We all survived the 100 mile yard sale Friday!! It was long and hot and humid and crowded and we got dirty and sticky and hungry and tired…and tired…and did I mention tired? But we kept going to the next one and the next…
We left Illinois at 7:30 in the morning and about an hour later we arrived at our starting point in Missouri. Let the fun begin!! The 100 mile yard sale happens twice a year and heads to the south on Memorial Day weekend and in the Fall, on Labor Day, it goes to the north. We have never gone 100 miles, but usually around 30 miles or so. After getting in and out of the car 25+ times, you really start to feel it.
Some of the places had tents where you could escape the heat for just a few minutes..
If you click on my most of my pictures using a laptop or a desk top computer, they will enlarge so you can see more! :o)
Some were in garages… you PRAYED for garages! :o)
…and some you just endured the heat hoping to find a bargain!
We all found something…tools, clothes, books, lots of miscellaneous and yes…some fabric.
I knew you were waiting to see if I found any. Yes, I did…but I wasn’t the only one. We went to this one place where a lady had baskets and baskets of craft items and several tubs of fabric pieces and remnants. One lady was sitting on the ground matching up 3 and 4 pieces at a time and fanning them out all around her. I asked what she was making and she said quilts. I kind of figured. She asked what I made and I told her. Then I started digging in the tub…and I found a few things… it was probably a 30 gallon tub so I was pretty proud of myself. I only took a picture of the remnants tub because the lady was digging in the other tubs…
Here are my finds…it was around 6 yards I think…for $12.00.
My favorite piece is the gray…it is very soft and I love the finely printed design. I couldnt resist getting out a few buttons I was thinking might go with it. Yep…
Rebecca found this little flamingo blow up swim toy. She said if I cut out the middle one of my girls could use it. My hubby said, “Thanks a lot, Rebecca…now mom will probsbly want me to build a swimming pool!” I told him probably not! I think Kathie sent me one a few years back but I’ve never used it. I think I might have to have a pool party next summer.
Navi said even though she was nekkid, she would gladly show you how cute it/she is!!!
We went to one place that was pretty organized. The tables were set up in pretty vignettes with all kinds of things…we found a few things there and when we went to pay, the seller looked absolutely worn out. I asked her if she had had a good day and she barely could talk. She said she was SO tired and had been set up since Monday. She said they were moving and every night she was dragging out more tubs to put out new stuff. I felt so sorry for her and hope she sells everything in the next 3 days.
I found a big fat notebook so I can add some more of my patterns to that I have in clear sleeve pages. This will free up some of my pattern space and make them easier to find. One of these days I want to get the patterns all sorted by doll… Effner, American Girl, etc.
Rebecca found some tops and a fun navy polka dot sweater for me.
I found a sleeve roll and a new ham…both brand new in the package.
I really needed a new ham for pressing darts and curved seams… the one I was using was one my mom made years ago…see, I really needed to buy this for a dollar! :o)
I went to one place and the lady was selling her fabric for $2.00…that is $2.00 A BOLT!! I have no idea how many bolts she started with, (which is PROBABLY a GOOD thing!) but I took 3 bolts of tulle (for dolly slips) and one bolt of a polka dotted tulle-like fabric, and one bolt of a printed velvet like fabric. There is A LOT on each bolt. SCORE!!! I’ll figure out what to do with it… maybe even a baby shower or something at Christmas…
…and some sweet little tins, new and ready to be filled with ???? who knows what…. ten cents each!
We ended the day with dinner at a steakhouse and it felt wonderful to sit down…and drink lots of cold water!
I spent $33 and had a wonderful time with my hubby and Rebecca… she found lots of goodies too, but she’ll have to start her own blog to tell you about them! NOT!
I wish you all could have come along but maybe my pictures made it seem like you “sort of” did!!
I’ll see you Monday…when our Sew-Along will begin!
Blessings, Jeanne
What a fun day you had, Jeanne, and what fantastic finds!! Of the first group of fabrics, Mine is the red, of course (I like bright colors!), but I have to admit, that gray is lovely with those buttons against it! I can see several possibilities there!
I was at the fair again today–my last day of 4-H judging. I judged a sewing contest from 11-2 (Cara made a lined action-type jacket! in Three Hours!!) and a needlework contest from 3-5. So much fun, but I am beat and ready to get back to my regular schedule!!
