Vintage, vintage, vintage! Everything is coming up vintage! Sometimes it seems like the best-selling items are made from vintage materials. It’s tough to find without spending a fortune, however. A search on any of a dozen websites can turn up sales of vintage fabric, but it’s often relatively pricey, the cheapest being around $8-10 a yard which adds up if you’re making a large volume of items that eat up yardage.

One day while perusing my local thrift shop, I was amazed to stumble upon yards and yards of high quality, brightly colored fabrics that were at least from the 1970’s, if not before. My shock doubled when the price tag said “$2.99,” which was the price for not one but two pieces of fabric about a yard and a half apiece. There was an entire section (albeit, a small one) of funky fresh fabrics in an array of flowered madness. In fact, I have found that most thrift stores have at least a small selection of fabrics, usually in amongst the sheets and linens. Sometimes you have to search, but it’s almost always there.

Another great place to find vintage fabrics is on the clearance section of fabric stores. I have found that this is especially true at large chains, such as Jo-Ann Fabrics, where much of the clientele is seeking the newest patterns and most recent designs. Often times the clearance rack houses bolts of older fabrics for only a couple of dollars a yard, probably with the assumption that such materials aren’t in as high of a demand as the latest prints. That is the perfect opportunity to stock up and party like it’s 1969!

My next goal is to find where the vintage buttons are located.

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