My mom and grandma made a lot of quilts and I also do not remember them buying new fabric, although mom did make quite a few quilts with fabric scraps she got from a coat factory. Not sure if she bought it or it was free. They both made most all of mine and my sisters clothes, so there was plenty of scraps to use for quilts.
Grandma always used found stuff for batting, instead of real batting. In fact my sister and I just took apart a quilt she had that had been a gift from grandma, probably 30 years ago. Grandma had used a wool blanket inside of it. So when it was washed it got very, very small and crinkly. Sis just put it in a box and stored it. We untied it and took off the binding and washed the top. I brought it home with me to iron and repair in a few spots and then figure out how to turn it back into a quilt. Not sure what the pattern is, but it has lots of little triangles.
Grandma used to give all of us quilts for our 16th birthday or when we got married or both. One of my daughters didn't get a grandma quilt because grandma passed away before she turned 16, so when I get this quilt restored it will be going to her. I just hope I can do it justice. Grandma tied all her quilts, so I will probably do that, but I did notice that tying seemed to leave some holes so I will be doing some sort of quilting as well.
So just a warning, I guess. I am new to quilt making, but have already learned that wool blankets do not make a good lining. You would think that would be just common sense, but you never know.