Wednesday, October 21, 2009

A Few Impulse Buys...ahem


Last weekend I attended a needlework auction put on by the Mt. Tam Canvas Workers ANG group. They hold this fun event every two years (which gives them time to accumulate lots of yummy stuff). Anyway, the ANG ladies spend lots of time gathering, sorting, and pricing all the items - some go into the "live auction" event, and others go onto the "silent auction" table.

When I arrived, I checked out the silent auction items. There is an assortment of projects, some just canvases, some with threads, and some already started but donated by their owners. On each item there's a minimum bid, and then space for any interested stitcher to write their bid and their name. Not until the end of the meeting, when bidding is closed, do you know if you've won the item/s you bidded on. Anyway, I always enjoy finding an unexpected canvas or two, so it's very fun to splurge with a bid or two! (The Home on the Range canvas above just made me grin - but apparently no one else, so I won it with a very low bid.)

The MAIN EVENT is the live auction, where all sorts of canvases are held up for stitchers to vie for in a lively bidding war. There were so many lovely canvases (some complete with stretcher bars, threads and stitch guides) that it was hard to decide what to bid on. Each canvas has a minimum bid on it, so the bidder has some idea of the retail cost. There were several fantastic Pat Thode Santa canvases (but the bidding went beyond my budget, so I didn't win any of those)... But I did bid on and win a couple of interesting canvases that were total impulse buys. And I'm tickled pink with them! (One of them is a Sandra Gilmore canvas of pink hydrangeas in a watering can; you can just see a peek of the pink checked background in the photo above.)

They also had a few piles of assorted threads - and silk ribbons, as shown above. I bought some (not knowing what I'd use them for), but after I won the pink hydrangea canvas, I got to thinking maybe I'll try some silk ribbon flowers on top of the tent-stitched canvas....who knows! We'll just have to see how playful I get with that canvas...

By the end of the meeting, practically every stitcher had bid on something, and as they were leaving, everyone was pleased as punch to have snagged a bargain or two.I think I can safely say that a fun time was had by ALL the stitchers in attendance!

2 comments:

Carol in Indian Springs Village said...

This sounds like a wonderful idea! I have several things that I won't ever get around to (and some that I wonder 'what was I thinking') that others might think is just the thing for them. Can't wait to see what you do with all that yummy silk ribbon!

CraftyGryphon said...

I just uttered the phrase "hand painted canvas auction" to my husband, and he turned pale and sat down.

I let him know that it was (a) far away and (b) over, so he was safe from its possible repercussions.

He wanted to know if there was going to be another one at some point, so he'd know to head me in the OTHER direction!