Once a Junker, Always a Junker

The winds in Chicago were so strong last night. At one point I thought I just might get blown away and meet the Wizard of Oz!!! I hope that all of you who drop by had an uneventful night as I heard this morning that there were a number of tornadoes across the United States. 

I can be a bit of a junker...you know, the person who loves to visit resale shops, junkie antique stores, and look for treasures. I've always enjoyed antiques. My very first antique store purchase was a little green cup and saucer, which I still have. In fact, that little cup and saucer grew into a rather large collection.  

There was a time when I could not afford much of anything except my rent and car payment. I ate LOTS of beans and rice, and with my few extra dollars, I would hit resale shops in search of pieces that I could either wear as they were, or remake them. Well, the joy of going to a resale shop and finding a treasure is still something I absolutely love to do. 

I talk to so many who lament the fact that it is becoming more and more difficult to shop at a brick and mortar store for fabric. More and more, we are all having to move our shopping to online resources. While they provide lovely pieces of fabric, I think that what we all miss is being able to touch the fabric. After all, there's so much more to buying fabric than just seeing a pretty piece. 

Resale shops offer great fabrics...in the form of ready made clothes. Of course, sometimes you get lucky, and other times not. I recently visited a favorite shop and I thought that before I tear the pieces apart, I would share my treasures. 

The first piece I purchased was this pretty brocade dress. There's lots of fabric, so I can experiment and play to my heart's content.



It's a little wild, but I loved the print on this knit dress. 

This sequined top might get used with the brocade for something fun. BTW, I am in a pair of my Thrifty Thursday Martha Stewart pajama pants. They are made from a piece of vintage flannel that I found in a resale shop!

This dress will probably be worn this summer just as it is. I initially thought that I would cut off the top and make a skirt, but it fits perfectly, and it will be a nice, fast to throw on garment that I can dress up or dress down.
  

I rather like the trim too. The nice thing about it is that if I change my mind, I can always cut it up at a later date. And, I'll never feel guilty since I only paid $2.00 for the dress.

On the same trip, I found this great pair of leather pants. They are teeny tiny, so unless I decide to practically starve myself to death, I won't be wearing them. I'm ripping them apart and using the leather for some bags and then whatever trim I might think of.

All of the above pieces were a total of $14.00. I think that the pants were the largest portion of the cost, $7.00, but still a steal for leather.  

Now to see what I can create!

If you haven't thrown your name in for the Sew News magazine giveaway, be sure to pop over to THIS post and throw your name in before Friday!

Happy Shopping!
Rhonda