Tuesday To-Do's: September Glow & Vintage Quilt Sale

A happy fall Tuesday to everyone.

1) Finish September Glow blocks

The blocks are all done but what to do next?

I need to mess with the layout just a bit here and

there--but we all know that once we mess with a

block here and there, a domino effect will begin

and I'll likely pull them all down and start over.

So maybe I just leave it and start putting together.

2) Make WP table runner

Super slow going here.

3) Start on Hocus Pocus?

I was hoping to pull from my stash but I just

don't have much in these colors anymore so I

might do a little shopping.  I'll be by a quilt

shop in the near future so that's on my list.

With all the shop hop pics last week, I didn't get

to the next day's vintage quilt/linens sale

(Mennonite Relief Fund benefit)

so grab a coffee and have a look/read:

Remember that the day before I was on the road

for the hop at sun-up and arrived back home

at sun-down.  I was back on the road the next day,

watching the sun come up through my windshield

as I headed out to do some quilty shopping.

(A quilter could get used to this.)

The sale didn't begin till 9am so I had planned ahead

to make a stop into a local coffee shop on Main Street

in Newton.  I like to support local places and I thought

it would be good to get a little posting done on the hop.

(That was a LOT of pics and info to write about!)

First off, I should warn you:  I'm a complete novice

at this sort of thing.   Oh me of little experience!

If the line out front of the door 10 mins till opening

didn't give me a heads-up, the fact that everyone was

carrying their own bags (that's "bags" plural) sent off

a little warning bell in my head that perhaps I was

not quite prepared for what was ahead.  Blast!

The doors were opened and the frenzy began!

I'm not much of a crowds person so I worked my

way to were the crowds weren't; later I realized

I missed seeing the old quilts and quilt tops by

doing this but, outside of missing out on taking

pictures of them (most were gone by the time I 

worked my way over there), I didn't mind at all

because I'd stumbled on the notions table.

Now, what have we here?

The exact two rulers I have wanted but 

because I didn't really need them, I hadn't yet

bought them.  First, a 12.5" square Omnigrid in new

condition for a mere $5!  And then, a 4x14" Omnigrid

ruler for $4, also in what I thought was new condition

but later I did find a tiny crack in the lower corner

with tape over it but I can totally live with that--it's

on the left side even.

This table made me wish I took the time to do

hand-quilting.  Truly, I love it but I'd never get

anything made that way so I didn't get any.

Trims, batting, sewing boxes...

Threads, embroidery floss and strings of all kinds;

tables of quilt books (fairly recent) and magazines.

Here's where you're all going to think I'm crazy.

Just look at all the fabric!  And did I scour through it??

Now, hindsight is 20/20 so I'm really kicking myself.

I did glance at some of the tables (much more

than pictured) and picked up a couple small bags

of coordinating fabrics.  After I got home I really

looked at them and it's great fabric.

Notable labels on the selvages, including

some Jo Morton fabrics--some of my favs!

<kick, kick, kick>

By the time I got over to the embroidered linens and

such, they, too, were a little picked over.

I missed the scoop; I make a lousy reporter, I guess.

I stumbled across a flour sack from War Eagle Mill.

War Eagle is now known for hosting one

of the largest craft shows:  acres of vendors deep in the

countryside of Arkansas in the fall when the trees are

turning.  Add in the mill and its buildings along with river

and bridge...!  Even if you're not too into craft shows,

it's worth visiting at least once.  We found ourselves in the

area years ago and decided to see what this War Eagle

was that everyone was talking about.  Hubs is a very

anti-craft show man but he liked it enough to take me

two years later!  SO, of course I bought this flour sack

to go with the memories I already had.

A kind quilter next to me said she puts flour sacks on

the back of her mini-quilts--an interesting idea.

I had some good bargains and decided to check out.

What I didn't realize was that, due to Covid, they were

only allowing a certain number of people in at a time

so that when I put my things in my car and made to

come back in to really look through that fabric, I found

that there was a line of people waiting to get in.  And

it was not moving.  By my estimation it could've been

30 mins, maybe more, so I decided to leave.

<kick, kick, kick>

Do you know what's worse?  I found out a little later

that I just missed my brother and his wife by maybe

just a few minutes!  How fun it would have been to 

run into them and shop together!

<kick, kick, kick>

And after I had such very little luck on the shop hop

the day before!  Here was my chance to stock up on

the blues and reds like I'd planned, and perhaps

antique/reproduction 1800's fabrics, too!

I can only hope that such a sale occurs every year.

I just need to find out how to get on the email list,

or however else one keeps up on it.

Above is part of my haul.  The little cutting mat was

only $1 and is in centimeters--Euro?  Canadian?

(Why we can't get with the metric program here in

the US, I'll never know!)

It's perfect for travel, or in front of the tv, etc.

My sad, disappointingly small fabric haul.

Can anyone help me with these?  They were in

a bag so I didn't notice how glossy they were--are

they machine embroidery thread then?  I am

unfamiliar with the brand but they look new.

 I also picked up some pins, needles, Gutterman thread,

a small scissors--all things I could use just a little more of.

(I'm also wishing I'd picked up more of this stuff as

it was all very reasonable--$.50 to $1 or $2/bag.

The flour sack has some staining--do I leave it

or try to get it out?  What is that product that is

said to be so good at stains like this?

I apologize to my quilty friends for my lame

shopping skillz and promise to do better next time

when I will be one of those experienced shoppers

carrying a few of my own bags.

(Please, please let there be a next time!)

I did some research and discovered the sale

raised $20,000 for the relief fund--FYI.

I'm still picking and canning tomatoes but I admit

that I kind of wish a freeze would just end it all.

Blast my practical nature -- I can't find it in me to

just throw them out while God is seeing fit to bless

us with so many. Someday I will be very grateful.

I'm just not feeling it right now.  

My mom used to make mincemeat to make use of

any green tomatoes left before the first freeze and

 I've always wanted to try canning it.   I loved mincemeat

pie when I was very young but I haven't had it since.

Hubs, who has never had it before, is now also fan so it

looks like I'll be canning a little more when the blessed

freeze decides to finally hit and end my garden work.

I'm curious if anyone else has memories of mincemeat

or even still makes it today; if so, do you use green

tomatoes?  (I know there are various recipes out there.)

We'd never get a whole pie eaten so I'm thinking

of trying it as a filler in cinnamon rolls. 

So, onto next week:

1) Sew together September Glow blocks 

2) Finish table runner

3) More canning/gardening

(tomatoes, mincemeat, peppers)

Happy quilting!

Linking up to Home Sewn By Us Tuesday To Do #62