Do you ever get rid of old fabric that is poor quality?
 

When I started quilting 9 years ago I bought primarily from Fabricland (quality is halfway between Joannes and quilt stores) and would cross the border and occasionally get fabric from Joannes, rarely bought from quilting stores. I kept to my budget!

Over the years my income has increased and I have stopped buying from Joannes, become more picky at Fabricland and have turned more to quilt stores for nicer fabrics. I finally sorted through all of my fabric and organized it by colour and about 15% is terrible fabric...and I really want to toss it but I feel so guilty. Mostly because I think of the money wasted.

Part of me wants to just place a little here and there in quilts but part of me worries more about the fabric breaking down. I make bed and couch quilts so it will get worn down anyway.

I assume many of us started buying poor quality, would you toss it? I wouldn't have any other use for it.

I usually find some use for it. My 8 year old granddaughter is learning to sew on my machine. She uses the old fabric to make a quilt for her dog and she wants to make on for the new cat. There are uses for it for new quilters and sewers.

No, I don't toss it. i use it to test patterns, backing for string piecing, new covers for ironing boards and pressing cloths. If I really thought it wouldn't hold up, there's always a need for rags that you toss because they're too messy to wash.

I would not toss it.....usually you can find a use for it or give it away to someone who can. I would not mix it in with the good fabric because you don't want to end up with a quilt where a few pieces disintegrate....one of my first quilts was made mainly of good fabric but I needed a purple that I only could find in poor quality fabric....went ahead and used it anyway....a few years later most of the quilt was still good except for that cheap fabric....it had faded to a grey and was very thin and started to just crumble....the rest of the quilt was still very useable on my queen bed.....Our church group uses all sorts of fabric....and while a lot of it is not the best quality....the quilts' are given to folks who otherwise would not have a quilt....While in a perfect world....we would only use the best fabric for donation quilts.....but the realty is that we would not be able to make as many. I sometimes make quilt covers for my car or my couch as I let my dog up on that....when it gets old...no loss...just toss it and make another one. Teachers may also want it for class projects....or youth groups....you could make it into gift bags...

I, too, have purchased lesser quality fabric that is still in my stash. I wouldn’t throw yours out. I plan to use mine to practice FMQ and ruler quilting as much of it consists of fat quarters. I’ll probably end up making a lot of placemats, dog/cat quilts and possibly some bags. I have mixed quilt shop fabric and Joann’s fabric in a couple quilts when I was limited in budget. Both quilts are still in use and holding up fine so far. Even if the cheaper fabrics break down, I’ll be happy to make new quilts for the recipients.

I did toss out a bunch not too long ago, but those were, unfortunately, used for mouse nests, I had no choice.

I never get rid of fabric, simply because while they may not be good for quilts, they might be good for something else. There's always pot holders, mug rugs, coasters, anything small that can stitch up quick and I'm not worried about how long they last because they're mine. It does give me the opportunity to see if a fabric would hold out longer than anticipated, pot holders and the like are used daily around my place.

Don’t keep it if the only reason is guilt. Sounds like you want to get rid of it.

You purchased the fabric and it gave you pleasure.

It no longer brings you pleasure.

Pass it on.

Without guilt

Wash and dry the cheaper fabric and see how you feel about it after that. Sometimes washing it tightens up the weave. I too have purchased inexpensive fabric, I've made placemats, table runners, tote bags/grocery bags, pillow cases, aprons and hot pads, and small zipper bags for cosmetics, simple tissue holders for those pocket size tissue packs. I gave some of the items as gifts, the rest I donated to an animal rescue center to sell at their annual fund raisers. I have made little tiny quilts for the cat cages in shelters and have small quilts to keep in our cars. At first I didn't think I'd enjoy making items with fabric that I no longer liked. But knowing it was for charity did bring joy to my life and it wasn't just tossed out.

Use it for home decor like fabric garlands or other items you do not wash. Also they can make great gift bags etc. I would donate before throwing away. I also would not mix it in. The times I have I ended up taking it out again.

I find the coarser cloth works great for making scrub caps, and there is no guilt in letting it go. I would have a time making myself use quilt-shop-quality for a scrub cap.

