Dyeing to Play with Some Yarn

If you want to have some serious fun, check out your local fiber fairs.  I love going to purchase local fleeces to spin but ended up trying a whole new art... dyeing fiber.  Here is the booth some ladies had put together.  The large skeins are 250 yards of natural Corriedale.  They were a squishy DK weight and soft to the skin.  I passed by a few times, and the class tables were empty.  Too many times, I have passed on opportunities to participate.  I made a concious decision to change my way of thinking by pulling out a chair, putting on an apron (fashioned cleverly out of a garbage bag), and delve into the world of dyeing yarn.



 As I lined up baby bottles filled with dye (which is an absolutely fantastic way to dispense it by the way), curious bystanders decided to check out the craft.  I never turn down the opportunity to talk about fiber, and they happily joined in the fun.  It only takes one to step out of their comfort zone, and pretty soon, you'll draw a crowd. 

The ladies had the most intriguing set up.  These tin roasting pans held two sheets of plastic wrap and a skein of your choice of yarn or sock blank soaked in vinegar.  The trick of dyeing yarn in this method is to keep your colors far apart and work them with your hands back together.  This creates a nice blend between the two colors.  Being familiar with the color wheel, the possibilities in the dyeing process are endless...  I was hooked!  Can you imagine the possibilities?

Once the skein is to the liking of the dyer, the skein is wrapped up in the plastic wrapped and whisked away to have the dye set.  The dye was set for several minutes in a microwave on hot.  It was done in intervals, so the fiber was not harmed.

After the yarn was taken from the microwave, it was dipped in a bucket of water a few times.  Then, the skein had the water squeezed out of it and draped over a hanger...   with my name proudly attached. lol

As you can tell, I tried as many colors as possible on my first skein (on the right in photo).  I even did some over dyeing.  The blues didn't really draw me in, but all the others did!  By the time I was finished, I commented to the girl next to me that it looked like a pile of fruit loops.  lol

With the second skein (to the left in photo), I was much calmer and controlled... And it shows!  It will be interesting to see how they both translate when knitted.  The colors are bold and vibrant.  A little less vibrant than my photo with the flash but bold just the same. :)

 The fiber fest, and the group of ladies overseeing the dyeing booth, was the best way to experience this craft for the first time.  The dyeing mini class was a memorable event.  The ladies only charged $10.00 a skein.  Such a small price to pay for the beginnings of a great adventure!  :) 



Maquoketa Iowa Flea Market Finds

Today, my hubby and I went to a Flea Market in Maquoketa, Iowa to relax from a long week. Great choice, since they were packed to capacity with outside vendors.  I still love to walk around the inside venue as well.  It was there I found a vintage Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck puzzle, along with a cool flour sack and child's hand held chalk board.  Total spent $10.00... Not bad.  Then, I went to the outside.  I could not believe the amount of vendors!  The weather was beautiful, and the grounds have never been so filled with sellers.

My first find was a couple of washed out Funk Feedsacks to be used in embroidery projects and another flour sack.  I ambled along until I caught up with Hubby.  He pointed out an aluminum tree stand.  It would work great to anchor my small Christmas tree holding my Shiney Brites.  But as I was looking at it, my eye caught a vintage slate chalkboard balancing against the table leg on the ground level.  The chalkboard was heavy and awesome.  My Hubby rolled his eyes and held his breath, but I went ahead and made an offer for the bundle.  Deal done!  And you know what?   Mr. Hollow even carried the chalkboard for me during the rest of our hunt.  How sweet was that? :)  I even stayed on my budget spending only $30.00 for all of my outdoor finds... Until...

