Well, I made a quilt out of men's shirts once. I was really
bored and they were so nice. He refused to wear them. They were second hand. Still of good quality. So I cut and sewed.
Found an old sheet that was going in the trash. And left over batting from another quilt. True it is not a full size quilt.
But it laid around for 6 years. Basted together. Would not believe the compliments I get on it. Finally tied it, and hemmed it. Used it last winter as a lap rug. It measures about 48 inches square.
I think my tape measure has grown legs again. I have saved some of my grandmothers broomstick skirts to try another one. Just haven't decided on a pattern. She loved to dance so want to make it reflect her passion.

I am one of the moderators for the Waterford Michigan Freecycle. Fabrics and fabric scraps become available all the time. I have a very generous stash that I have acquired over the years and it has grown beyond imagination with the help of freecycle. The purpose is to keep things out of landfills and I have found a large number of quilters that use freecycle. I find I will pass fabrics onto another quilter this way easily knowing that in a week or so someone else is going to be offering fabrics. I just hope that I can get a chance at them quickly. I offered a very large bag of scraps this morning and they were spoken for within minutes and picked up within an hour. To make it even better the woman who I gave the fabrics to has a longarm and is going to let me come over and watch her do some of her magic. I agree that is is an excellent way to expand your fabric needs on a tight budget.

Probably the cheapest quilt I ever made was a baby quilt for a friend - the center panel was off of a $1 a yard remnant table, one of the borders was fabric that I was given, and the batting was scraps of batting my aunt gave me. The binding fabric cost about 50 cents at wal-mart. All in all, I think I had less than two dollars in the quilt.

Edited to add : I did use variegated thread, but it was thread left over from another project, so I don't count it.

I mentioned that I was blessed with a large stash in other post I have made here. The majority of that stash I purchased all at one time. It too belonged to a quilting hoarder. I purchased more than 3000, yes, 3000 yards of fabric from her estate. I spent $400 and didn't put a dent into what was there. Her grand daughter generously let me choose what I wanted. I filled large black trash bags to the brim (took 2 of us to handle each bag) and I purchased 20 bags plus she threw in an egg crate full of quilting flannel and about 20 yards of Warm and natural. It took 2 weeks before I found the floor in my living room again. I have not purchased fabric since then. I have purchased some batting though. I piece together fabrics for my backings now. There were fabrics still in the bag right from the LQS! This was one of those times I would have taken out a loan for such a bargin. I now have a stash that will out live me and I have not yet run into not having a fabric that I need that is just right. So what do I do? I still make mostly scrappy quilts.
Garage sales, estate sales and the like are some of the best ways to build a stash and in these hard economic times be able to quilt to your heart's content. So asking the question How much can you NOT spend? It depends on what is at stake.

I just made 5 quilts of various lap sizes for my sisters. I made them from scraps from left over projects. I used 1 main fabric to pull all the string blocks together. I was also fortunate to find backing fabric at JoAnns for $3 per yard. I bought all of it up that was on sale in all the colors. I have enough to do several more quilts. I try to be frugal whenever and wherever I can. My sisters will love these works of art and will never know that they were made out of fabric destined for dog beds.

I figure if you are willing to invest the time to put together a beautiful top out of scraps, you can afford to treat yourself to a backing (I always find on sale at FabricDepot.com, or Stitchinframe.net) your savings will cover ther cost of your shipping easily!!! And I always find batting on sale (I buy it off the big bolt, not in precut packages... So, my favorite site for scrap quilts is quiltville.com. That Bonnie is a magician! AWESOME patterns! Sorry for this post if her site has already been posted!

I'm trying now to look through my stash before I go into a quilt shop or fabric store because I don't have the money and I probably already have something nice in my stash that I paid for when I had money.

Even before I unexpectedly got layed-off last month, I vowed that this was the year I would concentrate on finishing UFOs and making some of the MANY quilts/wallhangings, etc that I've already purchased fabric for. Of course I say that every year. But I've been pretty good about not buying more fabric, books or gadgets so far this year. Well, except when I went to Paducah in April. More for my shelf of wanna-be's. Yikes, I'll be busy for years!

Joanie2 - I love your quilt - I like the asymmetrical look.

Juliasb - 3,000 yards!!! Where, oh where, did you store all that fabric? But what a deal!

Like everyone else, I am making do with what I have. My DH owns a small, family business (3 generations and we are praying we can make it for a 4th). I have a medium sized stash and I do my best to only use from that. Right now I am working on my first "scrappy strip quilt as you go". It is fun and different!

