$20.00 Worth

The planets lined up today.
You know the kind of day when it just works.
Morning started with a superiorly good long walk with the doggies.
No deadlines or appointments.
Freelancing Homemakerhood.
Is today the day that I wash the bedroom curtains and wash aforementioned windows? Good strong breezes will dry/iron them in no time.
Yep today it is.
Neighbor Nancy calls and gives me the heads up on her church sale and she has an inside scoop on the mother lode of polyester knits. She looks out for me that way. Wouldn't be caught dead with any of the 'junk' that I collect, but she's glad that someone does it for the common good.
Noted and on the non list for the day.
Do you make deals with yourself? Kind of an Adult Reward System? I tell myself if I get this or that bummy task (i.e. clean bathroom, take down curtains, start laundry, you get the drift..) I get reward as a Good Girl. And today's Gold Star: GARAGE SALES!! Of course. What else gets me little heart thumping in spring other than the abundant flora? Ah, yes! Those little handwritten, scribbled, misspelled lovely Beckoners of Bargains, the garage, yard, tag sales of spring!
And here is what my allotted 20 bucks acquired for me today: Lots and lots of Vivien clothes!! Little smocked dresses, skirts, jeans, tops, all kinds of cuteness for the Queen of Cute, my little redheaded sweetie pie. Do you know I actually smile when I pick out things for her? I just have to picture that most wonderful grand baby and I just smile away....

And new porch figurines! Developing quite an extensive (big surprise) collection of these kind of beauties. It appears that each Porch Season, a new one joins the group. These little lovey duckies just drew me. 50 cent.

Two very nice quilted place mats for summery fare. Could be that it could become a zippered make up bag like one I saw this week in one of my many blog travels, but sadly I can't find it now to link you....I'll keep trying.

If you peek behind these violety sweeties, I think you'll see glimpses of an amazing green LL Bean cotton sweater. The kind I covet in the real catalog but cannot justify the price. 3 dollars I can accept. Sold. A buttery yellow zip up Christopher and Banks hoodie as well. I know, right?!

Also trying to get in on the photo op to the right, is one of two lovely printed in Thailand scarf edged skirts. Heaven knows that they would never work for me, but someone will enjoy them. As a skirt or a lovely bag. LOVED The fabric and at 50 cents, why not?

Then, of course, the Neighbor Nancy Tip Off Deal of the Day: A huge shopping bag filled with polyester knits! Yes, the very kind that I uncrated, priced, draped and hated in the 70's when I was a Fabricland Employee, has come on board to the mama's collection fabric collection. I get the hint whilst touring other blogs that it's return is imminent and always being on the cutting edge (right.) I thought I should be prepared. Pictured above is the yardage/sale tag still on it after ALL these years. Who can even remember Kresge/Jupiter stores yardage department? Few who read me will have ever heard of Kresge/Jupiter stores. Please let me know that I'm not the only one! I can still remember reciting from constant requests of 'Now, just how much do I need of 60" material to make a pair of elastic polyester knit slacks?' I would inwardly roll my arrogant, snooty, young eyes, smile nicely, and remember to never wear the ugly things when I became these poor old people's age (I am probably older than most of them were then). And here I am; purchasing a huge bag load of the very ugly stuff destined to become something great. I'm sure.

Thanks Neighbor Nancy. It sure looked pretty on the line today. Like the orange?

Golden days. Two Long Walks. Good Gets at Garage Sales. Hours in the Garden. Clean Bedroom Curtains and Clean Bedroom Windows. Baseball Games after Grillin our Grass Fed Hamburger.

Still smiling......

Ponderings of the Thread Kind...

In February of 1972, I began a job at a brand new fabric store, called Fabricland in Springfield Illinois.
I was 'in charge' of ordering some of the notions, thread and tapes etc.
I clearly remember the color numbers and that the small Coats and Clark's thread cost 30 cents and the large spool, 60 cents.
Today I used some of Auction Pauline Hill's thread that had a very faded sticker from Kmart stating, 5 for 1.00.
The thread had never been used and seem to run through my machine just fine. Didn't seem to be weak in the piece that I was working on.
So here is how my mind works:
As I unwound the thread from it's little slit on top that keeps it together, I began to think about Pauline and when she purchased this thread from long ago.
Was she wearing a lightweight cotton house dress that she had made the summer before? And why was she in Kmart? Surely this was before the Blue Light Specials. Did the Kmart of long ago, host sewing/craft sales? Was Aunt Lydia's Rug Yarn on sale for 45 cents a skein that week?
Was she wearing her long braided hair wrapped in a bun or was she on the way to her weekly beauty salon appointment?
Did she wear nylons on that hot day? If so, did she use elastic garters that she could roll down to her ankles in the privacy of her sewing room?
And why did she need the thread? Another house dress? Repairing a skirt for her sister who is hard to fit?
Was her casserole in the oven or was she leaving it up to Earl that night? Was he going to use their homemade brick Bar-B-Cue that he and his brothers made the summer before. Did she have her potato salad made already? Was it stored in her Pyrex refrigerator bowl?
When she walked up to the cashier and they discussed the heat and the good yarn sale, did the checker notice the Evening in Paris talcum that she used liberally on stuffy days?
And when the cashier completed the sale on her hand cranked cash register, did she have to break a roll of pennies to complete the change to Pauline?

I warned you that I was strange...

Before I reached for Pauline's 'New' Thread, I was completing another spool of thread on my latest project...
Just how many miles of thread have I gone through in my 37 year sewing career?
And spools? Zillions thrown in landfills with my carbon blueprint on them.
Perhaps I better get another audio book...My mind seems to be going a bit silly....

Any way, here are some of my Thread Pondering Projects from this week...
Another ChristiWristlet....

Another Coupon Holder to match New RP-Friends New Bag!

Another Summer Blankie for the Childbirth Conference!
And a Friendly Owlie SpittyUp cloth for the craft show....

Yay Sewing! Yay Thread!! Yay Vivid Imaginations!!!