Rayen

I like to buy thrift store bundles like this one from Goodwill, as they often are cheaper than single items. You have to get a good idea of what's inside, which is sometimes difficult because you often can't open the bundles. This bag of seven yarn skeins caught my eye because of the big white one-pound skein. I use a lot of white yarn. Caron one-pound skeins retail for around twenty bucks new now. Also I like Red Heart yarns, and these super savers are $3 to $4 new. So this bundle would have cost me at least $38.00 if I paid retail. Some bundles I buy just because I'm intrigued by the contents, and they catch my eye at the perfect time (I'll do another post in the future about why with this particular bundle.) Although there were only three skeins of yarn, the bundle had so much more fun inside, from a dozen different crochet hooks and knitting needles to pretty craft edging scissors (the first pair I've ever owned!). The very long crochet ho...

I want to make another crocheted throw, but I'm undecided on which pattern to use. So pondering that while I pull the colors I want to use for it from my stash. Since I'm not ready to commit to a bigger project, I decided to use up two jumbo skeins of this Caron ombre yarn that I thrifted. This is a patternless project; it'll be a V-stitched wrap I can wear around my shoulders while I work on cold mornings. I do my own version of V-stitch in double instead of treble crochet because I can work that pretty mindlessly. I just made the foundation chain as wide as I wanted the piece, and I'll use up both skeins (and possibly a third in a cream color to match that in the ombre if it's not long enough) for the length.

I was taught old-fashioned manners, like always be polite, wait for your turn, don't depend on others to do your work, etc. I grew up in a time when being mannerly was expected. Wait for your turn is a no-brainer; if everyone is standing in line you don't cut in front of them, right? Even when there's food involved. That's just fairness at its essence. Last month I read an article about a lawyer who was arrested for assaulting a man with a plate while waiting in line at the food buffet. This turned into a fist and food fight (during a wedding, no less) because someone cut the line and everyone went nuts, or so the lawyer claims. I had the same situation happen to me during the holidays. My guy took me out for dinner, and I ordered the endless salad bar and soup. I then went to the salad bar, waiting for my turn behind six other people who were already there. After five minutes it was finally my turn, but then this woman got up from a table, stepped right in ...

This video helped me a lot last month. The visuals are a little annoying, but the lesson is a powerful one. I think it's something that can blow away the crap other people do to you, frankly, and bring you to a place of peace.

My fifteen year old wallet has finally fallen apart, so I decided to thrift a replacement. The one I liked came in a small lot of bags, so I decided to bid on it for the minimum, and won it with no challengers. Let's see if it was worth it. The purple bag at the top left is actually the wallet. It has all the compartments a girl could need, and is in mint condition. With the outer strap I can even carry it like a purse if I want. Vera Bradley wallets like this one retails new for $75.00 to $145.00. The black bag with the red stripe is nice, and in good condition. It just needs a bath. The blue and green tote was well loved by someone who used it for a long time. It's worn and soft, and will make a lovely project bag. It has what looks to be a coffee spill stain on one side, so I'll see if I can get that out. The black and white purse is in good used condition, and only has a bit of soiling. I'll be giving all four a good cleani...

Generally speaking an art quilt, especially one that has been embellished with hot fix pearls and crystals, should not be washed. Thread painting and applique work like the kind done on both can be delicate, too. That said, the pair I just thrifted needed a bath. I decided to roll the dice once more and see if I could clean them (anything of value should only be cleaned by a professional textile cleaning service with experience handling such things.) They were both a bit too big for my hand washing basin, so I soaked them in cold water and some mild detergent in the bathroom sink. I'm glad I didn't wash them together, as the green and violet runner shed a bit of dye in the water. The panel quilt's dust and storage residue came out in the water, turning it a light beige. I didn't soak either piece long; just about fifteen minutes. I then rinsed them out in cold water and hung them to dry. The green runner came out brighter with no damage or loss of ...

The second art quilt that came in the duo lot is actually a gorgeous applique runner. Like the first quilt the maker used thread painting and crystal embellishments to accentuate the quilt. You can clearly see the thread painting on the back. So, how much did I pay for these two lovely pieces of art? Believe it or not, $9.99 for both.

I had a feeling that two small quilts I saw go up for auction would be special, so I bid on them and won without any challengers. They arrived last month, so let's see if my hunch was correct. Yes and then some. This is an art quilt, quite well done by someone with considerable experience with thread painting and dimensional fabric manipulation. The panel is embellished not only with different colors of thread painting but also crystals and pearls. Since I love all things Asian I am absolutely delighted to own this beautiful art quilt. The dimensional flowers are simply awesome. But what about the other one? Stop by tomorrow to see that surprise.

