Foolish Frugality
 

Not a new topic - but I think we have members that have recently joined this forum.

These are MY opinions on some of the following.

1) Skipping the washing before cutting step. I prefer to know what kind of manners my fabrics have before I use them in a project. I would rather spend 20 minutes ahead of time than hours later trying to salvage something. I have this idea that commercially dyed fabrics should not need further treatment to be usable. I also want to know how my fabric is 'au naturel' with the sizing removed.

2) Trying to use fabric that should be discarded in a project - if it is a bleeder, sleazy, scratchy - or if it just looks awful in the project - it really will not get better with age or time!

3) Using poor quality thread, dull needles, dull blades, dull seam rippers.

4) Sloppy cutting and sewing - it really takes very little more time to do it carefully than sloppily - and it takes a lot more time to redo than to do correctly the first time.

4) Not making a test block - sometimes the templates/instructions for a block are wrong - it saves time and aggravation to make sure that the directions actually work before cutting out many pieces.





4)

Buy the best quality fabrics and threads that fit your budget. Don't assume that you can't find quality items at affordable places. Learn what quality is....

I always wash my yardage fabric. Not the charms or Jellies. I like it this way. Saves on the bleeders, scratchy and no good...
Measure twice, cut once.
Buy the best you can afford and depending on usage, go with what works. A dog quilt is fine with lower quality fabric...if you are spending hours on a heirloom, then spend the money for quality fabric.
Change needles often...seriously, is it worth the aggravation of a few pennies.
It's your craft and your signature....how do you want to be perceived?
Do what makes YOU happy!!!! Never settle for less!!!
K

I agree with everything here, , whilst I am fairly new to quilting, I have been sewing forever and previously had a wedding dress business, and the old addage you can't make a silk purse out if a sows ear comes to mind. If you want your work to look its best, choose quality fabric, pre wash, measure twice cut once and ensure you seam allowance is accurate. Half a mm on one piece will be multiplied by the amount of blocks in your quilt.

I learned the lesson the hard way on not doing a sample block first. When you do a sampler quilt hosted by a quilt store, they give you enough fabric for the block, but not for mistakes!

* You can do any block/design/technique you want! We all learn by trying new things. Find something that makes your heart happy or intrigues you and just 'do it'! (It also teaches patience, good ripping skills, and satisfaction)

* Ask questions! Either here or to your support group, or both!

* Share what you learn! Techniques are constantly being changed, improved, reverting to an older method, developed.

* There IS more than one way to do any thing.

* Document somewhere (blog, scrapbook, dairy, log) your quilts as you make them AND

* Label your quilt with pertinent info so in 50+ years, the history of it is preserved!

Remember your time and effort have value too. Many non-quilter don't see value, because they don't understand and mostly have no clue how much effort and work are in a quilt.

So just because people don't know the value of a quilt, doesn't mean it's not there.

Cut accurately.
Figure out where that pesky 1/4" seam is on YOUR machine and double check when you start a project as fabric and thread can make a difference.
Learn to press carefully. Watch out for those little tucks that sometimes get pressed in.
If you want to make a quilt quickly, choose an easy pattern, don't rush thru a more involved one and cut corners on your quality. It is quicker to be accurate than to rip!

I like to add , not taking the time to de- lint your machine! and not reading all of the directions prior to starting a project.

I guess I have lucky, I never make a sample block. When I start a quilt I am committed to make it no matter what. I just know it will go well. Dumb luck I guess.
I always wash and dry fabrics before using and I wash and dry the finished quilt. Luckily the fabrics I buy don't bleed or not much. From reading on this board the more expensive fabrics bleed more than mid cost. Since I give most of my quilts away, I only buy fabrics I can afford. I use quilts for our bed(about6-8) from the same fabrics and they have held up very well.

Be free with your time because it can nourish your quilting spirit: attend quilt shows and be inspired rather than intimidated; join a guild and participate; encourage other quilters.

Watch for sales! Check out the clearance bins and remnants. You can get some really great bargains on quality fabric, if you'll just keep your eyes open. When bargain shopping (without a particular quilt in mind), keep an eye out for blenders and neutrals. Never underestimate the "power" of a 1-yard cut, if it's a good bargain. :)

thanks for the words of wisdom!

My favorite of making your suggestions is to make a sample block. So many times I have started to make one block and find out it just doesn't work for me and switch gears on the second block.

Listen to the opinions/advice of others, then decide what works best for you and proceed on your own path.

All good suggestions here - If I make a mistake I pick the threads and get the piece ready to restitch. It is much easier to start again if you're ready to sew instead of facing an issue.

An example of foolish frugality -

A neighbor lady was making a baby quilt. What she used for batting - against my advice - was a very old, very skewed, wonky, would not lay flat no how - blanket. Several years later, she did admit that using that blanket was a bad idea!

The really weird thing about her insisting on using that was that this person COULD afford to buy decent batting. She probably even had some around the house, because she did a lot of crafts.

There is nothing wrong with using recycled blankets, mattress pads, flannel sheets, etc. for the middle of a quilt.
But when the blanket was just plain out of whack - that was foolish because it was impossible to get the outer layers to lay flat.

Great advice!

I am a fairly new quilter, I've only made 3. Some of these suggestions or tips I've never heard. Thank you for starting a thread with these tips! I'm printing them for my notebook I've started to remind me. Although I've read a lot and have learned much any help that is given is greatly appreciated! Again thank you!

Use poor quality products and make a poor quality quilt. Use poor quality tools and get frustrated. Quilting is not a cheap hobby unless you are making a quilt to stay warm out of whatever the way quilting began. Keep an open mind about new quilting techniques and tools. What I have seen from many poster here is the instant poohing of a new tool without ever having used it because they think it's unnecessary but mostly because they think it cost too much.

