Purchases at Silent Auction

My guild's Silent Auction on Saturday was a lot of fun. Because our by-laws require that our new officers be installed in May, we had a brief, very brief meeting to meet that requirements. Our ladies waited patiently around the perimeter before the whistle was blown that they could begin shopping.

I started out slowly. First there was this 3 yard piece of fire engine fabric. Since my son-in-law is a former fireman and is now a fire safety inspector at Oklahoma University I needed to have it to make into something for him. Perhaps matching father and son aprons are in their future.

Then this were some short sections of a large scale fireman novelty print in a ½ yard and a ⅓ yard length not all total width of fabric. It will be a challenge to decide what to make out of this less than 1 yard combination of pieces but the jumbo effect was too striking to pass up.

I am usually timid about Kaffe Fasset rpints but once I made up a kit from them, I became a little less intimidated. These twenty-four Kaffe Fasset 10" squares had my name on them. As a partial layer cake, the yardage equivalent is slightly under 2 yards.

This race car print with the back and white check was cute; there was ¾ yard of it. Now that I have two grandsons I can certainly find a use for it. I know – how sexist of me!

This orange swirl was a bright blender and that funky footprint-ish print called to me. There was ¾ yard of the orange a  fat quarter of the funky.

OK. This was so wild and wacky I had to pick it up. There was ¾ yardage at ¾ WOF and about 1½ yard at ½ WOF. These discontinuous lengths of fabric totaled about 2 yards.

This collection had forty-two 10" squares and forty 2.5" strips, the equivalent of a layer cake and a jelly roll. A layer cake is roughly the equivalent of 2¾ yards and a jelly roll also about 2¾ yards.

The yardages on these solids varied and totaled approximately 6½ yards.

1½ yard:   Sage

¾ yard:     Blush Pink, Woodrose

⅝ yard:     Iris

⅓ yard:     Maize

¼ yard:     Lilac, Puce, Plum, Medium Pink, Candy Blue, Orchid, Copenhagen, Amethyst

⅛ yard:    Clay, Wheat, Snow

There were 50 of these 7⅞" squares, in three patterns, rolled compactly into this one cylinder, the equivalent of roughly 2 yards of fabric. In the photo, I peeled it back in three places to reveal the three fabric patterns: a black polka dot, a graphic in white/yellow/black/pale blue triangles, and a yellow/white/black diamonds. It is upholstery weight so I do not know what I am going to do with it, but it was too unique to pass up. I am considering a 7 x 7 abstract wall hanging. Hmm... what do I do with the two other squares? Aha! A pillow!

These three brights were bundled together and totaled 4 yards. I forgot to add a tape measure in the photo but the squares are ¾". It was my favorite fabric of the trio, but that squiggle spotted-dot trail fabric is pretty cute too. I will also be quite able to use that blender orange. 

I kept bidding against another woman for the astronaut fabric. This bundle of three totaled 3½ yards. The earth is 1½" diameter.

I saw these adorable Peter Rabbit panels with a Buy It Now tag for $1 and snapped it up. Each image is about 7" tall. I think any one of them would be adorable on a pocket or a vest.  These three panels are probably equivalent to ½ yard.

These are twelve snowman, three each of the four designs shown, 24 mini panels since the backs are printed separately. They are printed on a felt weight material, a separate front and a back image of each. They could be stuffed but I think they stand alone fine and would make lovely ornaments or be strung together for a two sided banner or garland. Using the backs by themselves would make a banner twice as long. Each snowman is about 8" high. Yardage estimate... perhaps 1 yard?

As I poked around I was curious what was in that black bag on the front corner of the table in front of the stage? That table held specialty items.

It was a Baby Lock serger with differential feed and I won the high bid at $22 dollars. I am pretty sure it is old and it is very doubtful that it has jet air feed threading, but it certainly will be an entry level trial to decide if my daughter really wants a serger as she thinks she might. Now I get to cart it out to Oklahoma in my suitcase. At least we are flying Southwest and the first two bags are free.

  

My husband and two other husbands helped out at the auction by transporting the ladies treasures to their cars. He spotted something he wanted. I got this black felt for his train layout, 4 yards worth (for $4).

Last but not least I won the bid on this collection of fifteen 12" squares, each a different bold cheerful print. I have no idea whatsoever what I will do with these, but they were so unique I desired them. I estimate their yardage as a array that was 3 wide and 5 high and therefore 60" or about 1¾ yards.

My husband asked innocently, "So how many yards of fabric so you think you bought?" His query made me curious enough to total it. 

3 + 1 + 2 + ¾ + ¾ + ¼ + 2 + 5½ + 6½ + 2
+ 4 + 3½ + ½ + 1 + 4 + 1¾ =  38.75

Off-hand, I think I would have guessed 15 yards; but, rounding up, I came to 39 yards! Wow – it adds up fast! But 4 yards of it was my husband's - a whopping 10%! My total spent was $82 and $22 of that was the serger. I did not do too badly. 

The only kicker for our guild is that almost all the shoppers were guild members. We had some customers from the general public but not a lot. Basically we were buying back each other's stuff at a fraction of what we had most likely paid originally. Realistically, I think that is often the sordid truth of most of fundraisers. But when "a good time was had by all" and when you are convinced you got a real bargain as well, you are happy.

Money for the Guild + Happy Quilters = a Formula for Success. 

Linking up to Let's Bee Social #227.