Rummage Saling.

Gr.  I can't format this post right at all...

I have previously stayed away from rummage sales, because the word 'rummage' is kind of unattractive as is the mental image it conjures up.  Not that 'dumpstering' is a better word, but my 8 year old sister made it up, so it's cute.  Rummage is not.  Then I read on Moderate Means how she went to one, and even got free stuff, and I'd hate to think there are free things being handed out somewhere without me present.   That just wouldn't be fair. 

Actually, I went to TWO rummage sales (the churches were practically next to each other, and couple blocks from my work) a couple times, because I felt that the future Mr Snork should experience it as well, and there was a half off day the next day.  How can you not?? 

It was terrible.  They had, like 2 halls and 3 courtyards full of stuff.  There was a rack of fur coats ($175-$500).  A rack of them, not just the scraggly one or two.  We live in SoCal, by the way.  I asked the stern volunteer lady where they got their stuff, and was sternly informed it is all donated.  

There was a whole 'designer' clothing and shoes section, in addition to the Hall of Clothes and Courtyard of Shoes.  I saw 12 pairs of skis.  I asked where all this stuff goes when it doesn't sell - seriously - who buys fur coats in SoCal - and was sternly told it is either donated to S-Boutique, or various charities.  Pretty cool.  I picture a fireplace at a children's ministry somewhere with a cozy rabbit fur rug, for children to sit and read books on, courtesy of rummage sale fur coat donations. 

I was slightly obsessed with this $10 chair. The fabric is ugly, probably original.  I don't even like mid century modern stuff (except my awesome chairs) but I like the lines.  And the fact that I could change the cushions to the Alexander Henry fabric I've been dreaming about.  And then I could probably resell it.  On the downside, I have two danish modern tables in garage I'm supposed to be refinishing.  Jesse is getting suspicious over my intent with those.

I know, I already have a wedding dress.

But may be this one could be like an artsy photo project?

Or may be I could use it in case Jesse and I decided to secretly elope before the actual wedding.

Plus, once the wedding is done with, I probably can't keep shopping for wedding dresses, so I may as well, yes?

See how I added a shawl for a belt there? Artsy in progress. $10

I am not sure what this is, but look at the colors! And, they're dancing! It's on a piece of fabric and it's signed. ..Marcot?  My dad really likes tribal stuff, so I thought he'd enjoy it if my mom lets him hang it on a wall. Ha. $2.50

This $5 chandelier deserves a post of its own.   Don't let its dustyness fool you. 


There was also photo/history book about Soviet Union, 3 patterns for 10c each, a $1 ziplock baggy of plastic indians that my dad collects, and a very very soft cashmere blazer for the future Mr Snork.  He looks and feels like a very soft kitten in it, and it pleases me.    





The Things I Didn't Get But Eyeballed Gallery:

I want to hug and hold anything with ball and claw feet.  Literally.  If Ikea started attaching wood ball and claw feet to their fake wood stuff, I'd probably be all over it.  May be if I hadn't drug home a ball and claw alley table that one time..  I could have gotten this one.  (The alley table that I'm supposed to refinish is still utouched in garage.  Sigh)

Another awesome chair to feed my chair obsession. No balls or claws, but almost.  And the flowers.  !!

I wanted this kind of badly, it's got the original tapestry seat under the needlepoint fruit.  Note the tiny ball and claw feet.  And, it's practically a chair, which explains the magnetic pull it had.   When I came back the half off day (that would make $7.50) it was gone.  Jesse did a little dance.  Sigh. So much potential.. 

It's not quite as cool as the Amish Cat I stalked at a San Clemente thrift shop, but it has cool potential.

I also ate a jar of cookies this weekend, and accompanied Giraffy to Farmer's Market, so it wasn't ALL running around, rummaging and taking pictures, just so you know. 

Finally. Sewing Mid Century Modern Chair Cushions

I finally got around to sewing new, r e a l, cushion covers for my mid century modern chairs. I've had the fabric for months, a bright purple upholstery flower design we picked up at a San Francisco fabric outlet, and 'sewing cushions' has been on the List shamefully long.

