so many of us are either out of a job or have a spouse who is. How much can you not spend to make a quilt. For example, my niece's birthday party is this weekend and I've made her a quilt for her bed using scraps. I did have to buy the backing and border, so all togher, I have less than $20 in her gift. I am also making pillow cases for her as well that are done in brights to coordinate with her quilt.

I know a lot of you find bargains in thrift stores, on clearance and use scraps from friends, so how thrifty can we be from start to finish? Just want to know if I'm still spending too much while the rest of you are making quilts for less!

I have made 2 quilts totally from what I had on hand. As much as I love the beautiful quilt shop fabrics, I find that I am going to have to start being more careful how much I spend. It won't stop me from spending, but I will have to research more to get the best prices on what I want to buy.

I am being careful also. I do have a nice stash so I can stay busy with that for awhile. When the economy is better, I'll hit the stores again.

I'v seen some spend alot more...But I'm with you I spend as little as posible. Have you heard of a group called freecycle? I belong in the Pensacola Freecycle it is a yahoo group and there whole purpose is to keep stuff out of land fills.If you have stuff you no longer need and would like to get rid of but it is still usefull you can post an offer once a week you can post a wanted and you can always respond to anyone elses add. That is how I have acuired alot of fabric.(and given alot of usefull stuff I don't use away)I tend to spend money on special fabrics and always on batting. 20$ is not bad at all!

i just finished a large queen size quilt for my sister...well it isn't quite finished yet, but the top is done, outdoorsy cozy wonderful flannel SCRAPS. I had a tote full of flannels from past projects so when she said she wanted a quilt i decided to see if i could put one together with what i had, and sure enough it was enough, then i came to backing...decided (when i came upon a 3yd piece of flannel i had forgotten about) to piece a back too...so, made a backing. went ahead and loaded it up, thinking i would stop by the lqs on my way home and pick up a batt...but then noticed i had about 8 large (20-30" wide x 90+"long)pieces of batting...so, i'm going to zigzag these together and use them too...so, i will have a large queen quilt finished start to finish with no trips to the store :)
and it gave me inspiration...i'm going to try to put together another one with regular cottons, but i think i still have enough flannels to make another one too...maybe..hmmmmm. it is nice to put a dent in the stash...makes room for new :)
as soon as i get it off the frame i will post pics, i am very happy with it!
i have been trying to make all my quilts/table runners/swap blocks/bags ect this year out of just my stash and have done very well...some i have purchased backing or batting for and i've had to buy some thread, but for the most part i have done very well. one king size quilt i did spend about $75 on for backing and batting.

I love the scrappy ones the best~ My Grandma and Aunt quilt, so we all get each others LO's and that helps so much! I amde one nearly free with old jeans and flannel shirts, just bought the thread!

"I know a lot of you find bargains in thrift stores, on clearance and use scraps from friends, so how thrifty can we be from start to finish? Just want to know if I'm still spending too much while the rest of you are making quilts for less!"

I am really trying to be more thrifty and use what I have for quilt tops but when it comes to backings I do have to buy. I have found that although I do like a lot of the planned patterns I really enjoy making scrap quilts. A close friend shared something once told to her by a famous quilter (can't remember which one right now) who said "When you make a quilt from a set number of fabrics that is planned out people see it and ooh and aah about the pattern, the fabric and the quilting and that's the end of the conversation. But when you make a scrap quilt that has unplanned fabrics and infinite number of scraps the conversation can go on an on because each time the quilt is looked at something else catches your eye that you didn't see before". So I've been trying to keep that thought and so far, I'm having fun with it.

I did pay to have this quilt machine quilted but didn't spend any money on the top, batting or backing. It's one of my favorites

A good way to use up more scraps is to make the back from larger "scrappy" pieces. (All those FQs you don't have any idea why you bought and are just taking up room?) And if you have space, buy batting by the bolt when on sale at either JoAnn's or on-line. You can also buy muslin by the bolt and use it for backings.

But $20 for a quilt -- I think you did good!! And I'm sure your niece will just love it! :D :thumbup: :thumbup:

love your quilt, thanks for sharing!

completely forgot about mils b day used fat quarters i got for .50 apeice thought they were ugly when i bought them but i figured i could use them for something (i have learned that a fabric that is the ugliest thing in all its glory can turn into the most beautiful quilt in smaller pieces) som turquoise and white little flowers, white sparkle left over from the big girl quilt (i tend to buy to much)and for backing some clearance sheets when walmart changed pkging altogether and batting prob less than $20 this is prob the least amount i have spent for a quilt

I just made a baby quilt out of my stash and my mom's. I spent a total of 60 cents on binding at the thrift shop. I think I did good.

