Hello from VA/WV/MD
01-22-2019, 07:30 AM
#1
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2018
Posts: 4
Hello from VA/WV/MD
Hello fellow quilters. My name is Angie. I'm new to quilting. I've been sewing for about 8 years. Mostly doing charity work. Then a few years ago I with my husband hit the road and traveled the country. We sold everything! (Sewing room included) long and short of it. We recently bought a new home and we are replacing everything. I had many hobbies before and decided I would pick one hobby this time. Sewing and quilting. But I will still do charity as well. I am looking forward learning a lot and helping where I can. Currently my struggle is with fabric quality and online shopping. If you have tips I'm all ears. Is there a secret to place for a high quality fabric source with great prices? Most of my charity work used cheap flannel fabric from Joann's and it worked well for the application. However for quilting cheap fabric will not do!
01-22-2019, 08:56 AM
#3
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Greater Peoria, IL -- just moved!
Posts: 6,164
Welcome to the boards and to quilting.
I'm a thrifty quilter not necessarily by choice but I do feel it is part of the experience. I wish I had money for classes and new fabrics but I don't... I'm lucky that where I live and because I go regularly, I find a lot of high quality fabric at thrift stores. No, they don't have cutting tables and you have to take what you get and the amount there is, but most of them have a "linen" section or a craft section with fabric in bags or on hangers. I will say it does help that I'm in Seattle, a rather wealthy part of the country but whenever I visit places I check and I usually find something.
I turn down a lot of fabric, most of what I get is high quality yardage by brand names. This past weekend I got a couple lovely multiple yards of Hoffman one was a juvenile print and the other gold embellished pine cones that has great potential, a really nice piece of Civil War style fabric by Judy Rothermel big enough for borders and sashing, and some smaller bits. True, a couple of the stores I visited I left empty handed. I recommend getting to know your local stores, which ones are likely to have fabric, which ones have good prices, and then develop a route and regular routine of looking. I like to go Thursday mornings which is "tag day" at Goodwill, the first day they go on sale.
I used to do more on-line shopping than I do now. When I give up searching my stash, my first stop is Equilter.com, I have other places, and in the past year I've found some great deals on Amazon.
I'm a thrifty quilter not necessarily by choice but I do feel it is part of the experience. I wish I had money for classes and new fabrics but I don't... I'm lucky that where I live and because I go regularly, I find a lot of high quality fabric at thrift stores. No, they don't have cutting tables and you have to take what you get and the amount there is, but most of them have a "linen" section or a craft section with fabric in bags or on hangers. I will say it does help that I'm in Seattle, a rather wealthy part of the country but whenever I visit places I check and I usually find something.
I turn down a lot of fabric, most of what I get is high quality yardage by brand names. This past weekend I got a couple lovely multiple yards of Hoffman one was a juvenile print and the other gold embellished pine cones that has great potential, a really nice piece of Civil War style fabric by Judy Rothermel big enough for borders and sashing, and some smaller bits. True, a couple of the stores I visited I left empty handed. I recommend getting to know your local stores, which ones are likely to have fabric, which ones have good prices, and then develop a route and regular routine of looking. I like to go Thursday mornings which is "tag day" at Goodwill, the first day they go on sale.
I used to do more on-line shopping than I do now. When I give up searching my stash, my first stop is Equilter.com, I have other places, and in the past year I've found some great deals on Amazon.
01-22-2019, 06:14 PM
#5
Super Member
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 2,414
Hi and welcome from North Carolina!
I've never shopped for fabric online, so I can't help you about that. I did sell some fabric on eBay. I see that others are selling there also. Usually the folks selling on eBay are honest and are selling stuff out of their homes that they can't use... not big business high volume.
Thrift shops here don't carry much fabric... if at all! The only one here that did was the one where I volunteered and was 'the crafts lady,' but since I 'retired', I understand that they don't have much for sewing and/or quilting. But, it's worth a try. You'll have to visit several times to check them out because if they do carry fabric, it goes very quickly.
I've never shopped for fabric online, so I can't help you about that. I did sell some fabric on eBay. I see that others are selling there also. Usually the folks selling on eBay are honest and are selling stuff out of their homes that they can't use... not big business high volume.
Thrift shops here don't carry much fabric... if at all! The only one here that did was the one where I volunteered and was 'the crafts lady,' but since I 'retired', I understand that they don't have much for sewing and/or quilting. But, it's worth a try. You'll have to visit several times to check them out because if they do carry fabric, it goes very quickly.
01-23-2019, 03:05 PM
#9
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2018
Posts: 4
Thanks Ladies. I will check out suggested websites.
Ice Blossom, your my kind of girl! My husband and I go "Junking" often and we are always keeping a eye out for good fabric. My husband is a good sport about it. But then again the more I sew the more scraps he gets for his new looming hobby. Lol
I love Missouri Star. I watch a lot of their YouTube video's. In our travels last summer we were literally 20 minutes from Missouri Star. I could kick myself for not going....maybe next time.
Ice Blossom, your my kind of girl! My husband and I go "Junking" often and we are always keeping a eye out for good fabric. My husband is a good sport about it. But then again the more I sew the more scraps he gets for his new looming hobby. Lol
I love Missouri Star. I watch a lot of their YouTube video's. In our travels last summer we were literally 20 minutes from Missouri Star. I could kick myself for not going....maybe next time.
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