There's an old saying about how someone else's trash might just be your treasure. I don't think I have to work hard to convince most people of that, but I recently had a wonderful, personal experience with this concept. The other day a dear friend called me up and told me that since she no longer used her fabric dyeing equipment she wanted it to go to a good home. She could have just thrown it away but that seemed wasteful. A few years back my friend hung up her fabrics and dyes and ventured into the brownie business. Now Mary Louise is the queen of her own empire,
Butters Brownies . "So," she asks, "Could you use this stuff?" I thought that she might have a few yards of fabric and a couple jars of dye. My first clue that she had more than I suspected came in the form of the suburban she borrowed to haul the stuff over to my house.
I already had 30-35 jars of dye, but she probably tripled that with her contribution.
Add to that this large stack of wax and three wax-filled electric skillets,
an amazing array of silk screen frames in various sizes, quantities of dye chemicals and, get this, 90 yards of undyed pima cotton. I pretty much felt like I had won the lottery. Best of all she gave me a new wax stamp.
I am head-over-heels in love with this stamp and brimming over with ideas for the fabric I'm making with it.
18 comments:
what a score! when i left kauai i had to leave all my dye stuff behind...about 15-20 years worth of stuff. amazing how much stuff you acquire over the years. now i am in the painful and expensive venture of trying to replace just the basic stuff...the dyes alone have cost me $100s. what a friend! i gave all my stuff away to two gals on kauai...the seta went to one and the procion to the other. the new block is great!
It couldn't have gone to a better home. :)
how lucky are you! I would just be overwhelmed if that happened to me, but you seem to be taking it in stride--and making some fabulous new things!
90 yards of FREE fabric? Are you kidding? Goodness, you must be living right!! Can't wait to see the new fabrics you'll be offering in your shop.
How great - I think you will make good use of the supplies. I really love pro chemical - they have great products - lucky you !
I'm a new visitor to your blog, an Austinite, and I know your friends' brownies are GOOD!
Congratulations on the new toys!
will follow along to see new goodies!
You are really very,very lucky - and I'm very interested in your creative output of this great stuff! I wish your ideas will never stop, so we all can enjoy your work.
How wonderful! I was given a pile of free material recently (nothing like your haul, but still a boon to me) and it is so exciting working with someone else's choices - sends you off in new directions!
Wow! That's some score! and as Michelle said, it couldn't have gone to a better home. You will turn all that stuff into Things of Beauty, M.
wow i think you did win the lottery!! how kewl is that!
Aren't generous friends the best?? I have one, too, who spoils me on a semi-regular basis. Besides benefiting from her friendship which is enough, I continue to be blessed by her generosity. That's the kind of friend I want to be.
Wow! I can't wait to see what you do with all the supplies!
Manna from heaven and a very good friend, indeed.
Wow, great stamp! Getting supplies for free is so liberating too, because you don't feel as hung up on using them just right. So cool!
Wow! That's great! I've benefited from cast offs before, too, but this is the mother load!
What a generous friend, and I love the stamped fabrics you made with her stamp. I'm so inspired, looking over your blog here--thanks! Now, I just need to find out what a wax stamp is and whether you can do itajime-like projects with it...
i enjoy reading your blog and this might be my first comment but i just near fainted from imagining the excitement you must be feeling...that is an awesome friend!
Just found your blog, loved the colors, the choices, the work ... then, I read about your lottery winnings! Oh, my, be still my heart--how incredibly fortunate for you. Do well with it, be well, and please continue to share what you do here. Thank you so much,
Fulvia
www.fulviastudio.com
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