Originally Posted by Doug vanderHoof

Finally, permission to speak up.
I scavenge in Chicago's alleys. I don't go out to scavenge, but I bike and walk through them and they're a special place if you're not worried about looking dignified. Furniture, clothes, books, appliances, office supplies.
Two relevant scavenges: Leather from perfectly good couches and, here's the stash, the entire stock of a closed bridal boutique. I got perhaps a quarter acre of lace, damask, and some other rich-looking stuff I can't identify. Bolts and rolls of it. Along with a lot of non-bridal prints and knits, etc.
Okay, I feel better now.