This year, my Mom and I have ventured into the realm of Estate Saling. It has become quite a favorite with us and it's rather addicting! Consequently I thought it would be fun to chronicle our finds from time-to-time on here. :-) An added bonus is that I'll be adding things to the Etsy shop as I find suitable items- so stay tuned for those!
One of the first sales of the season was, well, Amazing. The owner had been part of the local historical society and had a collection of antique clothing and accessories. Most of them were out of our price range or eras of interest, but we can home with quite a substantial haul none-the-less. ;-)
One of the funnest, most unique finds of the day were these 1930s collar/cuff sets! How cool are they?!?
Why yes, that is a feedsack print. And yes, that is an adorable little gingham-edged organdy. Complete with hem-stitching.
Polka dots. Be still my heart.
I'm going to have to work up the courage to use them though.... it's so tempting to hoard things I love so much! ;-)
Plaid isn't my favorite typically, but this cotton print caught my eye immediately! With accessorizing options of mustard, brown, cherry red, and aqua, this is so versatile!! When we came home, I found tucked inside the fabric these clippings from the 1950s....
How adorable is that? Now I know what the original seamstress was planning!
Sadly, there is not nearly enough fabric to make a dress like these (which might explain how it was never sewn), but I find it so fun that these clippings stayed with their inspiration fabric for over 60 years! It also makes a good impetus to not allow it to languish in the stash for 60 more years- it needs to finally fulfill all the expectations put upon it! ;-)
Another sale we went to was the home of a lawyer and his wife who became tour guides later in life and traveled the world. They had a fun, eclectic variety of items from all over the world- they seemed like they would have been such fun to know! Men's English driving caps, Scandinavian ski sweaters, Scottish kilted skirts, Oriental robes, TONS of trunks, and so much more! After this sale, we discovered that vintage robes are SUCH fun to wear- I was never a big robe-wearer, but when you can wear something this fabulous- you make lifestyle changes accordingly. ;-)
Such fabulous details! The collar, cuffs, and pockets of the brocade have chevron decorative stitching and the frog closure is made from tubes of the fabric. The black jacquard is embroidered throughout in a delicate pattern.
And.... just for fun- we couldn't resist the London Tube Map umbrella! Too, too perfect. ;-)
If I can keep my act together, I'd really like to document the highlights of our shopping trips occasionally- this post has made me remember little details that were almost forgotten, and it will be so nice to have documentation years down the road!
How about you? Do any of you go estate-saling? Have you found anything exciting at sales, antique stores, or online lately? :-)
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Oh. My. GOODNESS. I'm about to go crazy over those collar and cuff sets!! They are the most beautiful things EVER!! I can't wait to see you wearing them.
ReplyDeleteThis post definitely makes me want to go estate-saling again. We've been to one, and it was so epically boring and vintage/sewing-related-less that it almost ruined me for the whole idea! I'm inspired to try it again, however after seeing all this! Goodness!
I love that plaid fabric as well, and vintage robes? What could be better?! Thank you for sharing your amazing finds!
Esther, I do hope you give estate-saling another try! They can tend to be rather "diamond in the rough"ish, but you never know what you might find! ;-) (which of course makes it all the more enjoyable!)
DeleteWow! Those 30s collars and cuff sets are amazing! And that's a great idea for using up very small amounts of cute fabric. :)
ReplyDeleteI know! Isn't it, though?! Now I have ideas for how to use up the fat quarters of vintage fabric I was gifted that I'm at a complete loss as to how to use, not being a quilter and all. ;-)
DeleteThe cuffs and collars are such a fantastic find! I love going to estate sales. Many of the items in my home came from estate sales. Prior to marrying, Adam and I would go to sale quite regularly. We found wonderful kitchen tools, dishes, furniture.... the list goes on! And the prices are usually fabulous. I look forward to seeing your future finds: : )
ReplyDeleteGreat finds! Thanks so much for sharing. Oh my goodness, those collar/cuff sets are amazing! I would certainly buy one if you listed them for sale. ;)
ReplyDelete-Emily
Oh man... now this post is just making me wish I had purchased *all* the collar sets they had... Yes, that's right. I left at least half of them still there.... kicking myself now! Live and learn, right? ;-)
DeleteThose collar and cuff sets are ADORABLE!!! You lucky duck! We haven't been able to go to any estate sales recently, but I love going to one when I can.
