By Julie Finn •
October 14, 2009
I thrift a lot, and I sew a lot. When I sew, I try to use primarily thrifted or recycled or otherwise unwanted materials, and when I thrift, a large part of what I’m searching for is material to sew with–T-shirts, button-down shirts, pants, sweaters, pillowcases, curtains, sheets, etc. If I find any of these items in good shape and at a good price, and if they sport an especially appealing pattern or image, then I add them to my fabric stash for later crafting.
One of the trickier components of sewing using these thrifted items, however, is knowing how much fabric there actually is there, and therefore what you can sew with it. I know from experience that I can sew one skirt and and one pair of matching leggings for my three-year-old from one adult-sized stretchy cotton or acrylic sweater, but is the queen-sized sheet that I picked up at a yard sale last summer enough to make matching pajama pants for me, my husband, and both our girls?
Questions like that are much easier to answer when you know the standard yardages for standard-sized sheets.
By Delia Montgomery •
September 7, 2009
Designer Tina Bossy’s company goals are to provide comfy and stylish cozy outfits for babies, and to help promote green living. She utilizes the softest organic cottons, huggable hemps, and a new collection of recyclable and vintage fabrics which are transformed into exclusive items.
The newborn collection is designed for babies with sensitive skin. The organic cottons come in subtle pastels and natural cream colors. Baby nursery rhymes come to life with her signature embroidery. You can choose the rhyme that suits your little one best.
By Lucille Chi •
July 25, 2009
Silver Moon is a wonderful Chicago-based vintage store with an online presence. Silver Moon features gorgeous perfectly in tact vintage bridal. By investing in a vintage garment, you are helping to extend the life of a fine hand-tailored luxury item that may end up in a museum costume collection one day (if it is cared for).
I inherited my grandmother’s house many years ago. I still have not went through everything that came with the house. Boxes remain that have not been sorted and organized. My grandmother was a pack rat but the awesome thing is that she left behind memories of her life like pieces to a puzzle for me to put together.
I have found newspapers and photographs from the 1800s, old magazines, some cool handbags and hats and tons of letters, cards, and little mementos of a long life.
If you have not gotten your hands on one of the Junk Beautiful books you are totally missing out.
Sue Whitney is the ultimate when it comes to taking a piece of whatever and re-purposing it into awesome decor. Examples: an old grate becomes the centerpiece of a magnificent winter wreath, washboards and a printer’s drawer become a stylish outdoor patio table, a tire and drum become a side table, a vintage wooden milk crate becomes a garden cart, dominoes become a soap dish, an old urinal becomes a planter…and that’s just ideas from the Junk Beautiful Outdoor Edition
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By Julie Finn •
June 25, 2009
A good thrift store is an asset to a community equal to that of a mom-and-pop hardware store, a locally-famous ice cream/snowcone/frenchie stand, and a rockin’ adult co-rec softball team: in other words, it’s crucial.
In my hometown, we’re lucky not only to have all of the above and a library that stocks just released feature film DVDs, but several excellent thrift stores—thrift stores small and quirky, thrift stores large and conglomerate, thrift stores frequented largely by the college students, thrift stores frequented mostly by the townies. As an avid crafter whose Crafting Manifesto dictates that I work primarily with recycled materials, I have throughout several years’ worth of projects figured out a way to use pretty much any kind of thrift store junk to make awesome stuff. Here are some of the possibilities:
I love vintage glass. I have a few hoarded bottles and unique finds that are currently stashed away so my kids don’t break them. Eventually I will have all my antiques displayed around my home and not stuffed in boxes…after the kids have grown up.
If I displayed everything now it would just get broken. But broken glass pieces don’t always get wasted. There are many artists who have found creative ways to turn broken glass into works of art. Some make mosaics, others make new bottles, glasses or tumblers, and some, like Laura Bergman of Bottled Up Designs , make pretty pieces of jewelry.
By Julie Finn •
June 8, 2009
Sometimes you gotta shop online. Maybe you live somewhere a little bit country, like I do, or maybe you have two little kids who would rip apart a bead store in the time it took you to pick out a single package of 3mm crimp beads, like I do, or maybe you have a favorite independent craft shop that you discovered on a vacation a couple of years ago and every now and then you have to have a fix, like I do.
Whatever your reasons, there’s no reason to necessarily shop at a big-box store’s web site; not only are there tons of sites for Fabulous Fabrics and Yearn-Worthy Yarns, there are loads of awesome craft stores, some selling supplies and some selling handmade goods, who would looooove to have your business:
One simple way to make your customers feel special when they open their purchase is to tie it up or tape it up in style. In the first part of this series I showed you a variety of handmade eco packaging envelopes, but your special product packaging doesn’t have to end there. Seal up your envelopes or tie up your package with my top recommendations for decorative tapes and ribbons.
By Becky Striepe •
April 28, 2009
It’s no secret that I love sewing with vintage fabric. Linens and remnants from back in the day just feel like they have a story attached to them. Not only are you giving something old a brand new life, you get to add to its history.
Sometimes it’s a bit tricky to track down a good variety of vintage fabric, but Megan over at Moxie makes it a bit easier with her fantastical selection of vintage fabrics!
