mramsden

I have a local Project Linus group that has a huge supply of fabric, batting, etc. that the give out to those wanting to make charity quilts. For those interested in making charity quilts, look for a local group. Most will have supplies to give you.

bearisgray

Generally speaking, if a charity group hands out fabric and/ or supplies, isn't it expecting to get a,quilt back.?

if one wants to make an item for personal use, some of the ideas listed for someone starting out with little or no extra money and limited access to transportation seem unrealistic to me.

one can make a quilt that will hold together with just a needle and thread..

I have not come across that many " treasure troves" the past few years. Most of the clothing I have seen at yard sales would not be suitable to use as " a quilting cotton" to disassemble. Have not seen that many sewing machines, either.

If you read through this forum, ther are people who seem to have more fabric than a quilt fabric store. There are others who acquire fabric strictly for one project at a time.and qet rid of any leftover fsbric.

Knowing what I do now, it would still be challenging for me to start over with the basics. There is so much to choose from.

Iceblossom

I've been quilting since I was 17 years old - I'm 62 now. I've always had a budget. I've always had space issues (yes, I was quilting in my dorm room, in my apartments, etc). I was a single working parent for most of that time.

I've never been able to just go out and buy any thing without being aware of my budget. Not food, not clothing, and not fabric. I don't buy $500 purses, I buy $20 purses. Pretty much everything I buy is on sale, discounted, or at least a good buy. Think of it this way, if furniture (or fabric) can be sold at half price, they are still making money and you are just silly to pay full price. Never ever buy full price at Joann -- they don't expect you to, they expect you to wait until the sales, that's why it is priced the way it is.

Is real easy to sit back and be bitter over people who have more than we have or who have things we want. Real easy to sniff at something and say it's ugly. What I do as a quilter is I take those things other people have discarded and sniffed at and make something beautiful or at least warm and comfortable.

I may not have control over what is offered to me at the thrift stores, but I do have control over what I buy. I buy plenty of brand name fabrics -- yes, Moda, Benartex, Hoffman, whatever. I got a bag of gorgeous batiks and souvenirs of someone's trip to Indonesia for $7.99 for the entire bag. I got a bag of hand dyes for about the same -- ok, in that case I had to do a lot of work and effort (but low cost) because the dyes had not been fixed correctly. But otherwise, that stuff would sell at $20 per yard.

Before typing up this reply I looked at Craig's List in several random parts of the country. Every single one of them had fabric in the $1-3 or so dollar a yard range. There are discount houses and other things.

sewingpup

For anyone just starting out and not having much money, I would say just find a simple working machine. All you really need to get into this is a simple machine that does hopefully, a nice straight stitch. Sure, it is fun to have a machine that does all those fancy stitches, but you do not need them. I have never, ever, used 95% of the ones on my fancy machine. You need something to cut the fabric with, I recommend a 45 mm rotary cutter, a cutting matt 24 X 36, a 6 X 24-inch quilting ruler. a 6.5-inch square ruler, a basic iron, a seam ripper if one did not come with your machine, a package of pins, a package of size 80 universal needles, and a decent scissors. For fabric, get what you can to get started on your first projects, you do not need the most expensive cuz you are going to make mistakes! I at first grabbed any cheap or free fabric that came my way, from rummage sales, from other quilters giving it away at guild meetings (good to join, you learn and see what others are doing but let yourself get intimidated by the skill those folks have, they have been in this for decades) Then one day, I thought to myself. I don't need to get anymore fabric, I have plenty! Scrapes especially seem to multiply by themselves in my house. I now have extra machines, rulers, cutters, cutting mats, thread etc. If you like this quilting thing, it will take over your life! I have been doing it now for 40 years and nope, don't need to get anything for now. As for the quilting, I started out by tying some of my first ones, it works. Then I just did straight line quilting on my sit-down machine, that works too! Some folks find they like hand quilting. I never did. Keep an eye out for sales. If you find you like stitching, you will find a way. One project at a time! Actually, my 6000 dollar machine has not been used for months, I am using my bottom of the line little Bernina for my piecing for the last several months because I got it set up on a table in front of my TV so I can watch Netflix. Also, it actually stitches much better on little triangle pieces than my big fancy one.

SusieQOH

I used to make clothes when my 3 boys were little but I don't do much garment sewing these days In fact, I've gotten quite rusty.. The cost of making vs buying has been reversed since my garment days! However, I have a few cute patterns I want to use for my granddaughter and grandson but I mostly buy their clothes.

Quilting is different though. The above posts are excellent examples of how to quilt on a budget. So many ways! You just have to get creative. If you read through the posts you'll see.
At least that's how I see it.

Still Sew N

My method works like this: I buy a panel for $15 bucks or so. In my head,this quilt costs around 15 and some change. Because I keep adding onto it at different times. It's a way to trick myself into thinking - I'm really not spending so much. A few bucks here, a few bucks there. I buy batting by the bolt and each bolt gets me approx 3 quilts. So the batting (since the money was already spent - it's free!). Am I crazy? Yes. It's not logical at all but in my mind, it works! I have never bought all the fabric, front and back, batting, pattern all at once. I'd probably just fall over and not buy anything. I have to rationalize it somehow and this is my method. Feel free to adapt!

Onebyone

I don't care what others buy or don't buy so quilt snobs don't faze me. I had one guild member tell me a brand of fabric I had was not very good and she said it in front of other members. I promptly said then this fabric and I should be a matched pair. Everyone laughed and it put the woman in her place without me being rude or getting upset. I grew up around southern church ladies that no one got the better of. LOL
I can afford to buy any machine I want to but I sew on one I found at a yard sale for $25. I have other machines that I have bought used. There is plenty of good fabric at thrift stores in the clothes, blankets for batting, sheets for backing. Doing Quilt as you Go will save long arm cost. Making quilts the way I can afford in the life situation I'm in at the time is all that matters . I have some quilts that cost me over $500 to make and some that cost probably $5. It makes no difference and no one cares anyway.

SallyS

I, too, recommend joining a quilt guild. There's a lot you would be exposed to in terms of ideas, sewing friends, and smaller sub-groups that could be very helpful to you. In any guild I've belonged to, there is a group that makes and donates quilts for those in need. They give you a fabric kit and will be happy to accept the top only. They have people who volunteer to bind the quilt, and others who will quilt it.

Good luck and welcome to our quilting world!

Onebyone

My guild has a free table and there is always fabric, quilt books, scraps, rulers, and even sewing machines on it. What isn't taken during the meeting is taken to a church thrift shop. A member would not have to buy much of anything to make a quilt. There are over 160 members so you never know what is on the free table.

mramsden

Yes they expect to get the quilt back, but a lot of people like to quilt for charity. Some people just like to sew! Me included.