The NorthWesternBelle

This beautiful vintage afghan is on its way to NC as of Friday! This gray and red beauty was part of our very first vintage inventory acquisition earlier this year. I'm actually pretty sad to see it go, but I'm sure its new home will love it a lot! It's built in a BLO SC (back-loop single crochet, for those of you who don't speak crochet), which is a classic technique. My mom has had a BLO SC afghan since before I was born! I actually found a great tutorial on YouTube for this chevron pattern. I'm going to give it a shot on either a lap or a baby afghan soon (Christmas colors might be awesome!), because I finally finished the massive ripple afghan I've been working on for over a year now! Behold: The color in this photo isn't good because one of my bedroom lights is out. Still, you can see, it covers my queen size bed no problem because it's actually more like king-sized. In any case, it's a fantastic blanket that my hubby loves a lot, a...

Handmade Crochet Afghan - Cream, Mint Green & Coral - 46X63 - Twin/Throw Price : $ 12.70 [View Detail]

Handmade Crochet Baby Afghan - Blue, Green, Yellow & White - 31" square w/fringe Price : $ 8.00 [View Detail]

It's officially September, which is totally weird, because I swear it was just barely May like two days ago. Strangely enough, I'm actually kind of excited for the cold weather this year. Perhaps because I turned 29 this year (the first time), the novelty of summer wore off more quickly than in previous years, and now I'm actually excited for the cold weather! That never happens. I'm a summer baby (literally), and I've worshiped the sun my whole life, but now I'm ready for cozy sweaters and warm food and, mostly, HALLOWEEN! Can. Not. Wait. Anyhow. August was an amazing month for The NWB! I'll admit that I was starting to lose faith at the beginning of the month, thinking that this whole online retail thing was too much work for not enough reward. Well, I was wrong. Gloriously, awesomely, thankfully wrong. Five vintage afghans and one handmade baby quilt were sold between eBay and Etsy in August, plus a few pieces of clothing that I happened to have layin...

Happy Labor Day Weekend! Naturally, I'm laboring away ;-) Got some new inventory listed this weekend, in both the HANDMADE and VINTAGE categories. First up, my current favorite stash-burning pattern, the chunky headband : The lovely & talented Taiza P. was kind enough to model it for us. Orange is the new black, y'all! Next up is a vintage pot holder set that was too beautiful to ignore! Yellow square, tied in green. Teal hexagon, tied in yellow.  I'm seriously perplexed at how these were constructed, but the pattern is spot on. Double thick, tied in contrasting colors. These are perfect for the vintage-loving cook, seeing as they're acrylic and washable to boot. The set would make a wonderful gift! Additions to the Vintage Afghan inventory also arrived this weekend. I'm very excited about how quickly some of these blankets are getting scooped up. They are seriously lovely! I just need to get them measured and listed, which will hopefully b...

Another beautiful vintage blanket sold over the weekend, this time on Etsy! So pretty and soft! That makes three Etsy sales in one month, plus five on eBay. Eight sales in the month of August means that another inventory trip is in order. Hopefully I'll get to do that this weekend. I really hope the trend continues, and that it's only a matter of days before my first handmade crochet item is purchased. Good things do come to those who work their asses off! Thanks for looking, Loves! Always Yours, The NWB

You guys. I might be freaking out a little. Three blankets, including one that was made by The NWB, sold today on eBay! And one that shipped this week from a sale last week... The blue one sold last week and shipped out on Monday...count it! I can't tell you how excited I am! Crossing my fingers that the trend continues... Thanks for looking, Loves! Always Yours, The NWB

Handmade Quilt - Vintage Calico Fabric - Autumn Leaves Time left : 2d 20h 31m Price : $ 25.00 Bids : 0 [View Detail]

Handmade Crochet Afghan - Cream, Mint Green & Coral Time left : 2d 20h 3m Price : $ 15.00 Bids : 0 [View Detail]

Handmade Quilt - Vintage Cotton - Dark Green, Yellow Gingham Time left : 2d 20h 29m Price : $ 20.00 Bids : 0 [View Detail]

Vintage Handmade Crochet Throw Blanket - Antique Handmade Afghan - Light Blue Time left : 4h 44m 51s Price : $ 8.50 Bids : 0 [View Detail]

Fashion Dressmaking I & II by Singer - Vintage Sewing Book Set - 1971 Time left : 2w 1d 1h Price : $ 28.00 [View Detail]

