My Fabric Stash!

  I have a rather large collection of  fabrics that have been languishing in boxes, aching to be made into something wonderful!  Most were purchased in the 1970's and 1980's.

I do not know the fabric content of every piece.  I will describe them to the best of my ability.  They are sold as is - by that I mean I will not cut them into shorter pieces - unless otherwise stated.  All pictures are actual scans of the fabric. It is sometimes difficult to get the exact color for your viewing - keep that in mind if you are trying to match something.

In order to prepare them for sale, I WASHED everything in cold water and dried them in the dryer.  Therefore, every piece has been pre-shrunk for you!  In some cases, this has changed the texture/hand of the fabric, as well as ending up with some unusual widths.  I do my best to describe what the fabric is now like. For instance, I had some raw silks that were very stiff and are now soft with a lovely drape.  I hope you are pleased with your selection and I would love to know what you made - emails and pictures are welcome!

You can find my fabrics, along with vintage Stretch & Sew Patterns, in my Addoway storefront @ http://www.addoway.com/donnasstuffmore/storefront/ or my
Etsy shop @ http://www.etsy.com/shop/DonnasStuffMore.  Check back often for new selections.

If you are unhappy with any fabric purchase, I will refund your purchase price (shipping not included) once I receive the returned, uncut yardage.

Stretch & Sew Patterns

In the early 1960's Ann Person had been teaching sewing classes, coordinating fashion shows, and more when she was given a carton of knit remnants as a thank-you for teaching one of her sewing classes.  But when Ann tried to turn those remnants into clothing for her daughters, it wasn't as easy as she first thought.  There were no patterns or guidelines for knit fabrics in the home.  So Ann started experimenting - first by taking apart knit ready-to-wear garments.  From there she developed easy sewing techniques and teaching them all over the area.

Her first patterns were on butcher paper - her students traced the sizes they needed and then got to work.  From there, commercial patterns, and eventually stores evolved. I had the privilege of meeting Ann in 1977 when I completed my first Teacher Training Course.  In my opinion Stretch & Sew Patterns are still the best on the market.  I can make size adjustments on the patterns, and they always run true.

What is different about Stretch & Sew Patterns?  They are multi-sized master patterns.  Most patterns have up to nine sizes in one envelope.  They are met to be traced, not cut.  This gives you the advantage of being able to combine sizes for a perfect fit - for example, in a dress pattern a size 12 bodice and 14 skirt.  Also, patterns can be used for more than one person and you don't need a new one if your size fluctuates.  This is really great for kids patterns - we all know how quickly they can grow!

The basic, classic styles of these patterns make it easy to be creative.  Many times you can easily take parts of different patterns and put them together in a new way to create your own design.

Originally designed just for knit fabrics,  in the mid-eighties Stretch & Sew started making a few patterns for woven fabrics.  They also did extensive research on their knit patterns and found with a few adjustments like tracing up a size, many could be used for woven patterns.  I do have that information available for anyone who may need it.  Just ask about a specific pattern by leaving a comment here.

You can find the Stretch & Sew Patterns I have for sale at Addoway @ http://www.addoway.com/donnasstuffmore/storefront/
 or in my Etsy store @ http://www.etsy.com/shop/DonnasStuffMore.  I will be adding more as I sort through the ones I am willing to give up!  I will also be listing fabrics in my Etsy store in the near future, so check back often.

Peaches & Herb Handpicked List

I'm really having fun creating handpicked lists.  The idea for this one came from the music of Peaches & Herb.  If you were around in the 60's, you will remember "For Your Love" and other great songs.  I have two LP albums featuring the original twosome in my Bonanza booth @ www.bonanza.com/booths/pt2bch.  To create this list I chose items from other sellers that were related to either peaches  or herbs! Check out the whole list @ http://www.bonanza.com/hand_picked_lists/64794.

Cowboys and Cowgirls!

I just finished a new handpicked list.  I found some really cute things - wish I could have put in more (it is limited to twenty five items). I was unable to put in the pin shown above - you can find it @ http://www.bonanza.com/booths/pt2bch/items/Lang_Sterling_Brooch_Cowgirl_with_Lasso_Vintage


The whole list is @ http://www.bonanza.com/hand_picked_lists/64209

What are collector's of Postal History looking for?

I have an old stamp collection that I am slowly selling off. I came across some old envelopes (1800's to early 1900's) and postcards that I didn't know what to do with: soak the stamps off, or try to sell "as is".  Pictured above is a postcard from 1901 announcing a meeting of the New England Women's Press Association. In researching to try to find the answer, I came across this wonderful article from Collector's Weekly. If you have old postcards with stamps, envelopes with stamps you will find this article fascinating. I had never heard of collecting Postal History!

http://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/an-interview-with-postal-history-collector-richard-frajola/ Collecting postal history, it turns out, is often more valuable than just stamp collecting, and certainly more fascinating. Collectors of postal history are more interested in where the cover (envelope) has been, how it got there, and the story behind it.

