Batt worthy?
 

it is getting difficult out there to afford quilting. or most anything. choose wisely! but enjoy.

You are so right. I frequently look at patterns and think, no, I don't want to make a big quilt out of that. Prices are on the rise all around, Lately I have been watching a Youtuber called Patchwork Facil and working on her blocks. Just one block to see if I can do it. In the end, I might make an odd block quilt. Totally scrappy.

Even on sale the prices are more then what I would consider regular price! If I see a good buy on batting I buy it. I have a bolt of Pellon natural cotton 96 x 9 yards I bought for $14.97 on sale at Walmart last November. It is now $53.12 on sale. It changed that much in less then a year.

Good idea to check WalMart for pricing --I saved 1/2 price a month ago.

You do have to check around to get a good price on batting. I only buy it online, usually Amazon and sometimes Walmart, but I check other sources too. Prices per yard for batting are still so much lower than quilting fabric. I have a good supply of several types, but I check periodically for good buys, and if I find a really good buy I jump on it.

I either (sometimes) buy my batting by the size at Wal-mart when I find it cheaper there. But, I also buy large rolls of batting from Joann's when I can use the 50% off coupon for it. I only buy Warm and Natural (which by the way the 90" x 40 yards roll is on sale right now) or Warm and White by the Warm Company. It costs out of pocket for a large roll all at once, but saves me a lot on the other end (instead of buying the batting packets by quilt size)

I usually pick up a pre cut batting of Warm and Natural at Walmart every few shopping trips. I have a nice supply of those. I dread having to cut wide batting folded on a bolt. I always make a mess of it. LOL I do 95% my own quilting so I save enough to buy the batting but it's still expensive.

I use the JA "40% any one item" to buy a roll online.

When my local quilt shop shut it's doors about three years ago, they had a huge sale. I bought about 20 packages of batting in different sizes. I haven't bought any since, but I looked while I was at Joann's last week and was shocked. Unless I need a wool or bamboo batting, I'm all set for a while. I also save the scraps and now I'm using them by making coasters and placemats.

That's a good way to look at it. I think I'll go through and cull my patterns with this in mind.

Maybe quilting as a hobby has come full circle. When every quilt was cut out for a borrowed template, hand pieced and hand quilted, the cost of materials might not have been that important. Then came the revolution: rotary cutting, chain piecing and machine quilting. Quilt in a day became a possibility. Now, as prices for fabric and batting go up, I can see how it is no longer advantageous to make a “quilt in a day”. As I move towards retirement, I have more available time, so my labor has less value (even as my skill level has increased). I find myself gravitating to complicated patterns both for the quilt top and the quilting.

Is it worthy? That's a valid question these days regarding quilt patterns and many other things I'm accustomed to just buying whenever I wish.... Inflationary price pressure puts many things into perspective.

Back to batt-worthy projects - does that mean I might end up with less WIPs and UFOs?? HaHa - even I think that's funny!

I use pretty much all by batting by making "frankenbatting" with it. Just join pieces together using the zigzag on my machine.

I remember reading that 'back in the day' they used to make quilts out of worn clothing and anything cloth, and when that was too worn to use for the quilt top pieces were sewn together, or older quilts were used, to make the inside.

It's amazing when I think about how maybe 50 years ago we had no rotary cutters, boards, interfacing, batting, embroidery machines, dozens of brands and colors and weights of threads, scissors, irons, and fabrics, let alone rulers and gadgets, and now, we may have really more than what we need.

I keep my batting scraps for when I need to do a sample of what my quilting design will look like. Then, when I don't need it anymore for reference, I bind that scrap and use it for a cup cozy or a hot pad.