i have a personal rule that i don’t buy myself gifts right before christmas, but i broke it over the weekend because… well, it’s the flea market! how can i resist the beautiful siren song that calls to me on the 4th weekend of every month (3rd weekend in december)? no. i can’t.
but i can share my goodies with y’all. ooh! let’s talk fabric & patterns!
the first batch of patterns are, sadly, not my size. they’re not terribly off – i usually wear a 32 or 34 bust- and i figure i can use them to learn pattern (down)grading. or maybe save them for a giveaway? 🙂 what do you think?
look at that awesome jacket with those sassy shorts!
i wish my hair did that.
this one reminds me so much of new look 6000, no? or maybe it’s just that pretty blue color.
i’m sad the envelope is so torn 😦 it was in slightly better condition when i bought it, but i ripped all the way when i pulled it out of my bag. waaaaah!
so that lot was $4. yep! i love this particular guy – he always has patterns for me, and his booth is full of cool antiques & records. speaking of which, in the same general building, there was a guy selling a singer featherweight for $250. my dream machine! i was ready to drop all my cash right then & there (and subsequently spend the rest of the month bicycling to work & eating ramen – seriously!), but i tested it & it was having major stitching issues 😦 aaand he wouldn’t go down on price. so we will wait on the featherweight.
flea market fabrics:
idk what this is, some kind of stretchy sateen fabric from the 80s lol. it is actually 3 irregular pieces, but i think i can make some kind of cute little cycling top out of it.
giant piece of plaid fabric that might morph into a jumper.
isn’t this one pretty?? there are about 2 yards, and it is sooo soft.
haha this one is pretty indulgent – and very small – but how could i leave it behind? peter rabbit corduroy? COME ON.
the colors are off in this one, it’s navy blue & white. it’s a sheer polyester something – i’m thinking either a chantilly or the peony with no sleeves.
my favorite – some class of terrifying plaid polyester fabric! i am seeing another pair of clovers already. of course, my boyfriend took one look at the fabric & said it looked like the kind of shit we used to buy at hot topic 10 years ago (you know, back when they sold velvet gothic dresses & vampire energy drinks lol), but i have decided to ignore him.
a couple big pieces of this creepy green fabric… after i got it home (and ew it smells like an old man), i realized it is obviously some kind of upholstery fabric.
a nice sized piece of bandana fabric, which is clearly destined to be some class of skanky halter top, amirite?
there were several yards of this one… i think it’s a linen-blend? kind of 80s.
fun fact: serging the edges for prewashing looks like shaving a mustache lol
hahha so southwestern! i think this fabric is sort of ugly (and, i quote my boyfriend, “that looks like an ugly set of curtains i ripped out of a house i was gutting”), but it also looks very 50s to me & i think it would make a great shirt dress! especially since there is a LOT of it. i didn’t measure, but at least 4-5 yards.
i LOVE this floral fabric. it is kind of stiff, but i think a wash will soften it up a little.
total for all the fabrics: $6.
they also all smell like a really really old man, so they’ll be getting a proper wash tonight. where? at my boyfriend’s house, of course. he can’t insult my flea market fabrics & get away with it.
i also tried to buy a singer spartan sewing machine for $25 at the last booth i visited, but the woman got all bullhurt at me because i wanted to test the machine (you know, to make sure it sews!) and then yelled at me for pulling off the throat plate to check that the bobbin was intact. she accused me of trying to break her sewing machine and wasting her time because i obviously had no intention of buying it. i will admit, i cried a little after that confrontation. kind of dampened my mood… i just went home. but you know what? at least i only had to deal with her for a few minutes. she has to put up with her bad attitude for the rest of her life.
more patterns! i picked these up at the southern thrift store by my house. they have this terrible policy where they dump a bunch of “like” items in a plastic bag, staple it shut, and make you buy the whole bag. i convinced the cashier to let me open the bags & dig through, but she wouldn’t let me swap out patterns. there was something like 15-20 patterns per bag, and 4 bags of them, so you can imagine how much she hated me by the time i was done 🙂 haha! i bought 2 of the bags… here are some of my favorites.
i don’t even like this pattern, but i LOVE THAT PONYTAIL
really really REALLY wish the envelope was intact 😦
lol i can’t even
LOVE this one.
welp, there’s the shirt dress!
and there’s the jumper!
this is totally ridiculous. the girl in the pink is my favorite.
is this a maternity pattern? it looks a lot like one of the dresses posted on liz’s blog (~new relaxed silhouettes~, third image).
i will confess that i end up with a lot of patterns just based on the illustration. helment-hair over here is no exception.
and look! a couple of men’s patterns!
too bad my boy is too small for these 😦
the bags were priced at $5.99 each, and i bought 2. in addition to the pretties here (and many many more that i haven’t posted), i got some uglies too. not a bunch of really bad ones – most were just stuff that doesn’t look good on me, like 60s A-line dresses – but oooh here are a few of the worst.
this is a bad picture of a picture, but i swear those pants…things are cut out of an actual fleece blanket.
yep.
there are quite a few more patterns that i didn’t post (48 photos in all!), so if you want to see the rest, check out the set!
