I would like to know and especially ones with fixed incomes, we love to quilt, send them out and all, but how can we afford this? We have to watch how we spend in what we are getting. Could you help me on this?

This month I spent a bit more than I should have,I am not complaining, I just want to know what I can do so I won't be "strapped" this coming month. Well I could just not do any of this, but now I am hooked so you know how that is! I have really found something I do enjoy. So any help will be greatly appreciated. Mary :?:

My suggestion is too only buy what you need for the project you are working on at the moment, especially when there is no extra income. We are on a fixed income so I only allow myself to buy what is needed. Unless it is sunflower fabric then I only buy a yard. Now at tax time it is a little different. That's when I'm allowed to get what I want and all I want.

I agree, buy what you need for a project instead of building up a big stash. I have a stash and find I always need to go out to buy more because either the piece I need isn't big enough, or don't have enough coordinating fabrics to go with the one I chose for my focus.
Also, try to machine quilt on your home machine. It isn't as fancy; but I personally like the looks of it.
Some gals on here are selling stuff from their stash that they don't want to use, that is the downfall of having too much. I probably won't use all mine either...we just fall into a habit of gotta buy it lol.

I don't send mine out to be quilted. I may not do as good of job as the professionals but IF and WHEN they get finished (and it isn't often) I do it myself. I'm retired and dh is disabled so we're on a fixed income.

there's a link on here somewhere about turning a regular machine into a quilting machine by turning it sideways and using heavy vinyl and foam insulation sheets. You could buy everything you need for far less than having one quilt quilted.

Raptureready....that is a lovely quilt in your avatar!

i am on a monthly income and i love to quiltwell first i have a friend that quilt and i swap fabric with her or someone on the board then i buy only what i need, look on the Clarence table, in your stash if you have fabric you not using or have too much of etc... that will help use a flat rate box and you can stuff fabric in there at one set rate that is what i do and i do my on quilting, i practice on straps and took my time and i did it like raptureready said some where on the boar it give you a like about turning your machine so it is easy to quilt your quilts also you can google it.


Now this all work for me and i am on a disability which is not much when i pay my bills and have the rest of the month to go but it works

You can find fabrics and clothes, sheets, blankets at thrift stores. I cut up clothes, use sheets for backs, blankets go for the batting. Even electric blankets can be used, just cut maybe a 3" slit on the back side and pull the wires out, even the padded mattress pads, not the ones with the plastic linings though.

Thanks so much! Now I know what I can do!

I do every thing I can think of to keep costs down.
First, I never ever buy fabric unless it's on sale.
I haunt secondhand stores for 100% cotton shirts, bedskirts, and pillowcases. They are a great source of beautiful fabric.
The weave is probably a little tight for handquilting but fine for machine quilting.
I'm always willing to trade for scraps. When I get nice yardage on sale, my preference is to trade for a comparable weight in scraps. Gives me more variety to play with.
I have a couple of friends who save all their scraps for me and if they want yardage, they shop my stash first.
I will never be able to afford to send a quilt out to a LAQ, so that's not really an issue.
I think doing things inexpensively is part of the 'thrill of the hunt' for me.
There are some fantastic videos and tutorials for machine quilting at home. Here are some links you might like:
This first one is to a woman named Marguerite McManus. I've watched lots of her videos, and used many of her ideas. One is for setting up a machine quilting table at home for not much money with a sheet of insulation and piece of tablecloth plastic. Works great! I think this is the link Rapture referred to in her post: http://www.crazyshortcutquilts.com/
This link is to Leah Day's website: http://www.daystyledesigns.com/
She's a great innovator and teacher of machine quilting and shares generously with links and videos. One of her simplest tips is how to get better control of your foot controller. I go to her often and hope to buy some of her products one day. I think she's already given the info for free, and those are the kind of people I like to support when I can!
This link is for an awesome 'quilt as you go method' in the tutorials on this board, generously shared by K3N. It's readily adaptable to any pattern and I love the 'no hand-sewing' part. http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-36303-1.htm
Here's a great link for free ways to get your stash organized:
http://stashmanicure.blogspot.com/20...our-stash.html

read the history on quilting and making quilts they used old sheets clothes etc. what ever on hand going out buying fabric was hard they di dnot have the money so they did what they could not days we take the easy way by going out to buy all the fabric you want

I"ve just learned that what I would "like to have" and what I "need to have" are entirely different matters. I look at fabric online, dream and think how pretty, then close out that site until I want to dream again. That way, I don't actually see the true colors, or feel how it feels, and I can tell myself, maybe it isn't really what I would like, so I'd better not get it. And unless there is something that I HAVE to have from the fabric store, I just don't go there!!It is amazing what we can do without!

