April Weird and Wacky

Each month I like to highlight weird and wacky items in the world of thrift and beyond. These stunners were offered for sale at Freestyle Clothing Exchange in Sacramento, California. 

Stuffed animal mounts

Just call me three feather. 

These cookies are more Wonderful than weird or wacky. The Limited Edition Dirt Cake Oreo Cookies. They even sparkle!

Not a sponsored Ad - just an Addiction! 

1993 Pattern of the Day from my newly listeds. These are the most folksy toys I have seen. The look on that lamb's face!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/186418464333

Ending the post with a pre-Mother's Day thrift shop find - a $1.99 Cross pen, still with its ink. I have had them over the years, usually losing them someplace. This one is MINE!

Greenhouse Gardening and the Slow Movers in Sewing Patterns

This year's tomato and pepper starts from a dear friend. 

Greenhouse gardening - Not for the faint hearted. Inclement weather has blown away half of the panels, all of the roof, and the entire front doorway. Last year, I brought home a tray full of plant starts, put them in the greenhouse, and some critter got in and ATE the ENTIRE contents. Prior to preparing the beds for planting, one of my cats had decided it was her personal litter box. These next images will make sense, garden beds protected by chicken wire.  

Tomatoes

Before

After

Peppers +1 Kale

I have learned not to plant tomatoes in the middle or end beds - it becomes a jungle and you can't get to the fruit. 

Seller update - slow movers in sewing patterns. 

Now that I have sold sewing patterns for a number of years now, I have a sense of what is and isn't popular. Patterns I won't pick up even if they are factory folded:

1.    The brands New Look and See & Sew.
2.    Doll clothing.
3.    Infant baby accessories. 
4,    Curtains and valances. 

I will list them if they come from a lot, but I won't pick those up as singles. 

Pattern of the Day is Pelicans! It fell into the Keeper category. 

Will I ever use this pattern? Probably never but like any good crafter, I have it on hand, just in case. 

Day Devoted to Listing

My usual practice listing eBay items is to photograph one day, edit photos on another day, and then prepare the listings on yet another day.  I tried to do it all in one day, but I took not one but two naps. 😴 So I listed the next day, still not a slouch. 

Sourcing for product is ultimately more fun than listing. While I catch up on a couple of categories, I lurk on the online auctions. My latest purchase this $40 mystery box (shipping cost included). It was described as "Box of various assorted size and themed fabric patterns." I can name that tune in 2 notes! It will only take a sale of two items to make my money back on this purchase. There might be a Holy Grail of a Folkwear sewing pattern and perhaps some folded pieced fabric. These are the items I look for - mystery boxes at low prices. Auctions that seemed to be ignored by other purchasers. 

The morning meant I finished listing the boring sewing patterns. None were exceptional and are the bread and butter of my business.  

Sometimes I keep a kit. This fish one came across priced at $5.99. Hard to get a good image, it is still sealed in package. I particularly like the needlework roping framing the fish.

Yarn has been in my deathpile queue for a few weeks. Here is the best of it listed. 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/186410113423

I've had good luck in locating needle kits at thrift, this one is the best of that group. 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/186410333785

There will be another sewing pattern listing session before I move into Barbie clothes, books, and CDs awaiting in the wings. 

I am also culling for spring cleaning. Things need to be ship shape for summer so I can enjoy every minute of it. 🌞

Cowboy Quilt Completed

Cowboy quilt is completed. A wonderful wool batting quilt as an engagement gift for my daughter. 

Close up the quilting detail. The yardage bought retail was the bronco busters, and the painted ponies backing. 

Fan quilt is up next. All it needs is the borders and I can send it off to the longarmer. 

Wedding update: It is my goal to have 8 completed pet/car quilts for the bridal party as gifts. Here is an example of one used in the truck when the dog rides in the back seat. 

Seller update: I surpassed my first $200 week in sales. I am inching closer to $1,000 a month in profit. For every 1,000 items listed my sales jump up. 

It is always a gamble when you purchase mystery boxes from online auctions. This box that I shared as a hot mess turned out to be a winner, winner, chicken dinner! There were 3 completed quilt tops 2 king sized, 1 throw sized, 19 sewing patterns, and a fabric panel. I will keep at least one quilt top to use as a backing. 

Ending the post with a Beyonce song bringing back country western, sort of. In the 80s, I was boot scooting on sawdust in bars in Phoenix, Arizona.  

Buttons and the Backup Wedding Dress

My next category to enter for sale will be Buttons. When I buy sewing items in lots, I find buttons still on their original cards. While I like to keep the loose buttons for projects and repairs, I usually don't sew garments. Pictured below is my loose button stash.  

The last of the 80 yard-sale sewing patterns went on the boards. This was the only pattern of note - a Russian hat. Reminds me of the movie Doctor Zhivago. 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/186392450021

Segueing to talk of my daughter's wedding. A location has been chosen, and a date in September 2025 is set. She wants to buy a new dress, I told her I would buy a "backup" wedding dress at thrift. This one came through hospice thrift priced at $12.99. Too beautiful to pass up, it has a few minor stains. I will try to work out how to fix that. She probably won't want the dress. I will keep it until after her wedding and sell it. 

Moving along much better in my eBay listing. I culled the majority of the rag dolls for sale. The primitives sell well, the others not so much. 