ReplyDeleteBrigid
the Middle Sister and Singer
Ooh! You have no idea how much we love estate sales and antique stores! The thrill of finding a treasure hidden among other things... We used to do garage sales quite often but now mostly frequent one small local antique/thrift store which has given us so many delightful surprises over the years! Those estate sales you found sound like so much fun! And a little overwhelming; I would have wanted to buy ''everything''! One issue I have with myself and antique shopping is that I don't know what is the most rare or valuable. Of course we know what we want, but what is a good deal on fabric-style thing? If you have any tips, I'd love to hear them. :)
ReplyDeleteMarjo, well... I'm far from being an expert yet! I've just kept my eyes open for things I like at antique stores (helps to travel to different areas, usually there are price bubbles on different things) and go from there. Other than that, I just let my own penny-pinching, tight-fistedness determine what I'm willing (or not) to buy. ;-) At this point, I'm not too concerned with resale value, so it's just a matter of what I want!
DeleteThat's always a good rule; buying what you know you want and will use! We're kind of like that ourselves. :) But I hope in the future to become more knowledgeable about what are the rare items and such.
DeleteOH MY GOODNESS THE POLKA DOTS.
ReplyDeleteWhat truly fantastic finds! You are so fortunate to have a number of estate sales to attend in your area. If you can luck out and track one down here (soooo rare), they almost never have any pre-70s (and often no pre-90s) items any more. I literally daydream about finally hitting upon an amazing vintage filled one some day. Thirty years of life and counting and it hasn't happened yet! Hopefully sooner or later!
ReplyDelete♥ Jessica
Jessica, wow! I had no idea that I was taking these sales for granted! That knowledge will add to my appreciation from here on out. :-)
DeleteOh. my. word. What awesome finds! Those collars & cuffs... That fabric - ooo the colors! I know exactly what you mean about hoarding... Hello, my name is Michelle & I have hoard vintage lovelies. lol!
ReplyDeleteI look forward to seeing more fun finds! :D
Michelle ^_^
Delightful Handwork
LOL! Yeah.... must. not. hoard. Wait, who am I kidding?? Hoard all the things!! ;-)
DeleteI would LOVE to go to estate sales, but alas I don't believe they exist here in the UK nor in my home country The Netherlands. Or at least, I've tried finding them in the past but I can never find any. I guess it must be a very American thing. Weird thing is though, that my family did have an estate sale when my grandmother passed. Surely we can't be the only ones!
ReplyDeleteThat is so sad, Renee! I hope you're able to find some over there. In the meantime, I'll take these less for granted- I had no idea I was so fortunate!
DeleteYay! I'm so glad you all enjoyed this post so much!! It was such fun to write, and I'm brimming with more to share. :-D I'm thinking it'll probably become a monthly feature. :-) (and next time I come across awesome collar sets and such that you all would probably love, I'll be sure to buy enough to share! ;-))
ReplyDeleteI am so happy you have discovered estate sales! They are a great place to find some seriously wonderful vintage and antique items! I hope you find some fabulous treasures in your new adventure!!
ReplyDeleteBlessings!
Gina
The cuffs and collars look like they're bound with bias tape on the edge. Is that right? So they can be sewn onto a garment at the edge of the bias tape?
ReplyDeleteEmileigh, yes they're bound with bias tape! The bias tape edge wraps around to the inside of the garment where it's sewn on so the bias isn't visible. :-)
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