Old Fabric Friends
 

Digging deep for my scrappy quilt and cut up this old friend. I think I bought it in every colour way that was available in the 80's? Most new quilter's have no idea how limited quilting cotton was back in the day. :D[ATTACH=CONFIG]535477[/ATTACH]

I remember going to TG&Y for quilting supplies because it was one of the few places that sold hand quilting thread. And coupons were very rare, House of Fabrics had mega sales twice a year so we went early to get the best selection. I do believe that is why so many of us started keeping a stash because the sales were few and far between. Where I lived we had House of Fabrics, TG & Y, Ben Franklin, Woolworths, J.C. Penney and K-Mart that sold fabric. Then one by one they phased it out and most of the stores are gone too. There was one more fabric store, but I cannot remember the name, it may have been Hancock Fabrics, but I am not sure.

OH Tartan, I remember that fabric. I am pretty sure I have it in red or pink or maybe even light blue! :)

I use to work at House of Fabrics just for the 25% discount that they offered even with items on sale. I just have too many calicos.

I moved a couple of years ago. I'm still digging fabric out of boxes. Trying to work through that OLD stash of calicoes. I have one that makes me scratch my head how to use it up...about a 3/4" diagonal plaid in red, with dark blue hearts in the hole of the plaid, with cream background.

My quilting friend shakes her head at my calicoes. I'm running low on a pinks & yellows quilt that I'm making-to use up yellows & pinks. I had counted up what I had and am coming up short for some reason. She said she never buys calicoes. Well, neither do I...NOW. But back in the 80's ... there were some solids and very few blenders, and a few "other florals", but calicoes were about it. Maybe she didn't quilt then. I can't figure what she was buying back then. I'm 59 & she's a bit more.

Tartan, I have that in red. May have the pink or light blue also. haven't dug in that drawer for awhile. :D

Yup, I remember that one. Remember T G and Y and Ben Franklin too. Good old stores that were killed off by Walmart's arrival....

I use to purchase most of my fabric from Piece Goods and JoAnn's. Our local Hancocks were so messy that I seldom tried shopping there. Most craft supplies were purchased at Ben Franklins or Franks (Best Macramé supplies).

It's still a beautiful fabric and a bitter sweet memory! Quilters today don't realize how hard it was to find 100% cotton in the late 70's thru the the 90's! Nothing but poly or poly blends. nobody wanted old wrinkly cotton. We thought the poly was the most wonderful thing, now I shutter when I touch a piece of it!!! I have a 3 yard piece of cotton calico given to me by my 99 year old Granny. She told me how she had pinched pennies and saved to purchase it and then loved, petted ,and saved it for 30 years! I've had it for 40 years now! It has given me endless hours of pleasure and sweet memories. My children have instructions that it is to be put in my hands and buried with me!!!!!

I used to buy fabric at Ben Franklin. they had good quality fabric for the day.

I remember TG&Y, Penneys, Hancock's and even some of the nicer stores that had fabric. My grandmother lived in Houston and her neighborhood grocery store had fabric. I have fabric I found at estate and garage sales Thai is 36" wide and I do have some like Tartan's. I use it and love it. I have no way to totally deplete my wonderful stash but it is definitely well loved!