pungogal

i made two quilts from a coworkers clothing who passed away with cancer for two of his daughters. i decided on a log cabin quiot for two reasons. one, he was a hunter and his clothing was mixed but mainly camo. used his dress shirts, khakis, pajamas and favorite shirts that even had holes. so i needed a scrappy quilt. second, it was hard to square after cutting outc eams etc so i wanted to get the most out of it and strips just worked! had flannel, cotton, moisture wicking fabric and fleece t work with. i walked away two weekend in a row because fabric stretched so bad. so i ended up buying the fabric cutter and it worked perfectly except i got a liitle stretching when pressing. they turned out perfect and are treasured by his children. i have some strips left and jyst found out last week his only son is having a baby boy..the first boy grandchild so i plan to make a baby quilt out if the rest. if i can post a pic, i will.

carolaug

[ATTACH=CONFIG]354051[/ATTACH]This scrappy is from my scraps, my husbands shirts, a few of my dresses that were to small and lots of left overs from all of the quilts I have made...We love it....

Patti25314

What a sweet puppy!!! One of the most beautiful quilts I've ever seen was made from John Meyer and Village wool skirts of the 60's.

janegb

I have made several quilts using cut up clothing from thrift stores, etc. They are holding up very well. WHen I first started quilting, that was my main source of fabric. Still have some. Of course, the fabric wasn't worn out to the shabby, and was mixed with other fabric I had/have in my stash. So if you find some used clothing that looks good go for it.

kateyb

I think if you pick clothing that hasn't had much use it works well for quilts. Men's shirts can have over 2 yards of usable fabric in them. Full skirts also have a lot of fabric. You can tell if there is a lot of wear in them just choose carefully. A lot of men's tropical print shirts are cotton and would be a lot of fun to use. Check the label to be sure they are cotton or at least cotton blend. If you are going to hand quilt use only cotton since it is easier to hand quilt than blends are. Remember our grandmother and great grandmother used what was available for quilting. If used clothing is the most available for you than "go for it".

Johanna Fritz

I have a stash of "plaid" type shirts as my boys outgrew them that I use. Yes, I use silk and cotton shirts from Goodwill, well washed and extra rinse in hot (not silk). I also hand dye cotton sateen (white on white) vintage table cloths and napkins. These can be found at rummage sales very inexpensively. I recently got a table cloth equivalent to 6 yards of fabric for $1.00. I use regular batting. Dyeing is REALLY simple, contrary to popular opinion. i have had 5 back surgeries, and I can to it. If you want more information, check out Candy Glendening. She is online at "Candied Fabrics." She has an online 101 and 102 class. Here is a photo before and after.

Delta

You know what. I have made many many quilts from walmart fabric and I buy the sale ones. Just as I do at Joanns, and I work at JA part time. I have 3 quilts I made in the 70 from Walmart, they have been washed many times and they are still good. Just beware of the really thin fabrics. And if you have a stash in your sewingroom. use all of that. I am trying to use my stash so I can buy more. lol
good luck to ya,.

Delta

Barb you are so correct I forgot about using sheets. I have used sheets many times. Just reg sheets and flannel one. good you mentioned that.

jj1150

carolaug ... your quilt is beautiful and your dog adorable!!!! They look perfect together!!! lol

jody

Daylesewblessed

I am currently working on a sew and flip children's quilt, and the focus fabric is a Snoopy design from a scrub found at a garage sale. I have not seen that print anywhere else, and it is working perfectly for my quilt.

I think the best deal I have gotten at a garage sale in the line of clothing for quilts was a square dance outfit for $1. The skirt was sewn in gathered tiers each about 7 or 8 inches wide. The print was cowboy like Alexander Henry, and the colors alternated by tier. I got at least 2 children's quilts from that just using 6" squares.

I have a garage sale sophisticated cowboy print large ladies' shirt in the closet waiting for inspiration and the right colors to match. It looks like something from the 50's, and there is chartreuse in the print. The scenes are kind of desert and landscape, not so much horse and rider.

Anyway, I don't shop specifically for clothes for quilts, but I keep my eyes open, because of the unusual things that can be found.

Happy hunting!

Dayle