Fabric Flea Market - Worth Waiting For

Once a year, there is a Fabric Flea Market held at the Community Centre in my neighbourhood. It's a school fundraiser, and such a fantastic idea. They bring in tons of money by charging a small admission fee (2$) and manning (personning?) a large table of donated fabrics. Vendors also rent out tables to sell all kinds of crafty goodness, from fabric (new and vintage), buttons, thread, all kinds of notions, yarn of all varieties, patterns, sewing books and magazines .. the list goes on. Doors are only open for a short while (four hours), so it's a quick fundraiser that is so anticipated by the local crafting community.

Holly and I lined up at 9:35 and were within the first 20 or so people. By 9:45 the line had snaked out the door, through the parking lot, and around the community centre. It's a bit of a pushy crowd and I admit you have to get a bit agressive to make it through this sale in one piece. But oh, the dividends are worth it.

My first stop was a kindly elderly woman who was selling off her stash of unwanted goods. I picked up a huge baggie of white buttons for a dollar. A dollar!! I quickly moved along, losing Holly in the process, and picked up some cute cottons, some funky trim, a big ziploc bag full of vintage doilies and hankies (2$!), more buttons, and some thread and some embroidery floss (10cents a skein). All in all, a perfectly fruitful morning. (And I managed to find Holly with enough time to grab a coffee and compare our finds - possibly the most fun part of the morning. We're scheduling a button sorting part in the near future. Call us mega craft nerds if you will, but I just love my new buttons and so does she.)

Here are a few shots of my finds:

(Image 1 - the Lot, Image 2 - Vintage prints - sooo good, Image 3 - Funky Owl Trim, Image 4 - Button-apollooza)

I'm hoping to get some ornaments made using some of these luscious new buttons in time for the sale. I'm planning on some patchwork stars (thanks Lina for the tutorial and the go ahead to make some for my sale!), and am also feeling inspired by this, these, these, and this. Wouldn't a mini tree full of ornaments made using buttons be great?

- Donna