Any tips to make quilting more affordable for me?
 

We're a single income family with four young kids and I haven't got a big craft budget at all.
I've almost finished my first quilt and even though it's only a lap quilt I'm dismayed by how expensive the materials have been.
i live in the UK which doesn't help as supplies tend to be expensive here.
ironically it's not the quilting cottons that are the problem as I only ever buy those on sale.
the batting and backing are expensive though!
Would any have any thrifty tips pls?

thank you!

You can piece the backing; it does not need to be all one print. There are even some books out on how to make the backs more interesting with piecing.

Do you have thrift shops and/or garage sales? Some quilters look for lightly-used clothing such as full skirts or extra-large men's shirts and cut them up for fabric.

Keeping in mind that I live in the USA:

I purchased an inexpensive, light colored polyester blanket for a queen size quilt and used it for batting. The quilt came out gorgeous, heavy and very warm. A piece of fleece can be used for both backing and batting.

Backings: look for flat sheets in good condition at thrift stores and use them! I have several waiting for me to make a quilt for them! I also buy flannel sheet sets at end of season sales - price cuts of up to 80% if you can time the sales just right. You can cut the fitted part of the fitted sheet off and use it for piecing tops, and you still have a nice sized piece of flannel for backing. Plus you have a pillow case that matches the quilt.

A good sized piece of fleece or a fleece blanket can be used for both backing and batting, depending on the quilt.

Use your leftover scraps and make a pieced backing. You'll be surprised how good that can look with just a bit of planning.

Some people make it a habit to visit the local thrift shops, blankets in decent shape can be picked up fairly inexpensively and can be used for batting. Some people manage to find used sheets in these shops that are in good shape too. Also watching for sales in department stores for sheets & blankets can save $$. Thrift shops and yard sales are the best places to
Look though, recycled materials have been used for generations in quilting

Cathyvv listed all my ideas. Just wanted to say good luck to you and keep trying to find bargains. Old blankets and mattress pads work for batting quite well.

I'm in Canada and material is very expensive here too, about two times what it would cost in US.
Some online shop are willing to ship abroad. Even with a heavy shipping charge of 20-25$, sometimes it end up being quite a saving compared to buy locally.
I second the trift shop option. I have become used to go there once a week and the finds are always good. Old sheets are often excellent quality material and cost almost nothing. Look for the ones with a tag that tell you the country of provenance. Flannel made in Portugal is good and make nice batting. In addition, it's very eco friendly to recycle!

People use sheets some times for backing or you can piece your backing. something that is also nice is making two quilt tops and using one on the back. Kind of like a reversible quilt. I do have a hard time positioning them the right way but maybe some others on the board can help with that. Also table clothes can be used for backing. Batting is hard. I tend to prefer putting out the money and buy poly batting if my budget is low versus using old blankets etc. It also helps if you can buy it in bulk like on the roll but at the same time that is a big expense all at once. In Europe sometimes they have old wool blankets. I have thought about trying to use those as I have some from Europe but I wonder if it is a bit too heavy. How about felting old Shetland wool sweaters and piecing the batting that way?

Don't forget to look in the curtain department in stores and especially in thrift stores. I have found the most beautiful toiles and other cotton curtains in amazing condition a the thrift store.

It is expensive to sew. I did post the other day under pictures, pillows I had made using a sheet from a thrift store. I got 5 pretty pillows out of one thrifted $.99 sheet. I'm also going to post a picture under pictures of a quilt and it's back that I made a month or so ago. It wasn't from a sheet but I intentionally mismatched the back because I like the backs as interesting as the fronts. I'll label it Baby Quilt with pieced back so you can find it.

You know what else works, telling people you sew and are looking for fabric. I have people give me things all the time. They would rather it get used than sitting somewhere dry rotting. Try it. Good Luck

I agree with all the comments above. If you have a local guild to join, you will find many quilters bring in extra fabric and supplies that they no longer want. Or you can exchange with someone to get an assortment of fabric. Backings (the biggest expense) can be pieced with anything and in any shape and that makes the quilt interesting. I've seen many of those and it's always a surprise when one looks at the back. Hope this helps.