I don't think anyone has suggested getting a "walking foot" for your machine. The generic ones cost somewhere between $15 to $25. I couldn't begin to actually quilt without my walking foot. If you buy the garden gloves, cut the tips off the thumb, index & middle fingers so you can handle fabric and also thread needle without removing them.

Come on now...pull yourself up and think of the pioneer women and the women in the depression era that made quilts out of anything they could find! The thrift shops and garage sales are great sources for fabric, curtains, sheets, etc. that you can re-purpose. Don't deny yourself something that your enjoy! You need to have an outlet and a hobby...it's therapy!

Oh, do NOT quit! So many options. AND you can do quilting economically. YES you can! You can recycle clothing from yard sales and thrift shops, hand-me-downs, etc. Old blankets can be used as batting or backing, fleece & flannel. You can recover old pot holders with your practice BOM squares same with your oven mits. Use flat sheets for your backing fabric on your quilts (I get mine from walmart $4.96 for a twin and some from the thrift stores). You could make your quilt tops into duvet covers, still using thrift store finds...like comforters. Sooooo many posibilities!!!

I echo the "don't quit" from everyone here. There are inexpensive ways to get what you need to make a quilt. I would NOT make the 5'x7' quilt my first -- start with something smaller and practice. The suggestions for getting fabric are great. I know someone who has won many ribbons and her batting is an old fleece blanket. Fleece is a little slippery so just handle it carefully. Some of those used cotton blankets would also work for batting. I know folks who buy the used flannel sheets and use them as batting.

Instead of FMQ, start doing grids. I use blue painters tape to mark the space between my lines. I have several widths and vary the width of the grid in different areas of the quilt. For gloves, I use some very cheap coated gardening gloves (I got them for $1 and a garden show but the dollar store here gets something similar in the spring). Just make sure they are tacky so they grab fabric so you can move it around.

Rotary blades are an expense -- Harbor Freight has carpet blades that fit in most rotary cutters and they are VERY cheap (especially if you get them on sale). Normally they are great blades, but you occasionally get a bad batch. You can splurge on the regular blades when you have a Joann's coupon or they have a sale.

You all rock!!! and are awesome. and etc. I love you peeps!

P.S. I have been reading so very much on here - not getting any quilting done. MUST REASSESS!

never quit, there is so much you can get from other sources. try bartering your skills for things you need. and check out the fabric stores online. you can find fabric for unbelievable prices. i got some for $1 a yard needless to say i bought 30 odd yards at that price. as for equipment sounds like you have the basics. you can get overwhelmed with stuff you will never use so stay to the basics. as for your nephew, i hope you were wrong about the split. if not i would tell him to split off. if he really is interested in helping you tell him you will do cooking, cleaning things he needs done in exchange for his services. if not you don't need his kind of help.

LOL alas, my nephew is only 12. He is yet in need of a cook/cleaner (he has mommy!). When I was knitting christmas stockings, he offered to do a 90/10 split with me... What do they teach these kids???

Don't quit!!! You ask "What do you really need to quilt?" My answer? A sissors, a needle & some thread, and some fabric. That's how our grandmothers & great grandmothers did it! They didn't have all the fancy gadgets we have now. They didn't have unlimited access to fabrics. Many of their quilts were pieced from old clothing. I would suggest pausing for a day or two to read one or two books from the Elm Creek series by Jennifer Chiaverini. You can borrow these for free from the library. One book in particular pops to mind - The Quilter's Homecoming - really sheds light on how these women were able to create quilts out of virtually nothing.

Fabric these days is so plentiful. Check out your local Freecycle group. Check out the dollar bin at the local thrift store. Some of the coolest fabrics and buttons I've ever found come from discarded garments. I rarely donate garments anymore because most of them end up chopped and in my fabric stash.

When family members ask you what you want for a gift, tell them "Quilt Batting" or fabric for quilt backings. IMHO, this is by far the costliest part of finishing a quilt (aside from sending it to a long arm!) Or, you could 'quilt as you go' which would allow you to work in smaller sections and utilize your machine more, and work with small pieces of backing - important if you just can't shell out a hundred bucks for a continual piece of backing.

One more thought - if you are quilting as you go, consider used sheets and blankets in the thrift store for both batting and backing. I know a lady that uses nothing but laundered old blankets as batting because a) it's all she can afford b) the quilts end up really warm, and c) she donates all the quilts and the recipients don't really care that she's not using an expensive high end batting.

I know I shouldn't have said other people should donate. I'm sorry. I have a good friend who doesn't even have a sewing machine and I have three and I'm not about to give one of mine to her, so I have no business telling other people what to do. I will do what I can. But, my friend, sews with a needle and thread. I've sent her fabric and patterns because she doesn't have a computer to download free patterns, and she's making quilts at a slow, steady pace. She has enough to get by. Every once in a while, I send her a package with fabric or a kit to fill her shelf she puts her quilting supplies on. She's doing okay. And I never asked what she's doing for backings. I bet sheets from Goodwill. And we all have clothes we will never wear again. Same with jeans. And I've bought fabric here for very cheap. So, if you are careful, you can keep on quilting just fine. I'm still sending you a package though.