I find that what I like about quilting is designing a quilt, picking out the color scheme, selecting the fabrics, piecing the top. I don't like any of the rest of it. I don't like using any ready made patterns and I hate the quilting. I hate making a pattern to go with fabric that I have been given. So, for me a quilt is very expensive. Fortunately, I takes me FOREVER to get a top finished.

Keep your eyes open for sales. I have found some very nice backing fabric in the "back room" sale room at the LQS. I am always looking for garage sales, but around here there aren't many with fabric. I always ask for gift cards for gift giving times. All that helps keep the expense down. My stash is quite large, and I have enough on hand to make 2 quilts that I have planned for the near future. Use your coupons at JoAnn's for backing. I'm feeling the pain for those who live in Europe and Canada. The prices are out of this world there. This hobby is too important to me to just give it up!!
Sue

Quilting is expensive, but its the only hobby ( if you want to call it that) that I have. I am a senior citizen and I live alone. Quilting is what keeps me going. It keeps my brain and my fingers active. I don't know what I would do if I did'nt make quilts. Instead of sitting in front of the TV or a computer all day, Im in my sewing room, creating something beautiful usually for someone else. I have had to cut back on what I purchase since retiring, but some things you just can't put a dollar sign on.

Crafttown fabrics always has clearance fabric for $4.oo a yard and precuts are always 20% off. This is FYI only I am not affiliated with them. Just want to share good news.

I love quilting, but I too find it really expensive. I feel guilty about buying all this fabric, batting backing etc., but I tell myself it is my "pay" for all that I do around the house (cleaning, cooking, food shopping, etc.) I am not working, so I think I buy more because I have the time, and I spend a lot of time sewing! What can I say except it habit forming!

I only buy from the discontinued area of LQS. The new lines are beautiful, but only twice have they managed to get my money..... I have been very lucky lately and have picked up a lot of fabric at garage/estate sales. I spent several hours ironing my new 'stash' yesterday..... I just need to get use to making scrap type quilts....

I have had to slow down my projects and make things from scraps or stash (a very small stash) I buy only what I need to work with. I have 3 tops now that need to be sandwiched but do not have the batting to do it and it will not get done in the next few months. Just play with what you can do with what you have and things will look up.

I have kept track of my fabric costs for awhile (which is why I don't bother to sell quilts). I've been keeping track of every cent I spent since Jan. 1. I need to scale WAY back. Notions can cost a fortune and when you combine it all, it can be pretty expensive.

BTW, for backings, I have nearly always just selected something I like out of the clearance bin at the LQS.

I concur with the others. I used to "cheap out" and am weaning myself from that. I hand-quilted so a quilt that has $70 worth of materials in it lasted months. Now that I'm machine-quilting, I have stopped using the cheapest materials I can find and am finding that I'm spending about $100/quilt. I do use cheap thread (the polyester regular sewing kind that my local drug store sells for $.30/spool) and cotton everything else. I buy my tops online for $50 or less. I have found a few that I had to have that cost $70. So that's my biggest expense but I can't imagine I could make one any cheaper than that. I used to buy batting at Joanns or Hobby Lobby, but have been getting them at the same time I buy my backing (one big piece) at the fabric discount store. Last time, they cut me exactly how much I needed for the top I brought in. It's queen sized and I spent $60 on the white cotton Warm and Natural batting and backing. I probably could have gotten it cheaper if I'd used my Hobby Lobby coupon, but it's 3 counties west! I have been using spray basting ($6-ish) and I pressed the basted sandwich and it smooshed the batting down good and made it so much easier to quilt on my domestic machine!! I will use up the rest of the poly batting and the acrylic blankets I have for my hand quilting but will splurge on the cotton batting for the machine.

The eye opener for me was when someone gave me some older quilts. I don't know how old they are, but they are applique and the fabric is falling apart. Not the seams or the (hand) quilting, but the fabric itself. Then I looked at the quilt that I'm working on that is made of poly blend sheets and wonder just how long it will last and it makes me sad to think that she will either have to put it up or wait for that "one last time" that she pulls it out of the dryer and finds that first hole....

That having been said, I'm making my 10-year old neice a quilt from a sheet set!