Hosta

recycle all clothing you can and if you get it at a resale shop or rummage sale be sure to wash it well never know where one of those pesky bed bugs might be hiding also friends know I collect fabric so if they are out and see something they get it if they think I will like it so that help's me

purplemem

I haunt clearance sales. I buy shirts at the thrift store and cut them up, it comes out to about 25 cents a yard that way. I buy thread from Connecting Threads once a year when they put it on sale. Barnett Lap Quilting Hoops has the best price I've seen for batting. My quilt backs are always blender fabrics from Marshall Dry Goods. I quilt my own, never send them out (but would love to). Sometimes I hand quilt, sometimes I DSM, (just gridlines). I tell people I make quilts and some people actually give me fabrics. For birthday and Christmas I ask for gift certificates to Hancock Fabrics, not because they are my fav place to buy, but because it is convenient to the gifters. Then I wait till one of their big, big sales to buy.

I buy from FabricDepot.com, Marshall Dry Goods, and sometimes ebay for my new fabrics. I NEVER pay full price for fabric.

We have cut all extras out of our budget. No eating out, even fast food. No travel or Sunday afternoon drives. No new anything that hasn't been absolutely worn out. Coupons for brand name groceries, generic for everything else. I use the crock pot to cook as it saves energy and I can cook cheaper pieces of meat. We have beans and cornbread at least 2 meals a week. I still have internet and cable/bundled/ under $100 a month. That will be the next thing to cut and the only thing left in our budget that is not life essential. We have no tv service without cable.

quilterella

I buy only what I need these days, and everything else comes from my stash. I have downsized dramatically these past two years and have even sold a couple of sewing machines I wasn't using. We all do what we must, to be able to feed our passions (quilting).

ckcowl

sales, thrift stores, yard/estate sales, recycling-refurbishing clothes, and when ever someone in the family has sorted out kids clothes that have been worn out/out=grown i ask for the garbage bag FIRST- i go through it and salvage what i can then pass on the clothes to others who can use them. and i save every little piece- if i ever have no money for fabric i will still have boxes of little scraps to make into a quilt

watterstide

All great suggestions!
i moderte freecycle board in my area..i have gotten a sewing mchine for a friend and fabrics that way.
i like to scour the thrift shops on days they save special tag sales. i get mostly mens plaid cotton shirts. mixed with bleached white muslin, they turn out great!
i always use a coupon! sign up for Hobby lobby or Joanns on line or in thier stores. my neighbors save thier coupons for me too!
if you sign up for freecycle
it is www.freecycle.org
then find your state,then city.

countryone77

* Make miniature quilts.
* Make complex quilts, which take longer to make.
* Take the time to make blocks as perfectly as you can, which can slow down the process.
* Design your own quilts -- I get a lot of satisfaction on this step.
* Use up your scraps. I'm sure that Bonnie Hunter's "Scrap User's System" has been mentioned many times, but here it is again ...
http://www.quiltville.com/

jbronston

I think the rising cost of fabric is one of the reasons that the style of quilts in the magazines has changed recently. These new 'bed warmer' pieces to put at the foot of the bed seemed a little silly to me until I realized it was a way to keep quilters makiing quilts. Writing a check for material to cover the whole bed is way beyond most quilters, but they can afford something small & still tell their husband "it's for our bed".
This inflation is frustrated, but not really new to the hobby. I've watched the price of quilting books go from about $5 up to the $40 they want now & asked myself when I would have to quit buying them. (answer turned out to be when I run out of room - but I still want every title printed!)

jitkaau

I started to do more applique as the plain background material is less expensive.

May in Jersey

Many great ideas here, many that I use myself. I make a lot of charity quilts and one way I can do that is to buy background fabrics on sale, whites, creams, colors that read like solids. Most recent find was 10 yards of a great creamy fabric for 1.69 per yd. That fabric will go a very long way as I make a lot of scrappy quilts and it will unify the blocks and make the quilt look great. My guild has a big stash room and we get donations from people clearing out Granny's old stuff. Many times there are yards of light colored prints. After washing and drying those fabrics I use them as the foundation for the hundreds of scrappy string blocks I make every year.

Batting always bought at half price, keep leftovers for smaller quilts and piece last bits together for doll quilts or doggie pads. We quilters work hard to save dollars so we can keep at our passion. May in Jersey

Dodie

I have used old matress pads from thrift stores or garage sales for batting they are soft and wash really good and makes a very good batting