Thrifty Quilting

Hey there!

Today, I want to discuss how to save money on fabric and quilting supplies. The cost of everything is going up and fabric, in particular, is up to over $14/yard (if you buy it new)! So, you have this quilting hobby that was expensive, to begin with, and is just getting more expensive, how do you cut costs so you can keep quilting? 

Here are some of my tips.

Tip #1:

Well, first of all, and it's rather obvious to me, is to find fabric on sale. Physical stores and online stores always have a clearance section, so go there first to see if you can find anything (I always do!).

Tip #2:

Thrift stores are a wonderful, inexpensive source for fabric. Think men's XL or XXL shirts, long cotton nightgowns, formal dresses, cotton sheets, and even some blankets (like baby blankets). These are great for fabric yardage! 

I have a camping quilt I made years ago and the back is from an old soft cotton twin-size sheet. I still use that quilt on my bed and it just gets softer the more I wash it.

Tip #3:

Use social media. Facebook, for example, has swap groups and a marketplace where you can swap or buy fabric and quilting supplies. I've seen some great sewing machines on the marketplace selling for low prices.

Tip #4:

Estate sales. Sadly, quilters do pass on to the great sewing room in the sky and their families often sell all of their fabric and quilting supplies in estate or garage sales. You can pick up items super cheap this way. I've even had people gift me fabric when a beloved quilter passes on.

Tip #5:

Ask your family and friends if they have items from, let's say spring cleaning or moving, they want to get rid of and take them off their hands. Again, think sheets, blankets, clothing, even some curtains! Make t-shirt quilts from old t-shirts. 

I had a friend who gave me all of her son's baby clothes and blankets and wanted a quilt made from them. I used only what she gave me with no other fabrics added.

The quilt I made from baby clothes and blankets

Tip #5:

Clean out your closet! (Yes, mom). Go through your own closet (or your husband's and kid's closets) and look for old dresses, shirts, pajamas, nightgowns, and pants, and cut them up for fabric. I have even been known to buy shirts because I loved the fabric and knew that one day it would go into a quilt.

You have to think outside the "fabric box" to save money on fabric and quilt supplies. And no one needs to know that you cut up an old nightgown to save money on fabric. After all, quilting originally started in this country with pioneer women cutting up old worn-out clothing to make quilts.

Those are my tips, please comment if you have any other tips to start getting thrifty with your quilting hobby in this world of rising prices.

Here are some other great articles on thrifty quilting:

Hobbies on a budget

Premeditated Leftovers

Raspberry Spool

Happy Quilting and Sewing!

Another One Down...and Several to Go!

Yes, that's right! I finished another quilt today, ready to deliver tomorrow! Go Quilting Sue!! Not that I am finished by any means...I have several more orders to complete before the end of 2010! But, that is good for me.  It is always very satisfying to be able to check another order off my list...oh yeah...and to get paid for it...even better!

Currently, I am searching out gray fabric for the next quilt. You would think gray fabric would be easy to find...but, it's not so easy. I spent most of yesterday searching through my stash for gray fabric and only came up with 3 fat quarters that I think will work well. And by the way...I rearranged some of my stash to reveal floor space in my sewing room! Wow, if I keep this up, I might be able to actually walk around in my sewing room!! Anyway...gray fabric...not easy to find...so shopping I must go! Fortunately, most fabric stores are having sales this time of the year...so I am hoping to find some nice gray fabric to add to the next quilt project.

Fall is definitely here...my favorite time of the year!! We have had the windows open all day long...very nice! Good quilting weather for sure.

Well, I am off to bed now.

Happy Sewing and Quilting!!

Thrift Store Finds

Good afternoon quilters and sewers! Today's topic is finding fabric in places like thrift stores, antique shops and other venues that you might not think of when shopping for fabric.