Mr. Hollow decided to do some shopping for himself!  How would his shopping involve me?  Well, read on...  ;)

Hubby’s favorite stop to shop is a gentlemen, who we see on the Flea Market venues, that sells tools.  Hold your breath you are not going to believe this!!   The tool guy had a treadle sewing machine?!? She was so beautiful and definitely had been someone’s pride and joy… A well cared for Montgomery Ward Damascus. The decals were phenomenal, and she was in perfect working order. She even came with her original book and attachments. I don’t know if she was a good buy at the asking price of $100.00, and overwhelmed by her glory, I honestly didn’t care... I have wanted a treadle for so long. All of my run ins over the years were basement rotted disappointments that were beyond repair. My hubby, searching for treasures for himself, looked at me in horror as I asked the tool guy for his absolute bottom buck on this vintage treasure. He responded quickly with $80.00 before my hubby could get a word in of caution. I looked quickly at Mr. Hollow, told him I was sorry, and gave the gentlemen 4 twenty dollar bills. The rest is left to be written in Maquoketa Flea Marketing history!  Well aside from the tool guy and his son harassing my hubby mercilessly.  LOL

Can you blame me?  Just look at her... *sigh*

What a great way to start the wind down to the 2018 season of hunting treasures!  :)

P.S. Once hubby found out she would load in the back of our Jeep standing up, his demeanor improved dramatically! LOL

Time for the Flea Markets!

Although the weather cannot decide what season to be in, the flea markets are kicking off for the year.  I missed the one day Fiber Expo to kick off the season due to an extremely bad cold back in April.  I even swapped to have the day off a month ahead of time! Aaargh!!  Remaining positive, I took a CTO day for the first Friday of May hoping for good weather for a 3 day flea market in What Cheer, Iowa.  We were blessed with  the most beautiful day.  It was a fun and relaxing time.   I am still somewhat nervous about purchasing much, until we get the studio room underway... But the nervousness evaporated as we walked around! ;)

 

A large apple basket was a necessity buy.  During the Fall season at Farmer Boy's place, I kept having to borrow a basket to tote apples back and forth.  Now, I will have my own to haul with. :)  

 

 

This was hanging on the side of a pick up truck bed.  It had some items on top of it.  I honestly was surprised that I hadn't seen it on our first walk through.  A gentleman looking at it drew my attention to the lovely pattern.  Once he left, I went to look it over.   The vendor yelled over, "A dollar and it's yours!"  I don't have to be told twice and made the deal.  The lady selling thought it was maybe an oversized pillowcase... she just wasn't sure.  She picked it up at a sale.  Upon inspection, done in the next row over, I confirmed it was a large vintage feedsack.  Nice bold unwashed colors still stitched up with the old original thread.  Couldn't you see an old feedsack dress made out of this one for a toddler?  :)

For three dollars, I just couldn't pass up on some glass topped jars.  They will come in handy in the studio.  I have loads of smalls to store in them.

A lesson in the art of purchasing at a flea market:  If you really like an item, don't put it on a list... buy it!  There were two sisters looking at these feedsacks.  I was slightly disappointed at not getting there first, since green lettering is my favorite. :(  But I walked around checking out the other items from the vendor, as both ladies discussed what could be made with them.  The vendor finally said to the women that she would do 3 sacks for 6 dollars, since some of them had staining and holes on one side.  Wow!  Yeah, a few were a little damaged but the print was on both sides and these were huge.  The ladies kept talking, then decided they would add them to the list of things to come back for later and walked off.  You can see the result of that scenario.  I acquired all 5 sacks along with one plain for $12.00.  I couldn't have been happier.

Mr. Hollow picked up a vintage tooth pick dispenser, shaped like a Wood Pecker, from the same lady.  As he walked ahead of me, the two ladies were cutting back into the booth after deciding they would get the sacks after all.... Ten minutes too late...

It doesn't happen often.  The unicorn of the vintage glass Christmas bulbs.  You know... The one that I do not have YET in my collection.  Will you look at this? 

The vendor had two but only one had a cap.  I know, I know.  I could have used one of my hundred extra caps at home right?   But, it was my turn to be stupidly tight.  This baby cost me $4.50.  I will go with the thought that it adds to the excitement to have "one of one".  Well, unless the same vendor has the other one when we go in August! ;)

This was part of the mitigating factor to my tightness.  I dropped $12.00 for these Shiny Brite mini icicle ornaments.  Holy Toledo!!! They will look so cool on my mini Shiny Brite tree!!

