Old fabric or new?
 

I'm curious to know how many of you enjoy using up your very old (vintage?) fabric, and how many will only sew with the newest to come out. I've been quilting for over 37 years and yes, I think I still have some scraps from those very early days! I know they're way out of style, but I still like using some of the old fabrics, including calicoes. One of my favorites is the fabric that I used for bathroom curtains back in the 70s! Some 10 or 15 years later I found the same calico in a fabric store and bought it. Sadly, I have only a few small pieces left, so I'm trying to figure out where to use it to best advantage. I'm tempted by the beautiful new fabrics and do buy them from time to time, but have no problem mixing new with old. And you?

My stash of new/current fabric is very limited but I'm okay with this. :-) One of my favourite things to do is to see what treasures I can find at my local thrift stores. I've found some vintage 1970s VIP panels next to a piece of Tula Pink. You never know what you will discover! Because of how I acquire my fabric, most of my quilts have a mix of old and new, and if I'm totally honest, I have enjoyed making those quilts far more than the one or two made with all-new coordinating fabrics. :-D

I have been sewing long before I started quilting. And yea, I hoard all those bits and pieces. They do make some interesting quilts. I rarely buy fabric collections. I prefer to mix and match to make my quilts personally unique. That is not always a good thing 😳

I've only been quilting about 20 years. Some
Of my friends have given me fabric that old or older and I find it runs way more than newer fabric. Son I don't use it anymore.

I don't pay much attention to fabric lines, just picking out fabrics I like together. I use mostly older fabric as I have a lot of it but I do pay attention to the quality of fabric. I learned that with one of the first quilts I made. I bought good fabric but could not find a purple I like so went to one of the chain stores and picked up a pretty purple. Well 20 or so years later, the quilt was still pretty and holding up well except for the purple fabric which had faded to almost white and was very thin. So I do pay attention to the fabrics I use whether they be old or new. I have lately found new fabrics in quilt shops that are thin, shrink easily, and ravel like crazy. I seldom buy fabric at the chain stores now as I have found them to be more likely thin and ravel more after washing. sometimes they will feel a bit stiff because of the sizing they have in them.

I feel it's more creative to put together my own fabric grouping rather than use fabric lines. I prefer in the individuality it gives my quilts. I use whatever works for the project I'm working on. I'm doing a lot of scrappies now. Partly because I love scrappies and partly because I want to use up fabrics I have on hand. Whatever works.

Fabric wise I am a creature of habit, and have always gravitated to the same style. Civil war, reproduction, Kim Diehl, Pam Puda. It's amazing how may times I have purchased the same fabric because I see it and have to have it. I have to push myself to buy fabric that is outside of these parameters. I have a lot of yardage that I've had for 10-20 years. I guess I just buy what I like, and go from there, so I guess it's a blend of old and new.

Have to admit that I am nostalgic and usually include snippets of older fabrics in new quilts. I just like the way they crop up here and there, little reminders of previous quilts.

I went through a phase of buying what other women no longer wanted on Facebook. Some were great pieces, others were not and I wouldn't have used them for a dog bed. I also bought a lot of All or None's from Craft Town Fabrics which were smaller pieces usually 1/2 yard or less. All of those were great. I've donated the less than thrilling pieces from Facebook and am cutting up my "great" stuff for scrap quilts. I think the oldest fabric I have is maybe 5 years old and I'll work those pieces into a scrappy.

For the last several years, I have been making quilts that consist of a fabric line. When I first started quilting, I painstakingly picked out all the fabric one by one by colors going from light to dark, hoping that designs matched etc.

If I like the fabric, or fabric line, I usually buy more than needed for the quilt, or if it came up on sale later, I would buy more of that same fabric. I like civil war era, 1930 - 1950's era, and also muted earth tones, but will reach for brighter colors from time to time.

So, I would say, that since I keep my stash more geared toward newer fabric, and tend to do clean outs from time to time to remove fabric I'm no longer in love with, I would say I mostly use new or newer fabric. Most of my stash is less than 5 years old. If I find a piece of fabric older that that, I usually know I'm just taking up space with it and send it off (donate) for someone else to love.

I do have a lot of stash, with quilts already in mind for it, but since I buy ahead - I tend to buy more than I need for the intended quilt in case I change my mind on the quilt I planned for it. If it is fabric I really like and plan to use again, I will buy it in a bolt. Now that I'm planning on only working from stash for the most part, I have a lot to choose from!

Currently trying to use what I have on hand ( although I drool over the new fabric lines daily!) I do a lot of scrap quilts and my friends are enablers in that when their scraps come to me, it feels like I have new fabrics. One of my quilting goals this year is to empty three big 40 gallon scrap bins and I'm halfway through one, thanks to friends helping by ironing, cutting, and sorting into useful strips lengths. I use old fabric a lot!

Most of my quilts are a scrappy variety of cotton fabrics. I pay no attention to how old or new. If it looks good in the quilt then in it goes. I do use color catchers when I wash them to make sure nothing bleeds. I live happily in Scrap Land.

From time to time, I go thru my stash and see if any fabrics just don't "zing" for my anymore. If so, I pull them out and bag them up to take to our local non-profit thrift shop. Figure let them sell it to someone that it does "zing" to or let their group of quilters make quilts out of it. This way I'm using up my enormous stash and helping out others in the long run. I've got more than I can use in my lifetime anyway. I know some of my fabrics are at least 15-20 years old.

I am also into picking up fabric at secondhand stores and then incorporating my finds with my stash. I love buying new fabrics but like so many other things, the price dictates what I buy.

