Please share your best money-saving tips for quilters on a budget
09-17-2010, 01:56 PM
#11
Super Member
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Colorado
Posts: 4,879
I have used my husbands discarded shirts, my family member's old jeans, thrift store finds, garage and estate sales, Joann's and Hancock coupons. I have traded notions for fabric and traded fabric for notion, have done baby sitting for fabric. I have posted on Freecycle for fabric. I hit the $1.00 per yard fabric at Walmart and hit a goldmine. I tell everyone that I know that I will take any fabric that they don't want. My unemployment has almost run out and I have to really scrounge to get fabric. When you have Quilt Pox you become very creative.
09-17-2010, 01:58 PM
#12
Power Poster
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Northern Michigan
Posts: 12,861
RECYCLE, RECYCLE, RECYCLE! I recycle everything possible, when i hear of someone who just cleaned out the kids closet (or their own) and have a garbage bag or more they want to get rid of i always ask if i can have it first...i go through it, and first off pick out anything in great shape that would be a shame to dispose of that i know someone would love and i set that aside for the person, then i pick through it for any and all fabrics i can salvage. i save all the buttons, zippers if they still work, cut out cute trims, ect. what ever is left i donate to which ever thrift store i am going past.
thrift stores are a great place to get wools! you can literally save thousands of dollars purchasing your wools in the form of mens old dress coats. cut them apart, wash and dry the wool, it is wonderful to work with, and to buy it off the bolt can cost you anywhere between $20 & $60 a yard.
thrift stores are a great place to get wools! you can literally save thousands of dollars purchasing your wools in the form of mens old dress coats. cut them apart, wash and dry the wool, it is wonderful to work with, and to buy it off the bolt can cost you anywhere between $20 & $60 a yard.
09-17-2010, 01:59 PM
#13
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Sully, Iowa
Posts: 2,390
Originally Posted by GrammaNan
I have used my husbands discarded shirts, my family member's old jeans, thrift store finds, garage and estate sales, Joann's and Hancock coupons. I have traded notions for fabric and traded fabric for notion, have done baby sitting for fabric. I have posted on Freecycle for fabric. I hit the $1.00 per yard fabric at Walmart and hit a goldmine. I tell everyone that I know that I will take any fabric that they don't want. My unemployment has almost run out and I have to really scrounge to get fabric. When you have Quilt Pox you become very creative.
09-17-2010, 02:03 PM
#15
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: at my sewing machine
Posts: 1,916
join the local guilds.
guilds typically have a library of books and patterns that you can borrow.
they also do charity work with donated fabric and you can get experience and scraps by sewing and quilting the charity quilts.
all the non-scrappy quilters of the guild bring in their scraps for the scrap bin and any of the members are welcome to take as much as they want. i just dropped off 2 tubs of scraps at this weeks meeting.
members routinely trade fabrics with each other so that's another way to acquire some fabric that you need for a project.
guilds typically have a library of books and patterns that you can borrow.
they also do charity work with donated fabric and you can get experience and scraps by sewing and quilting the charity quilts.
all the non-scrappy quilters of the guild bring in their scraps for the scrap bin and any of the members are welcome to take as much as they want. i just dropped off 2 tubs of scraps at this weeks meeting.
members routinely trade fabrics with each other so that's another way to acquire some fabric that you need for a project.
09-17-2010, 02:06 PM
#16
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Arizona
Posts: 1,134
Get on the email lists of your LQS's. One of my local stores has really good sales ($4.50 per yd) several times a year, with an extra discount for early birds. Others have weekly coupons, like JoAnns, that are good for 40% off one cut of fabric.
09-17-2010, 02:11 PM
#17
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Holland, PA
Posts: 4,157
Have your pattern in hand. Check your stash 1st and checkout the "sale" isles if you really have to purchase more fabric.
Originally Posted by jlm5419
I'll start:
I get flat sheets from the thrift store to use as backing for quilts. They're large enough they don't require a seam, and usually much less expensive than fabric from the LQS.
I get flat sheets from the thrift store to use as backing for quilts. They're large enough they don't require a seam, and usually much less expensive than fabric from the LQS.
09-17-2010, 02:48 PM
#20
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Virginia
Posts: 2,850
Originally Posted by akrogirl
Get on the email lists of your LQS's. One of my local stores has really good sales ($4.50 per yd) several times a year, with an extra discount for early birds. Others have weekly coupons, like JoAnns, that are good for 40% off one cut of fabric.
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