No Can Pick ‘Em

When I was a kid, many of my clothes came from the Montgomery Wards catalog….not just any Montgomery Wards catalog but the “No Can Pick ‘Em” catalog.  No, “No Can Pick ‘Em” really wasn’t the name of the catalog…it was just what we called it.    It was a clearance catalog and was printed in black and white.  I would look and look through the catalog and quite often my mom would let me pick something out to order.  They only  problem was customers couldn’t pick a color…just a size.  The company would send whatever color was in their clearance stock.  The catalog would say it was available in pink, yellow or green, but the customer wouldn’t know what color they would get. 

If we ordered something, I would spend the next week dreaming and praying for pink or yellow…anything except green.  Then as often as not, we would go to the Montgomery Wards store to pick up the package and it would be green.  One time, I hit the jackpot and got some red knee high lace up tennis shoes…yes, I said knee high lace up tennis shoes.  I was in heaven.  I got the color I wanted.  I was the happiest second grader alive.  Anyway….our family called this catalog the “No Can Pick ‘Em” catalog because customers couldn’t pick the color.

Just the other day, I ordered a remanent bag from Homestead Hearth.  They gather all the fabric they have left over from kits and block of the month programs that is too small to cut into fat quarters.  The fabric is all the 44 inches in width.  They gather together 5 yards of fabric and bundle it up together in a package called a rememant bag.  No piece of fabric is narrower than four inches-none are bigger than 18 inches.  They were running a deal of the bags so I thought I would order two (which are on sale now for $16.86 if you purchase two).  I also got a pattern I have been wanting, Tribute to Judie.

I waited with anticipation…not knowing what would be in my remenant bag.  Would there be all green fabric in there?  Would they just throw the junkie fabric that they wanted to clearance out in there?  Would it all be in bright shades?  I was back to my “No Can Pick ‘Em” days fretting about what would be in my bag.  Maybe just maybe, I would get a snippet of fabric that I have always been wanting…..I decided, whatever I got, I would use in the Tribute to Judy quilts along with fabrics from my stash.

For a couple days I checked the mailbox in anticipation wondering if my delivery was there….wondering if green fabric would be in the package….Then Monday, on my birthday, the package came….and guess what?!  No green fabric!

The fabric is WONDERFUL!  There are even pieces for the new Civil War Tribute line.  I am SO excited!  Even better, they promised 5 yards of fabric in each bundle but sent 5.5 yards.  I can honestly say, this was an awesome “No Can Pick ‘Em” experience….the best one in my adult life….How can anything top those knee high red lace up tennis shoes!