 

 

Last but not least... I was looking at street signs for my studio.  There was a huge "slow" sign in orange and this "55 speed limit" sign.  The lady said she cut me a deal on two.  The "slow" sign really wasn't hitting me right, so I went with the one that caught my eye.  It makes me think of all the trips I have taken through out my life and the ones to come.  Maybe Farmer boy can work his magic and make a cabinet out of it with some barn boards for art supplies...  Hmmmm...

 

All in all, I think it has been a great start to the flea marketing season.  I will blank out the horrific cold episode and focus on the positive!  Unfortunately for a large group of vendors, this weekend was suppose to be the flea market at the fairgrounds in Pecatonica, Illinois, but our unpredictable weather decided to bless us with an overabundance of rain.  I cannot remember ever having 3 days of rain on a Pec weekend.  But then, I have never seen a winter and spring like the ones we have had this year.  Who knows what the rest of the year will bring?

Baraboo Steam and Gas Engine Show 2016 ... Lots of Photos :)

I seriously look forward to the Baraboo, Wisconsin Badger Steam and Gas Engine Show every fall.  For those of you that have never attended, it is the third weekend of August every year.  The forecast called for showers on Saturday with the main bulk arriving on Friday night.  The weather man wasn't fibbing!  Those poor exhibitors and vendors saw some serious showers.  Friday was very busy with spectators trying to beat the weekend precipitation.  Mr. Hollow and I arrived at 8:30 am on Saturday morning hoping for a dry day... Well at least from the clouds that were passing over anyways. 

 

 

We only endured two cloud bursts in the afternoon hours, but the grounds told the tale from the previous night.  Those exhibitors and vendors stuck it out, and it was a wonderful day.  Not too warm in the morning hours and delightfully cool after the cloud bursts.  I was very happy that I packed a t-shirt and light jacket to change into; although, the book building offered t-shirts and tank tops for sale. 

I was so happy to see the engines running.  This gentlemen took the time to start and explain the function of his engine.  It made me smile.  The puff and toot reminded me of the contraption from Willy Wonka... Right down to a bit of water shooting from the pipe !  :)

Such a nice tribute to the ladies who went to work for the war effort.  It always makes me smile to look at the photos and read the articles.

Can you imagine these huge machines still run flawlessly?  I just love watching the smooth effortless power.  It is a blessing that they have such a wonderful home and are shared for spectators to enjoy.  At the other end of the building was a machine creating huge amounts of steam, I walked through the steam as I exited and probably took every wrinkle out of my clothes! LOL ;)

I know this photo is hard to see, but it is a sea of farm tractors.  Can you believe the turn out?  Even with rainy weather being forecasted.   Simply fantastic! 

While Mr. Hollow visited friends at the chainsaw competition, I took a few photos from my favorite spots.  The printing presses are one of my favorites.  The gentlemen there are so fun to be around and extremely knowledgeable.  At this machine, the gentlemen was asking the kids which way the letters and arrow needed to go.  They did really well and was amazed at the final product.  :)

The guys demonstrating their blacksmithing skills were probable relieved by the cooler temps!  I purchased a cross from this exhibit area a few years back.  Quite a fascinating art!

The gentlemen one window over made this terrific bird.  As he worked, he put wax from a candle all over it.  I never got to hear the reason behind this.   He set it in the vice to cool... all in a days work.  That was pretty awesome!

Can you believe someone built this?    Do you know what is more amazing?  The little engine on the left makes all of the other little machines run.  And let me say from seeing it with my own eyes,  they ALL do run as working machines.  That is some seriously crazy talent!

I have a fondness for the large engines.  Looking at this photo, I can still feel the heat.   Such power harnessed in  iron... You can just feel it standing next to it. 

I never tire of the big saw! 