If I have shuffled a piece of low quality fabric to the bottom of the box it's been stored in for a number of years, I definitely throw it out. If I think it has some use, I use it on potholders or some other utility item. But I have gotten more strict with myself in recent years as I don't have that much room to store stuff I will probably not use.

I have a difficult time "getting rid of things"

However - I would not mix poor quality with good quality fabric in an item.

Been there, done that. Did not wear well.

I totally agree with this! Quilting is too labor intensive to use inferior fabric if you don't have to. No guilt allowed !

if you have the extra time, use it to make cage blankets for donation to a pet shelter.

if not, toss it.

you wouldn't be doing anybody any favors by giving them something you know isn't any good.

no need for guilt. life's too short.

Yes, and I have. If a piece is something that I will never use, I get rid of it. Done, period, and out the door. What is the purpose of keeping it when I will never use it because of the quality of the fabric? I have had a few that went directly to the cutting mat for chopping up for dog beds.

Part of the process is knowing yourself, your style of quilting your color schemes and ... well just be honest with yourself. If ya won't use it then why keep it.

If you look at it and feel anxious because you don't like it and it makes you feel guilty to not use it then that causes stress. Makes you feel bad for a few seconds every time you look at it. Is it worth that? Heck no. Get it out of your life. Not many things that causes stress can you toss in the heap. Enjoy the power.

I think I have to pass this fabric on. I don't make any crafts or accessories so I know that if it's not going into a quilt then it won't be going into anything. I can feel how cheap the fabric is by touch.

Storage is a big issue for me. I have a small apartment and no storage closet/space. I have a couple of small storage units stacked in my bedroom and I always said if it doesn't fit in them, then I have too much.

I won't toss in the trash but I'll post on kijiji to see if anyone wants them!

Thanks :)

I now use my "cheaper" fabric for rugs.

I use old fabrics of poorer quality with my granddaughter who I started teaching to sew just before the pandemic, now she has to wait.

Oh yes, quickly. I toss without regrets. I don't even pass it on to the free table at Guild or Bee. It's all in the category of, "What was I thinking?"

You could use it as a foundation for a QAYG or paper piecing.

I don't have any fabric that is inferior quality.

I bought a ton of fabric at an estate sale when I first started quilting. There was so much there that they sold a full box for $25.00. I think I bought two or three boxes. After a couple of years, I figured out that I would never use it, so I sent a bunch of the larger pieces to a friend on another quilting forum who makes quilts for kids in Africa. (So she wouldn't have to piece backings.) After another year or so, I donated some to Project Linus. My spouse passed in the spring, so when I packed up his clothes for the Salvation Army, I sent most of the rest of the estate sale fabric with the clothes. I'm not sure if the SA will actually sell it or bundle it up with the old clothes, though. I know I'm not going to use it either way. Someone will use it if you just look around.

bkay

I use the lesser quality fabrics ( as long as they are cotton) for foundations for log cabin blocks, string blocks, etc. I always wash them first to tighten up the weave.

I usually use it for practice pieces. Or scrap to use to make sure the machine is stitching well before I start on my project. Muslins when I'm making clothing or any of the other things I need scraps for.

Had one of my long posts typed out. Decided to shorten it, so this is the short version!

Do not burden yourself with things you don't want, like or use, even if they are useful -- if you haven't used something in 5 years or see yourself using it, you are just storing potential and how useful is it really??

For truly bad fabric, like that which runs, we have fabric recycling which is where things like old pillows also go. Don't pass on problems!

For other stuff, plenty of ways to donate. Small amounts can go to a thrift store. It will do best if you fold it neatly and put it in a clear bag/large ziplock baggie. Large amounts can go in boxes, but make sure the store will take them that way. In my part of the country, pretty much all general thrift stores (as opposed to clothing consignment) have fabric in the linen section.

Pretty much every Tuesday at my weekly small group someone is offering fabric "before it goes away". Is funny the different things people want, couple weeks ago I had a bag of stuff I had gotten at the thrift store and one of the ladies was just thrilled by a piece of vinyl in there for a machine cover she wanted to make for her son or something... People are always giving us bits of fabric and such as well. We support several different charity groups ourselves (either with fabric or projects) and then pack up the non-quilting stuff and donate it back out.

