After a hot ,muggy time of mowing grass,working in the garden, picking tomatoes and okra ,I was chased inside by an upcoming thunderstorm. Once inside the house I didn’t feel like looking at dirty dishes, or anything that had to do with kitchen for that matter!
After a refreshing shower, I wondered to my fabric stash just to browse through it all ,for just because,and yes I know that’s weird😀, I was really intending to go quilt on the Fire Island Hosta quilt until I came across a box of old scraps! Ah… I had to see how these oldies were smelling….. smelling?..yes,smelling!
I had purchased these scraps off eBay,the seller was very honest saying these scraps were old ,dirty with a smell. I almost decided not to buy them for if old scraps are too dirty, smelly ,they are better off being thrown out, for any hard washing just puts them back to a tangled mass of threads good for nothing. The old vintage bug got me though and I bought them!🤷🏼♀️
On the day of their arrival, I opened the box to a stack of stinking ,dirty of fabric. I promptly took it to the laundry room! I sure didn’t want hubby to see that I got suckered into this deal,that was all my fault!😳 That box sat there for at least a week ,maybe more (hidden out of sight ,of course ) for I had other demanding things to do as it was springtime.
I finally dug it out of hiding when hubby had a long day at work,now one needs to understand that hubby didn’t have a problem with me buying old fabric ,he really likes the old quilts ,scraps that I bring home. The problem was ..I was to embarrass to a admit my bad judgment on buying a box of scraps! Okay ,stop laughing it wasn’t funny… then!😁
I got the dawn dish soap and baking soda out ,fill tubs of hot water, sorted whites from colored … and began to soak,scrub change water,soak,scrub and change water by hand until I began to have hope that I wasn’t so stupid after all. Laying it out on the grass and hanging on the wash line the bigger pieces, the sun even helped me out some more.
When the pieces dried, I layered them on an old clean sheet,with little pieces of batting that had a drop of lavender oil on them,put them in a box to iron at a later date.
I was so delighted when I opened that box up to the wonderful smell of fresh air and lavender,I know then that I was a winner for buying those scraps. I will let you decide if I’m right.
There is an interesting array of pieces that I’m pretty sure date to the 1860’s to 1920’s. There’s also madder dyed fabric pieces. Some of the scraps were used ,as there were cut up sleeves,shirts ,bodice piece ,old quilt block ,pocket , and a tying belt maybe that was once used for an apron.
I like to think a young girl was learning how to sew on the belt here.
Look at these old pieces… that are older than you and I.
Here’s a madder dyed piece that’s in good shape!
I did make up some blocks from these scraps.
Here is how I’m thinking of putting the quilt together,it will take a little laying out for the brown strips aren’t all the same but I think it will look nice all scrappy.
Does hubby know now about the oldies? Yep, he saw the blocks laid out ,thought they were beautiful, so he got the whole story.😁
Your a miracle worker! I am partial to earth tones and these browns just pop for me.
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😊 don’t know about a miracle worker just a determined scrubber. Wished I had taken pictures of the before washing now,but photo shooting was the farthest thing from my mind then.
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Amazing! Such a wonderful rescue of fabric that really did want to be something.
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Yes, it is a wonderful rescue.
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I am still smiling – what a wonderful end to the story of the smelly box of scraps. I’m glad you were able to salvage them!
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🙂 they were so smelly… kinda like old chimney smoke ,and barn,makes me wonder where those fabric had been sitting for years!
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Wow!! That’s quite a save Deb, and a quilt in the making already!😍
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Thank you,Kathy! I’m enjoying the assembling of the quilt,which I hope to have finished today.
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Quick work on that then! I think my sewing is about to be curtailed, I have beans to pick! 😄
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Oh, Deb–I love this! One of my favorite things is opening a box of vintage linens from an eBay purchase–you never know what you’re going to get! It’s good that the seller was honest but it’s better that you bought anyway and had the knowledge and commitment to do all the work to save these bits and pieces–and to give them a wonderful new life!
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It is fun to get a box of vintage off of eBay, and with vintage there is that risk of it being too dry rotten to be of any good,which did happen to a few of the pieces. I’m happy though with how much of it is still in good vintage shape.
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Awesome. I love fabrics. The older, the better! Your quilts gonna be lovely! 🙂
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Thank you! Old fabrics ,quilts is a passion of mine.. so yes the older the better!🙂
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I use to sell vintage fabrics on eBay, about 10 years ago, still have bags of it in the outside sheds, well stored, hopefully no mice have found a home. I use to love it when people left feedback on how they enjoyed opening the parcel and finding lovely vintage fabric. Never sent out any smelly parcels, but have so enjoyed reading about yours. Just love all the different aged fabrics you have in the quilt, what will you do with the smaller left overs. Love the lillies and what wonderful green grass you have, ours is yellow, just hope it grows again when it rains, we haven’t had any for 5 weeks and non forecasted for the near future. But one good thing, we have eaten a lot more outside and enjoyed the garden more than another year 🙂
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Never sold a lot on eBay, not my thing I guess. Hope too the mice haven’t found it they ruin stuff so quickly. I think the person that I bought the fabric from went to estate auction,and I don’t think they really knew much about that fabric other than it was old. We have had more rain than normal and I’m having a hard time keeping up with the grass cutting! I’m sure your grass wii come back ,it does here when it gets that dry.
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What amazes me is, why do the weeds keep growing……… I’m not watering them 🙂 We are just not use to yellow dried out grass, but I am sure you are right that it will come back. I use to have a shop on eBay and had great fun finding fabric, might do it agin when I retire 🙂
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The seller of the scraps would be so happy about their new life. Will you report back?
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I think the seller was just a estate auction buyer ,who really didn’t know what he had.😀 I did tell him I was very happy with that buy after I washed it up.
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The scraps are lovely. I’m impressed that you rescued them.
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The scraps are a real treasure for me!
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