I am sorry to have not gotten photos from the Women's Center.  Kind of odd really, since it is home to  the lovely sewing machines that got me even more hooked on quilting.  And let's not forget the spinners who are responsible for me taking the leap into that arena.  Also to the chainsaw exhibitors, where Mr. Hollow spends his day while I run! ;)  There are so many exhibits that I am so sorry for the various ones not shared.  Those will be the ones I showcase next year... I gladly promise. :)

Before I forget, here are a few of the items that I picked up at the flea market:  The brushes and pick will be great for a few projects looming in the distance.  You all know I cannot pass up on some good fabric.  (Actually I did, the lady had a ton... but I refrained!)  Then I met a really nice lady who had this beautiful baby quilt of verses.  (It is so soft and cuddly... Very well made and for 5 bucks!)  Also over at the shingle making exhibit, they had some cedar wood pieces.  These thin planks will be wonderful to put in with my wool bins to keep the insects at bay... plus, they just smell wonderful!

Here is a block from the quilt.  Definitely perfect for me!

I spotted this vintage testor set.  Isn't it odd what strikes my fancy?  It is so cool.  Mr. Hollow walked back and bought it for me.  It will look great in my future studio next to my natural wool dye jars.

I also was lucky enough to get a half gallon of Maple syrup... Some really dark syrup this year.  I forgot to pick up some cornmeal on the way home.  Drat!  But at least,  it made the bacon this morning so much better. ;)

An enormous Thank-you for those wonderful souls that make this show possible!  All of the exhibitors, vendors and behind the scene magic makers who take the time to make this weekend great for all of us spectators.  You are truly the best! 

Thrifty Find ~ Pfaff 130 Sewing Machine

It feels like autumn here in Northern Illinois.  Great weather for hitting the weekend flea markets.  I know that my vacation finds still need to be posted (Plus, our semi annual jaunt to Baraboo Gas and Steam Engine show... Yipee!), but this little beauty had me so excited that its story must be told first...

 

Mr. Hollow and I rose early for a 2 hour drive on Sunday to a small weekend flea market in Wisconsin.  Usually, we find one or two small items and some produce.  I shudder to write that  my first extremely, and now a little regretting, "tempted to purchase"  pass was on a spinning wheel at a great price...  Hmmm... Do I really need two?    Then, I talked myself out of some cool jars.  (Makes you wonder why I got up at the crack of dawn doesn't it?)   Finally, my hubby waves me over to a pile of goods laying in the grass in front of a pickup truck.  He must of asked me three times what I thought of the item in the farthest corner.  Maybe it was the sun glare, but it took me all of the three times to see this Pfaff 130 sewing machine.  Did I really need another sewing machine? ;)

 

I skeptically walked over while the vendors, a man and his teenage son, stood watching.  Wow!  This machine was really clean.  Definitely someone's baby.  The decals shown absolutely perfect with the paint smooth and shiny without a  single chip.  The man nodded to his son to walk over and do the haggling... Yep, me versus a very sweet teenage boy. 

 

The young man assured me the machine worked.  Pointed out that the handle was broke on the cover.  (Hard to believe that the case belonged to this pristine machine!)  He also stated, the machine was very heavy to carry, since he was the one who loaded it in the truck to take to the market.  Poor kid... After that confession,  I am sure Mr. Hollow was afraid he could talk me into any price! :(   I decided at that moment to just ask the price, figuring it would be hideous, making my  polite get away a little easier.  So, I did.  The young man replied 5 dollars.   Seriously, how do you bicker over that?  I really do not need another machine but are you kidding me 5 DOLLARS?   I looked over at his Dad.  He was smiling -very proud of the job his son was doing- nodding in agreement.  What kind of heartless quilter would say "let me think about it" to such a duo for that price?  Long story short, I have a new machine in the fold!  :)

 

We arrived home by afternoon, and the Pfaff was humming away an hour later.  I consider this heavy duty machine a "he" that until a few minutes ago was yet to be named... And yet to be cleaned!    I am just floored by the immaculate shape of this machine...  His previous owner's address label was still adhered to his under carriage, along with the shop that he was purchased from in Janesville, Wisconsin.   