I repaired the split seams on the survivor quilt, which turned out to be about 11, and wasn't difficult at all. It's a testament to the original maker's skill that it has held together so well all these years. I then shaved the fabrics with pilling to tidy them up. It's pretty common with polyester quilts to have a lot of that, but this one had pretty minimal amounts. Here's a patch before I shaved it. See all the little balls on the orange patch? Here's the after shot, shaved clean. I considered retying the quilt, but it's extremely heavy and hard to manage with the arthritis flare-up I'm currently dealing with in both hands. I'll also have to work on a floor to get it to lay flat, which my knees don't want to do this month. So for now my work on repairing this quilt is done, and I'll save the rest for a time when I'm in better shape to handle it.

2025 did not get off to a great start for us; I had to right away contend with some family drama in my own home, and then our brother-in-law fell gravely ill, was moved to hospice and passed away in Tampa. Other issues I'd rather avoid talking about did not contribute anything positive. Stress causes my arthritis to flare up, as does having to travel long distances, and my hands quickly bore the brunt of that. Since crochet is the one fiber art I can do even when my hands hurt, I looked for and found a free pattern online and decided to make a throw for myself. I have tons of thrifted yarn, of course, so I didn't buy any new for the project, but instead shopped my stash for the colors I wanted. I imagined a throw like sitting on beach sand and watching the tide come in. The pattern seems challenging but is actually pretty simple, and soon I was able to work on the throw without having to think about it. Every night I spent a couple of hours working on it,...

I decided to watch the very long Chinese Xianxia drama Fateful Love due to the male lead (Zhang Han, who I liked in Sunshine of My Life despite the way he looks and the fact that he was a bit too old for the part.) So glad I did, too, because this is quite a high fantasy romp with lots to like and a few characters to love, although at times it does get a bit complicated. The first episode adds some confusion at first. We're introduced to the female lead as a nameless soldier in the modern world, who seems to be in a Land of the Lost place as she finds an ancient dagger in a cave. Suddenly she's transported to a completely different world of the past, where she wakes up in the same body, but she's now Han Zijing, the abused illegitimate daughter of a minister. She then catches the eye of Prince Jun Beiye, a general looking for a wife. Despite Zijing's questionable status and a very fresh scandal she woke up entangled in (this is where it starts to get complic...

After being a morning coffee drinker since I was a teenager, I decided back in January to make the switch to drinking only tea. Why, you may ask? 1. Coffee is already expensive, and with the situation in the world (climate and political changes) that's only going to get worse. 2. Because of my lactose intolerance I have to use non-dairy creamer in coffee or I get a stomach ache in the morning. The one I prefer is also becoming more expensive and harder to find now. 3. While I like coffee, I prefer tea, in which I don't use any creamer. I also drink herbal tea at night, and it's more relaxing for me. 4. Tea is much cheaper than coffee, and I have it on hand anyway. This matters because I am still looking for ways to live more frugally, and by me giving up coffee we'll save almost thirty dollars a month, which is $360.00 a year. 5. According to this paper it's possible that green tea may help me avoid suffering from cognitive decline in the near fut...

After inspecting every inch of the survivor quilt, which turns out to be very well made, I found and pinned seven small splits in the patchwork seams. The repairs I need to do are quite minimal. Here's the backing. I found four large areas of faint oxidation or soiling stains on it; they're the very light brown circles in the four quadrants of the quilt's rectangle. Since they are in the same position and of the same approximate size, that makes me think it was left folded up in a garage or storage unit for a long time. They are barely noticeable and on the backing, so I don't mind them. There is one area with set-in stains that I couldn't get out with regular laundering; it's probably blood or some kind of oil or car-related fluid. After I repair the seams I'm going to treat the stain with some hydrogen proxide and see if I can lighten it a little. Note here: you shouldn't use bleach on older textiles; it's too harsh.

This is the wannabut quilt after laundering. Thanks to the polyester still being strong I was able to put it in the washer and give it a good soak in mild detergent and a little vinegar to remove a faint storage smell. After laying it out on the floor of the front room, I'm now pinning split seams in need of restitching. Quilting it would be a challenge for me because it's so big, and I'm trying to avoid giant projects like that would be. After that I will probably sew new ties through the top and backing to hold the quilt together. Because the quilt was never quilted, and only has a few old, disintegrating thread ties here and there it has some bunched places, but I think I can smooth out most of them. I'm renaming this quilt "Survivor" because it has weathered a lot of years and use, and still looks pretty good for its age.

This is a sock lot I thrifted for $7.99. There are 57 pair of socks (plus a nice pair of slippers that I forgot to put in for the pic) and they're all brand new, never worn. That's fourteen cents a pair, which is the best price I will ever pay. Because I walk several miles every day I wear out socks in a few months. Thrifting instead of paying retail just makes sense. I don't often buy vintage quilts in need of repair, but the $7.99 I bid on this old beauty and the very minimal damage made it a painless purchase. Yes, it's made of mostly polyester, and it will never win any awards. It's not about that. It made me happy to acquire a quilt like the one I spent many years repairing for Mom. I needed some new notebooks; thrifting got me this lot of eight for $7.99. That's cheaper than the dollar store, and I kept these eight from ending up in a landfill. Not everyone likes to thrift, and I get that. You don't know where it's been, and i...