I've spent the last several years and a lot of money on stash building. I've made several tops, sent a few out for quilting, but now it's time for me to either do more hand quilting or learn to machine quilt them myself.

I know my grandmother did not spend a fortune on fabric but she sure made a lot of quilts. Most of them were scrappy. All were hand quilted. She must have found a large lot of solid pink fabric for really cheap because she used that in several quilts as sashing and backing. She rarely went shopping ever, because she lived miles from the nearest town, and I doubt they had a fabric store anyway, probably just a general merchandise store, plus she didn't drive. She made do with what she had. Not that we can't splurge once in a while. :lol:

I had to drop back my work schedule to PRN. It really cut down on the fabric I could buy. I ordered Bonnie Hunters book, Scraps and Shirttails, because I love buying shirts from Goodwill, Salvation Army, yardsales, etc, and re-using them for scrappy quilts. I plan on making DH a quilt out of them for Christmas. I also buy sheets for backing and even bought a queen size bedskirt of 100% cotton. It is pink calico and I am making it into a pinwheel quilt. And for the white part, I am using men's white oxfords.

If I buy fabric, it is usually on sale. I refuse to pay $$$$ for a yard of fabric. I buy warm and natural from Hancocks or Hobby Lobby with a coupon. I quilt 99% of my quilts myself. I have only had 2 quilts done by someone else.

I need to clear something up with you, I don't send my stuff out to get quilted. Our little projects like the nine quilt, or doll quilt, or the others, when I sent these out this month, the projects, were a bit pricey for me.I overspent in mailing them out. Does that make better sense?

still thank you for your responses, you did give me ideas on the thrift stores, shirts, so I can start doing or creating my stash for these projects.

I have a really good pension, but the $40 I spent in postage on my p.o. trip was a lot. It tells me to cut back a bit.

So the postage is what you overspent on? When I send things out, I try to put it in flat-rate boxes. That way, no matter how heavy, the shipping costs stays a bit lower. The other thing I do, is print the postage at home. You can do that from the USPS site, I just print on regular printer paper and tape it really well to my package. They charge you less if you print it at home. The boxes/envelopes are free if you get them from the post office, I just grab a few when I go there. Also, I try to only sign up for one or maybe two things a month, to keep the shipping costs down.
I hope this helps!
~Heather

Yrs, I have to cut back. People are generous to me, but we are all looking to cut back. I am saving receipts for mailing to charities!

Life’s not always fair we just have to do what we can to make ends meet. Maybe by budgeting and organizing our quilting with our other obligations we can make it a little easier. Try only spending what you need to in your quilting budget each month and what ever is left that month put it in the next months Q budget and then you have a little extra to play with. Also if possible any money left in other budgeted groups reward your self and put it in your quilting account too. It like rewarding yourself each month

I too am on a fixed income and love this board for its ideas and caring ways! I have joined in on several swaps here and enjoy doing them and try to allow for them in my budget! lol at times it is stretched too far, but I have found that many projects use small amounts of fabric ( so far from what I have made) and I end up with more fabric then I needed. So now I looking at the pile of material that I have and will be trying to work it into other projects. I too had been able to purchase scraps from here and fabric shop sales. If I were smart, I would keep pulling from what I have and use up the majority before purchasing any more. It is hard when you see soooooo much beautiful material and patterns out there... but I have been trying to put blindfolds on when out now! If I use what I have ( fabric and patterns ) I should have enough to keep me busy for quite some time.

I think we all get into the "addiction mode" and not realize we don't really need much more of anything. Such fun it can be! :)

I find that having a stash is a luxury and not a necessity for quilting. Just buy what you need for your current project. Even then, there is usually some left over. After several projects, you can make a scrap quilt with those left overs.

I usually make scrappy quilts, that way, when I see a fabric I love I can buy a small amount to put in a scrap quilt!
I buy from the classifieds here, and have gotten some great deals. I never buy new quilt magazines, get them from rummage sales or the libray, or get your ideas here for free!

I try to find craigslist or something like that and buy in bulk. I search the value village and other stores. I buy on ebay sometimes you can get stuff in bulk and it is good. I found at target in their bedding area an item called tapestry it is a large 90x110 or such piece of fabric which would be perfect for a backing for around $10. I even for a project put an ad in craigslist for those who would like to get rid of their extra stash to dontate to me. I did receive a wonderful response just be honest. Hope this helps.

