fabric that is too tiny for scraps. I love to see it fill up, because it means I have been hard at work!


It is such an awful green color and so groovy with the flowers on the front. I just love it and could not walk away from it. Even though the price said $12. I'm sure I didn't pay that much for it. Because I did buy it at a place that I frequent so much, the owner knows my name and asks about my kids and sister-in-law when I am in there. Which really isn't a thrift shop. But a great junk shop that I tell no one else of, because I love it so! And if I do happen to share it with you, then that means I love you too.

So what do you have to share with Stacey and I today? You can link it here, and use our cute thrifty adventures button on your blog or sidebar, when you do. Thanks for sharing!

tiny 9 patch

Have you been following the daily giveaway's over on The Vintage Sheet Blog? Each day, a giveaway! It is very cool and I have found so many great blog friends there too.

And of course I am participating! I will be making a special doll quilt using just vintage sheets. I have such a great stash and I love each piece in there.

But before I cut anything up, I wanted to do a practice quilt and a book review too. After I saw the Dainty Doll Quilt in Sew Darn Cute, I just had to give it a try. See how it's made with vintage sheets too, love it!

So I pulled out these little squares of Japanese fabrics and gave this little quilt a try. And I loved it just so much! The instructions are so simple and easy to follow that I am now on quilt #3 of the Disappearing Nine Patch.

I am so loving the quilting. I am still so surprised that I do. And if you like the tiny quilt, perfect for your fav doll, then just visit my shop. You can see the fabulous and finished version there.

Ok... twist my arm. You can see it now!

Linking up with:

The Trendy Tree House

Free Pretty Things for You

Quilt Story

Tea Rose Home

90th birthday

Last weekend we were heading to the mountains. Then we heard of all the snow that was coming. Our plans then changed and I was so glad that we didn't have to take that 4 hour drive! It was like a huge weight being lifted. I was so happy! My kids, not so much. They of course would have loved it.

My father-in-law, Eldridge Trott, had just turned 90 years old. We were to celebrate his birthday with a huge family and friends party. But, as I said, our plans changed. And thankfully the party turned out to be held locally and we were all together as originally planned.

The invitation was my responsibility and contribution to the party. So of course I turned to etsy to find the perfect invite. Where I found a wonderful vintage travel poster inspired card from Orange81. Eldridge is known for writing, backpacking, and his faithful companion, Sweetie. This invite was just the one for him, shown with a dog and his master in the mountains. It was perfect and I loved having found it on etsy.

The invitations also said "no gifts please". But I couldn't resist making him a pillowcase when I found this fabric at The Tin Thimble. My f-i-l is from Texas and has currently finished writing his western novel. It was perfect. I even did some hand stitching around the pillowcase cuff, with brown thread to give it a more western feel. He did love his birthday gift and promised to sleep with it that same night.

i'm back

So happy that I married someone with a ton of experience in IT (and he loves to cook!) It did take about three days to get my computer all cleaned up and back to work. Which was so hard for me. What am I supposed to do without my computer? I'm sure you understand.

Of course I got some sewing done! So happy with that. Got some things crossed off my list. Would you like to see?

Here is my almost completed quilt top for the SMQG fabric challenge, I told you about. I just love the array of colors in this Amy Butler fabric. It's hard to believe all of the different colors that are in this print, until they are separated out by these little fabric squares from Robert Kauffman.

I think I will just bind this up with one of my favorite solids, no sashing. And then back it in the same Amy Butler print. I will show it to you again, all finished.

And remember, I still have this bit to do something with. I separated out my stack to use with these 2 different fabrics. Now I am having so much fun fooling around with them, that I want a whole new pack of those charm solids.

Have you ever used one of these solid pack of fabric charms?

thrifty adventures

This is where I should be showing you my thrifty find from the week. But my computer is having some problems and is not being my friend. Hopefully it will all be worked out by tomorrow.



So in the mean time, visit Stacey at Pill's Place and you can see her thrifty treasure. You can still leave your link here too!

new fabric challenge

This last Saturday I went to my monthly SMQG meeting. And there were a few more new faces. Which I love that our group is growing. And a new monthly challenge was made!





The wonderful people of Robert Kauffman have invited all of the Modern Quilt Guild's to sew up something quilt related with one of their Kona charm packs. And the pack is all in solids.

So each person in our guild has been given one stack of these sweet rainbow of colors. Aren't they just gorgeous! I got to working on this challenge that very day, looking online for some fresh inspiration. I can't believe that I started sewing the next day after that. Could not help myself!

So I wanted to give you a peek at what I have come up with so far. Both of these prints are from Amy Butler. She has such a big range of color in both of these prints, I thought they would be fun to use!

To see what others are making, visit the Robert Kauffman blog. They have a ton of other links to visit. And you are always welcome to pop into the monthly meeting of the Sacramento Modern Quilt Guild too. And meet a nice group of inspirational ladies.

thrifty adventures

My thrifting days are often done on a whim. Just running errands and I have some extra time. Stop by the nearest thrift shop. Usually it's Goodwill. And this day I was out with my kids and it was the same thing. My eldest needed xray's on his teeth (for braces) and we had some extra time coming home before dinner.

My kids get a $1. spending limit. And this time I held firm. Especially since I had all 3 of them with me. But, they do also get to pick out a book. So it is a firm $2.50. Me, no spending limit. See it, love it, buy it. Because it will not come my way ever again.

And that is how I brought home this perfect vintage hobnail milk glass lamp for $6. I wasn't even sure if it worked. I didn't ask to check it. But the more I looked at it the more perfect it was. It stayed in a bag at home for a week. And when I did pull it out, it was because I had found this perfect lampshade in one of my closets. I told my girl it was going in her bedroom. But I am just too in love with it for now. It will have to stay in my sewing room for a bit longer.

Did you find anything wonderful this week? Then link it up here, because I would love to see it! And visit my friend Stacey to see what she fell in love with this week at her local thrift.

sherbet pips

A few days ago I received this delightful and fun fabric in the mail. And yesterday I started to cut it up! Which is so hard for me to do. When I get a new fabric that I love I just want to stare at it and never part with any little bit of it. But, cut it I did!



It's called Sherbet Pips from the fabulous designer Aneela Hoey of Moda. You can visit her blog and read all about her inspiration, and she has a flickr site too!

little baby gift

Here is a little custom order I finished last month. Made for a new baby girl. Two onesies and one pair of booties that can be worn two ways. Sweets for a tiny sweetie.

bit more purple

I think I have told you before that I am not a lover of purple. Even though I did just buy that purple couch! But this fabric was just gorgeous and I could not resist it's vibrancy.

So I made this sweet purple library bag. I spent the day writing a pattern for it too. So much tougher than I thought it would be. It is fun and easy to sew, but hard for me to put it in words. I had to sew, and write and got a little frustrated. And walk away for a bit. But I did it!

It's also a reversible bag. And using two complimentary prints on the inside make it fun. It's big enough for you, or your girl, whenever you're ready for a sleepover, not just for a trip to the library.

If you would like to learn to sew this bag just visit The Tin Thimble and look up their class list for April. Or you can keep an eye on my etsy page and I will soon be sewing up a few more!

And be sure to visit the Vintage Sheet Blog. Where there is a daily giveaway and it is lots of fun!