posted on October 21, 2000 09:14:31 AM
I hit the mother load of advanced quilt / fabric design books at an estate sale today. Many dozens of books in pristine condition, just an outrageous library of books on this subject.
So where do I take them?
Half.com? Ebay?
I have also put a plea in that the sons call me when they get to their *major passion for textiles* father's FABRIC STASH, I just know that a bunch of bark cloth is circling me and trying to land. I swear it HCQ, one of these days I am going to get something tasty and send it your way. Tip for the tips. Alas I have to be patient- I am told the fabric is stuffed behind the 50 boxes of books I left there because the shocks on my car were sobbing from all the weight.
posted on October 21, 2000 09:29:38 AM
Verymodern:
I have several mint condition craft and quilting book hard covered.
I got these books for a song they are not real old 70 ish but very new to near mint books had then listed since april on yahoo I can tell you this I have had veiws but no bids I have lowered the prices to nearly give away and still no luck listed them in different catagorys still no luck selling them.
if you find a good way to sell yours let me know
I am sure new these nice hard cover editions sold new for $20 to $40 I cant even sell them for $1 each on yahoo
posted on October 21, 2000 09:34:01 AM
Hi VeryModern I've had fabulous results with quilting books on eBay. If they're older and out of print - but in good condition you can count on an excellent return. I would recommend starting them with eBay unless the title is saturated there - then half.com would be a good alternative.
There's nothing sweeter than watching two avid quilters go into a bidding frenzy for a rare quilting book! You're in for loads of fun!
posted on October 21, 2000 09:41:27 AM
No, No, No, They're totally worthless!
Just send them to me!
Seriously, as a buyer of such books, a couple things I look for in the description along with the standard "author, publisher, copyright, condition, etc." is the number of pages and how many illustrations are in it. If it is full of color pics it can really help to say so.
posted on October 21, 2000 09:52:30 AM
One of the best sources for information about textile design is the library of the Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science, (although I think the name has been changed to Philadelphia University). I did an undergrad practicum there in textile design and know the school well. There is also an organization called Ars Textrina. The members are very serious textile people and have boards to sell books, the more obscure the better. I don't do too much textile stuff anymore, and know little about sewing and crafts, which is differentiated by textile designers. One more resource can never hurt.
posted on October 21, 2000 09:56:14 AM
Thanks for the tips!
Looking good so far. The first title I searched sold for more than I paid for each box of about 30 books, and there is only one on half.com.
Woo hoo, I hope my phone rings! I was sooooo nice and told them straight up I was on my good behavior because I wanted to be invited back.
posted on October 21, 2000 10:50:47 AM
Thanks for the tips smw. I suspect have some of what you are looking for, I am poking around and astounded at how much and the quality, this is shaping up as a major score.
I have some more questions.
Do I list these in "books/crafts" area or sewing / general? I am searching but not finding examples of what I have so am fairly baffled. For example I have a book of quilts "Fabric Gardens" apparently from a 1990 exhibition in Japan, with text in Japanese and English (the pieces pictured are jaw dropping). Where should it be placed, it is apparently a catalog of this event.
posted on October 21, 2000 10:58:37 AM
I listed a pile of quilting books some time ago. I put one or two in any catagory that looked remotely applicable (including quilts) and added a note in my description to look at my other auctions for more quilting books.
posted on October 21, 2000 11:13:28 AM
Don't waste your time with these on half.com. These are true auction items and I'm betting each will provoke a bidding war. Nearly all quilt books sell well on ebay. The only ones that I've found that get a ho-hum response are those from the 1970s-80s (when quiltmaking reached its nadir), but I sold a 1976 volume for some good bucks, and boy, the stuff inside was truly hideous.
List them under Textiles:Quilts or Crafts/Sewing:Quilts/Patterns.
Include LOTS of pix of the insides of the books. Unless I am very familiar with a quilt book, I will NOT bid on anything merely on the basis of its cover.
Condition really isn't an issue in many cases. I sold an early Jinny Beyer HB, no DJ, kinda beat up, for $25. (Bought it for 50 cents, of course.) "Fabric Gardens" should do obscenely well. Please let me know when you list it so at least I can watch the bidding
posted on October 21, 2000 11:15:09 AM
dman3- craft and quilting books from the 70's are a dime a dozen at any thrift store, so I'm not surprised you're having a hard time selling those. They aren't particularly rare, and even in nice condition, the "crafty" crowd for the most part is not particularly in love with the 70's. Good luck selling them though, maybe some little hippie chick will come along & grab 'em up!
YAY!!!! VeryModern!!! Congrats on your score! I'm happy for you and jealous at the same time, although if I'd found all those books I doubt I'd have been able to sell any of them!!