I enlisted to Jesse to draw a layout of the pieces I would need. Since I measured and came up with about 4 yards of fabric (3 and a half, plus half for error margin) I had to plan this a lot better that the 9 yards of brown fabric I had to hack away at.



I thought about doing piping on the sides – the original ugly orange had thick piping. Stitching it in would require a zipper foot, which I don’t have. I generally have a hard time finding parts for a 1922 machine. Might be it’s ONLY drawback.

I brought home some samples of cord I could hand stitch from the outside into the seam, but I am not convinced that the amount of work involved is proportional to the aesthetic benefit.

The following is probably only useful, nay, fascintaing if you’re interested in making chair cushions. If you are making mid century Danish lounge chair cushions, and have little to no sewing skills, its downright invaluable. I think, cause I looked all over the net for a tutorial and never found one. Otherwise, you can follow the picture trail to the finished product.

It’s a basic pattern of two squares for cushion (top and bottom), a long strip to comprise 3 sides, and shorter strip for the zipper top. With the seam allowances, the top “zipper strip” is made of two strips, each 3.5” as opposed to the one 5” thick “long side strip” that runs most of the way around. The cushions on the original chair were 4 x 23.5 x 24, so I went with that.



To make the top zippered side, I sewed the two fabric strips together, either because you’re supposed to do it that way, or because there would be no way I could keep them in place while I sewed the zipper on. So, I stitched them with the large stitch setting an inch from the edge, folded out the edges, and pressed.



From the wrong side, I laid the 36” zipper on top, centered. I found out too late that it’s the type of zipper that opens from either side. At first, I was disgruntled, but then I grew to like it. I don’t have a zipper foot, so being able to open it and move the ‘tongue’ down was really convenient when anchoring the ends of the zipper to fabric. The conventional one way zippers in longer lengths looked flimsy, with the small metal teeth that eat batting, thread, and get all stuck.. (In a related story, I heart JoAnn’s Fabrics 40% off coupons!)

I anchored the base of the zipper on one end, and trying to keep is centered (basting would be really good, if one had patience for that sort of thing) I stiched all the way down, about a ¼ inch in, anchored the other end the same way, and stitched back up along the other side, trying to keep same distance.



I was really tempted to rip out the stitches holding the zipper shut, but didn’t. I find if I stop and play, it extends the time exponentially.



Now, with the zipper strip down, it is to be attached to the long strip, which is to be sewn onto the square base. I wanted the zipper edge to look professional, so I closely inspected some porch furniture cushions on my aunt’s porch the afternoon prior.

The long strip is 68 inches long. You can make it up of shorter segments, but I was going for a seamless look. That, and I can’t be trusted to piece things together, that’s how things get out of control. The less pieces I have to work with, the better.

The zipper base is “hidden” in a pocket of a sort, and this pocket is attached to the zipper, perpendicularly, to stabilize it, not just along edges where it attaches to the cushion base. In order for this perpendicular stitch line not to show and spoil my seamless look, I sewed the zipper strip and the long strip right sides together at the bottom, and then folded the long strip back onto itself.



The math involved:
The zipper strip is 37”. Zipper itself is 36”, so half inch allowance on ends.
The long strip is 68”. Minus 23.5 of the bottom center width, leaves 44.5 to be divided into the sides.
44.5 divided by 2 is 22.25. So, coming up from the bottom center, I have 22 ¼ “ fabric strip.
The zipper strip is 37”. Subtract 23.5 of cushion top width is 13.5. Divided by two is 6.25”. So, from the top of the cushion, I have 6.25” of zipper strip.
I had decided that I will have 4” of zipper showing (to be able to open the cushion cover wider). I actually wanted more, but I liked the look of less zipper.
My cushion length is 24”. So, to have 4” of zipper showing, I need the rest of the long strip for that side at 20”.
I had 22.25, so I would fold 2.25” inches under. (A portion of this 2.25 is anchored to the zipper strip on the inside.
A picture shows it better. I ironed the fold, because I don’t baste.

