Economic Stimulus

This week, I've done my part for the economy. I'm not usually prone to the temptations of retail therapy, but something happened to my willpower this week. Perhaps these little Dutchboys and their cute little doggies had something to do with it:

My knees still go week when I look at this fabric. Look at those polite little doggies! Or how about this little animal party on pink gingham:

Agggh! Look at that elephant sleeping on his little rug. Irresistable. Don't they remind you of Little Golden Book characters? I got these two pieces (plus four others) from Superbuzzy. I LOVE Superbuzzy. I showed remarkable restraint. But someday, I'll have grandkids to sew for and all bets are off. Meanwhile, I'm slowly stockpiling. Stash stealth--that's my strategy. (It's also very hard to say ten times fast.)

Here is another purchase I made:

An adorable purse kit from Nanette at Freda's Hive. She supplied the instructions, outer panel fabrics, matching rick rack and fabric button (I LOVE that button!), and I supplied the handles and lining. The instructions were excellent and I'm very happy with how it turned out.

LOVE the button. Love the prints she picked out for this kit!

The instructions included this optional feature--slitted sides to make getting in and out of the bag easier. From now on, I'm giving all my bags this clever feature.

A peek at the inside. Don't you just love that yellow kitchen fabric??? Sigh.

The reverse--more wonderful prints.

I don't often buy kits because I feel like I want to make my "own" quilt or purse. But I love Nanette's taste so much! I wanted to work with what she picked out--and hopefully learn from her. I don't think I would have had the courage to mix these prints, but I did, and I lived! I LOVE this bag!

After I put Nanette's bag together, I had to have more. So I ordered this charm squares and trim kit from her:

It's a collection of lovely little prints and sweet trims. Some are vintage, some are Japanese imports, some are new fabrics. She also included a little precious pile of snippets, which I am still drooling over:

These are just a few of the snippets. Sigh. Thanks, Nanette. The kit is wonderful.

More excitement this week: I found a cigar box full of buttons and rick rack at a rummage sale:

These are just a few of my favorites. It's very hard to find anything old or antique here on the island; the weather, mold, mildew, bugs, etc. ad infinitum, are very hard on old things. People live a long life, but their stuff...not so much. So I'm always amazed when I run across things like this. It's very rare!

I also found a cutter cotton shirt that I couldn't pass up. The shirt was too small, but look at the fabric:

Happy frogs and mushrooms. I hope your day is as happy as these froggies.