Many times one CAN "get by" with so-so tools/equipment.

However, if one can afford to have a tool that works well (and is used!), many times it's worth the investment. The savings in time and effort more than justify the tool.

(Not so long ago, many people did not have indoor plumbing, electricity, and telephone services - it's only been within the last very few years ago that many people have electronic devices)

Another thing:

The acrylic rulers CAN wear done with a lot of use (some of mine did, anyway) - and I was wondering why the cut line was not straight when I moved the ruler and I had been very careful to not move the fabric - it finally occurred to me to set the ruler on edge on my kitchen counter. Lo and behold, I had worn a shallow curve into the edge of the ruler.
Hard as it was for me, I put the ruler in the trash. It wasn't even broken! I didn't want anyone else to cut crooked pieces with it.

I'd say quality of fabric is so important. When I hear talk about the fabrics people use I cringe sometimes. It really does take quality fabric (I didn't say expensive, they can be on sale, who knows if it's a sale piece or not?), but this is not the project to cheap out on.

True, but to say a tool is not needed and the person never had one to compare is not worth my time to listen. I'm not into the we use to to it this way without any of the new things we have now. That makes no sense to me. My great grandmother use to wash with a rub board, I'm not doing that when a washing machine is in every appliance store, no more then I'd cut 200 hst squares with scissors.

Go with the colors/patterns/designs that "talk" to you. Quilt for fun, therapy and relaxation. Do not make it a chore. Sew with "good- happy thoughts". Spend time to watch "utube" lessons, you will learn alot. Quilting is a lifetime adventure, you will get better in time.

If one can achieve the desired effect without the new tool, then technically the new tool is not needed. Some people enjoy doing things the "old" way, just as some people prefer vanilla ice cream . . . and others prefer the newest gadgets/tools and the latest flavors. Neither is wrong.

Quilting is one of those great things that lets us all make our own decisions. There is no "right" or "wrong."

I'll agree with you on sharp pins, needles and rotary blades. And definitely agree that we should do our best with cutting and stitching.

However, I never pre-wash or make test blocks. Well, almost never wash - I do if it is required for a swap. Maybe I've just been lucky, or maybe some part of me likes living on the edge. Whatever, it works for me, so that is what I do. If prewashing and/or making test blocks is what somebody else needs to do to enjoy their time with fabric, then that's what they should do.

I think the most important thing is for people to do what they like to do. If they can't stand anything but judge-worthy work, then that's fine. If they are okay with the galloping horse theory, that's fine too. It's not a factory!

I pre wash everything. Small scraps go into lingerie bags and queen-sized knee-highs. Long strips get folded and a few long stitches so they don't come apart and get tangled up. Color catchers catch any bleeds. I also use hot water to wash everything. Unless not cotton. We had a lot of rain this weekend so I spread some larger shirts and a dress across a sheet attached to some chicken wire and clipped it so wouldn't blow away. Got rid of a lot of odor from perfumes.

lighting is always on the top of my list.

I would also like to add that if I am not enjoying the quilting experience (whether fatigue or just not in the mood), I will leave my project for a day or two. If you are driven by timelines or just want to get a quilt finished, sometimes it shows in your work. I like to think my quilts are made with "love."

Add to "Foolish Frugality" scrimping at the fabric store. Trying to buy as little as possible often leads to a trip back to buy more! BTDT... (been there, done that.)

I wholly agree. I think you've got quilting in the proper perspective - well said.

I would rather have 1/4 yard left over than be one inch short! But with the price of fabric now, I do understand the need to try to be conservative.

That applies to clothing patterns, too. Especially when the print is large or the fabric or print is directional.

Let me first say, this thread is one reason I read my Quilting Board every day possible. In addition to all the comments above is, don't beat yourself up when you make mistakes, you will learn from them. Try something out of your comfort zone, it may just ramp up the creative juices.

I'd like to add: Changing your rotary cutter blade when you have to cut "twice" to make the cut. I tried to extend the life of my last blade and when I finally put in a new one it literally "cut like butter". So much easier than pushing hard to cut fabric and not taking it easy on my newly repaired rotator cuff. Not smart. So, my advice would be that when it becomes hard to cut - change the blade, you'll be glad you did.

Amen to this! I am making my first Jenny Doan quilt using pre-cuts and it's the most boring quilt I've ever made. I found out that I like to be challenged mentally when quilting. This 'Square in a Square' quilt has me leaving my sewing room after just a few minutes of work on it. I can't bear to be bored. I've never been bored sewing before. I will choose my projects better for now on. They must be challenging!

In principal I agree with all of the suggestions, in practice I don't (won't say never) dosom of them very often. Like washing fabric, for instance. You may cringe at the thought of buying old clothing at a thrift store, but I simply love some of the colors and designs and I make many different kinds of quilts. Anything bought at a thrift store gets washed in HOT water, no matter the fabric content, even though I try to stay with cottons, wools and natural fabrics. I'm a nut for buying new gadgets. Unfortunately, many of them I haven't used and probably never will. They make all those new things look soooo easy, but often the opposite is true. Mainly, I just have FUN, that is why I quilt.

Part of making a quilt is the fun I have shopping for fabric, using new tools and notions, trying new threads, buying a new quilt book or pattern. If I couldn't enjoy quilt shopping then making a new quilt would lose some of it's excitement. I don't want quilting and frugality to mix together in my world. I'll use frugality in other areas. LOL

We're supposed to use templates and read instructions? I seldom, almost never, use a pattern of any sort besides seeing a design I love and copying it on my own.

Most of what I use is not purchased for quality. I make a charity rag quilt just about every other week. I have bunches of thrift store or inherited fabric. I'm not trying out for blue ribbons, just gifts for ill people.