Hi Charlotte,
The little red piece of fabric was my first piece I had in my stash, but I’m telling you, IF you could see and feel that gray piece in person, it just might change your mind! It really is nice…
I’d love to go to a fair and see those kinds of things on display…*sigh* it was always my favorite part of our fair…going in the exhibition hall.
Thanks Charlotte,
Blessings, Jeanne
Jeanne, I have always wanted to go on that long trip and I feel like with your pictures, I felt good seeing all the things and I would not have used the control you did and bought all good stuff and not impulse buy and suffer from buyer’s remorse later, lol! Thanks for sharing your trip with us and I bet the heat was really bad. Proud of you for all the effort you put into going and enduring the walking in the heat! What a trooper you are!
Hi Sandra,
I think having done so much purging and cleaning in my sewing room helped restrain my hand from picking up more. I probably have enough fabric for 3 lifetimes of sewing!! I need to get busy!!! :o)
I easily hit 10,000 steps on my Fitbit yesterday!
Thanks Sandra…glad you enjoyed the trip.
Blessings, Jeanne
My goodness, what a fun, if not hot and sticky, day you had! I was thinking about you all day, hoping you didn’t have the heat and humidity we had, and hopefully, had an air conditioned vehicle!
What part of Missouri were you in, Cape, Perryville, Ste. Genevieve? I have never heard of this!
It took awhile for your pictures to load, so I had to wait until they did, but boy, you sure saw a lot of things to buy! That beautiful gray piece of material just screams a Civil War dress for Addy! The pool toy, so cute, the ham, so handy, and brand new! I spy Rebecca and George too! Oh, the beautiful fabric bolts for slips and petticoats! I even spy a framed picture of Sister Mary Ruth!!!😌
Thank you so much for taking us along, and you certainly do need to rest today!
Hi Linda,
The yard sales start at Jackson, MO, just north of Cape Girardeau. In the Spring it goes south and in the Fall it goes north. The one yesterday wasn’t quite as congested as the one that goes south…to Kennet and Dexter. It’s probably busier today…Saturday.
I keep thinking of that one lady who was so tired and how much stuff she still had to get rid of…and what she’ll do if it rains! :o(
Sister Mary Ruth was at her place!
Rest…today? George was out in the garage before I even got up, sorting out his treasures! :o) I’ve got a few things to find places for too!!!
Thanks Linda,
Glad you enjoyed the trip!
Blessings, Jeanne
Kudos to Rebecca for finding the flamingo!! Loved that photo the best. Could also figure into an Alice in wonderland pic!
Hi Dorothy,
I think Navi might be stealing the show!!
Glad you enjoyed todays post.
Blessings, Jeanne
What a fun day. Overwhelming amounts of stuff available. WOW
I love all of your purchases
Hi Rosemary,
You can’t even imagine the stuff we saw….lots of people just set up in fields and all you saw was tent after tent after tent! Most of those ste flea market type sellers and we don’t really care for those…
Thanks Rosemary,
Blessings, Jeanne
Dear Jeanne, what fun! It was kind of an extension of your birthday celebration.
I have heard how popular that yard sale is but I never knew anyone who went. Wow, you really did score big!
Our doll club went to a yard sale at Maryland earlier this year. The owner of an antique shop has one every year for her shop and the local community. She mostly has dolls in her shop. Oh, my goodness, my doll club members went into another zone. I think some of them were swooning (laugh).
I can’t wait to see what wonderful ensembles you create with your fabric finds.
When you post again, it will be September! How did that happen? I am going in search of May (chuckle).
Hi Dorothy,
Well now you know someone who has gone on the 100 mile yard sale. I’m sure there are lots of 100 mile yards sales all across the country. We st fortunate to have one fairly close to us. We’ve done it for several years and just enjoy the day. The morning was fairly nice…just in the 70’s, but in the afternoon when it got in the low 90’s, we were cookin’. Rebecca got more sun than she liked!!
September? Seriously, how can that be?
