Thrift Store Fabric Finds
Happy Canada Day! It’s been a little while since I’ve been able to steal an afternoon to tromps on over to Value Village to dig around for some fabric inspiration. Yesterday was the day, and VV did not disappoint. Here are my favourite finds from yesterday, but first, here’s what I did with my last fabric find… the multicoloured polkadot print was a large oversized skirt and has found a new place in my wardrobe as a little mini. My sewing machine was happy to have some love.
WILD POLKA 2.0 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
ELECTRIC PEACOCKS • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
ON TREND WITH IKAT • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
ANIMAL KINGDOM • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Value village fabric finds
I love scouring through used junk, so Value Village is one of my favourite haunts — I’m always guaranteed to see something I didn’t see the last time. And I’m always looking to see what old crazy patterns pop up. Having a camera and a blog to post to means that I can share my finds without becoming a total hoarder… but sometimes junk is so hard to resist.
Here are my top picks from my most recent outing:
WILD POLKA • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Tell me this isn’t awesome! So awesome I actually bought it. It’s currently a very large 80s ankle-length skirt… but I plan to sew it up into a fun little summer skirt.
GETTIN’ BUSY • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
The best part about this fabric is that somebody clearly created this by hand — it’s handstamped fabric. It’s kind of the best mini skirt ever, If it wasn’t bubblegum pink. I mean, what are they doing? They both look happy but they also have weapons. Hmm.
OMBRE • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
This is just so ‘on trend’ that I have to give props where props are due!
Wallpaper Nostalgia
This print is a wallpaper that I picked up last year during my sabbatical in Berlin (daydreamy sigh). Going to Mauermarket every Sunday was essential — people always say you can find anything there, it’s like the biggest flea market you could imagine. There was a booth selling old rolls of dutch wallpapers and it was only 8 euros for what was left of the roll and I snatched it up. Sadly, the booth wasn’t there the next week or I would have cleaned them out!
Vintage floral patterns hold a special place in my heart — which is why I have been collecting them for a while, and why I insist on saving little scraps of wallpapers that were being removed to make way for more modern decor. I know they’re often ugly, but I love those super 70s brown, mustard and orange prints that were often paired with wood paneling and it always makes me sad to see them go. But that’s the fun of wallpaper.
If you ever have to say goodbye to an old print, take a picture and send it along and I’ll post ‘em here!