I think if I were you I'd Ebay or Yahoo them, especially if the pics are really juicy. Half.com won't do them justice because no one will be able to see the fabulous illustrations!
If in that stash are any books on circular knit design/ engineering please post where you're going to list them or email me!
Gosh, tough questions about where to list. If worse comes to worst you can list them in 2 categories though! that would give you max. exposure. I think Ebay has good quilting categories but with the textile design books it's not so clear cut. If you can determine each book's focus, it will be easier- quilting, knitting, & weaving all have appropriate categories. If the focus of the book is textile print design, you may have an orphan- I don't know that there would be an appropriate category for that so you'd probably have to put it in a general category & rely on a strong title & description.
posted on October 21, 2000 12:42:13 PM
I list books on this topic under the sewing section, not books. I've been very pleased with the results, though mostly what I've had to sell have been new titles. Anything that is more in-depth and "authentic" would be a real find, just make sure it's not just a bunch of dated Better Homes and Gardens-type stuff.
posted on October 21, 2000 12:59:39 PM
I agree with HCQ about listing any quilting titles under Textiles:Quilts. I did that
with the quilting books from my collection that I was tired of and got way more than I ever would have guessed. Do include info such as number of pages, how heavily illustrated it is, if it contains quilting patterns or is just a picture book, if the illustrations are color or mostly black and white.
In addition to listing the printing date, if I happened to know that it was out-of-print, I added that in, as well as the original price of the book. On most books, even the ones that were still available, I got more than the suggested cover price!
Sounds like you do indeed have a treasure. Good luck with it!
posted on October 21, 2000 01:02:01 PM
well, now I find some of these are autographed. Either by the author of the book, or the artist of the particular quilt. Does this matter to anyone, or does it degrade them? They are personal to the prior owner who was obviously very well liked. Easy to see why by what he left behind. I am beginning to think I had better search his name on the web.
smw - what is a "complex weave structure" that you are interested in? I have come across "pin-weaving" and woven quilt books, I am only 10 books deep, I have at least 100 books here. There are also textile printing books.
Also, on the chance I hear from the sons again, I had told them "no yarn". Was this a mistake? I guess I probably know they answer to that without asking... Ah well.
posted on October 21, 2000 01:22:58 PM
Modern, The kinds of books I am interested in would have graphs with the squares filled in various patterns. They *may* also have sections about deniers of yarns and threads along with mathematical formulas. Actually they would look more like technical manuals than anything else, and the pictures if any, would be sort of boring.
I *think* pin weaving and quilts would be more crafts or sewing oriented. Thanks.
posted on October 21, 2000 03:16:25 PM
Put the rare/valuable ones on eBay and the more common ones on Amazon. Actually I would put them all on Amazon, but that's just me.
posted on October 22, 2000 11:20:09 AM
smw - I am still not very deep in these books but I am looking for you.
HCQ - I have a book called "European Art Quilts". It is a catalog of quilts that were part
of an exhibition, Netherlands and Denmark, 1997-98.
I would like to send it to you in thanks for all the information you have shared on these boards. It is a personal gesture, but more an offering on behalf of the collective here, who I know have benefited enormously from your sharing of knowledge. Alternately, if this book does not interest you, I am happy to search through my pile here for something you would prefer..
In whatever case, if you are willing to accept this gift, please email [email protected] with your address, and I will ship toot sweet.
posted on October 22, 2000 02:39:53 PM
I am, as I once mistyped back in my typsetting days, "blabberflabbergasted," not to mention touched (although I'm sure many here would vouch for that). Seriously - I'm only too happy to share whatever knowledge I've gathered from OTHER kind folks.
Having said that, will email my address ASAP
Okay, now as to those autographed volumes! Sheesh, "motherlode" doesn't begin to describe what you've got! I'm kinda glad *I* wasn't the one to find this trove, because it'd just kill me to part with it.
And if the "yarn" is (A) natural fiber and (B) in lots of 6 skeins or more, grab it. I got half a dozen skeins of handspun, hand-dyed stuff for a buck awhile back at the Salvation Army, and the lot went for over $30.
posted on October 22, 2000 03:57:16 PM
yes- and if the yarn is easily identifiable as such. It sounds like that collector had impeccable taste, so you'd probably be pretty safe in acquiring the stash. The only drawback is that you will get lots of questions from people asking things like "What's the gauge of the yarn?" and obviously, what fiber the yarn is. Burn testing is a real pain, so if the yarn isn't labeled you probably made the right decision to pass...
Anyway, I just sold a whole bunch of yarn on Ebay with disappointing results, so maybe I'm just bitter.
