Monday, March 30, 2009

What $14 can buy

What helped me get out of my sewing dry spell was getting ready for the Unused Fabric Sale by Purses and Projects for Africa. I tidied my sewing space while figuring out what stash items I wasn't like to use and could donate. Last Thursday helped sort donations with other volunteers and then Saturday attended the sale. The prices were amazing and in spite of that, more than $13,000 was raised. In addition to one large room full of fabric and yarn, other smaller rooms held notions, crafts, etc. I paid $14 for all that's at the left. I spent the most time in notions and found good lace, ribbons, zippers, good thread, a sturdy tracing wheel, seam gauge (made by Bernina -- not flimsy like the one I have) and the Dritz Ezy Hem. The woman looking after notions was going to only charge me $1 for all the notions and I said, 'You need to charge me more," holding up the Ezy Hem, "this is expensive new." This one is an older version without metric but still great. I found several yards of lining fabric on the $1 fabric table which I 'burn-tested when I got home. The tan, purple and ivory turned out to be polyester but the blue was acrylic. Now that one was scary. Acrylic burns very quickly, I learned Don't think I'll be making anything with that!
My earlier tidying reduced the stash so I could buy some new additions but at least -- I donated a larger pile than I came home with (although can't gloat too much since a small box arrived in the mail last week from Fabric Mart with more stash additions!)

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