Last Wednesday was a very good day. I stopped by Goodwill because Wednesday is senior discount day, plus it turned out that all of the linens and fabrics were 30% off. In addition to ten big bed sheets for another rag rug, I found 3 bolts of fabric (two pretty Waverly fabrics and one white handkerchief linen). Then I noticed an end cap stacked with loads of decorator fabric sample books, all marked $1.99. I looked through every book, and ended up buying 12 of them — mostly linen and cotton, with a couple of silks. One of my favorites was a Pierre Deux book with beautiful prints. The only problem was, while all my other sample book fabrics had only a strip of paper glued to the back, these samples were almost completely covered with paper. Once they soaked in warm water overnight, I was able to scrape off the paper; although remnants of the glue remained, that didn’t bother me for the project I had in mind.
The pillows I made are similar to the one I made for my daughter using West Elm swatches. After cutting the sample pieces into 4″ squares, I used spray glue to attach the squares to a piece of muslin, being careful to place them as close together as possible. Next, using thin strips of fusible web, I applied 3/8″ ribbon on top of the seams (to hold the ribbon in place), and then top stitched the ribbons very close to the edges. For the back of the red pillow, I happened to have a wonderful sample fabric by Cowtan & Tout; but I had to buy a new piece for the back of the blue pillow.
As for the rag rug, I think I like a scrappier look best, but I do like the colors in this one, and sheets are very nice to work with. Cotton and cotton-blend sheets are all pretty much the same weight with a tight weave that makes them easy to crochet, and you can cut nice long strips. Right now I’m working on a rug for my sister using flannel strips, and the thickness and fuzziness of the fabric makes it horrible to work with.
Normally I don’t buy large cuts, and I’m not sure what I’m going to do with these three bolts of fabric. They were just so cheap, and I’m sure something will come to me.