 

I have had to do some research on the Pfaff 130.  The sites say it is from the 50's and can plow through 4 layers of leather.  Now that my friends is a work horse!  Not really sure if I need this kind of a machine... But my projects are continually changing, so it could very well be a future life saver.  You never know with me! :)

 

 

I notice that only a few have the "Made in Western - Germany" decal.  Most are Germany.  Talk about a blast from the past! 

While adding captions to the photos, I was reminded that his previous owner's name was Fred.  Being the spur of a moment kind of gal that I am (which explains all of my pets' weird names!),  this Pfaff is going to have the name Friedrich in honor of his previous owner.  Sounds very distinguished doesn't it?  Welcome to the Hollow, Friedrich Pfaff.   :)

127 Corridor Yard Sale 2015

The 127 Corridor Yard Sale is over for another year.  *sigh*  Mr. Hollow and I ran solo, since Farmerboy decided to stay home and house sit.  Our starting destination... the tip top of Kentucky.  (While planning our trip, we decided to run for 2 days -- ending near Crossville, Tennessee.)

 

During the week, the weather forecast called for warm temps, possible storms and 40% chance of rain.  Mr. Hollow and I remained positive.  If there is one thing the weather has taught us this year, it is to make the best out of a wet situation.  So... we arrived filled with optimism at our motel in 80 degree sunny weather and woke up the following morning to rain... A torrential downpour actually. 

 

Taking advantage of our dry room, we delayed our departure.  When the rain suddenly turned to mist,  our search began!  :)   A few sales had to be passed, since the proprietors decided they did not want to greet the morning weather.   No worries though... There were plenty other venues open.  The mist let up periodically, and we had blessed overcast skies with temps in the mid 70's!  Yippee!!       

 

 

 

The first day would see us arrive at our motel around 4 o'clockish, which is not out of the ordinary.  After having a light supper, I made use of my Kindle loaded with newly purchased episodes of "Flea Market Flip".   Kind of appropriate,  right?  ;)

On the second day,  the weather man promised skies of blue with temps in the 80's.  This pic is the only sun our travels would see for the day...  The very last venue attended.  I am not complaining though, the temps stayed in the 70's under overcast skies.  Beautiful mild weather that mocked Fall.  Our hunt lasted until 6 o'clock and was an absolute blast. :) 

If you have not attended a 127 sale, I highly recommend it.  One little tidbit of advice:  Around mid afternoon, figure out the town you would like to end in, call ahead and book a room.  The motel stays are few and far between. 

Today, I am finishing my unpacking, cleaning some finds and getting some groceries.  With a quick peek at the local thrift store thrown in!  ;)    It is always nice to be home and unwind a little before heading back to work.  I feel like I have been gone for months!  A post will follow soon with some of my finds for this year.

A huge thanks to all the vendors, old and new,  who endured the torrential rains.  You are all the greatest!  And to the fellow scavengers that we laughed and talked with at breakfast and met along the route, we hope to see you all happy and well next year!  :)

Rutledge, Missouri & Maquoketa, Iowa Flea Market Finds

Mr. Hollow and I have been trying to get some traveling in on the non-rainy weekends; although, they are few and far between! ;)   The summer is speeding by so fast.  Our intentions are to get as much running in as possible before the cold weather is upon us again. The amount of rain has us at a slow start this season,  but it has also made us more grateful for the sunny fun filled outings. 

 

Maquoketa, Iowa had their annual flea market at the fair grounds.  The morning was beautiful and overcast.  The blessed cloudy skies gave us a break from the hot and humid July temps.  The indoor venue had a lot of antique vendors .  I was surprised to find a wonderful display of Alfalfa feed sacks (9 to be exact) and a few Fulton heavy duty sacks.  The wonderful lady was only asking a dollar a piece!   I just love the sage green against the cream of the feed sack cloth. :)

 

 



 

 

 

An outdoor vendor had a stack of woven soybean sacks.  I have been on the search for ones like these that have a tighter weave and strong coloring.   These should do nicely for a pattern that I have been working on. 