One of the envelopes is really interesting, just from a human point of view. It is from Mr. Theodore Means to Mrs. Theodore Means. There is no letter enclosed, but on the inside of the envelope is written "If your coming Please let me know also come home this week. My Hot pants are freezin.signed The Boldest guy on earth." It was postmarked Feb. 12, 1934 and mailed from Brooklyn, NY and sent to Dorchester, Mass.

We can only conjecture - did they have a spat and he was trying to get her back for Valentine's Day? An interesting piece of history.

You can see this and other interesting covers @ http://myworld.ebay.com/pt2bch. Scroll down the left side and click on "view all listings". I also have specialty cover collections @ http://www.bonanza.com/booths/pt2bch and @ http://www.addoway.com/donnasstuffmore/storefront/.

Vinyl LP Records - Why they are still popular, their care and cleaning

All commercial records pressed prior to 1957 were monaural (mono) meaning they only had one signal channel to speakers or headphones. Stereophonic LP's had been tinkered with since the 1930's - the idea being that recorded
music sounds better when each ear is presented with a different element of the overall sound.

But stereo was very expensive - in the early 60's only wealthy adults could afford state-of-the-art "hi-fi" stereo systems with two speakers. Teenagers, the biggest consumers of records made do with cheap mono record players
with one speaker. And stereo records cost more than mono. Because of this, artisits like Frank Sinatra were more likely to put out stereo recordings while pop stars kept to mono recordings. That began to change in 1966 when inexpensive stylus cartridges allowed stereo records
to be played on mono turntables.

Most popular rock bands of the 60's put very little energy into their stereo recordings. They put all their efforts into performing, mixing, and mastering their mono tracks. Stereo mixes were almost an afterthought.

Take 1967’s “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” which is now considered one of the greatest stereo experiences on vinyl. At the time, the Beatles and their world-renowned producer George Martin lavished great time and attention on the mono recording. The stereo mix was left to a secondary producer named Geoff Emerick, who tossed off the task in three hours. Later, George Harrison would insist, “You haven’t heard ‘Sgt. Pepper’ if you haven’t heard it in mono.”

Many audiophiles today insist that original mono recordings sound far better than their stereo versions. Mono recordings can be slower and more sparse, faster and more aggressive, or sonically more dense than stereo recordings
of the same songs.

Excerpts above were taken from the following article at Collector's Weekly. See the following link for more information: http://www.collectorsweekly.com/records/mono.

Some newer bands are still releasing in vinyl.Red Hot Chili Peppers released stadium arcadium in vinyl. A vinyl record captures a special time and space that a digital recording can't. It is warmer, and often has more depth. Plus many covers are pieces of art that you can hold in your hand - for example Bernadette Peter's self-named album with the Vargas art cover.

LP records aren't hard to care for. You can purchase special kits for cleaning old LP's, but I have found a solution of a little baby shampoo in lukewarm water works very well.I wash the record with a very wet microfiber cloth using this solution and following the grooves on both sides. I rinse well with lukewarm water,let drain for a few minutes, then I lay it flat on a microfiber towel and finish drying by wiping with a dry microfiber cloth following the grooves,flip it over and do the same drying on the other side.I have done this with records that were totally "stuck"in a groove (hence term broken record) and they played perfectly after!

Vinyl records should never be stacked - they should be stored vertically to prevent warping and damage to them.

I also have an Ion turntable that plugs directly into my computor. It come with software that allows me to record and convert these wonderful old LPs into MP3 format and transfer to my iPod. I'm sure there are other companies that make these.

I have LP Records for sale @ http://www.addoway.com/donnasstuffmore/storefront/.

Scarf Tying

Many of us have scarves in our wardrobes, but really don't know what to do with them. I found the following neat & easy technique on YouTube @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPNNvLOW8hY. And there are many others.

The history of scarves is fascinating. The ancient Romans used them to keep clean - men wore them around their neck or through their belt and used them to wipe sweat off their face and neck. Yuck! It is also believed by historians that during the reign of the Chinese Emperor Cheng, scarves were used by the soldiers to denote rank.

By the early 19th century, scarves were an important fashion accessory for both men and women.

I have a number of scarves for sale in my Bonanza booth @ http://www.bonanza.com/booths/pt2bch. Some are silk and some are polyester. Both fabrics have a great drape and hand that is desirable for happy scarf tying! Have a great day!