I gave a lot of my older fabric away when moving to another house. It took up a lot of shelf space. I didn't really like it anymore and knew I would probably never use but a piece or two of it if any. I was happy to let others have it to set on their shelf. LOL

I use what ever fabric "fits the bill". I don't seek out older fabrics, but I certainly have a few in my stash and if one of those choices fits the quilt I am making, then I use it. From time to time I wonder if the older fabric is better or worse than what is currently being produced. I use my eyes and my fingers to let me know if it is quilt quality and worth of my time and efforts.

I tend to lean toward reproduction prints such as 30's and Civil War. They just catch and hold my eye but I use what fits the pattern and if making for a specific individual what will please the person who will be getting the quilt.

Back to the question, Yes, I use any vintage fabrics in my stash.

^^^^^^^^^^^ This is so me!

When Ben Franklin's fabric stores went out of business, there were two of them in my local. I bought all I could afford. It was the better end fabrics, and I knew I would use them someday in projects. I can't resist 50, 60 and 70 percent off great fabric. Could you? I bought as many blenders and neutrals as I could. The problem is that I had no shelf space and had to store them in bins. It hasn't helped me because." Out of sight, out of mind." But, I do have one planned for this year. A black, white and mixed colors one.
I truly love my older fabrics, even the scraps. I applique blocks sometimes with those smaller pieces. Getting rid of them is impossible for me.

To make matters worse, I also sew garments. So, I have those types of fabrics around in bins. Hubby thinks I am a hoarder. But, I don't think seven or eight large bins are hoarding. Do you? With the price of fabric almost quad-tripling since I started quilting, I am too frugal for that.

RedGarnet22, have you had to rent a storage unit to store your fabric. If not, then you are not a hoarder!

I identify myself as a modern quilter. I started sewing 25 years ago, and I don't have any fabric from when I started. I started quilting about 15 years ago and have always gravitated to modern style fabric. It took me a long time to figure out I do not like scrappy blocks, so I do not keep scraps either, so no fabric is around from when I began quilting. Which is fairly modern compared to reading through this thread. I don't always pick my fabrics from the same line, I feel comfortable mixing and matching fabric to suit the design of what I may be working on. I am currently restoring an antique quilt, so I am using civil war reproduction fabric and rather enjoying the process. To me, it's a vintage look, but modern fabric, since civil war reproduction fabric is a quilting style that is popular currently. Best of both worlds really.

I also will mix the old with the new. Works for me.

I like scrap quilts and love using small scraps saved from clothing construction. I have scraps that Mom used in some of her clothes or to make clothes for us as kids. (I just turned 79. ;-). ) It is such fun to use these memories i whatever I am making.

I do try to use some of my older fabrics but first give it a tug in all directions ! Most of it is still good but occasionally there might be a ripper !

Lucky for us here in Missouri, we still have 2 Ben Franklin stores within reasonable driving distance to me. I can't imagine having 70% off fabric available to me! Way too dangerous lol

No, I don't have any off-sight storage. You are so right! I am not a hoarder. Just being like a girl scout and preparing for future quilts.
BeckyBoo1, I even sold some gold to buy fabrics. Now that was pressing it, but, I love my fabrics I got. There I said it. I am a fabric-a-holic.

I use whatever works in the quilt I'm making. So a mix of old and new. Since I like to make scrappies when piecing, I don't really worry about age or fabric lines.

Rob

When I started quilting, I bought my older sister's stash. She had about 300 yards of quilting fabric she'd bought when she worked at a quilt shop right out of college. That was in the 70's. It's intermixed with the rest of my stash, and I use it when it works.

Love this definition of a hoarder. But not paying for space for hubby

If old and new are mixed, one might be ripped by the strength of the other fabrics.

As to repairing an antique quilt, new fabric will probably be too strong for the antique fabric and make a new problem.

I have so much old and new fabric - actually now I am getting rid of the fabric I haven't touched in 2 years. I use what works - never cared about the age. If the fabric is truly weak I would throw it away. I have a piece of Disney's 3 Little Pigs fabric that my mom used back in 1952 which is still very strong and I have been putting a piece of it in all the quilts I make for the great grand kids. (My mom told me to find the fabric before she died in 2009 and asked me to use it somehow since my niece was expecting twins at the time.) Lately I have slowed in my quilting because my daughter had my grandson in 12/2020 and I watched him full time until August when he started day care. In 2 weeks we will have our first granddaughter and I will be watching her until she is old enough for day care with her brother. (I am so excited!). But they keep me busy so quilting has been difficult. And lets face it - buying new fabric is fun, so...... I am keeping the majority of my Christmas & Halloween fabrics - I LOVE making seasonal quilts. And I have taken it off the comic book cardboards. It was just too hard to keep up with it all.

My oldest fabric is about 10 years old. My goal is to use all of my old fabric and not buy any new fabric. I'm starting to make my Halloween quilt today with the 10 year old fabric.

Most of my fabric is less than 5 years old. If I don't use it by a certain time I know I won't and out it goes. I purge at least once a year and it makes me more productive.

I am in the process if trying to use older fabric some I just did not want to cut into before now I think I can without regret.
I also had fabrics that I did not think went with anything, now I see things different they seem to work

My oldest fabric is from the 1960s. My uncle was a pattern maker in the garment district of NYC and the fabric was from a line of blouses his company made. I try to include a piece of this fabric in every quilt I make. Yes, it passes the rip test, so I am confident using it. I will be very sad when it is all gone.

What a wonderful idea! Good for you for honoring your uncle this way.

Maybe it's because all of my fabric is stored in the house and we run A/C most of the year to keep the humidity down, but I've never had a problem mixing older fabrics with newer ones. I have 25 year old fabric that I've used with new fabric. I've never had the new fabrics be stronger than the older ones and cause problems.