RSISLANDCRAFTS

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Thrift store finds

On a whim, I recently stopped in one of our local thrift stores (Kiwanis). I love this particular store because 1) it's just down the road and 2) it has a nice little crafts section and 3) the prices are reasonable. You never know what you might find at this store.

I saw this cute little cross stitch panel. It is meant to go in a frame but I think I might turn it into a quilted wall hanging instead. I want to add beads instead of french knots. Hoping it will give it a bit of sparkle...

I found another duck panel. Once again it is only the backs. What are these people doing with the fronts of these guys? I thought I was going to make one stuffed duck but I will have to either make another two placemats or find a nice backing fabric to make two stuffed duckie pillows. I'll probably make them into pillows.

The bright colors on this vest kit caught my eye. I really enjoy bright colorful vests but don't get the opportunity to wear them often down here in sunny and hot Florida. I figured even if I don't turn it into a vest, it is still a nice piece of fabric.

Have you found anything exciting at the thrift stores lately?

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

A crib bumper turns into a quilt (or 2)

My daughter and I went thrift store shopping recently. We were on the hunt for a basic black skirt for her HS Graduation (yippee!!) on June 7th. She isn't the type of girl that has a closet full of dresses. She prefers khakis, jeans, and dress pants. The graduates are required to wear dresses (girls) and jackets and ties (boys). After we found a perfect skirt ($1.99) we wandered around looking to see what else they might have. This particular store no longer carries craft items but they do have a nice size area for linens. I spotted this cute crib bumper pad right off. It was a jungle of brightness up against a bunch of drab sheets. I thought it would make adorable baby quilts.

I took off the binding and ties and ended up with some long pieces of fabric. I thought I might be able to use the batting inside but it is too rough. I never took apart a bumper before and was surprised at how stiff and scratchy the batting was. I'll put it away for another project that doesn't need to be so soft.

I cut the panels down and ended up with 8 pieces. I had a nice bright green fabric that matched in my stash too. It was a sheet that I bought at Walmart for $2.50 for another quilt project. I just cut a few strips the width of my ruler (6") and added them in between the panels. Now I have two baby quilt tops that only took me a couple hours. I spent more time with the seam ripper than I did putting them together.

These guys look like they are having fun!

I love all the monkeys on this fabric! The pic above is the most accurate in color.

I'm using Hubby's work camera since mine finally died. I don't really care for the way it takes pictures. For some reason every once in awhile it washes the colors out :(