Our ancestor quilters used cut-up newspaper for foundation when stripping. When I lived in DC, there was a guest speaker at our guild who showed primitive quilts from Applachia. Some of these quilts had newspaper as batting, were tied and made from scraps of clothing. I recall a red skirt that had had the pocket removed. The fabric under the pocket had not faded as much. The pocket was used elsewhere in the quilt.
Talk about recycling!!