Thanks Dorothy,
Blessings, Jeanne
Oh, thank you for sharing the great sale photos. I’ve always wanted to go to one of those. After seeing the photos, I can clearly pick things from the “organized sale” so much better than the junk just thrown out on the driveway. Maybe they were dealers or just good organizers.
Love your carefully chosen fabric finds. Beautiful pieces. Have you ever washed the velvet fabric? I always do before sewing to remove any extra color, unless it is real velvet. I really like the color of the piece you chose. Lovely. And what a deal on the hams. 🙂 They are quite expensive now. I can just see the heart tins on display come Valentine’s Day. It was great fun spotting Rebecca and George in the photos. Kind of like a Where’s Waldo book. And Rebecca looks like she is also in the pickers club. 🙂
If you are going to use the float for Navi, I would not cut out the bottom because they can actually float keeping the doll dry in a birdbath or pond making for some great photos. I have 1/2 of mine cut and the others not.
Loved blowing up the photos to spot exciting items. Not quite as fun as being there but close. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Hi Joy,
That one place where everything was semi organized, they had military uniforms and swords in one area. They may have been dealers.
She had tubs of really old laces but they were so musty smelling and almost rotten when you touched them. Beautiful at a distance but not very practical.
That burgundy fabric isn’t real velvet…maybe a panne velvet…it was stretchy…but very pretty…I just couldn’t resist!
I think you’re right about the flamingo…I’ll leave the center in one for Navi and use the other one for a bigger doll. Thanks for telling me about that…
So glad you enjoyed the trek with us.
Blessings, Jeanne
Now that’s what I call a garage sale! My town does one every year, but I’ve never participated either selling or buying because they insist on doing it when it’s hot. If they did it in late October or November then I would participate. Our church Fall Festival is the early part of October, the 5th this year. It can be a cool day or a horribly hot one depending on if we get a front or not. Last year it was so hot that the lady in the booth next to mine packed up and went home early. She was selling beautiful mesh ribbon wreaths and I really wanted to buy one from her, but she had no type of covering over her booth and was in the hot sun and it took its toll on her. On top of that her booth was right by the nastiest hill of fire ants I’ve ever seen. The ants were huge. And yes, I managed to step in it. The church usually keeps up with them pretty well but they missed that one – by a mile.
Your gray fabric was my first pick too. It’s beautiful. I love gray and this fabric is a very pretty gray, not to mention the beautiful pattern. And what a bargain on the bolts. I would not have been able to resist those either. The velvet-like fabric is absolutely gorgeous. Will you be making something for you out of that? Like a holiday top maybe?
The pictures enlarged perfectly so I could see most of what was for sale. What a choice. Something for everyone. What did George find? With my hubby is all about tools, tools, tools, and then maybe antique garage/auto repair shop items.
Wish I could have gone along with you on your garage sale trek. But it was fun enjoying it vicariously – and definitely way cooler. Too bad about the heat. An overcast day would have helped. Where I’m from Labor Day weekend was fabulous. I’m sure of that because in all our back-to-school pictures over the years my sisters and I were wearing sweaters the day after Labor Day. Wish I could say that for here. But the temperatures are in the mid to low 90s now, so I guess that’s something to appreciate. And we had a front go through so the humidity has been lower. I remember, it seems just yesterday, everyone on the blog was talking about the snow and the cold and wishing for spring. Now it’s nearly fall and it seems summer flew by. Fall is my favorite season, even here. Usually pleasant temperatures and if we get some really low temps the leaves that can actually turn. Otherwise they just turn brown and fall off.
Glad you survived your Labor Day garage sale adventure. Can’t wait to see what comes from all your finds.
Hi Barbara
Yes, it’s a huge yard sale! No question about that…
I knew someone besides me would have grabbed that gray fabric! It really is wonderful.
I’m not sure what I’ll do with that burgundy velvet like fabric…maybe I will make something for myself!! :o)
Yes, my hubby went for the tools..he’d drop us off st a place and say, “scout it out and if they have any tools wave at me…”
An overcast day would have been so nice…
We cooked in the sun and basked in the shade. A few places had fans blowing on high speed in their garages…we’d just stand in front of them!
I’m glad you enjoying tagging along with me, Barbara.
