The Estate Sale Next Door

As I was walking our dog Puck this morning at 7am, I noticed a man trying to post Estate Sale signs at the Condos next to us.  I was excited I hardly ever get the chance to go to a yard sale or estate sale and here was one only steps away.  I waited for an hour until they opened and wandered around and noticed so many things about the nameless person whose things I was inspecting.  She was a crafter, she loved working with artificial flowers.  She was like me and had vintage patterns, spools of thread, ribbon, and tulle.  In an earlier life she had quite a lifestyle, beaded gowns and real fox stoles, she liked to play bridge.  It made me sad to think if she had children, that they were letting strangers sell her things.

On a happier note I found some really wonderful finds.  I finally found some wool sweaters that I am going to felt.  I am sure that she would be happy to know that her red sweater dress will be on some of the finest Christmas trees this year, and some of her rhinestone jewelry will be walking down the aisle on Amy's Wedding day.   Out of my dispair comes hope and promise.  You will be able to find some of these great bits and pieces in my Etsy Shop at http://www.highlandinspirations.etsy.com/

Here are some instructions on how to felt a sweater. 

1 Find a 100 percent wool sweater. You can find wool sweaters at the Salvation Army and other thrift stores very inexpensively. If you plan to wear the felted sweater, be sure to buy a couple of sizes larger than you normally wear, as the sweater will shrink in the felting process.

2

Wash your sweater in the washing machine, either alone or with a towel or pair of jeans. Wash the sweater on the hot/cold setting with a small amount of liquid or powder detergent, about 1/4 cup.

3

Dry the sweater and any other items (if desired) on the hottest setting your dryer offers. Be sure to dry the sweater completely, then wash and dry the sweater two more times.

4

Remove the sweater from the dryer after repeating the wash/dry cycle three times. Check the sweater to determine if it has felted properly; take a pair of scissors and snip a very small indentation into an inconspicuous area in the hem of the sweater. If it does not fray, it has completed the felting process. If it does fray, repeat the wash/dry cycle one more time.

I bought a sweater dress and sweater for $2.50. I am hoping to get a lot of flowers and ornaments out of them.  It was a good buy and it won't go in the landfill.  I'll post some pictures of my felted products once I get them made. 

Wish me luck!  Julie