shy

Peacemaker..I think that depends on what part of the country u are in..in Iowa it very much alive..even in the very small rural towns..my town is maybe 1300..and i can name maybe 50 people just in the small town who quilt..we drive for all our supply..most small towns even have a quilt club..May have only 10 members..but they enjoy..

Bubbie

Garage sales and thrift stores are just like any place else, have you never gone to buy something and nothing caught your eye? Different times of the year in different areas you will find fabric coming out of your ears, other times you are unable to find any. I find that the summer garage sales have more, because people are wanting to get rid of stuff to go on vacation or have come back from vacation and need the space for the new stuff they have gotten. I also find that just before and just after school starts you can get a lot of fabric and cloths. People are finding out what doesn't fit any more or isn't needed any more. I have found that garage saling and thrift shopping is an art just like quilting. You just have to look outside of the box .

bearisgray

I can and have cut up garments - but it is so much easier if there is a tear or stain on them!

JenniePenny

Quilting is not dying. It is a $3B a year industry.
If there is a shortage of quilting fabrics at yard sales, I interpret that to mean that quilters are using their stashes right now, and they don't want to sell several hundred dollars' worth of fabric for $20. My opinion only.

bearisgray

I agree. I just wonder where/when those that say "you can get fabric inexpensively at yard sales" have.

tessagin

I got 3 bags of batting the other day. DH stopped by garage sale and spotted it on his way to work. Gave them $10.00 for all 3 bags. Hobbs 80/20 all queen size. they wanted everything to go fast since it was only going to be open til noon that day. He didn't have time for anything else.

just_the_scraps_m'am

you are right about the fact that there are less and less people who sew. i always ask new people i meet if they sew and so far it's been a big fat zero -- i am shocked that they don't have a machine OR even know how to darn a sock!

just_the_scraps_m'am

there was a thrift shop near me that had a dollar rack and at the end of every saturday they removed what didn't sell and replaced it with new dollar items. i was curious and asked what they did with it and they said they send it overseas to religious entities to help clothe the poor....so if you feel bad cutting up shirts that aren't worn -- don't -- they're just recycling them in a different way.....there is a massive over abundance of clothing in the world.....

Emma S

I think of garage sale season as being from April through October. I probably hit a true bonanza three or four times in that period. To me the hunt is almost as much fun as the purchase. Saddest story I ever heard was about a quilter that was well known in the community and her relatives commissioned an estate sale. When asked the person managing it admitted to dumping a huge amount of cotton fabric because she figured no one would be interested in it.

pocoellie

Friday morning, I was at a yard sale and picked up approximately 123 yards of quilting cottons for $72 and a bunch of quilting books for $10, went back the next day and got 12 large binders, all full of quilting magazines. The only problem is, WHERE do I put them all? LOL