Oh - more thrift shop fun!!!!

My birthday was Wednesday - and I had quite a day!!!! First - Don and I went to DOL to get our enhanced driver's licenses. These are a little more complicated than regular Washington driver's licenses - you can use them instead of a passport for crossing the border into Canada - and since we only live about 25 miles from the border - we like to take jaunts up there now and then.

My license was expiring on my birthday so I had to get mine done and we figured we would get Don's done at the same time. At least they give you appointments for the enhanced license - so we got right in at 8:30. You have to take proof of WA residence (property tax statement for this year), proof of citizenship (certified birth certificate - don't even think about taking a copy of it) and for me, proof of name change (marriage license, with identifiable number from the state of issue (Texas). They do a facial scan electronically and put a chip on the license that can be scanned at the border and they scan your face again and see if it matches. Hope old age and gravity don't change us too much. :-)

Then I did some errands, groceries, library, fabric store, craft store, prescription - then to Lynden for a birthday lunch with a new friend. She goes to a thrift store in Lynden and I'd never been before - so off we went after a fish 'n chips lunch.

Did I have fun? Or did I have fun? The prices are wild - wildly cheap that is - in this store and I made off with some great stuff.

First some gallon bags full of fabrics - usually fat quarters - but some a little smaller. The three bags were 49 cents, or 69 cents and 79 cents each - wow - I couldn't believe it - after asking Gayle if she wanted them - and she declined - I grabbed them up.

This was a mixed bag - it also had several nice pieces of muslin . . .

I split up some of the bags to show the fabrics that goes together - these darling bears are some of my favorites . . .

And some springtime fabrics and bunnies in a border . . .

There were two of these sections stitched together already - have to figure something to do with them - they are about a yard long each . . .

This didn't go with anything else - but sure is a cute fat quarter . . .

A bag of blues and some cute sailboats . . .

And then I saw it - a big big bag - full of quilt blocks - just stuffed full . . .

All these Dresden Plate blocks - English paper pieced and appliqued to a white background - one or two had the centers appliqued - the rest were just waiting for the centers. . .

They are done in late 70s, early 80s fabrics - and as charming as can be. There were three plates that weren't appliqued to the backgrounds, but the background fabric for those was included - plus enough background squares to make several more blocks if I want to - or need to make more, to make this into a bed quilt. Each block is 16" square. And now - are you ready for the price??? Are you sure you are ready?? Maybe you'd better sit down - oh right - you are sitting at the computer - ok - I got all the blocks - plus the extra background fabrics - for . . . .

$2.99 - total - that was it - $2.99 - I just couldn't believe it!!! That bag was in my basket so fast you couldn't even follow it. :-) A whole quilt top for $2.99 - wow - that is the best bargain I've ever found!!!! Now you see why I liked that new thrift shop!!!!

The unfinished blocks . . .
This one sort of doesn't match - it might become part of the label on the back - we'll see. . .
The back of one of the blocks - I can take the brown paper out and use it for a pattern if I decide I want more blocks. Now I need to find more fabrics from the 70s and 80s - or at least some that appear to be from that time - I want to border each block with scrappy strips - like the one below.

This one block has this little border and I love it - but unfortunately there wasn't any leftover fabrics included - so I begin the hunt!!! Do you know anyplace to get some 70s and 80s scraps?

I also picked up two old cookbooks - one for vegetables from the WA vegetable council and one for Ben and Jahn - Fun with Cooking with Kids. It was a great day!!!

Thank you Gayle for such a fun afternoon!!!