Some people are just lucky! I have been to one quilter's estate sale and purchased fabrics but many of the more senior quilters quilters (I just can't say old quilters) designate their stash to organizations that use them for charity quilts. Our guild has received many generous donations and we have made hundreds of quilts for local hospitals, organizations that temporarily house people going through transition, re-hab hospitals and the like. But we seldom come across finds like I've read about here. Same goes with sewing machines. A part of me is very jealous but then I don't have the storage space and I simply don't want to be the winner - you know, the one who dies with the most fabric. So I'm trying to us what I have first and I think that's what we are all trying to do.

I can honestly say that the first 2 quilts that I ever made were just plain 6" squares made out of old jeans, batting was old electric blankets with cords pulled out & backings were used but good sheet blankets. Thread was given to me as well as a tennis ball size yarn. So other than my time, I had 2 'cost free' quilts for my 2 children to keep warm in the cold winters. Hubby had been laid off 13 times before he retired after 30 years in a factory.
Now that hubby is retired...things still aren't much better. There aren't any neighbors around me that quilt, no friends (other than here) that quilt. I am self taught & basically do things my way. I quilt for my pleasure. I have sent a few people here fabric from what little stash I have & am very frugal.
Yes, I have bought fabric from some here, beautiful fabric & yes, a few very kind & sharing quilters have sent me free fabric with nothing asked in return. I am so thankful for these quilters. They know who they are :)
I live in a small town & no freecycle close to me, wish there was because I could make more here happy. With all the trials & tribulations I have been through; I wake each morning praising the Lord & pray every night for health & happiness of the people who are dear to me.
I do the best I can with what I have & I am truly blessed.

recycle, free cycle, bartering works too, that is how my sister gets fabric, she is on a very tight budget and lots of people want to get rid of things, it never hurts to look around or ask questions. She has gotten lots of nice fabrics from free-cycle.

Whenever I see machines and tools and fabrics that cost exorbitant amounts of money, I like to remember that folks have quilted for centuries with nothing but thread, scraps, needle, and scissors. Some of those virtually free quilts are the most beautiful and creative quilts I've ever seen. I don't feel deprived (or that I'm a cheapskate) with my old sewing machine and hand quilting! I appreciate all the knowledge shared from the quilters here, which makes me feel wealthy!

Wow, this is a great thread and one I need to read again and again. This year I had resigned myself to using fabric from my stash and finishing UFO's.
Well I've not done very well at all at not buying more fabric
although I have used quite a bit of what I've bought this far.
I also need to start looking more at our thrift stores and checking the free cycle in our area.
I am going to a Quilt festival in Sept. and am signed up for 5 different classes (although I'm thinking about dropping 1 of them). I have been looking at the supplies list and have figured I will probably be able to make everyone of these projects from my STASH...
I love this idea. I know I will still need to buy batting and backing to finish them but if I can use what I have to make the projects I am o.k. with this.
Thanks for motivating me to relook at what I have and figure how to be more thrifty.
Muriel

Quilt shows are wonderful but I get so overwhelmed immediately, I can't even make it down the first row no joking, I can hardly breath, my stomach gets upset, my head starts hurting, so I hightail it to the food area grab some water and maybe something with chocolate on it and collect myself. I have learned to buy a ticket for two days, just look around the first day and jot down the booths that I love and then shop and spend the next day. Now I don't get so overwhelmed with all the wonderful things. To all of you who love this art and this board, have fun creating wheter you buy, barter, recycle, freecycle and remember too that the old quilts that we might think are ugly are worth a whole lot of money these days. Quilts are treasures no matter what they look like.

This festival is more workshops then a show although their will be a few vendors there. This is the 1st time I've ever done anything like this and I know what you mean about getting overwhelmed, I don't like crowds and I really do much better in small size classes where there is more one on one. But we so seldom have an opportunity here where we get several experienced National teachers that I didn't want to pass up the opportunity.
Muriel

we all have to watch our pennies these days, my hubby has been unemployed since July 2009 so $$$ is tight for us, I still have some John Deere fabric and making things with it along with some scrappy quilts - disappearing 9 patch and paper piecing, table runners

I am on a relatively tight budget, I cannot just go into my LQS and buy full price fabrics off the shelf. I do buy needles and thread and batting from them and always try to buy a small amount of sale fabric from one of the bargain bins for my scrappy quilts.
I source my fabrics on line, in op shops and recycle clothing, I go to garage sales and car boot sales. I do not have a stash as such. I only make one quilt at a time and when that is finished I get on with the next one, I like to hand quilt so I am not very prolific.
I get my patterns mostly from library books or mags or on line but also like to create my own designs from what fabric I have at the time. If I have an idea in my head, some times it is a while before I have sourced all the fabrics I need.
It is quite a challenge but I feel an affinity with those wonderfully creative ladies of yesteryear and try to keep by those old fashioned principals. I do not work with any fancy tools or equipment, apart from a cutting board and soon a Hera Marker! I use an ordinary cheap quilting hoop.
Just because I cannot afford to buy expensive fabrics and the like, does not stop me from enjoying making quilts. I am extremely happy in my little old quilting world, I keep my quilts for family members and friends since a lot of the fabrics are second hand or recycled.
The largest quilt I have made to date is queen size and all up it cost $50.00 NZ, I think that is approx $25.00 US.

