Thrifty Acres - Estate Sale Blues

Hello! When I spy an estate sale listing in our paper, advertisting fabrics, craft supplies and patterns, I'm anything but blue at the prospect of finding such things on the cheap. But it can be a bit heart-wrenching attending these sales when they're being run by family members sad at the prospect of selling off a relative's belongings. 

Went to one such sale over the weekend, where it was evident that a talented painter/quilter had once been very busy creating all sorts of decorative items. The woman taking my money looked as if she had been blinking back a few tears, so I commented that the sale represented the output of a very creative person - her mother, the woman replied. I told her I could relate some to what she is going through, as my childhood home is currently on the market, with an estate sale in the future there. 

But in an effort to cheer her up, I added that because of the estate sale, her mother's efforts would now be enjoyed by people all over the county.  That seemed to cheer the woman up a bit; she said she hadn't thought of it that way.

My purchases:

Fabric pieces

Buttons and a small "acorn" (acorn cap and fabric) ornament

A few quilt squares that had been mixed in with the fabric pieces

Heart with pieced front. It's only 4 1/2" high, so the fabric pieces are tiny. None of them are bigger than 3/4"! I have a bedroom in pink and green, so this heart will be hung up there. 

Sweet bird painted on a small wooden plaque.

It took me a bit to figure out what the following artwork had been painted on:

I eventually realized this sailboat scene had been painted on a Leggs pantyhose container, but it did not look plastic-y at all - nice job! 

The other side of this "egg" has this scene:

Ye Olde Dutch Windmill. Thus, I can use this piece as a decoration next May as well during the local tulip festival. 

After paying for my purchases, I wished the woman good luck with the rest of the sale - not much more I could really say under the circumstances, but I will remember her mother when I look at the painted egg and the pretty heart.