When I had doctor appointments last week, I stopped at the thrift store one of the days. I thought I would show you what I bought…and a few things I saw.
Check out this treadle sewing machine. The cabinet was so pretty. The machine looked good too. It’s a brand I haven’t heard of and don’t know anything about. Maybe one of you knows something you could share in the comments.
The cabinet was in mint condition. I think it was $150. I don’t know if it was simply kept that nicely or if someone refinished it. If it was a refinish job, they did a great job.
They also had a piece of furniture that was made with a treadle sewing machine base.
You can’t see the best in the first photo…there is glass that makes shelves. The white part is tape holding them in place. Once home, you’d take the tape off.
I think this was $50.
I have no more room in our home so…I left them both there. One of my favorite sayings is when Bonnie Hunter said that thrifting or antiquing can be done like fishing, catch and release. I got the picture, and I don’t need to buy it. HA! Thanks, Bonnie. It’s saved me from many purchases.
I did hit up the fabric section. Oftentimes when there are sewing machines, there is fabric, so once I saw the machine, I headed directly to the fabric.
I found some!! The yellow piece was 3 yards worth. That would work great for Iowa Hawkeye quilts. It’s a nice bright color that matches many of my Hawkeye fabrics. I regularly make Iowa Hawkeye quilts for benefits. The other big piece was four yards. That’s enough to back a small quilt. Yes, please. Each of those fabrics was $1 for the chunk.
The lighter neutral pieces at the bottom of the photo were not marked with a price. That means they are 50 cents each. There are about 2 yards total of fabric.
All of these pieces will sneak into a scrappy quilt one day. So for $3.50, I got 9 yards of fabric. That was a great deal.
My real find of the day was a perfectly fitted black dress. It’s a classic but so pretty and actually looks good on me. I was pretty happy about that one!! It was only $2. I picked up another dress, but I think I will need to take that one in. I might take it back to the thrift store instead. We’ll see.
I don’t hit the thrift store as often as I previously did. I’ve been trying to have less stuff…Staying away is about the only way I can curb that. It was a fun stop on this day!!
I’m a thrifter too and when I pick up yardage of sometimes up to 10 yards of fabric for a few bucks, I feel like I’ve won the lottery. It looks like you did great too. I always wonder though who bought this fabric and then gave it away, and why?
I always enjoy reading about your thrift shopping. You did great with the fabric and the black dress. Way to go! I really do believe the fabric you find is priced so much cheaper at your store than at ones around here. My sister volunteers at a thrift store and she still has a hard time passing up some good bargains. But if any family member needs anything, we tell her and invariably she finds at thrift store for us
how do you know if it is cotton or not, when you buy material in a thrift store?
It doesn’t really make any difference if the fabric is poly/cotton or just cotton. A quilt that has only cotton fabric in it will, if used and washed normally, show signs of wear along the seamlines within about two years. Polycotton fabric will last longer because of the polyester in it. The first time I bought a cotton blouse, I noticed that it showed wear and tear very quickly. It lasted only two years before I had to “retire” it.
I’ve done this so long, I can feel the difference. I also look at the selvage edge.
I love to go thrifting too! I usually go with one of my daughters. We all love it. I have one found fabric once or twice. I would love that. That sewing machine and table are beautiful but I wouldn’t have had any room either. Hugs,
Wow! The thrift stores in Lancaster County PA are charging $4/yard.
Seems high, but still far less than $12-13/yard in the good-quality quilting fabric stores.
where was this wonderful thrift store?
Decorah Iowa
Hi Jo,
I was curious about the treddle machine, so I googled it. The name on the machine appears to be The Royal. Looking that up found that the British machine was The Royal Sewing Machine Co. in Birmingham, Eng. in 1868.
Later around 1900 the machine was manufactured in the US as the New Royal by the Illinois Sewing Machine Co. They used oak cabinets with ornate decals. Your cabinet looks like one of those, but the machine is clearly labled The Royal. It would be so interesting to learn the history of this machine. Thrifting can be a good lesson in history as well as bargains. Happy shopping.
I recently used a couple sheets from the thrift store for the back. One of them was a higher cotton/low poly blend and was really happy with the result. It had such a nice soft finish and it gave a whole quilt a nice drape! I’m not into anything heirloom anyway. I’m following three rules after years of quilt police. 1. If it’s used to the point it falls apart. that’s a success. 2. It’s not going to the fair for judging anyway. 3. Done is better than not. All we have to do is be happy with it and who cares about what others say. Hats off to the purists among us, but you do you. Such fun to look for treasure and who couldn’t use a bargain!
I totally agree Cindy!!