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Originally Posted by raptureready
Your computer screen also makes a wonderful light box.
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Originally Posted by Katia
Where is the Newbies challenge. I totally qualify. I am so new I have no idea where the challenge is.
Go to the top of any page on here and look to your left it will say "Quilting Forum" --> . Well click there and "Main" topic is the first one listed, click on that and you'll see it there on top. Have fun, Melody |
TJ Max and Ross are two stores in my location that have new sheets and wonderful soft fleece blankets for very good prices! (Thanks friends, this is fun!)
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Originally Posted by raptureready
Your computer screen also makes a wonderful light box.
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This is a wonderful thread. I picked up some tips and got some chuckles, too! Here's my tip: save the plastic containers that fresh spinach or salad greens come in; they are the same size as the plastic see through shoe boxes. They stack neatly and are great for your 2 1/2", 3", 4" , etc. strips.
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wow what wonderful Ideals, I have no money and a few of the ladies on this board are and have sent me some scraps so I could start sewing, now I cant wait tell the grage sales start. thank you so very much. Penny
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You all have given me some great ideas for saving on my quilting. I use the empty spice bottles that I get at Costco for putting broken needles,pins and blades. I'm a safety nut when it comes to those things have had 2 friends hurt badly from stepping on needles that have fallen and got stuck in the carpet. One of them is crippled the needle did so much damage to her foot. Must accidents happen at home,so I tie to be as safe as I can and I wouldn't want someone who came to visit to step on one either.
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I use empty cosmetic jars and containers with screw on lids for pins etc., and I collect boxes for various things. My family are always donating them. If I don't use them for my sewing paraphernalia they often end up as fabric covered gift boxes which also forms part of the gift.
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Checked Craiglist this morning to find a garage sale starting at 8am right here in my home town that listed quilting supplies and fabric. Looks like DD will have to be ready to get dropped off at school just a few minutes early. LOL Gotta go to it.
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empty prescription bottles work well too.
A piece of batting on your lap seems to attract loose threads. That rubberize shelf liner that you can get in the housewares section of Walmart is great for keeping your foot pedal where you want it and for keeping your machine from walking across the table. Last year on a garage sale I purchased one of those metal record album holders from the 50's or 60's and it works great for holding my rulers. I'm off to a garage sale this morning to see what kind of bargains I can find---I'll let you know if I find any good ones. They advertised quilting supplies and fabric. I'm still searching for a couple more record holders--my two quilting sisters liked my idea so much that they want some for themselves. And there's been so many good ideas on this board that I'm going to really keep my eyes open. |
ok - so this is not all quilting but I save old shirts etc thst sre cotton for quilting and shirts that sare not cotton I remove all the buttons and slip them onto a safety pin and save them for other projects then when I need matching buttons they are all together
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The garage sale this morning was wonderful ! ! ! !
Are you ready? Here's my purchases. BTW I'm also a decorative artist so I watch for those things too. a 5x17 Fiskars selfhealing mat a 17x23 Olfa " ' a 5x23 " ruler a 6 1/2x24 Quilters Rule 8 yds of belting/tote strap stuff 1 extra large clear storage tote 20 new artist brushes 1 pallet knife 1 twin flat sheet for backing 1 very large sketch book 6 deco. artist books and best of all: 97 yds of cotton fabric. Yes, I measured it when I got home and there's 97 yards. Some of the pieces were 8 or 9 yds long for 50 cents. Grand total? $38.00 I'm so thrilled I could dance and sing. The man said that as they clean out more of his mom's things there will be more sewing things. I told him I'd be back. |
I sure would like to be the first in line at a yard sale like that!!! There are so many good bargains to be had if you are in the right place at the right time!!Yea for all of you who did....
I will add another source for fabric...bed skirts. I found some at Goodwill a few weeks ago. They were home made, cotton and I got a lot of nice fabric for $1.05...I found two that day. I also look for cloth napkins. I have found a lot of them that look like they were barely used! Pillowcases can yield nice pieces as can full skirts. There is an endless supply if you are willing to look and think outside the box. It's part of the fun!! Ditter |
I wasn't quite fast enough, a man bought two small cabinets full of thread while I was grabbing fabric and mats. LOL Oh well, he got them for his mom, I know her and she's a nice lady. Maybe I didn't really need thread after all.
The lady that owned the things I bought was a friend of mine that passed away from cancer late last fall. I took her to chemo treatments all summer. So now when I make a quilt from her fabric I'll be able to keep some of her with me. It will be a comfort. The only bad thing is that she, her son, and her sister all lived together and all smoked. I have to get that fabric in the washer FAST. |
my best friend made me a beautiful quilt of brocades, velvets, satins and such all from dresses bought at goodwill. The colors are amazing.
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Wow, it sounds beautiful. I've never attempted a quilt from satins because they are so unforgiving. Any little pin prick shows so badly. My favorite aunt made a quilt from cream colored satin. It was a state quilt that was all hand embroidered with the each state outline, state bird, state flower and a star on the capital. It was beautiful and was appraised (for insurance) at $8000. She put them in the order that they became states.
