kellen46

This is a tried and true technique. I made several of these when I first started quilting and money was tight. The newspaper mostly just dissolves away. If the paper is two weeks old the ink will not run. It smears because it is not dry yet when new. If you are concerned run a hot iron over the paper and it is set. My DMIL said the paper added extra warmth, tongue in cheek wisdom from a wise lady. You can tie or machine quilt the top with no worries. Are we so dainty now we can't even use newspaper with out turning up our noses. Newspaper is mostly wood fiber and comes from trees...what animal does polyester come from? The ink is mostly from vegetable products. If you really need blank paper you can by partial rolls of newsprint from the local newspaper available for one or two dollars. You will get many yards of blank newsprint. If you don't believe me that the newsprint disappears then take a piece of newspaper and sit it in the sun for a bit....it just degrades right away to fragile and brittle.

levada

I know it seems "green" and frugal to repurpose newspaper, but I just chuck it in the recycle bin. With that said, I DO love this method of using up scraps. What I do is wait until I can get a 50% off price at Joann's and then I buy a whole bolt of thin cheap muslin. I cut 6.5 inch squares and use them instead of the newspaper. I use up my scraps and then have a huge pile of these sturdy and lovely squares. I have made tons of "give-away" quilts by just using sashing to finish the quilt top, added batting and backing, and then quilt in the ditch to finish.

patdesign

Very old quilts used newspaper for batting, BUT think about this, newsprint is acid based paper and it will eventually cause the fabric to deteriorate. For the same reason, that is why all matting paper used for framing prints is now acid free.

rwillig

While I havent had to resort to using newspaper, I have been looking for ways to continue my hobby less expensively... I would hope that if someone is using these techniques, that they are not made to feel horrible because of some of the comments posted here. It is understandable that some would need to find cheaper ways to create... please remember that while some of us may have all the money we could ever need to enjoy our hobbys, some are doing without other items so that they can work on their hobbies. Remember that unemployment is still near 9% over this great nation! Everyone have a GREAT and HAPPY NEW YEAR! and a warm, loving and fruitful one as well!!!

rwillig

Just a note for future reference, I have fouund that second hand stores have inexpensive ways to replace batting... curtains, table cloths, etc. usually from 25 cents to a couple of bucks. Much cheaper than batting.

patdesign

Here is a win win situation for 2012. Recycle older fabric. Shop for flannel sheets, drapery panels etc at your thrift stores, salvation army or goodwill, you will benefit yourself as well as help some others less fortunate.

babyboomerquilter

I am going to watch this post and see what everyone thinks. It seems to me the ink would bleed. Don't know, I guess it would be quite an experiment. Very interesting!

Havplenty

i'm curious since you have used this method, once the paper batting is washed it dissolves how do these quilts hold up over time? i have washed my jeans with paper left in the pockets and it either wads up in a hard pieces and disintegrates. i cannot imagine that this can be any sort of lasting batting and the quilt ends up being just two pieces of fabric with paper fragments or mush inside. how does this work?

i like the idea of using clothing inside the quilt as batting. i have a bunch of tshirt knit fabric that i can use in donation quilts. it should add a another layer of warmth to the quilts. repurpose, repurpose. glad i find another use for all of that knit fabric. i was selling it on eby.

Havplenty

since i have seen so many tips on the quilt board, i now look for blankets, sheets and other bedding to use for quilts when i go to estate sales. i have gotten new king sized blankets for $3/piece and sheets for $1 or less. i have bought linen table sets to use for fabric. keep the tips coming.

Caryn

i have always been fascinated with this topic...years ago during ww1 and ww2 this type of quilting was in fact done due to the scarcity of cotton. the newspapers of today are pretty much the same as those of that time. what you want to do is wet the papers to remove some of the excess ink and then dry and press the paper.. the paper was used in place of batting and in fact is just as warm as batting. it will soften as the quilt ages and is washed...of course back in the day even a modern washing machine of the time was far less powerful than what we have today. during the days of old and up to depression era, it was not uncommon to layer newspapers on the walls of homes, and between sheets and blankets to cut drafts and help keep the home and body warm. check out some of the homeless people at night and you will find that they (yes, even today) collect newspapers and use them for more than reading.