I was dead wrong about thrifted fabric bundles

Last month I walked past a bundle of vintage floral prints at a Salvation Army in Austin for $12. I scoffed at it thinking it was just cheap polyester that would fall apart. Then my friend Sarah grabbed it and made a wrap dress that looked straight out of a boutique. She showed me the fabric was actually a high quality cotton blend from the 80s. Has anyone else found hidden gems in secondhand fabric that changed your mind about thrifting?

3 comments

3 Comments

logan_young298d ago

You ever found a tag inside a vintage piece that said "Made in USA" and just knew it was quality? I grabbed a bundle of floral prints last year for $8 and they turned out to be deadstock from the 70s. The cotton is thick as denim and the stitching is still perfect. Sometimes the ugly prints hide the best fabric.

jasonf178d ago

Man @logan_young29 you hit the nail on the head with that "ugly prints hide the best fabric" line... I had a similar wake up call when I grabbed a bundle of these loud neon geometric prints from an estate sale for like $5 thinking they'd be garbage. Turned out to be heavy duty cotton from the late 80s that's held up through three wash cycles with zero fading. Now I actually get excited when I see the tacky looking stuff because that's usually where the quality hides. It's funny how we judge a fabric by its pattern instead of its feel.

carr.lee8d ago

My friend Jen snagged a bundle @logan_young29 would love, old 70s floral that feels super thick and sturdy.