Thrift store dumpster diving

Okay, not quite dumpster diving, but if felt pretty close.   I was on the road by myself, and I thought a quick trip to a thrift store in a different city might be just the thing to keep me from falling asleep.   I googled ahead of time to check out what thrift stores would be near my route and found Goodwill Outlets in Indianapolis...  It was an experience.  Some of the clients wore gloves as they pawed through the bins of "stuff."   Items are sold by the pound.  Clothing seemed to be either stuff that didn't sell at a regular Goodwill, or stuff that was deemed unsellable at a regular store.  I found several sweaters--more cashmere than wool?  Go figure.  I found a BEAUTIFUL vintage coat, 50% silk, 50% wool.  Some fabric.  An old fancy lace dress, aged and yellowed almost beyond redemption, but I'm going to try.  If nothing else the fabric and lace will be part of a project sometime.  An old blanket that I'm hoping is wool.  I'll do the burn test to see for sure.  (Burn a few fibers and check for the horrible smell.  Also, check to see if it puts the fire out by itself.  Both are good signs of wool.  Once you smell the smell, you don't forget it.  A lot like the smell of human hair burning.)   Look for that vintage coat on my Etsy site sometime soon, it is way too small for me.

I recommend the adventure, but wear old clothes, take gloves or at least have hand sanitizer in your purse or the car, and enjoy the hunt!