LLADYBIRD 
Eek! Love the jumper! Umm… are those women in the bottom photo? Love the “Working Girl” suits… yay 80’s!
Man I’m jealous. I spend way too much on patterns,and I never find cool awesome packets of patterns. It’s worth those amazing plaid pants (WHICH YOU MUST MAKE) to get so many cool patterns.
What a haul! There are some absolute gems of patterns here that are to die for & at such bargain prices – totally worth breaking your pre Christmas rule – some great fabrics too (esp the last floral -#swoon#). Thanks though for the big chuckles at the lesser end of the style spectrum. Please don’t say that you will be making your plaid into trousers out of the last pattern ….or the plaid triangulating jacket …
I love most of these patterns, but the palazzo pants and the one with the kerchief on her head (my favorite look in the 70s) make me a little sick.
I’m so sorry that lady yelled at you. I get very upset by these confrontations, too, and you have to realize that’s why she’s selling stuff at flea markets — she can’t get a job or work with people. Major personality disorder. You don’t want a sewing machine from someone like that — major bad juujuu. I bought both my Singers — they are both from the 50s — for 50.00 dollars and both continue to run well after tune up. Actually, my mother bought me one of them for my 8th graduation and 49 years later, she is still “borrowing” it. I think I’ve actually had it in my home for a total of 5 years since 1966. Anyway, these are happy machines. You need a machine from someone who likes you and likes sewing machines and is happy to let you try it for as long as you want. Same with featherweight guy: hummmmpppphhhh to that!
yeah, there was an older man standing right there when she yelled at me (we were talking about the machine, and i had just finished saying, “i am probably going to buy this machine, i just want to check if the bobbin is here…”) and after she walked away, he said “psh, don’t take it personally. she’s like that to everyone – a grump, just nasty & rude.”
Oh, and yes, that’s a maternity dress. I love how they don’t even get close to disclosing that….!
OMG, I’m so jealous right now! I defo think some of those size 16s (3rd one down, I’m looking for you) should be your next giveaway – lol ;o)
I can’t believe that ‘lady’ shouted at you, what an idiot! She didn’t deserve your money anyway!
Schnikes, you cleaned house!
McCall’s 2935: I’d always thought the suit shorts thing was sooo weird; until I saw Tina Turner do it. She had on this YSL suit with shorts, black hose and some killer heels. She looked like a million bucks and I kinda went ‘wow, so chic!’.
You could make this killer hat from the bandana fabric: http://wundermarysays.blogspot.com/2011/11/does-this-hat-make-me-look-crazy.html
and isn’t it interesting how fab “ugly” fabrics can be? I instantly imagined this dress done in it: http://vintagepatterns.wikia.com/wiki/Advance_4809
Butterick 5946 is some 80’s prom/wedding nightmare, hysterical!
Sorry about the machines 😦 tinygoldenpins is right, you don’t want to import their bad mojo into your sewing room. your machine will turn up. As far as that crazy screaming lady goes, f**k her.
tina turner can do whatever the eff she wants, though- kind of like dolly parton & cher. i am not opposed to collecting fashion tips from those ladies 😉
ooh i like that hat! i don’t really wear hats, though – i hate my ears haha!
I LOVE Dolly Parton, glad to hear you’re not opposed to collecting fashion tips from her! Sorry to hear about the screaming old bag/sewing machine confrontation. It would have totally made me cry too. Just remember, you’re fabulous and she’s a nutter.
I can’t believe how cheap all your gorgeous patterns and fabric were and yes, that Vogue one instantly reminded me of the NL 6000 too! x
The sewing machine lady sounds like a miserable b*itch. Bummer how depending on our mood at the time, something like that can really sting.
But, great haul on the fabric and patterns! I must admit though, I like the McCall’s 8180!! I can totally see that cute little puff sleeve jacket in a teal (one of my faves too) or eggplant!
The rest of the pattern, not so much…
Saw this and thought of you. I imagine you probably want to try the machine yourself. But, this is a seller with a 100% rating on 1881 sales. So, maybe he’d be worth a convo about functionality?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Singer-Featherweight-221-Sewing-Machine-1948-/150698382571?pt=BI_Sewing_Machines&hash=item231652d4eb
oooh very nice! i actually just put a deposit down on one at an antique store here… i am going to give it a proper test tomorrow (they told me if it doesn’t function i can get my deposit back! i checked!). SO EXCITED. my dream machine!