Are there any tips you can give me for building up my fabric collection cheaply? Is there a place where a company might just be getting rid of it or something? It seems very expensive at places like Joann or Hobby Lobby, especially for quilt backing, but I would be happy just to have a fun assortment of scraps to work with. Thanks!

Ummmm. That's a very good question!! One we are all asking all the time!!

My favorite online/catalog place is Connecting Threads. They have nice fabric for a good price. You can buy tons of fabrics on eBay. You can sign up at JoAnn and Hancock for their sale flyers, and there are always coupons in those. You can hit garage sales. There are lots of places you can get fabric cheaper than at the local quilt shop.

Some people use recycled clothing for scraps. Others pick up fabric at yardsales or resale shops. There are also fabric outlets.
Some online stores like connecting threads have lower prices and I've also bought pieces on ebay. Good luck!!

also right here on this forum, many great folks put fabric up for sale at very reasonable prices. A great place to start (and if I had a budget for fabric, I would be doing a lot of buying here)

I agree Connecting Treads is great. Check out their clearance section they add new things all the time. Also I see you're in Texas and most of the walmarts there have pretty good fabric at good prices. I usually go to the one's in Stephenville and Gatesville since when I'm there i'm in Hamilton.

Yes they do and I have bought some great pieces for really great prices here.

Re purpose sheets or curtains from the thrift store...

I shop my kids' closets. Clothes they've outgrown but aren't fit to pass on are jewels. Goodwill, Salvation Army store, Thrift stores, garage sales, estate sales, Craig's List, Freecycle... I'm sure all have been or will be mentioned. Sometimes you luck into a real treasure chest of fabric. It's a harder route to go, but the vigilent prosper :)

Welcome to the message board.

Shop the sale fabrics on line, at the stores and I agree, check out Craig's List and second hand stores. You never know what you will find. Have fun searching.

I agree. Lots of people on this board have great luck at thrift stores finding fabric, sheets & clothes they can use in quilts.

Thousandsofbolts.com
5bucksayard.com

Both have reasonable priced fabric.

welcome to the board... as you can see, there are as many answers to your question as there are quilters.

Connecting threads and fabric.com have lots of good sales and very good quality fabric, or at least what I have bought from them has been.

I've just starting collecting fabric and I'm finding things now at yard sales, GW and on craigslist. You can check out my latest haul over in Pictures titled Roadtrip! We had a great time and the fun is now in the hunt. Hang in there and you'll get it built up. When I figure out what I'm doing I will buy material for a quilt but for now this is working.

I watch all the online shops for sales, check for coupons, check consignments shops, yard sales, swap with friends.

Fabric.com
Hancocks of Paducha.com
Quiltfabriccloseouts.com
equilter.com
thecleverquilter.com
AAAQuilter's Supply.com

www.summerscountryquilts.com


These are just a few that I check regularly.

Do you have a freecycle network where you live, sheets and duvet covers are fabulous for backing and tops too :)

Joann's with coupons...walmarts...and this site

I have had good luck at rummage sales at churches. Always been able to pick up some nice stuff cheap. Sometimes it might not be exactly the prettiest but it work for figuring out patterns. I would rather experiment on fabric i got for maybe a couple of dollars then ruin a piece that i paid more for.

And actually Hobby Lobby isn't that pricey compared to other places.

fabric.com and they have coupons and free shipping
whittles fabric
quilt fabric closeouts

these all carry well known brands of fabric

then there's Connecting Threads which produces their own fabric, some people like it and others don't.

all of these are online shops

All of these answers are fantastic - thank you so much for chiming in! Sheets sound like a great idea for backing, and I do have some old duvet covers and one of you made me think of my kids clothes, how I need to cut all the cute shirts into squares and make a kid quilt. This forum is awesome, thanks again!

I buy mine at Bits and pieces in Pelham NH - their website. 4.99 a yard for moda. Love them

I buy most of my fabric at Joanns and I NEVER pay more than 5.00 a yard. You can find very nice, reasonably priced fabric there and you can use your coupons.

