For a long time, my friend Lyn and I had a deal. We would spend the weekend going to diffferent garage sales and estates sales. We would split what every we found in half. We bought a lot of vintage fabric this way.
The best was when we went to an estate sale with another friend, in a vw bug. Most of fabric being sold was poly knits. We were ready to leave when I stick my hand in a moving barrel full of fabric scraps. I dug through the poly knits and came up with a hand ful of mourning prints (circa 1900/1910). There were two more barrels and after a quick investigation, we bought the three barrels for $20. We brought the barrels to my house (getting the in the bug was great fun - it took two trips) and divided things up. There were four piles - one for me, one for Lyn, one for our other friend and a toss pile (the poly knits). I would up with a lot of old shirting and mourning prints!
Another time I went to a rummage sale. I bought a bag of fabric for twenty five cents because I saw a quilt block it in it. I would up with enough turn of the century blocks two make two small quilt tops. I gave them to Lyn for her 40th birthday.
I love sales.