Last week my hubby finally agreed to take me shopping in town – this was long overdue but he has been very busy. I had to have my eyes tested and went to the bank and other boring stuff, but I thoroughly enjoyed being left to my own devices for the whole day until I ran out of steam mid-afternoon and called him to pick me up!
One of the things I wanted to do was have a good trawl through the charity shops for any useful fabrics for the T-shirt upcycling I have planned for the New Year. I managed to pick up several really cheap T-shirts, and found some real bargains in other clothes, and household fabrics which can be cut up and repurposed.
I got a couple of men’s shirts in that gorgeous striped and checked fabric – the checked shirt is actually pure linen and feels fabulous; the other is cotton.
Plenty of fabric to create panels to let into the t-shirts.
One of the T-shirts will be a shabby chic makeover with pink and cream, and I found this stunning pink pashmina-type scarf which, if you look closely, you can see has a delicate woven pattern which is in reverse on the back. For pennies I got several crocheted doilies, all in a nice cream colour. If I don’t use all these straight away, they can be used for pressing into texture paste to get some interesting results.
I wanted more lace, and managed to find what looked like a brand new petticoat made of nylon satin (quite nice) with lots of deep lace on it in pink.
I also found a small blue table runner with a deep lace border all around.
For another project (not sure yet how I shall use this) I found a cross stitch tablecloth with lots of motifs on it – this is a repeating geometric shape:
and there were also some narrow motifs suitable for borders.
At village fetes and charity shops, I’m always on the lookout for old jewellery which can be taken apart, and the beads etc. used for embellishments. On this occasion I found a charm bracelet with lots of useable stuff on it, and some chain which can also be repurposed. Some of the charms are suitable for making moulds from. I bought a couple of cheap necklaces with lots of components – shell discs, sequins, small beads.
My best find of the day, though, was a gorgeous pink and white satin counterpane quilt with an embroidered panel down the centre, consisting of three separate motifs.
There is loads of material in this as it’s double (if not king) sized, and if I unpick it carefully, there is plenty of pink ribbon and I should be able to use the wadding again, too. Here is what it looks like along the sides:
The back is plain pink.
When I got it home, I had second thoughts about cutting it up at all because it’s so pretty as it is, but I don’t need it as a quilt, and I have to be firm with myself and do what I originally intended! I will get a huge amount out of this, which can be used for all sorts of projects, not just an upcycled T-shirt.
When I go into a charity shop, I feel like my hubby when he goes metal detecting – that sense of anticipation, and never knowing what you will find!
That was a good haul! Where did you go? We used to live in Keynsham (in between Bath and Bristol) where they have 5 or 6 charity shops in one street. Wells is another nice little town for charity shops.
ReplyDeleteThat cross stitch looks like 'Hardanger' embroidery (don't know what it's called in English but I used to do it, and it was called that)
Looks like you did very well . . . I was in a charity shop last week that was having a silent auction. I bid on a pair of embroidered pillow cases, but didn't win. I think the trick is to stay around until the bidding is almost over and then be the finial bidder. I've never done a silent auction before.
ReplyDeleteI cannot wait to see what you do with this items:)
oooooooh! I LOVE a good trawl through the charity shops - the only kind of shops I like, except for artsy/craft ones and bookshops! What a great haul you have here, can't wait to see what you make with them,I'm going to follow your blog so I don't miss it! :o)
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