I go to thrift shops all the time and seldom find fabric. :( Wish I had the luxury of being picky! I guess I have found polyester and felt. Didn't buy those. But I would probably buy any cottons I could find at a decent price.

I buy medical scrubs for charity quilts. If I can find a Large or XL then I can get over half of the fabric I need for a kid's charity quilt. A lot of the scrubs I find have really fun patterns that I don't see in the LQS. I only buy 100% cotton. I have also bought Men's 100% cotton Hawaiian shirts to use for the floral patterns.

I am picky to a degree----if it is usable for a quilt, buy it if cheap enough. If it is extremely cheap and I like it always buy regardless of content as I find I always find a use for things I like.

i have never seen any at our thrift store, or even at our goodwill store...
I have seen yarn, but it was the same price you would buy it at a regular store!
I don't know if I would buy it or not... I guess it would depend!

My favorite thrift store is run by women that some of which are quilters. You have to pay to volunteer there! I find some very nice scraps once in a while. I usually am ther to make a donation. I rarely go in thrift stores anymore. I am too busy to get out and I have everything I need really. I find in my later years that less is more for me.

Yes I am picky. I agree that if you are going to make something, it should be of a quality that will make you proud to keep or give.

When I can, I make "kiddie" quilts for others. I can see a use in every piece of COTTON fabric I find. :-)

I'm very picky about everything I buy at thrift stores and garage/estate sales, etc. If I don't have a use for it, it doesn't ride in my car. Having said that - yesterday I was in Goodwill and found some beautiful balls of yarn and wasn't familiar with the brand. Nine balls for $5. It was S. Charles, Venus collection, product of Italy. When I got home and researched my purchase, I found that each ball sells for $11.35. Talk about happy!! I had planned to knit a long scarf, but a $100.00 scarf? It's gonna really be good.

I know I don't buy ugly just for the yardage. I do buy mens shirts that still have some quilting life left in them and can add to my stash once they are cut up, but still if they are ugly...............NO

I only buy 100% cotton for quilting and only Men's shirts, the larger the better, with long sleeves usually and NO stripes, nothing thin!


Same here. I like some kind of design sometimes, too, because I use a lot of them for my Linus quilts. But definitely only 100% cotton.

i LOVE thrift stores, yard sales, anywhere i can find a bargain...when i buy fabric at one of these places, when i get it home, i do the "burn" test on it, then lable it for future use...i save my 'cotton blends' for backing on bibs for babies, for table runners (for my or my family's use), for 'stablizing' on applique pieces, or anywhere else i need it.....i do not pass up fabric if it is a good price.......gina