 

The rainy weekends have been relentless in these parts.  Mr. Hollow and I decided to take an overnight trip to check out the Rutledge, Missouri flea market.  Believe it or not, the weather man was predicting rain. :(  We took some time off from our jobs and went anyway.  I am so glad that we did, since the weather was absolutely beautiful!  Here are a few of my finds from the trip...

My first purchase at $2.00 was for some pie tins.  As you can see, they are marked Lucille's pies.    They will go great with my small collection and will be special to me since Lucille is my maternal grandmother's name.  :)

The same vendor had a trunk full of medium sized plastic letters for a dollar a piece... some red and some black.  The red ones would lite up fairly easily.  Mr. Hollow picked out ones to spell our last name twice and then enough to spell my son and his fiancé's first names.  Yes I wrote it, fiancé.  My Farmerboy has gotten himself engaged! 

This looks like a muffin tin, but it is actually straight sided for small cakes.  It is from Chicago and heavy duty for industrial sized ovens.  I had thought of having a friend cut it down for me, but a few other ideas for it have popped into my head.  This piece will remain uncut, until I can be sure... Hmmm. ;)

I love handmade rag rugs.  There is a local dealer that I purchase them from.  You cannot beat their durability.  This one is a long runner, and the photo does not due the apricot color justice.  The vendor was such a nice man to chat with.  His array of rugs were simply breath taking.  He even had some made from white chenille bedspreads!  If it weren't for my black cat, they would have been mine.  Absolutely lovely!!  This one is a strong couple of yards long, created from an acrylic bedspread.   It was the best $20.00 that I spent on the trip. 

It was so nice to visit a new area and have a relaxing trip and break from the work routine.  This past week, I have been taking the time to reorganize my studio.  There are a lot of projects building up that need to be worked on.  I guess, I can thank the rain today for keeping me home! ;)

Flea Market Finds

I had made a promise to myself, following the "cabin fever" moment in my life, that I would go to a flea market a weekend for the spring/summer.  Unfortunately, Mother Nature is toying with me... It has rained almost every weekend since! :(  For the most part, Mr. Hollow and I have been lucky in the fact that we could still attend most of the venues.  The luck does not extend to my new running shoes... It's been pretty muddy out there!;)

 

There were lots of flea markets on Memorial Day Weekend.  Many of those were welcomed in with rain.  Even though the weather was alternating between rain and mist, we headed off to a small venue on Sunday.  The weather held off long enough for finding some treasures!  :)  Here is my small haul...

 

 

To my hubby's dismay, I found a couple of boxes.  My new resolution is to be ultra picky and replace some of my shoddy ones.... Yep, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!  ;)   These are in such nice shape and the Ripley's box has the addition of some nice handles.  The card file is a neat piece with a little bit of damage.  My first thought was to have Farmerboy repair it but, looking at it now, the missing corner doesn't really bug me.  It will be so handy for housing my design ideas that I sketch and describe on note cards.  The price for the bundle was $20.00.

Forecast this weekend ... RAIN! LOL

Flea Market in Maquoketa Iowa

After a long winter, we attended our first flea market of the year on Sunday in Maquoketa, Iowa.  The wind had a little chill, but the sun was bright with a little punch of heat to it.  Honestly, adrenaline kept me warm.   (Maquoketa offers a large indoor flea market, along with an equal in size outdoor venue.)  Let me tell you...  It was such a nice feeling to be out rummaging again! :)

 

My first purchase was two enamel storage pans with lids.  The vendor wanted $24.00 for both, which was not out of line for the extremely nice shape that they were in.  Of course, this is a flea market and haggling is a necessity, so I offered him $20.00... and now they are mine. 

