Monday, May 2, 2011

A better permanant fix- hopefully- and why thrift stores are bad for me

I think I may have-hopefully- fixed the broken pin problem I have been having.  In my prior post, I showed using a shelf pin, but it was just a little too big, so into the
junk drawer I searched.  I found an eyelet screw.  Aha! I thought, so I decided to try it on one of my many broken pieces.  It works! Better than the shelf pin even!  I can put the cap on, lift it up and down, etc.  Eureka, I think I got it! I really, really hope so.  Here's a pic:
 See the silver eyelet screw? I used my drill with a very small bit to drill a pilot hole into the plastic where the take-up pin broke.  Then, I used a pair of pliers to help screw in the screw.  Put it into place, and it works.  Let's see how it does when I put a quilt on the frame (maybe tonight).  I'll keep you posted.  

Onto why thrift stores are bad for me.  I have been trying to keep my cost of fabric down.  I have sworn to keep away from quilt shops, etc for a while and use up some of the fabric I have.  Well, we have a new Goodwill thrift store not to far from me, and I have discovered their clearance center.  99 cents per pound for clothing.  Yes, 99 cents!  I can't remember whose blog it was I read about the clearance centers, but when this store opened less than a year ago, they became the only store in the area with the clearance.  So, this is from just one trip:


The orange dress has about 2 yards alone!  And I love the brown and the green fabrics.  Oh, the possibilities!  And, I am doing my part for the environment by keeping these from going to the landfill.  I also only spent maybe $5 for all of it.  So, I saved money, did my part for the environment, and got a lot of fabric.  That's my story, and I'm definitely sticking to it.  

Have a great day, and keep on quilting! 
Marianne

1 comment:

  1. I also haunt the thrift stores. On Fridays several of them have half price and I can find a lot. Sometimes I even find fabric. I am planning on making a bear paw quilt from men's plaid shirts. Good luck on your fixing the pin on your frame. Swapping my ends fixed my problem. Good luck

    ReplyDelete