Gal

Joanie, I am in the process of making this quilt with my scraps too. Oh my, but there are lots of pieces but I think it will become one of my favorites too. Love scrap quilts. Post this on a separate thread so others can enjoy your Trail Mix.

I'm saving my DH's old jeans for a surprise rag quilt for him. I think he'll love it. And I'm recycling!

Couldn't tell you the "cheapest" quilt that I've made, but it was probably around $30 or so.

Sometimes when hotels are updating their interiors, they sell of huge quantities of quilted bed-spreads impressively cheap. I worked at a resort several years ago and when they did their update, not only did I procure 5 King sized bedspreads, but a sofa-sleeper couch. I paid 20.00 for everything. They were all south-west design. My couch was in excellent condition, and the bed-spreads were nearly perfect. When I used one of the bedspreads in a quilt, I did not have to add additional batting. They were perfect for my climate.

Most of the "thrift stores" where I live sell their items like they are valuable collectibles. Can't wait to get to Bend on Thursday and shop till I drop. :thumbup:

I spend more money on quilting notions, rulers, books, tools then fabric. Those are cheaper then fabric now. :lol:

Using fat quarters for backing, what a great idea. Never thought of that.

I find the fabric in reasonable locations it is the wadding/ batting which is the expensive part. It comes in at roughly £15 per metre, and 1 metre never does for a bed quilt. A single quilt cost me £20 for fabric including backing but wadding was £23 .
any cheap ideas for wadding. I'm fussy as I don't like polyester wadding.

Joanie2 I love your quilt!! In fact I think I printed off that pattern for my bucket list and you have inspired me to make it now!! Thanks for posting pic-it's beautiful! Since I retired I'm using just my stash too! Hard to adjust to not buying anything tho! Savers has gone up on their prices so much I don't buy much anymore. I find Goodwill is so much cheaper if you buy the color of the day 50% off! That's the way I go!

I have a nice stash of my own and also a generous batch was given to me. I haven't even had to buy thread in a long time. My $$ goes toward batting or an occasional tool, or template or stencil. My last gift quilt was entirely leftovers from one I had made for a friend, with her buying the fabric! She didn't want the scraps. Yay me!:-) I'm keeping my spending low, too, like many others. I'm happy I love scrappies so much.

***
*** $20. for a quilt is GREAT.
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*** You are officially in the THRIFTY Club.
***

For a while I was collecting cotton men's shirts from rummage sales... approx. $.50 each or stuff a bag for $1 or $2... Not much money in them. I've made three quilts from those shirts and barely made a dent in all that fabric. And, I find the shirt quilts are my favorites to keep and use because they are so cozy, scrappy and cheerful. There's a LOT of fabric in a men's XL shirt! And you can always piece big squares to make a back.

I don't think so. You might have spent more if you had gone and bought a gift in a store.

I've never thought about trying to make a quilt the cheapest I can and don't want to have to think it.

I tend to buy my fabrics online when they are having sales. Thought their prices are already lower than local fabric stores, I still wait for a good sale and then purchase 2-5 yds of each. Same goes for the quilting thread. As all my quilts are made as gifts I try to find the lowest prices without lowering the quality of the fabrics. I try to use up scraps from the previous quilt into the next quilt. Right now I'm looking to make placemats using fruit and veggie fabrics I acquired for a Brick & Stone quilt I have on the frame right now. Its fabric I doubt if I'll ever use it again so making placemats for someone who loves to garden would fit the bill in my book.

So far from my scrap bucket I've made up 6 oversized lap quilts 60 x 75 so I call these my freebie quilts. One quilt that's waiting to be quilt has a backing made up of all the fabric leftovers and most of the quilt top came from my stash too.

I just retired and I really want to downside my stash. I have several tops and lots of backing fabric from a great sale last year. I also have some batting in the basement. If I need more I will I will look for coupons from Joann's. I have a couple more to make but I think I have enough fabric to do those. Dh and I have decided th at this is the last Christmas we are giving nieces and nephews presents.