Captive Audience and the OBW

I subscribe to more than one thrifting/reselling board. While some made the decision to stop selling online during the pandemic, others are listing and selling to a captive audience. I fall in the latter category. I think it is perfect time to provide buyers what they might be seeking. 

Segueing to blog stats. I love to view them. There are times I trend in Russia. Recently, my daily page views went from my average of 150 to 1,400! Say what? If someone has given me a shoutout or linked me somewhere to another audience, xxoooo to yoooo. Please comment or email me, tvonzalez@gmail.com. 

Quilting update: The OBW has been sent to its graduate recipient. My favorite part of this quilt is the simple black/white flower binding and the vintage Siamese cat remnant.  

Waaay too bright for my taste, I think it is perfect for an older teen.
Link to the flimsy and post when I bought the remnant thrift-gods-dropped-obw.

Next up is french binding Gypsy Wife meets Jelly Roll and the continuing quilting of the state fair one. With the latter quilt, I had enough material from the backing to whip up a binding. I have to let my hands rest for a few days between these sewing sessions. 

How does your garden grow?

My experience with gardening each year is it is an experiment. Some plants thrive and others not so much. 

Seed starting last year went well but I had an overabundance of tomato pears. Found out I didn't like them making that even worse. I also planted a stir fry mix from seeds, didn't like them either. They, of course, took off like gangbusters and took up a whole bed in the greenhouse. 

Ferry-Morse seeds I bought this year - Sweet Pepper Rainbow Blend Mix and Tomato Culinary Blend. I am also altering my technique. Last year, I put the seeds under a grow light and they did ok. This year, they are not under a light. After they sprout, I will transfer them to a small container and place them in the window sill. 

I put rhubarb and a blueberry plant each in large movable planters. I killed last year's rhubarb because the sun was too intense where it was planted. A few years ago, lost a blueberry plant to the deer. This plant is in the container within the somewhat fenced patio area. 

Moving on to retail therapy. I admit I have engaged in it. The thread I had intended for the state fair quilt turned out to be too old so I tossed it. I bought 5 spools of turquoise Coats thread for my project. Also bought discounted cotton fabric, one a flamingo print for a fun summer quilt I want to send to the longarmer for her flamingo pattern. A quilt for me, shooting for June completion. I used to make itty bitty lap quilts that are frustratingly small. All my projects now are bed-sized ranging from twin to king. 

Reseller's update: Needlepoint kits continue to sell. No surprise to me there. Some pretty log cabin print yardage did not sell. I pulled the listing. I will eventually use that fabric in a backing. 

I have Round 3 of 25+ listings to begin processing. The one change I am making, sometimes my hand is visible in the image (i.e., showing the side of a book), so from now on I will be wearing my cotton gloves. I just think it will make a better impression.  

Thrifting on National Thrift Day

This past weekend, I found the usual suspects for me, a Hawaiian print dress, some Christmas CDs for my annual Countdown to Christmas. There was also a book on specialty seed beading (a craft I did in the 70s). 

I have splurged on 925 silver jewelry recently with this week's purchase of a turquoise necklace ($24) and last month another silver necklace with multi-stone inlay ($30). 

Picked up this "growhouse" for $5. It was an easy put-together, just missing one small connecting pole and the cover. I'll see if the Mr. can fashion something for the pole, so I can complete the kit. It is perfect for starting seeds. 

Nearly finished the OBW grad quilt! Top is done, I just have to add bright batik added to cat-themed backing. Am kicking around the idea of doing another 9 patch similar to the one I just did for me for my daughter's Spice it Up fabric collection. 

The Mr. expressed his preference for quilts queen-sized and larger. Making the smaller quilts was good practice but I have to agree with him, larger quilts seem to be more useful. 

Reselling update: Quilt kits and fabric continue to be the best sellers. Mailing out the lighthouse batik kit this week. 

Novelty Fabric Quilt

The best image of the top included my feet, with the back patio being the only shaded area. 

Sometimes you've got to take more than one run at a project. My first attempt included decidedly orange fabric. Marrying remnants  is hard enough, I had to break out the seam ripper.  

I also cut the fabric down to match the 8" blocks I had on hand. My favorites of the remnants included in this quilt are the Fifties-themed dancers, the blue/green atomic and the martini glasses. 

I am delighted to have found a longarmer whose services I can afford. This one I sent to her. I held out for quite awhile trying to quilt all of my own creations. That only frustrated me because I couldn't do the fancy designs I really wanted. It has freed me to concentrate on piecing.  I am trying to use my current stash. The only fabric I purchased retail for this one was the surfboard flannel in the backing.

I also made great progress on the OBW for the H.S. graduate. The VW Beetle novelty print was my go-to fabric to add length and width to the partially-completed quilt top (a steal at $1.50 thrift). I then had to hoof it down to another thrift shop where I had spotted a cat-themed fabric print for the backing. I didn't buy it when I first saw it because it is not my style but perfect for this cat-loving relative. I'm adding the denim print fabric as borders. 


If you are going to buy fabric, hide it adequately (see this post).

Hope you are having an enjoyable August. We are suffering through another spate of 100 degree weather. 

Linking up with Kelly at www.myquiltinfatuation.com for Needle and Thread Thursday and Wendy at wendysquiltsandmore.blogspot.com for the ~

Thrift Gods dropped an OBW

For those not in the know, an OBW is a one block wonder piecing pattern. I had been grousing to myself that I hadn't been the recipient of any secondhand quilt tops. I liked the look of the OBWs but lacked the energy to create one myself. 

The next quilt top is partially completed. Again, another well executed piece of patchwork. 

My last treasure is a retro print piece of fabric (to the right) that blends well with another piece I have been saving. 

There is an upcoming H.S. graduate in the family so I have sent her gramma pictures of the two quilt tops to which one she would like. 

For the grand sum of $10, I had other goodies too, Realtree ladies camo gloves (my last pair from thrift I wore the fingers out), a hunting dog screen protector, and a retractable dog leash (I am always losing them).

Snowline Hospice Thrift posted this on FB.

There were dolls, but I left them for someone else to love. I haven't had any success reselling them. Before, I would have bought all three. The African American ragdolls I have collected are going up for sale on my next listings. The gypsy and quilter dolls were cute but I have to be brutal about my purchases. If I can't resell it or possibly make it into a quilt, then I have to pass it by. 

I might have staged them ...

The graduate has decided she wants the OBW as a queen-sized quilt so I will need to add some borders on that beaut. This too will go to a longarmer so I can keep pace with my other projects.