We all have different tastes, different budgets, and not all of us are quilters and some are happy to use poly blends. Even those that are might want to make a project to take to the beach or for a horse or whatever....

True story. I lived near Mexico/So. Texas border when I first learned quilting. My SIL took me to a fabric warehouse that had fabric piled on tons of tables. Very inexpensive. Long story-short--My sis was wearing a simple dress I had made. When she dropped a lit match in her lap, the dress skirt practically engulfed in flames! She wasn't burned, but I never used cheap fabric again!

The fiber content was what made the fabric burn so easily easily. Also loosely woven fabrics burn faster than tightly woven ones.

I bave done burn tests with tiny pieces of fabricv- like 1/4 x 2 inches - . It is better to do them outside than in the house. Because some fabrics seem to put out noxious fumes.

You know whats crazy? I went and started to collect the cheap fat quarters I had and I got all panicky and had to put them back, so odd the emotions that overcome us. I will do it again this week and take a picture of them and maybe post it online so I know it goes to a good home, see if that helps me let go

Taking a picture is a good idea when you're having trouble letting go of something. I got another useful idea from Marie Kondo's book, of saying a thank you (out loud!) to an object before getting rid of it. While purging a ton of stuff before moving, I found this very helpful. I chose to not speak "Thank you" out loud most of the time, but I made of point of thinking of in what way the object had made me happy in the past. For fabric, it could be something like:
..
I found that the element of "honoring" the past positive part of owning the object made it easier to let go of things that the triggered positive memories and associations.

Pack it up neatly in gallon Ziplock bags, mark it 100% cotton quilting fabric, and donate it to a local thrift shop. I had been given a bunch of fabric that I would never use, and it was just taking up space. Assistance League, of which I am a member, runs thrift shops, so that's what I did. It sold immediately, especially these days when so many are making masks.

Don't keep it laying around thinking that some day you'll use it. You will just feel guilty.

I have held on to JoAnn's fabric from the 70s and 80s (and every other kind of fabric from any period) even though I would never use it in a quilt. Primarily, I use this fabric to make FMQ practice squares and collage quilt pieces, but also use random scraps of it in string quilting. As Bonnie Hunter (?) says, 'if fabric still looks ugly to you, you aren't cutting it small enough.' If you have the space to segregate and store it, do so guilt free!

There is a difference between "ugly" - don't like it -

and "poor quality" fabric that would not wear as well as "good quality" fabric.

If one does not like it - for whichever reason it is - there is not much point in keeping it.

I just got rid of tons
 

I sold 4 small garbage bags full of fabric to someone making tons of masks. I work at a quilt store and am now a self proclaimed fabric snob. No more JoAnns or Walmart for me. Easy to say now that I get an employee discount!

Don't toss it. Some one else might make good use of it especially for rug making or crafting and other items that do not require washing or little washing or will be used up.

I do feel that the quilt shop fabrics are a much better quality but I could not afford fabrics from there then and now that I can afford to buy better quality fabrics I can really see a difference in the fabrics. I don't know if I am a fabric snob or not but I don't buy fabrics from JoAnn's any longer. I do understand a lot of people can't afford fabrics from a LQS.

IMO - some LQS fabrics are not LQS worthy.

I feel fortunate that I've found someone that will be happy to get some of what would be the last on my list of what I'd use in my stash. I'm pretty sure my stash will outlive me so if I start feeling like "I don't want to give that up" I go look at the walk in closet full that I'm keeping. Helps me to know I'll never miss it.

Here is what I've pulled so far - now the problem is seeing how much I can pack in a couple of large flat rate boxes.

the "layer cakes" are yardage someone cut into large squares. I picked them up at a thrift store when I first started quilting, and then didn't get to using them and since have bought so much I like better that they've been sitting in a tote for several years now. That's a great thing to rehome. Everything was washed when I brought it home, so it's a bit ravely. The good part on those, the fabric must have been washed before cut as they didn't shrink up when I washed them.