Make-over Monday - the Sampler

For a month I have been fighting colds and coughs and bronchitis. Luckily I got 4 good days in between fevers just in time to hit some big sales at my favorite re-sale shops. First up was an end of season bag sale. For $5.00  you got as many clothes as you could manage to squeeze into a paper grocery sack and $4.00 for each additional sack. I, of coarse, went in the day before the sale and cased the joint. I knew right where all the best wools were. I was first in the door and filled my cart in record time - wool slacks, skirts, jumpers, and blazers - 28 items for $17.00.

3 days later was my favorite re-sale sale where the last Tuesday of every month is 1/2 price day store wide. Another cart full of wool clothing at only .50 cents each. I literally doubled the wool collection I had been working on all winter.

My Wool Haul

The Entire Collection

I love hunting down wool. Some days are more successful than others but this was by far the most successful week ever. But as excited as I get finding a great color wool it doesn't compare to my next find.

For just $2.50 I found a wonderful sampler. It was stitched by someone named Leora Peterson in 1982. Unforetunately it was framed in a very modern, narrow, copper metal poster frame. The sampler is huge and was going to cost a fortune to have a custom frame made but I remembered seeing a very large frame in the other re-sale store 3 days before I thought might work. As it turned out it was an inch too narrow and about 5 inches too tall. Luckily my hubby was able to cut down the height to proper size. I had to remove the sampler from it's original frame and cut down it's very generous border. Then cut down the acid free board it was mounted on and re-stretch  and mount it. It was sooo worth all the effort. Definately one of my favorite re-sale finds of all time.

Sampler as found

Sampler Re-framed

I just wish the beauty of the wood in the frame showed here. It's a gorgeous pecan color with little worm holes. The gold border is far less shiny than the flash shows and picks up the camels and golds in the needlework just beautifully.