The same is done on the other side of the cushion. They are completely symmetrical, so all the math is the same on the other side. 4” of zipper showing, 2.25” folded under, 20” remaining for the side. Bottom of zipper strip and long strip are anchored together with a perpendicular stitch line, that ends up hidden by the fold.

Now, all that’s left is stitching the side to the cushion.



I started at top center, making sure the center of the zipper strip is aligned with the center of the cushion. I had ½” allowance on the cushion, so once I stitched there, I would have to make the corner. Amazingly, it lined up with my mark on the zipper strip corner. I clipped the corner of the fabric to make turning it 90’ easier. I keep the square flat, and turn the strip 90 degrees.



Turning the corner, I stitched through the 4” of the remaining showing zipper side, and then stitched the fold that covers the remaining zipper and zipper base onto the cushion front (four layers of fabric for 2.25”). 24” inches later, I turned another corner, stitched the bottom, and came up to the other side. I stopped on this side just short of the fold. I wanted to make sure the fabric didn’t stretch as I sewed, and I wouldn’t have excess side strip (or, slightly worse, not enough side strip). I stitched from the beginning, top center cushion, going the other way along the zipper strip.

Once I turned the corner, and was a couple inches into the side, I stopped, and made sure that when folded, I had exact amount of ‘side strip’ as I did cushion side. I pinned it in place, since I don’t baste. Again, basting would probably help tremendously, and you can just stitch merrily your entire way around the cushion. I have a psychological thing about undoing stitches, of any kind though, so I am left to measure obsessively, pin, and hold my fingers crossed. (And sometimes undoing the finished product…)

Voila. It’s a cushion bucket of a sort:


Keeping in mind my pattern orientation, and for sake of uniformity, I simply sew on the other square cushion side, just as the first one, turning corners, notching the corners if need be. I started at top center, and I make sure when I get to my seam allowance, it lines up with the”corner” mark on the side strip.

Amazingly, everything lined up right. I guess that’s what happens when you only leave yourself a ½” seam allowance as opposed to “3-4 inches margin of error area” approach I like.

I probably should have ripped out the ‘basting’ stitch holding the zipper together, BEFORE I stitched the cushion shut from every side, because it’s a little hard to do from the inside, since the zipper tongue is sandwiched between zipper teeth and fabric stitched shut. I guess once the zipper is sewn in, there’s little value to keeping it closed while you sew.

I took out the stitches, and it looks beautiful. Had a used the flimsy zipper, it would be completely hidden, but it was a trade off – I like the bigger plasticky zipper teeth.



Less likely to eat batting and foam, I think. I love how much better, stiffer, and more stable the upholstery fabric makes the cushion as opposed to my temporary cotton fix.







Finished dimension: 24 x 23.5 x 4.

The chair back cushions are same, but only 15” tall. I got a 30” zipper, instead of 36”, because I won’t have it go as far down the sides. May be only an inch of zipper showing. It was midnight when cushion #1 reared its finished head. Tonight is cushions #2, 3, 4 time.

UPDATE:

Chair 1 complete!

Pacifica, the Fog, and Debbie's Attic

Jesse and I occasionally spend weekends up in Northern California. We both have family up there, and Jesse used to live in Brentwood (village, middle of nowhere).

This weekend it was my father's birthday, and I had spent both Thursday and Friday wrapped up in so much sicklyness, that I wanted a nice relaxing weekend out.

We stay with my father, they live over the hill from Rockaway Beach in Pacifica. I like it there, it gives us a nice break from constant SoCal sunshine, and right now, the heat.

Home of the Fog Fest:


Their house is filled with artwork and neat things, there's a forest of eucalyptus right outside, children pick rosemary and mint in the garden outside, it reminds me a little of a Ukrainian village. It's not over populated, there are hills clean of houses, and you can walk to get anything you need. Sometimes we go into San Fransisco, and to the Russian Orthodox church on Geary St, or to the kids' ballet perfomance, or to shop for Russian grocieries.

