what is freecycle?

Not gonna want to hear this, but moderation is best in all things. Self-discipline is a great quality to develop.

I have gotten quilting books and fabric at the antique stores quite cheap. I go to the fabric outlets and buy LQS fabric for way less, it just the last years fabric. I go to the Goodwill and Salvation Army but there hasn't been as much for fabric over the winter. WE can look forward to garage sales this spring!

Thanks for all the great ideas, everyone. I think finding free patterns on the web has been my biggest money saver, along with this site, of course! My best money saver has been to STAY OUT OF QUILT FABRIC SHOPS! This is very sad for me (not going into LQS's), but I have enough fabric in my stash to last me the rest of my life and several other lives! I just cannot go into a fabric shop without buying anything... If I happen onto an online store, sometimes I make out an order, fantasize about it, then I erase it without ordering... I do that with clothes and shoes, too. I have actually gotten money in my savings account with this strategy!!!

Deborah, I never thought to look into the Antique stores! Good idea!
Linda, I really need to stay outof the LQSs too....I just go to get one piece of fabric, and soon I am grabbing bolts..........

use inexpensive flannel in place of higher priced batting, just be sure to launder flannel first cuz of possible shrinkage.

I love flannel as batt, nice and soft and the quilt folds better etc.

warm quilt hugs, sue in CA

I also belong to Freecycle and I have better luck getting rid of things than I do getting them from other members. Seems someone else always responds faster than I can. In 4 years I've only gotten 3 things but I've gotten rid of lots of stuff that I was purging or my hubby was going to put in the trash!

warm quilt hugs, sue in CA

You can post wanted ads on Craigslist or Freecycle, although some freecycle groups want you to post Offers before requests.
I have used both, freecycle seems to attract fewer scam artists as no money is involved.

I have been making quilts for over 30 years and just LOVE that quilting is going back to its roots and quilters are recycling clothes to make quilts the way our ancestors did!! I had not realized this before finding the QB.

I've never used flannel for batting (love it for backing even if the front is cotton). I'm going to give it a try. Thanks for the idea.

remember because you are using stuff for quilting there are other type of stores that have things that work the same like storage items, the blades at harbor frieght and my Sil just showed me a large piece of insulbrite material that she gets at lowes by the yard i'm going to go this weekend and get some. also a lot of recycling useable items. For example i got a letter holder with different slots to hold mail but never used it for that purpose but works great to hold my quilting rulers. There are lots a useful info on here also that has been great, makes one say why didn't i think of that lol as for fabric i only buy for a project that i am doing so my stash is smaller peices or scraps. even the ones you would throw away i have started saving up again for fabric bowls and slit them with my rotary to bits depending how i am doing the bowl. i used them around holidays to give co workers goodies in when i worked. right now i have some strong boxes from xmas that i will cut the sizes of the fabic organizers and wrap them with contact paper my Sil needs help organing her stash on shelves.