Thrifting Karma!

Karma has been on my side this week.

First up, my very first attempt at sewing a shirt turned out as a shirt!  Not only was this my first shirt, it was my first attempt at sewing with a knit fabric.  The result:

I used this pattern, an old Simplicity from 1981.  I did the shirt length in the tunic style.  The fabric was on the clearance rack at Joann's, so this is a $6 shirt.  Which is just about what I like to pay for a shirt.  I wore the shirt the other day and it is really comfy.  Definitely a keeper.  Of course it looks like about half the shirts in my closet, but when I like something I have a tendency to stick with it.

So after my initial success working with a knit, I picked up a few more vintage "just for knits" patterns at a local antique mall a few days later.  These are from the 70's, but again, I bet they'll end up looking like most of my clothes.  My style doesn't really change.

Butterick #3089

Simplicity #6443, 1974

These patterns may be 40+ years old but they look great to me--simple and comfortable!

As luck would have it, two days after I found these patterns, I stopped in to my favorite thrift store and stumbled upon a GIANT, and I do mean GIANT bag of fabric.  Knit fabric.  Polyester.  Cotton.  Silk.  All kinds of fabric.  So much fabric that I could barely lift it into the cart.  I had to get a cart, because there was no way I could carry it.

I didn't bother to look through it at the store.  I also picked up a pink floral sheet set and what turned out to be an Ikea duvet cover in that pink & red print you see on the left.  When I got home, I had a whole bunch of fun sorting through all this:

knits and polyesters

fancy!  

several colors of corduroy

various wovens.

Needless to say, I've been busy washing my score.  I'd estimate I've got about 50 yards, possibly more.  The corduroys, cottons, and polyesters washed up beautifully and I've already used some for pillow cover backs.  I've never used corduroy before but didn't have any problems there.  That chambray you see in the pic above still had the slip from the cutting counter attached to it; the original purchase price was $1/yard (when in the heck was fabric ever ONE dollar a yard?).

It seems obvious to me that someone who loved to sew passed away and her family donated her stash.  I had to rescue this fabric.  I will put it to good use.  I now have enough fabric to last me the rest of my life; however, I'm sure it won't prevent me from buying more.