Two Etsy sales and one eBay sale (plus a bid on an auction that ends next week) is a record for this part-time crafter! It's probably not very much to be excited about, but hey, just let me have this moment, okay? Thanks :) On Saturday I woke up to an order for vintage buttons. Last night, possibly the most gorgeous vintage afghan in my inventory was snatched up by a lucky Etsy shopper. If every week were like this week I'd really be okay with it! Hopefully now that we're headed into the colder months I'll be selling more of these vintage beauties on the regular. It also tells me that my prices are finally in the range that they should be. It only took me about six months to figure THAT out. It's an ongoing struggle, obviously, seeing as I'm still trying to sell something I made myself. I think that I've got some Halloween things coming soon that will bridge that gap. Thanks for looking, Loves! Always Yours, The NWB

Vintage Handmade Crochet Throw Blanket - Antique Handmade Afghan - Light Blue Time left : 6d 11h 48m Price : $ 8.50 [View Detail] So beautiful and very, very soft! This light blue throw blanket is perfect for any couch. Loose shell stitch design makes for great temperature control. 26 X 60 inches. Acrylic, so it's going to last forever. In fantastic condition; practically new! Likely 1970s or 80s. No holes, tears, pulls or stains. Might as well come out of a high-end vintage shop: a steal at this price! Washable and very clean. Freshly laundered and ready to ship.

Vintage Zippers - Mixed Lot of 20 - Various Lengths & Colors - Mostly Talon Time left : 1w 5d 2h Price : $ 18.00 [View Detail] Mixed lot do vintage zippers includes 20 like-new vintage zippers from the 60s and 70s in various colors and lengths. 17/20 are Talon brand self-healing with original packaging. 3/20 are J & P Coats brand. Ranging in length from 9" to 22" and various purposes. 9 Inch (4): Talon for Dress Plackets Dark Green, style 222 Talon for Dress Plackets Turquoise, style 333 Talon Skirt or Neckline Black, style 25-1 Talon Skirt or Neckline Brown, style 25-1 11 Inch (1): Talon Metal Trouser Zipper White (col 020), style 335 12 Inch (3): 2x Talon Dress or Neckline Nylon Coil Navy, style 20-1 *Talon Dress Magic Tab White, style 20 14 Inch (5): Talon Dress or Neckline Nylon Coil White, style 20-1 *2x Talon Dress Magic Tab White, style 20 Talon Neckline Placket Smoke Grey, style 110 J & P Coats All Purpose Flex Zip 319-A Spanish Ti...

Handmade Quilt - Vintage Cotton - Dark Green, Yellow Gingham Time left : 2d 2h 28m Price : $ 20.00 [View Detail] This beautiful newly-made quilt was created with vintage cotton fabric from the 1970s. The dark green has a subtle leaf design and the light yellow is gingham. Backed in the dark green. Polyfil inside, tied with white acrylic yarn. Measures 38" by 39", fully washable. Pre-washed and ready to go!

Vintage Crochet Chevron Afghan - Shades of Gray w/Dark Red Time left : 5h 39m 54s Price : $ 8.00 [View Detail] Perfect for any boy's room or mancave! This chevron throw in shades of gray is capped with dark red on each end for an unexpected pop of color. The texture is wonderful, and the condition is excellent. Light pilling, no tears/stains/holes or pulls. Measures 47" by 49".

Fashion Dressmaking I & II by Singer - Vintage Sewing Book Set - 1971 Time left : 3w 8h 8m Price : $ 28.00 [View Detail] Buy the set of these great vintage sewing books!! Introduction to Fashion Dressmaking (Book I) and Fashion Dressmaking (Book II) by Singer, 1971. In fantastic condition, both covers are stain and tear free. Both have slight bends on the front cover, and Book I has pencil markings in one of the charts. Fantastic resource full of great instruction for beginners and skilled dressmakers!

When I go hunting for pieces to add to my Vintage Crochet Inventory I look for pieces that were well constructed and have been well cared for. Of course, I'm not going to spill any secrets about where I find these lovely pieces of fiber art, but I will say that I have a favorite that never lets me down. This week I had the chance to stop in while my husband was at an appointment. I came out with an armload of amazing, vintage, handmade afghans which have been freshly laundered and listed for sale. Check them out! This popcorn stitch baby afghan is seriously beautiful! The Hubs kept saying it looks like Fruit Loops in milk...and I can't argue! Shades of pink, blue, green and yellow with white variegated acrylic yarn. So bright, soft and in excellent condition. No pilling, stains, tears, holes or pulls. Get it on Etsy or make a bid on eBay . Believe it or not, I actually bought a KNIT blanket. I know, I know. How could I? Well, just look at it! Pastel yellow with such an...

Today is the last day to take advantage of Coupon Code VINTAGE0617 for 25% off all vintage afghans on Etsy! Act fast to get any of these great afghans at ridiculously low prices! Thanks for looking, loves! Always Yours, TheNWB