Hubby cleaned his side of the closet. I recycled his cotton shirts, but haven't cut into them yet. I love hearing how everyone finds bargains or free fabric. It's like a treasure hunt. And it's fun to be able to sew even in belt-tightening times. I bet our ancestors did the same thing during the depression.

I love seeing everyone's "scrap" creations. What talent.

Wow! You did do well! I'm having more fun right now trying to make things for as little as possible. It makes me feel good as my husband's been out of work for over a year now. I have plenty of fabric in my room, and friends are giving me scraps. I LOVE scrap quilts! I'm going to try to put together a rug using the clothesline wrapped with material method I saw somewhere.......maybe here! That will use up fabric that I don't think I'll ever use in projects!

I keep seeing all of these beautiful quilt tops made from denim and old jeans. I've been saving jeans for years now and I may just try one soon, very, very soon!

That is a gorgeous quilt! and I love the name!

I am like everyone else I go to the Good Will, I found a bath robe size 3x and it was wonderfully soft and thick the best chenille I have ever seen. I got about 3 yard for it. Cost $3.49 it will make a great baby rag quilt. I have never found any fabric in our area. I enjoy the hunt. :thumbup:

I don't think you spent only $20 because you used scraps. You purchased the fabrics where the scraps came from before. Also your time and skill are valuable. When I sell quilts I charge the same for one made out of scraps than recently purchased fabrics. Some of my scraps came from very expensive fabrics too.

My summer project is to make tops from what I have. So far, I've made 2 tops, have another one ready to put together, and am peicing a 4th. I already have planned what I'm going to do with the scraps. I'll quilt them when the weather cools off. I'm finding fabric I forgot I had, or was bought to make who knows what. We'll see how many I can do by the end of summer. I know I have the fabric for the backs, and the batting. I stocked up with the coupons from JoAnns and Hobby Lobby.Every time they put out a 40 or 50 % coupon, and I could afford it, I bought batting, or a wide back.
I won't spend anything unless I run out of thread. Who knows, I might finish off my Christmas list early this year.
Being thrifty isn't just about saving money, it's using what you have wisely. I believe some scrap quilts are more beautiful than the designer quilts.

I've been finding sheets at yard sales, thrift shops and on clearance that will be great for backings. Most expensive one was $7 for a king flat sheet, least was a queen set ($2 each flat/fitted).

I love Joanie2's Trail Mix quilt! It's fun to look at. And there's an order and symmetry in the blocks, coupled with a charming apparent randomness. It's like two flavors that complement each other so well that together they are better than either apart!

I agree! You have said exactly what I was thinking. Nicely done!

Thank you for liking my trail mix. Notice the trail. The pattern for this quilt is much larger showing more trails but I wanted only a smaller size that would cover only the top of a twin bed. A bunch of us made the blocks and traded to give a lot of variety. Several who participated go to an annual retreat in January and coincidently last year we all brought our to show off on our beds. Glad you all like it.

The quilt in my avatar was made completely from my stash. I did buy a variegated thread to quilt it with, so the total was less than $5! :D
I try not to spend too much on any project, but this post has encouraged me to keep better track of what I'm spending. All the "little" things can really add up! I may start keeping a notebook with my projects, and keep a running tally of anything I spend on it, even if it's 50 cents!

I just made a small throw form my grandmother using just what I had on hand. :)

If you are interested in the Trail Mix quilt pattern -- it was designed by Mabeth Oxenreider and is in American Patchwork June 2004 issue. You can check it out on allpeoplequilt.com

Thanks Joanie, that quilt is great. I love scrappy!

Earlier this spring I was 'donated' the stash of a hoarder. She was my sister's ex-MIL, had a stroke and was placed in a nursing home. Her kids were clearing out her home and were going to BURN this beautiful fabric! It was 5 or 6 huge boxes of cotton fabric, all new and most still with the price tags still on. At least 100 yeard. I had collected fabric of my own for years, got my Mom's when she died and now I have fabric enough to last for a long while. Most of my quilt cost batting and that is it. I tend to make my own patterns from pictures I see or make them as I go. I have NEVER spent over $20 on any quilt I have made. I have over 15 full / queen quilts ready to quilt, 8 baby quilts finished and 5 more to quilt.