Try the thrift stores and get the coupons from Hobby lobby on line and sign up for JoAnn's coupon also look at large rummage sales. Hope you have some good luck.

also alot of QS's have clearance rms from anywhere from 1.00 yd-5.00yd...I always head for that.

There is a great store chain in Maine called Mardens. Most fabrics they carry, even the ones from great quilt shops, run about $3.99 - $4.99 a yard. Maybe your state has a store that would be similar.

You can also buy Fat Qtrs. when they go on sale for 1.00 at the local quilt shops I stock up.

www.marshalldrygoods.com has good prices and great customer service. Their shipping takes a little longer but the costs are so much less.

Watch all of your sales.

I am very fortunate to live near the Amish quilt shops on the west side of Seneca Lake..they have $4 to $14 a yd.
i frequent yard sales and my local junque shop (he drags stuff out for me). I stick to cotton.
I just got 44 stuffed animal patterns with small motifs too and about 30 yds of fabric from him for $15. Also a new rotary cutter, pins, about 20 zippers for purses, invisible thread, tracing wheel, exacto knife, scissors, embroidery thread (for tying prayer quilts).

Good Morning--- I echo everyone else who have given great ideas for finding "inexpensive" fabric---some places I didn't think of. I love going to Goodwill and looking through the men's shirts. You can get a lot of really nice usable fabric in an XXL cotton shirt. My one caution would be though to be very careful of the quality--even at quilt shops, but especially at places like Walmart. I have gotten some really nice fabric at Walmart, but also some really bad quality at quilt shops---just because it is cheaper doesn't mean it is an appropiate fabric for something you will put hours of work into. You don't want to spend a lot of time making a beautiful quilt to have it fade, tear or come apart at the seams at the first washing! I was told by an experienced quilter when I first started almost 20 years ago to purchase the very best fabric you can, since you will be creating a special heirloom. Welcome to the group and the art! Patricia

Wal-Mart. But check the quality of the fabric. It isn't always what you might want. Garage sales... Have fun looking!

welcome to a great quilting board, as you see there are always lots of people willing to help...most of the answers here are the best....i agree with them all...coupons at hobby lobby and joanns helps cut down the price, joanns sometimes puts their fq's at .99 each...hancocks also has great sales.......but the best is yard sales, thrift stores, ebay, and this board.....if you cant fine the members sell section, go to the top of this thread, click on 'main', and go to the members sell site......

another thought, someone mentioned connecting threads, they have a section of 'fabric seconds' for 1.98 a yard...so far i have not found anything wrong with this fabric...
good luck, and welcome!!

If you want to have a different style and quality of material, try the discontinued fabric sample books from a local drape/interior shop. There is a unique variety of styles and designs. I use them for placemats, coasters, and mug rugs and small lap quilts. Another idea is to ask family for gift cards to some fabric shops or web sites.

I got a lot of mine at the thrift store. A lot of it is LQS quality. Some is not. Worth looking at every time I am in one.

I do a lot of my shopping online and on sale, Connecting Theads, Keepsake Quilting, Thousands of Bolts and one nut. I don't drive as much any more and that's why I shop on line. I've bought from all of these places and have never been disappointed in their fabric.

I get a lot of my fabric at: www.thousandsofbolts.com

An easy to navigate site and high quality fabric!

I believe you should invest in good quality fabric for your stash.
Poor quality fabric produces poor quality quilts that will not last long. As well as can be discouraging to work with because of the poor quality of the finished quilt. Poor quality fabrics stretch and ravel, making it harder to produce quality quilts.
Check to see when your local quilt shops have sales.
Purchase 1/2 yard pieces. Concentrating on the kind of quilts you intend to make. (crib, children, lap, etc.)
I would rather have fewer yards of good quality fabric than more yards of poor quality fabric in my stash.

My first quilts were made from old clothes I didn't wear any longer. As the children grew, I'd use their worn clothes, minus the holes and stains. Sometimes I would find a garage sale, where they begged me to take the clothing off of their hands.

I have subscribed to Hancock Fabric and Joann's e-newsletters. They send me coupons all of the time. Unfortunately, coupons are only good for 1 yard but sometimes it helps. I buy some bedspreads and curtains at the local thrift store because many times there is very little wear on them. Just watch for fading on curtains.