This time we just relaxed and wandered around town. On Saturday, we hit Debbie’s. Debbie's Attic is an antique/thrift/junk shop that has become affectionatelly dubbed Debbie's Dumpster and we visit it when we're there, along with couple other shops on the street where everyone knows my family. From Debbie's Dumpster came the word 'dumpstering', which is what kids called any activity that didn't involve buying nice new shiny stuff at Ikea, ie yard sales, antique/junk shops, etc.

This time we weren't just looking, Debbie's still (hopefully) had the Giant Frame I want to frame my TV in on the Bright Yellow Wall. We were there with purpose, especially since I had called ahead to check measurements, negotiate price ($75) and sent Linda (stepmom) to measure it and take pictures. While I was sniffing around the frame for chips, cracks, and any unpleasant odors associated with other people's dead skin, the price got dropped even further, so we finally loaded it in the truck.

Aaron Brothers wanted $550-720 for a frame, Debbie wanted $50.


The Next Coolest Thing to a Giant Frame:
For 10c, it is all mine, and I am planning my choice of fabric. Sadly, PatternReview.com had no record of 9777, so I'll be a pioneer of sorts.

An Awesome Chandelier That I Would Totally Buy If it Wasn't $350. (And if Jesse let me) (and if I had room for one)
It's not Jesse's day though, cause my stepmom gifted us a chandelier before we left. HA. It needs crystals and parts, and for me to figure out how it is assembled. It'll be a whole project!

There's also a dress form I've been stalking there. I'm making progress, it was not for sale the the previous two times I asked, but now they've taken my phone number "in case they want to get rid of it". Yes, I know, they promptly threw out my number, but it's progress regardless. I will call weekly to check up.

We drove around to the only Starbucks, the other little shops and even a yard sale, where there was a 24 x 48 (standard canvas size!) painting/frame - I'm always more interested in frames to frame stuff I paint/copy/paint. Anyway. It was $1. How do you walk away from that?

The One Dollar Frame That Couln't Be Left Behind:
The painting is kinda cute too. For now, it is gracing our garage.

We all also walked to Rockaway Beach and hung about Rockaway Antiques and the beach at sunset. I wanted nothing to do with the walking part of the hill walking, but it was a good way to work off the plate of cheese I had eated for lunch. (Sliced Mozzarella, Thinly sliced lemons, Olive oil, Mint leaves. Be careful)

I really do love living in CA:





We had dinner and tea outside with the chimenea running, and I briefly contemplated going out into the forest to stalk deer. I settled for a chimenea/paper ball competition where Jesse taught children obnoxious behaviour and Trash Talking 101. It was ugly. But it reminded me of my graceless winning by cheating at Scrabble (obnoxious gloating thrown in always, free of charge) and why he's perfect for me.



We were froggy about getting an early start next day and almost succeeded, at 4pm.

A yard sale in the middle of nowhere? I think I will! Turn Around!!!


I did really well this weekend not adding to my Collection of Random Things I Could Really Do Without, and here it all went wrong. Who knew? They had tractors parked in the front yard! Tractors!

They also had a pair of incredibly dusty, mid century modern tables. I asked how much they were, AS A JOKE. Anyway...

...$8 How could you not?


(The wood logs are in case I'm ever stranded and need a stool, a table, or a campfire. These things happen!)
Yes.. yes, I'm very ashamed of myself. We ALMOST made it home with no "pieces". I think Jesse and I have a $10 threshhold problem. Seriously, you could probably sell me an extra appendix, as long as its under 10 bucks. I need therapy.
But, BUT! I really do not intend to keep these. Mostly because I don't like the way they look (except that they match perfectly my chairs) But also because (Jesse tells me) there's really no room for end tables of this sort anywhere in our place

I just got super excited about breaking out the strippers, stains, varnishes, etc, and playing with these to refinish them. I figured at $4 dollars a piece I could afford to play with them, and it looks like I can throw them up on Craigslist or Ebay thereafter. I hear some crazy people do their whole houses in this pointy-legged Danish theme.