 

As everyone knows, China makes repops of these pieces now... Imagine that?  LOL  Do you know one sure way to tell you've got an original?  Carry these puppies around an outdoor flea market for about an hour.  The weight suspended from the bag handles was cutting into my fingers something fierce!  Nothing flimsy about these vintage babies.  Or should I say endearingly to our knock off providers, the Chinese care a whole lot more about the wear and tear on my arm than my forefathers! LOL

 

 

The following purchases were my first finds, but my last purchases from the outdoor venue.  (I was absolutely NOT going to entertain a trip back to the vehicle that early.  And they were both located at different venders, so I didn't want to start leaving purchases here and there.)  The first is a staple of mine... One of my various obsessions... The glorious wooden nail keg.  Makes me a little sad for days gone by but very happy that they are still around.  This one still had the top with the chunk broken out laying inside.  It is a nice larger size and will be great for housing my gourds or baseballs that are awaiting paint.   Asking price - $17.00.  Haul it away offer and purchase price-  $12.00.  Score!!   Have I ever shown you my collection of these that house my various sized gourds in the basement?  I will have to get some pics to show you.  ;)

The other item is a Coca Cola wooden bottle crate.  My true love is for the dividers.  I own a Pepsi one that came with original dividers and a milk flat that Farmerboy made the divisions for.  They are absolutely great for hanging on the walls of my studio and holding various art supplies.  I spent a little more than usual, but the Coke advertisement was neat looking.  (Says the girl who doesn't drink pop except for special occasions!)   Asking price - $12.00.  Haul it away offer and purchase price $10.00.


 

 

As we were leaving the inside section of the flea market, I noticed some ladies that set up in a room off the entry way.  They were a happy go lucky team.  Don't you just love people like that?  What reason does a vital human being have to be grouchy for?  I mean REALLY?  Unfortunately, their wares were not in the best location.  I think, they were overlooked being away from all the action.  Mr. Hollow was ready to make tracks, but this shopper made a beeline into their area.  Look at these extra heavy feedsacks!   Oh, the possibilities... The ladies were such a cool vending team that I didn't even haggle.  I purchased the lot of 6 for $18.00, which I must add is a great buy.

After the second trip to the car, Mr. Hollow was contemplating a trip back into the outside area.  I told him that I would go inside to finish looking at the feedsack ladies wares.  (I felt that Mr. Hollow made me go too fast the first time... And of course, my intuition was right! ;) )  Upon a return trip to my favorite vendors of the day, I found these two vintage feedsacks.  They are wonderfully soft and beautifully muted in their colors.  The green is just lovely.  No haggling on the price... $2.00 for the one on the right and $3.00 for the one on the left.

 

 

Okay, this item was super tough to photograph.  It is a quilt cover that was made out of old feedsacks.  Some of the sacks have printing still showing on them.  This baby is huge and the feedsacks are in great condition.  PLUS, there are two big panels that make up the front and back... We are talking a lot of useable fabric.  It was hanging on a rack with some aprons.  I honestly have never seen anything like this before... A treasure trove of feedsack fabric that looks like an open ended duvet.  Asking price -  $10.00.  Haul it away and purchase price - $8.00.

 

 

 

 

This was my last purchase before I ran off to find Mr. Hollow.  It was my shot in the dark purchase.  The ladies had a cutter quilt folded up in an old plastic zippered bag.  The asking price was $7.50.  I really did not feel like taking it out of the bag and decided to take my chances with a $5.00 offer that became the accepted haul it away price.  After getting it home and washing it, I decided that it was a worth while purchase.  It originally sported a star pattern which has blown out in most places.  The blue background pattern and white base is in wonderful shape with hand quilting.  I could see appliqueing over the stars for mini quilts to line baskets... Hmmmmmm.

 

Or since the back is in such nice shape, using that as the backdrop for some handy work... Some quilt angels perhaps or pile of table mats...  I will have to do some research and thinking on this one.  This worn out quilt is destined to be something great again... I just know it. :)

 

 

We had such fun for our first outing.  I am thrilled with my finds, as was Mr. Hollow with his.  If this is any indication how the year will be, we are going to have a blast!