Hubby and I love to roam thrift stores to see what kinds of great deals we can find, so this past weekend when we were roaming around the stores I started looking at different types of fabrics one can find in them. Not only can you find evening dresses, wedding dresses and prom gowns (think yards and yards of fabric), but you can find drapes, curtains, blankets, towels, shirts, and sheets! Not to mention, by shopping this way you are "sewing green" by reusing and repurposing fabric! (Green and cost effective...great combination!)

Now, I know that you might be thinking that a lot of these things will just be worn out and unusable, but that's where you would be wrong. For instance, for $1.99 I found a white flannel baby blanket in very nice condition...that's a yard of cotton flannel for under $2!! I also found satin sheets and pillow cases (think crazy quilt fabric) for less than $4. Curtains are also a great fabric source, and these were all less than $2 each. In this economy, with $8.00 - $10.00 a yard fabric, why wouldn't anyone want to save some money on very nice usable fabric?? Flat sheets make great quilt backs, and I even found some that had never even been taken out of the package...$4.00!! Another great source for cotton fabric is men's Hawaiian or dress shirts...especially the larger sizes.

Of course, you won't be able to find all of the fabric you want/need in a thrift store, but you can greatly reduce the cost of your fabric and add to your stash by shopping this way. Another great source is...believe it or not...antique stores! You can find vintage table linens and vintage fabrics for not much money in antique stores. Vendors in antique malls often have regular sales, and shopping the sale booths is a great way to save even more. Vintage clothing can even be bought for little money. All of these venues are great fabric sources, and if you are a Fabriholic...like me...then you will definitely want to check these sources out!

Ebay (www.ebay.com) is also another great source for fabric and vintage fabric, however, keep in mind that you will usually have to pay some type of shipping and handling costs, and then wait for it in the mail! Although, admittedly, I have bought and sold vintage fabric on Ebay from time to time.

Do you know of other "alternative" sources for fabric? Post a comment and let me know!

Happy Sewing and Quilting!

Fabric Frenzy

Well, the baby quilt I was "finishing" for a friend of mine (photo above) is finally done and dropped off yesterday...I am so happy that she loved it! Now on to the next project, which is a baby quilt for another friend of mine. EQ 5 allowed me to design the quilt, so I spent two hours the other day cutting fabric and I still have fabric left to cut! (EQ 5 is software that helps you to design quilts...the new upgrade is EQ 6, which you can find at www.electricquilt.com) I would upgrade to EQ 6, but am running it on an older computer with Windows 98...and before you make any comments...I know...old technology, but it still works! Anyway, this particular quilt is to be backed in red chenille fabric and I finally got that in yesterday! Whew! So now the piecing can begin!

More New Fabric!!

Happy Weekend Everyone!

I am so excited that I got my fabric that I ordered from the U.K.! Yep, that's it at the top. As I posted in a previous blog, I had seen a picture of the fabric in the magazine Irish Quilting. It took me an email to Nutex and searching a bit to find a supplier, but finally found the fabric at www.britanniafabric.co.uk. I ended up ordering 3 yards of it, as I was sure that would last me a while. The fabric is really gorgeous and my idea is to use a lot of it for applique. The castle especially! I love to make small landscape wall hangings and the castle...and the house too...would go perfect on these.

Speaking of small landscape wall hangings...I learned how to do these after reading an article and following a pattern by Karen Eckmeier. She has several books out and my favorite book is "Accidental Landscapes"...which you can find at www.amazon.com. Ms. Eckmeier has a great technique and I love the way the landscapes turn out. You can make a different one every time. I have made a few of the landscapes and plan to use my new fabric to make more!!

Currently, I have finished one baby quilt and am starting to work on another one. The second one is a commission from an old friend of mine, so I have designed something that I hope she is happy with. She wants red chenille on the back of the quilt and I had the darndest time finding red chenille! I finally had to resort to ording it from www.fabric.com and it should be here early next week.

No quilting for me tonight as we will be attending my in-laws 61st wedding anniversary! That's right...61 years of marriage! The family is having a big family dinner for them, and we will get to see our little grand daughter tonight...I am so excited!!

Happy Sewing and Quilting!!