Economical foundation fabric
#31
Originally Posted by BellaBoo
Men's shirts are great for quilting. The fabric is called shirting. Check out the queen of men's shirt recycled into quilt fabric:
http://quiltville.com/
She has a book all about using them: Scraps and Shirttails
She recycles every tiny bit of fabric into quilts.
http://quiltville.com/
She has a book all about using them: Scraps and Shirttails
She recycles every tiny bit of fabric into quilts.
I'm now band from buying any more shirts! ;-)
#34
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: near Richmond ,Virginia
Posts: 1,315
i bought size 2x blouse at thrift yesterday and am using it for my bowtucks purse, has purple backgound , blue flowers reallynice material, have some left over for stash too. do it all time. I always get nice material though, dont go fo r inferior fabric. Impovise lke my mom and gramma did.
#35
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 397
I, too, have used the center from bedskirts as foundation fabric for crumb or string blocks. I also use used dryer sheets as foundations. The drawback for dryer sheets is that they are not that big. The largest block that I've been able to get from them is 6 inches square. Finished blocks will be only 5 1/2 inches square, due to the seam allowance, but I just finished a string quilt (throw size) using the 6 inch dryer sheet foundations.
#36
Google Goddess
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Central Indiana (USA)
Posts: 30,181
thanks for the tip
Originally Posted by Pollyv9
I don't know how many of you use fabric other than "quilting cotton", but I often do. I use good condition thrift store garments, new dressmaker blend fabrics and anything that is a color or pattern that I love. Something that came to me this morning when I started sewing was the fabric I was using for the foundation. I acquired several new bed skirts. They had never been used and were great colors and patterns, I cut the skirts off, washed and ironed them and was getting ready to throw the center part away when it occurred to me that it would be good for the scrappy crazy quilts I like to make. It does great. There are always many of these at the thrift store. Maybe you can use this idea too.
#37
In this economy it's very hard to be a fabric "purist". I take pride in being able to repurpose fabric I've found in thrift stores or from yard sales in whatever original form it may have come in. If you know fabric you can tell by the tightness of the weave and the feel of it if it's cheap or not.
#39
When I get read to do a crazy quilt, I usually go to the Salvation Army or Goodwill store and look at the clothing. Our Salvation Army and Goodwill Stores have a "color tag" of the day. If you buy clothing and it has a color tag that was designated color of the day, you get the item for 49 cents. That goes a long way on fabric if they carry the larger sizes.
I might have to start to looking there for other times also. Also their sheets are usually only $2.
I might have to start to looking there for other times also. Also their sheets are usually only $2.
#40
Originally Posted by Rural City Girl
Originally Posted by bearisgray
Originally Posted by Lori L
Originally Posted by bearisgray
I wish people would say "less expensive" instead of "cheaper"
One can still find nice/decent/good fabrics at comparatively "reasonable" prices if one knows what one is looking for and where to look.
"cheaper", to me, implies inferior quality.
One can still find nice/decent/good fabrics at comparatively "reasonable" prices if one knows what one is looking for and where to look.
"cheaper", to me, implies inferior quality.
It's just when I was growing up, if anything/anyone was referred to as "cheap" - it was not meant as a compliment - old conditioning/associations are hard for me to outgrow.
So - if I've offended anyone, please accept my apologies.
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