Blessings, Jeanne
I got my pressing hams at a rummage sale! Same thing as a yard sale. I’m not aware of any other 100 mile yard sales than the one you went to. I think that one is quite well known. Around here towns have city wide rummage sales. Then you just go up and down the streets of one town. The town usually has maps printed showing where all the sales are.
I saw a vintage tablecloth or 2. They were covering tables and then under all the sale goods. They probably weren’t for sale. Rats.
I tried to figure out which people might have been “yours”. Still looking for Waldo!
Hi Julia,
When I picked up the ham and sleeve roll, the lady said “I was hoping someone would come along who knew what those things were!”
My hubby has on a kind of bluish aqua shirt and Rebecca has on jean shorts and a gray tee shirt. She has her long red hair pulled back in a pony tail and a ball cap on.
They are in 3 or 4 pictures.
Hope you find them.
Blessings, Jeanne
Sounds like a wonderful time. The gray fabric is my favorite as well and I really like the third button ( brooch) you have laid out. The little tins are great for 10 cents, perfect for pins, needles, and buttons. What a great price on the sleeve roll and ham.
I also can’t believe September is nearly here… where did the summer go?
Just wanted to add I finally got through all the back posts I missed. The back to school dresses are lovely. Bithar’s new baby girl is very sweet. How fun to have four girls to dress up. Love your sandals also, Jeanne. I love sandals with flowers, so summery.
By the way, I know I miss days here and there, but I haven’t seen Marilyn post in a while, either here on on the doll board. Does anyone know if she’s okay? She used to be one of us “regulars”
Hi Laura,
I’m glad you got caught up on the previous posts. Thanks for taking time to go back and read them!!
I can’t believe you noticed my sandals in the pictures with Bithar.
I love them too. Cindy sent them to me and I wear them all the time.
Marilyn has been having a few health problems but hopefully she will be back soon. I have been keeping in touch… i miss her too.
Thanks Laura,
Blessings, Jeanne
Sorry it was so hot and sticky but I just loved seeing all the pictures and those fabrics were really a good find. The buttons to go with the grey are perfect. Way to hang in there!
There is a sale like that in Nebraska but it is pretty far west….when you have such a long state it can be quite a trip!
Most of those sales looked so organized and clean and not junky. I’m green 🤢with envy.
Now you are going to want to sew like crazy with the new supplies…that 2.00 a bolt fabric blows me away!
Hi Kathie,
I’m glad you enjoyed seeing us in action in the hest and humidity. I guess we don’t mind it that much or we’d just say forget it.
I asked kind of sheepishly, “are these $2.00 a BOLT?” When she said yes, I was actually hoping no one else had heard me ask…and then I high tailed it back to the table with all the bolts. She was clearly into crafts and had lots of things on the tables.
Thanks Kathie
Blessings, Jeanne
I loved the pictures of the 100 mile yard sale and all your treasures the fabric is beautiful and such a bargain I’m not sure I could have resisted.
Yard and garage sales don’t really exist over here in the UK but we do have car boot (trunk?) sales, My favourite is held just a few miles from here every Sunday except Christmas and New Year. It’s in a field at a big farm and starts about 5-6 in the morning and finishes about lunchtime.
How it works is sellers will load up their car or van with their goods and a couple of pasting tables drive to the site pay a fee (I think it’s £8) drive onto the big field and set up. Buyers pay a £2 entry fee per car, I then set off with my trusty shopping trolley to wander around what on a busy morning what can easily be 2-300 stalls.
I think, other than a coffin , over the years I have seen everything you could ever possibly want available to buy and yes I bought my pressing ham and sleeve roll there. I usually have my dolls in mind when I am looking and I have found some wonderful props for them over the years and some beautiful vintage laces and trims.
I’m off to bed now ready for tomorrow.
Lorna in the UK
Hi Lorna,
I’m glad you enjoyed following us around on this hot humid day. We were so pooped when we got home but so glad we went. I guess it takes more than heat to keep us away!
I wanted to tell you just how much I enjoyed your fabric buying excursion the other day. You were so funny explaining it to your hubby! I might have to share that again in s post sometime. I know lots of people probably missed it as it was in the comments.
I try to look for things for my house but my mind is usually set for sewing and dolly items…I’m just wired that way, I guess…
Thsnks for sharing,
Blessings, Jeanne