Thrift Store Treasure ~ Plates

Over the years I have blogged about my thrift store finds here and there. Years and years ago, when Mr. TRH and I were newly married we couldn't afford much. Out of necessity (and it was fun to find things at such a cheap price too!) I shopped at thrift stores a lot. I still love shopping at thrift stores and garage sales, but the way I shop has changed over the years. There are things I look for and collect and one of the things is small floral plates.

They are so many plates at the store, but to find a plate with beautiful floral design in good condition is very hard. Little by little my collection grew...

When I checked the back of the plates to see where they were made, most of them are from England and Japan. Then some from china and unidentified ones. My collection is still small, but someday I want to display them to create a "great wall of china".

Because there are several things I look for when I enter the thrift store I hesitate where I should start looking. What if when I am looking at vintage sheets, pretty floral plates are taken by someone. What if when I am looking at vintage books, a rare milk glass vase was thrown in to another person's cart?! Ahh! Such drama! If you are a thrift shopper at heart you will understand exactly what I am talking about.

I will write about other things I collect in the near future. Is there anything in particular you look for at thrift stores?

Colorful Patchwork Bags and Baskets Blog Hop & Crafsy Class Review

Hello! I am participating in Colorful Patchwork Bags and Baskets blog hop today! Caroline of Sew Can She and Co-author of Just for You has a new Craftsy class and I got to review it and make a fun tote bag. Let me tell you my experience first and at the end of the post, I have a special surprise for my readers (grin).

I had a couple pre-cut bundles from Cotton + Steel and have been dying to make something with them. When I started watching her class, I knew this would be perfect project for the pre-cut bundles. Rachel needed a new church bag; not just for scriptures, but for a note pad, pens, church magazines and such. Well, the usual stuff that I always end up carrying for her in my bag. Those baskets are cute, but I chose to make a bag this time.

Since I am not doing a tutorial, I get to share the finished bag right away! I love how it turned out.

Here is the other side...

I love how it showcases the prints on the pre-cuts.

I changed things up a little bit and used leftover squares to create the inner pocket. I also decided to do pockets on both sides of the bag and sewed down the middle, I have four pockets outside. Isn't that fun and nice to organize things?

What I love about Caroline's class is, it is very easy to follow! This is coming from someone who is not very good at following instructions to begin with, and English is my second language. She explains things very clearly and covers details very well. I loved how she uses Gridded Interfacing to do the patchwork too! This will make it easier for someone who has never done patchwork and may be a bit intimidated by it.

Rachel LOVED her new bag and that made me so happy. :) Whether you are making the bag for yourself, your daughter, grand daughter, mom or a friend, this is a such a fun bag to make. Here is the special link to receive 50% off for her class.

Check out all the other blog hop participants for more fun projects!

Tutorial~ Half Hexie Fly Away Quilt with Desert Bloom

I had fun designing this Fly Away quilt using half hexie (you can download the template) using Amanda Herring's new fabric line "Desert Bloom"!
You can hop over to see the whole tutorial on Riley Blake Design.

It is such a simple and easy quilt to make. If you are looking for a easy and quick quilt to make on the weekend you might possibly find one. :)

Have a lovey day!

Sachiko