Rayen

The thrifted fabrics I chose for my August tote were all in new condition: clean, odorless, as if they'd come straight from a fabric store. So why did I wash them first? Two words: dye shedding. Dye shedding is always a hazard with unwashed fabrics. Most quilters would also agree that red is the worst. I handwashed each fabric individually in cold water and a little detergent. The red linen shed plenty of dye. So did the chili novelty print. When a fabric is multiple colors along with the red like this one, it's best to add a color grabber sheet to the wash to soak up the dye, or areas like the white background of this print and lighter colors in the print will turn pinkish. The bug print shed red, blue and yellow dyes, turning the wash water a greenish orange. You should always wash any fabric you thrift if possible before you use it; that will remove any dirt or debris you don't notice along with storage or age odor. If the fabrics do stin...

Since I've turned making my August tote for my calendar project into a challenge I have a lot more enthusiasm for it now. I went through the bundle of thrifted fabric and pulled these three prints as possibilities for the inner and outer fabrics. I do love this coffee print, but it doesn't quite work with the other two, so I eliminated it right away. That left me with one yard each of the chili pepper print and the juvenile bug print. The chili pepper print worked better as the outer fabric when I paired it with the solid red linen from the bundle that I'm going to use as a band at the tote's top. So I have my fabrics for the tote. Stop by tomorrow and I'll show you why they got a bath first.

The Curse of Penryth Hall by Jess Armstrong is a debut mystery novel I spotted on a bargain books table at B. Dalton in Oviedo last month. Since I'm not a fan of first books I tend to pass these by and wait for the author to get some experience before I try them. First books are usually over-written or chock full of too many ideas, rest somewhere around the borderline of professional writing, and are often so terribly earnest that they're painful for me to read. Please understand, I am not a conceited snob -- my own first published novel was just as bad, and to this day I can't reread my own debut. Yet I love a good curse story, so on impulse I decided to give it a try (the discounted price definitely factored in, too.) I had no reason to regret the purchase, turns out, as the book is very well-written for a debut novel. The deft text, interesting protagonist and somewhat brooding/paganish/haunted storyline were excellent, and I remained completely absorbed to...

I'm still spinning my wheels as far as the design for my August tote goes, but while we were out thrifting I spotted this huge bundle of sewing fabric And thought "instant challenge." What if I have to use only fabric from the bundle to make my tote for the calendar project? That's also something I do a lot -- use fabric someone else provides to make something -- and it gave my enthusiasm a serious boost. The bundle turned out to be so large I'll have to show you all the fabric in two pics. Here's half, with a salsa/chili novelty print that is adorable, a coffee print I've used in the past and loved, a cute and vibrant bug print, and even some upholstery samples. Second pic. Most of the prints are at least a yard long. There's a lovely finished cross stitch piece, and the linens and lace butterfly are just as pretty. I don't often work with novelty prints so this is a good pile to use as a challenge for this month. I measured...

I had remarkable good luck thrifting clothes last weekend; I was looking for jeans and white or light t-shirts, and scored these three finds. The jeans still had the store tags on them; they've never been worn. Blue tags were also half off the day I went, so I got the jeans for $5.99. The white t-shirt was also half off at $2.99, and the blue sewing machine t-shirt was $4.19. I added a round-up donation, and paid $14.00 for everything. Here's my receipt.

While I was on vacation last month my guy and I visited the Dunlawton Sugar Mill Ruins and Botanical Gardens, a fascinating place that provided a glimpse of early 19th century Florida. The botanical gardens were amazing, too. To walk around the place with us, check out my album of pics here .