I don't know why I have so much trouble listing random items. Father's Day is fast approaching and these need a new home. I have had these 1980s Ducks Unlimited mugs for at least 2 years. Thrift shop price was around $5 a piece, priced at $120 for the pair. 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/186392614361

Next listing session is Yarn. Just sold 9 skeins of Caron Christmas yarn for $35! Those were from a church rummage sale lot of yarn, average cost of purchase 10¢ per skein. 

Cowboy Quilt Galloped Back Home

My daughter's cowboy quilt has arrived back from the longarmer. Her choice of quilting pattern in a dark brown thread was a good choice. I am in the binding process now and will follow up with some glamour shots in the wild. 

The fan quilt is queued up next to add border fabric recently purchased from Joanns. 

On to seller update: 

I have been lurking at a certain online auction site. Estate sales haven't started up yet with our wet weather. Here are the images of recently purchased boxes. Those two Santa kits will pay for the needlekit box. Christmas kits always sell.

Another box purchased, the image below is a hot mess. I know there are a few patterns. I am gambling on the rest. It looks like there is some pieced patchwork and perhaps a fabric panel. 

I have been keeping up with listings. My next goal for total active eBay listings 3,000👈

I have nearly plowed through my 80 yard sale patterns. This one came up a keeper because it was cute and it was cut. It is in my project box with an orphan block and matching fabric. I will have the Bernette sewing machine with me at the summer locale to practice this sewing machine cover pattern.

I thought I had an orphan block with a sewing machine, and then remembered it was in a quilt that has never seen the light of day - Quilter in Quarantine. Constructed, completed, and even entered into the State Fair competition, then the event was canceled. 

Patchwork Cupcake is in for competition at the California State Fair. I won't know if it will go in for judging until the end of May. 

My View Into Retirement

The Mr. is setting up Fish Camp. Here are the views from the back of the trailer. The first image is the river as you head out toward the harbor. 

This view is down river. A wrap-around deck is being constructed.

This is not a permanent move, just digs for the summer. I plan on spending mucho hours on the deck leisurely reading books I have gathered over the years. 

Just thrifted in this group of New Look patterns. I place them as 1990s kids fashion. 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/186378308526

https://www.ebay.com/itm/186378311646

https://www.ebay.com/itm/186378318189

https://www.ebay.com/itm/186378322565

https://www.ebay.com/itm/186378325551

https://www.ebay.com/itm/186378327602

While I usually don't pick up the New Look patterns, they don't sell for much. I thought these were awfully cute. 

On a different subject, we've hit a cold snap in Northern California. While I posted that I had planted seeds in the greenhouse, I haven't done that yet. Good thing. Might have to wait a month. 

Boinging Back to College and the Blessing of the Beads

As I have noted earlier, I returned to college for an 8 week course of Women in Art this spring semester. My 70 year old brother's reaction when I told him I went back to college, "AGAIN?" and "You need to turn off those after burners." 😆

I have BOINGED back to college at least 5 times. My first attempt was at Highline Community College in Washington. Then I moved to Arizona and went to Phoenix College. [Insert 20-year hiatus here] I have attended classes at Sacramento City College off and on for the past 10 years or so. 

I only take one class a semester, the majority have been online. I am not in any hurry. Full term fall semester will be August 24 - December 19, and classes are posted. Drawing and Composition 1 is an all day Friday class or mornings Tues./Thurs. After I get my Art History degree, maybe I will become an Art Major. 😀 I must skew the college demographics something awful. 

Segueing to gardening. This is my front garden in full bloom. 

I have planted seeds in the greenhouse. Some seeds have volunteered from last year's plants. The greenhouse was nearly destroyed from the ungodly winds we had experienced. We are going to wrap the structure in hog wire, rather than replace missing plastic panels. 

Ending the post with my thrift shop find of all kinds of beautiful beads. $12.99 for the bag and I had a $10 off credit. I didn't know the delights I had in the bag until I got home. There was much ooooing and aaahhing. Plenty of beads to embellish or even repair beaded items. 

In my childhood, I made flower rings made from seed beads. I appreciate this thrift gift from mystery bead crafter. 

Thrift shop gods certainly smiled on me. I am still basking in the happy finish of a competition quilt that included these types of beads. Looks like there is more beadwork in my future.🔮

Prepping the Trailer

Here we are into April. This is the month Fish Camp begins setup. We are prepping the trailer for its permanent home on the coast. The lead-off image highlights the back window covered in space fabric. It is pinned to the top of the valance and the bottom of the blind. 

An upside to stashing a lot of fabric is when you need some yardage it is right there. The sleeping part of the trailer faces towards the road. Even though the windows have blinds, light still came in. I pinned the gypsy-hanging-curtain to the valance above the door. 

Another section of fabric covered the side window. All I need now are rows of hanging beads and some incense to move into the old Hippy category. 😜

Since we have spent summers vacationing along the Mendocino County coast, we enjoy the sites and events in that area. Two places I will frequent are the Mendocino Coast Botanical Garden -gardenbythesea.org/ and the Redwood Coast Senior Center.

Ending the post with a Pattern of the Day Vintage 1948 Baby Booties. These booties were made for walkin!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/186370599760