Mandala CXLIX

(Above:  Mandala CXLIX. Custom framed: 34 1/4" x 34 1/4" when hung as a square; 48 1/4" x 48 1/4" when hung as a diamond.  Found objects hand stitched to a section of an antique quilt. Found objects include: A copper brioche mold; a decorative gold metal ring that was once glued to a glass dish; 45 record adapters; yellow and blue landline telephone connectors; Barbie doll clothes hangers; electrical outlet protectors; beer bottle lids; badminton shuttlecocks; dominoes; empty gold, plastic thread spools; doll hands; toy taxi cabs; a circle of Bayberry train tracks; black, infant clothes hangers; keys; McCormick spice shaker lids; gold plastic cafe curtain rings; gold forks; blue, plastic bottle lids; wooden clothespins; and assorted buttons.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

Quite a bit of this Found Object Mandala started a couple weeks ago at Bill Mishoe's walk-around Tuesday auction of used household "stuff". Generally, things are sold by the "table lot".  This means that a card table is loaded with all sorts of things.  Sometimes, there's a box or two under the table.  It is all sold together.  So, if you only want one thing ... well ... you get it all and have to haul it away or give it to another bidder who is willing to take it.  Thus, strategy is involved. 

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CXLIX.)

Sometimes, I have to haul a bunch of stuff home. (Some gets donated to local charities. Some gets put out on the curb ... and later is gone! Some gets sadly tossed into the trash.)  Sometimes, I can give the things I don't want away ... to a flea market dealer or anyone else at the auction.  Sometimes, I can sell the stuff I don't want to the person bidding unsuccessfully against me.  More often than not, I'm hoping that the successful bidder of a particular table lot will sell me the one thing I want.  Sometimes they sell it to me. Sometimes not. 

 

(Above:  Detail of Mandala CXLIX.)

Well ... on this particular Tuesday night, I wanted an old tattered quilt that was on a table lot with at least four boxes of "junk" and plenty of other things under the table.  I wanted the quilt.  I only wanted the quilt.

 

(Above:  The quilt before I cut it.)

 

Well ... I got the quilt but this meant I got everything else on the table lot and under it!  Fortunately, I was able to sell most of the rest of the stuff to another "dealer" (which recouped half the price).  She took three of the boxes.  Thankfully, I was able to give away the other box or two ... and almost gave away the Bayberry Train set that was under the table.  It was still sealed in a box, absolutely "brand new" and oddly considered "vintage".  To me, it was just a cheap thing of no value whatsoever ... but for some reason I kept it. 

(Above: Mandala CXLIX, hung on point.)

Later, I googled for information.  Apparently, these train sets were sold at KMart in the 1990s and are now offered on eBay for $25 - $50.  Well, I'm glad I kept it. Some of the tracks formed a perfect circle ... which looked fabulous on the quilt.  Believe it or not, the toy taxi cabs also came from the same auction.  Luckily, there were on a small shelf all by themselves!