I'm on a fixed income, and DH has been trying to find work for over two years now. So my vow for this year was to buy NO new fabric if at all possible, and to try to finish up my UFOs. I'd sure love to send them out...but never have...and never will. Just too expensive. I make for charities, not as heirlooms. I also don't participate in the swaps of things. For one reason I can't handle the pressure of having to have something done at a specific time; and the second was that my "mailing" money fund went to send care packages to my adopted soldier, so I had to proritize.

Hang in there, and I'm soon you'll continue to enjoy your hobby for years to come.

So I guess I am going to cut back.

I have read more responses, and thanks again ladies for the info . Instead of doing a whole bunch, I will have to cut back to two or three.

and as for the packages, I used those large bubble envelopes! Now will check those flat rate boxes and , do my own labels. I knew there was an answer!

again thanks a bunch!

someone mentioned "adopted soldier?" how do we get into that? see? I jumped into another project!

I have been TRYING to organize my fabric (long time) and am using "boards" for the "core" - so far, I have used over 200 boards - some have one or 2 fabrics on them---I STILL have about 100 to go...........you are wondering how many quilts have I COMPLETED lately..............not that many BUT I CAN"T STOP BUYING!!......seriously - this is a serious problem (that I THOROUGHLY enjoy.....what is a fabric/notions quilter to do?????

I am on a fixed income too. I never did send my tops out to be machine quilted. It was just too expensive, and then I felt like my passion for quilting wasn't a hobby anymore. My favorite quilts for family and myself, I handquilted myself. Now if I can 't machine quilt it myself, I tie the quilt. It still turns out so pretty and economical. I have FMS and Lupus and I find that heavily quilted quilts are too heavy on my body, and really aren't as warm as a tied, more puffy quilt. So far, when I do find fabric I like and it is on sale really cheap, I will buy it and put in my stash for the future. I know someday, I need to stop buying at all, and then I can rely on my stash. Thanks for all the ideas. Marilyn from SW MN

It takes time but garage sales are a great resource for fabric. Be picky, though, you can find good quality fabric but I would pass on any cheaply made yardage. I've found some really nice fabrics this way!

yes I did find some this last weekend, some was still on bolt, about 4 yards for a dollar! and is cotton, and got a pretty design. thanks. Mary

A friend brought me a whole grocery bag of selvage edges this morning and I still have muslin to sew them to. I was thinking of making some neat placemats.

I made a list of quilts I wanted to make and decided to use my existing stash. I also try to make things for presents. Aprons, napkins, tablerunners, pillowcases, placemats, etc. It is always fun to use that stash up!

Another way to save, is to find "free" quilting patterns on line. You'd be amazed how you'd probably never have to own another purchased book or pattern again!

Check in at the thrift shops, let your friends know you love to quilt, get the word out everywhere that you will accept fabric donations. Its fun and you will be surprised how much you will soon accumulate that way. Then just buy the fillers when times are tight

We're all on fixed incomes in my way of thinking.. Only thing those still working have over the rest of us it that they may still get a raise... but they can also get laid-off too... So expect for those few who are independently wealthy, we all only get what we get every month. Those who work for themselves don't even have that comfort.

We all have to watch what we spend... I am breaking myself of buying any fabric without trying to find a way to do without it... by using my stash, or trading, or making a block out of 3 blues instead of the 1 a pattern calls for. I try to buy only on sale. I use coupons. Mostly I try not to think about buying anything and I don't spend time in the fabric stores.

It would be wonderful not to have to pinch every penny, but I think it is going to be a way of life for a lot of us.

Stay out of quilt and fabric stores until you need something and only buy what you need. Sounds easy doesn't it.

You could try to keep an eye out on Craigslist.com or Freecycle.org for your area. This is lewhere i have received quite a bit of my material. The items that come with them just freecycle forward and there ya go!

I am trying to watch pennies, like many of the rest of you. These are some things I do to help that:
*I generally only buy materials specific for a project.
*I know that I sometimes am an impulsive spender so now I look but restrain myself. I go home and think about it (whatever the project/class is) before I go back to the store and spend my money.
*I generally do not participate in swaps, etc. either on here or elsewhere. Not because I don't like people! Mainly because I know that sometimes I fail to follow through. In the same way, I do not participate in secret pals at my school.
*I still do take my quilts to be longarmed...I drive them there (about 20 miles) rather than mail them.
Just some ideas. :)