Wow! I know you loved saving the earth! I also got my mom's fabric stash when she had to quit sewing. I hauled three trunk loads from her house to my studio. Turns out she loved blue, a lot, so I've started making a blue/beige prairie braids quilt with flower appliques between the braids. I'm thinking of making it to fit a hospital bed so that when she gets out of the hospital and goes to a nursing home, she'll have a colorful quilt to fit that bed. I cut all the fabrics today and figured out to start the piecing, so when I get home from the hospital tomorrow, I'll be able to sew.

I think being thrifty leads to more creativity, saves the planet and is just far more original and artistic. Some of the most beautiful and expensive paintings in the world were painted on re-used canvas and even the backs of old doors. I revisited the "ugly fabric" thread the other day, the quilt produced is a beauty! Each quilt is priceless, the care in putting it together and the love in every stitch puts it's value beyond the reach of the richest person.

I don't know where everyone is finding the great clothing and sheets at thrift stores. I have Goodwill, Salvation Army and Savers thrift stores here and for the price they want for a men's good cotton shirt I can buy a yard of good fabric on sale. I'm very frugal with what I buy and I'm blessed that I don't have to be. Honestly I don't want over a $100 of my money to be tied up in any quilt I make. I have that and more in most all my quilts if I had bought the fabric and batting at regular prices. I would rather have that money in my pocket then on a bed somewhere. I make over 90% of my quilts from my stash including the batting. I have about as much batting as I do fabric. When I go to quilt shows I stock up on the pre cut wool and silk 18" batting squares, cheap! Don't pass up that vendor's big table of batting. I love the squares for QAYG quilts. I have a closet full of packages and bolts of batting all bought at clearance prices. I love to buy fabric so I replenish what I use whenever I find a great sale. I have enough fabric I can hold out for the rock bottom values. I prefer scrappy quilts so any fabric is the right fabric. I buy thread in sets when I find it at least 50% or more off. I usually buy any new quilting tool I think I want to try without waiting for a sale price.

I agree, part of the fun of quilting is getting the best buys, finds and deals :D:D:D

I think that sounds like fun! It would be interesting to see how much I am spending on a project. Will you start with on a go forward basis or try to account for what you are using from your stash that you've already spent? I might have to try this with you! Mine for the most part would be easier on a go forward basis.

Love your quilt. it is so much in keeping with the quilts of yesteryear where you use up your scraps of material from old shirts , dresses etc. Love how you worked in the white lines of small squares.

My friend seems to pick up alot of fabric at yard sales. With so many people on a budget there is alot good cotton quilting fabric at bargain prices at yard sales. :thumbup:

When I was working and making pretty good money, it was nothing for me to go to a LQS or Jo-Anns, Hancocks and drop $100. When hours got cut, the first thing in the budget to get cut was groceries, I needed to lose a lil weight anyways, but started to hit more yard sales and hit the thrift shops more. Now Im not working, and found that I can make at least (at least) 10-12 quilt tops with what I have on hand. when people use to ask me what I was doing with all that fabric, I replied that it was my retirement savings, so I had something to do.So I guess I have been dipping into my retirement savings (lol). I never realized I had over 350 spools of thread, a spool here, one in the teapot, some in the sock drawer.... So I have made 3 quilt tops this spring with out buying, using whats on hand. Its amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it! $20, you did an awesome job!

Thanks! I'll try and post a picture when I get it done. I may have to visit LQS to get some more thread for quilting. But then again, it is a scrap quilt so I might try to get around that too!

You could cut your price down some by piecing your backing. On my scrap quilts the batting usually all I have to buy.

i went to good will last week and found a bolt of cotton calico for 9.98 it's probably 15 yards of material. still had plastic around on it, like it comes from warehouse. it's a peachy w/blue and white flowers , green leaves. i was thrilled!!!
when i worked i bought alot of the quilt of the month from wal-mart so i got enough to last a long time. just have to buy batting.

$20.00!!!!!!! You did great. Much better than me.

i've done that since i started sewing when i was 9-10. my grammy always did it, mostly to prove to grampa that it was less money to make what she wanted than to buy it ready made... of course, she only compared to high end department stores, but it was a plan

it is funny to look back into those old notebooks and see all the stuff i've made in the last 40 yrs, and seeing the way prices have changed..!