Pds

Good Morning--- I echo everyone else who have given great ideas for finding "inexpensive" fabric---some places I didn't think of. I love going to Goodwill and looking through the men's shirts. You can get a lot of really nice usable fabric in an XXL cotton shirt. My one caution would be though to be very careful of the quality--even at quilt shops, but especially at places like Walmart. I have gotten some really nice fabric at Walmart, but also some really bad quality at quilt shops---just because it is cheaper doesn't mean it is an appropiate fabric for something you will put hours of work into. You don't want to spend a lot of time making a beautiful quilt to have it fade, tear or come apart at the seams at the first washing! I was told by an experienced quilter when I first started almost 20 years ago to purchase the very best fabric you can, since you will be creating a special heirloom. Welcome to the group and the art! Patricia

LoriMcc

Wal-Mart. But check the quality of the fabric. It isn't always what you might want. Garage sales... Have fun looking!

grumpy90650

welcome to a great quilting board, as you see there are always lots of people willing to help...most of the answers here are the best....i agree with them all...coupons at hobby lobby and joanns helps cut down the price, joanns sometimes puts their fq's at .99 each...hancocks also has great sales.......but the best is yard sales, thrift stores, ebay, and this board.....if you cant fine the members sell section, go to the top of this thread, click on 'main', and go to the members sell site......

another thought, someone mentioned connecting threads, they have a section of 'fabric seconds' for 1.98 a yard...so far i have not found anything wrong with this fabric...
good luck, and welcome!!

dweeks

If you want to have a different style and quality of material, try the discontinued fabric sample books from a local drape/interior shop. There is a unique variety of styles and designs. I use them for placemats, coasters, and mug rugs and small lap quilts. Another idea is to ask family for gift cards to some fabric shops or web sites.

tmg

I got a lot of mine at the thrift store. A lot of it is LQS quality. Some is not. Worth looking at every time I am in one.

ladydi64

I do a lot of my shopping online and on sale, Connecting Theads, Keepsake Quilting, Thousands of Bolts and one nut. I don't drive as much any more and that's why I shop on line. I've bought from all of these places and have never been disappointed in their fabric.

Patchesnposies

I get a lot of my fabric at: www.thousandsofbolts.com

An easy to navigate site and high quality fabric!

Pieces2

I believe you should invest in good quality fabric for your stash.
Poor quality fabric produces poor quality quilts that will not last long. As well as can be discouraging to work with because of the poor quality of the finished quilt. Poor quality fabrics stretch and ravel, making it harder to produce quality quilts.
Check to see when your local quilt shops have sales.
Purchase 1/2 yard pieces. Concentrating on the kind of quilts you intend to make. (crib, children, lap, etc.)
I would rather have fewer yards of good quality fabric than more yards of poor quality fabric in my stash.

rj.neihart

My first quilts were made from old clothes I didn't wear any longer. As the children grew, I'd use their worn clothes, minus the holes and stains. Sometimes I would find a garage sale, where they begged me to take the clothing off of their hands.

CitySlickerCreations

I have subscribed to Hancock Fabric and Joann's e-newsletters. They send me coupons all of the time. Unfortunately, coupons are only good for 1 yard but sometimes it helps. I buy some bedspreads and curtains at the local thrift store because many times there is very little wear on them. Just watch for fading on curtains.