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All these comments bring up a memory. I was a young stay at home mom with 4 children and wanted so badly to make some quilts. There was no money for fabric, so I just wished, and went to quilt guild whenever I could.....until one day while I was away from home someone left two boxes of fabric scraps on my porch! What a treasure for me! I still don't know who gave them to me. but what great joy they brought and started me on a lifelong love of quiltmaking.
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I been saving my thread clippings to make thread bowls. It takes a lot time to save up enough but now I have my SIL saving hers for me too. I agree I buy sheets at walmart on sale for backing. I also sew the leftover triangles you get after you cut your corners off together and put them aside when there is enough makes great scrappy laptop quilts or mini quilts, potholders,pillows, etc. I have a hard time wasting any material or scraps so I use most of it in some way. I also save 2 inch squares for what will be a postage quilt only 1,000 more to go since it is only 3 of each kind of material I use, It is fun I keep each different project organized seperately so it is ready to go when I have everything I need for it.
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Penny doty,
What kind of material do you like? Send me a Pm. Eiltcoq. |
Penny doty,
What kind of material do you like? Send me a Pm. Eiltcoq. |
I work for a local hotel and have grabbed stained sheets & pillow cases to use for projects. I have "home-dyed" them and have an unlimited variety of colors! A standard pillow case is about 30"x 30" once seams are cut off and hem removed. Most of the ones I use are at least 50-50 cotton/poly. If nothing else they are soft and easy to work with! Most hotels/motels are more than willing to give away their discards, saves having to pay to have them put in garbage! What stains there are can easily be cut around for piecing. I also agree with going to Wally's for backing material (king sheets)!
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I too buy cotton dresses at garage sales. I once bought a maternity dress that had wonderful material and lots of yardage, my DH about had a heart attack until I told him I bought it for the material.[/quote]
My husband would pass out, too!!! We have 6 kids and all but one have left the nest!!! |
Wow I just read your post about your Aunt making the State History quilt and what it was appraised at. My mom has done 8 so far. One for each kid and grandkid (almost) The are just done on muslin with strips between but she does all the states just like you said in the correct color. I had no idea they had that much value. I can't use mine I have it for show but............. My son love his and uses it!!! His daughter is the last one and she is working on it now. I hope she finishes it as I don't have that much patients or talents!!
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Garage sales! I find lots of fabric. At one last summer there was a large box of fabric with a sign that said all you can carry for $1.00. I said I could carry it all. Wonderful find with lots of vintage fabric, large pieces of newer and even some feed sack material. It seems as though a lot of people are just cleaning out and getting rid of stuff. I'll take the fabric any old time. Also, I have people watching for flannel sheets for me as I make lap quilts for nursing homes. They make excellent backs as they don't slip off the patients laps.
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Outdated x-ray film makes wonderful templates.
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I live in a small town and I sometimes go to estate sales. Get lots of good scrap material and other sewing iteams. I use hat boxes ,that have been covered in nice paper, to store new mateial in.Their attractive to set out but hide my projects.I found a great find in a thrift store.New twin bed sheets for $2.50.Great quilt backing.
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Originally Posted by Ditter43
I sure would like to be the first in line at a yard sale like that!!! There are so many good bargains to be had if you are in the right place at the right time!!Yea for all of you who did....
I will add another source for fabric...bed skirts. I found some at Goodwill a few weeks ago. They were home made, cotton and I got a lot of nice fabric for $1.05...I found two that day. I also look for cloth napkins. I have found a lot of them that look like they were barely used! Pillowcases can yield nice pieces as can full skirts. There is an endless supply if you are willing to look and think outside the box. It's part of the fun!! Ditter |
My aunt's was king size too. I forgot to mention that. The cream colored satin was exquisite. And the appraisal was for insurance purposes not what it would actually sell for---that would have been less. But the quilts with all that hand embroidery are beautiful. I don't have that kind of patience yet. I might one of these days, I am getting into doing more hand stitching. I want to try my hand at Hawaiian applique. Probably won't get any farther than a throw pillow. ;-)
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Instead of buying the corrugated plastic fabric organizers I went to some of the local past candidates who ran for office and they gladly gave me their old corrugated signs and I just cut them to the size I wanted. Now my sewing room looks better and I can see my fabrics better. I was surprised at the fabric I had looked over it's like buying new fabric.
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I use the cores of duct tape or clear tape for a strong base for pin cushions.
They last forever, are cheap and you can make some of the cutest styles with them. For cleaning out sewing machines, I use a curved eyelash brush..it also works for the keyboards! Especially since I have a very long haired Persian cat who loves to wander in front of my computer and wave her brush of a tail around, leaving drifting snow of cat hairs behind her!! |
Use an old mouse pad for a pincushion. It is so handy if you put it on the table by the side of your sewing machine.
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Originally Posted by cr12cats
I been saving my thread clippings to make thread bowls. It takes a lot time to save up enough but now I have my SIL saving hers for me too. I agree I buy sheets at walmart on sale for backing. I also sew the leftover triangles you get after you cut your corners off together and put them aside when there is enough makes great scrappy laptop quilts or mini quilts, potholders,pillows, etc. I have a hard time wasting any material or scraps so I use most of it in some way. I also save 2 inch squares for what will be a postage quilt only 1,000 more to go since it is only 3 of each kind of material I use, It is fun I keep each different project organized seperately so it is ready to go when I have everything I need for it.
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